Jeff Geerling's blog

Video of the Storm at Steubenville, Week 2

Jeff Geerling — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:13:20 +0000

Just before the second week of Steubenville St. Louis Mid-America, a huge storm rolled (very slowly) through Springfield, MO, taking down power lines around town, but (fortunately) not causing any injuries. Power was restored just before the doors to the Arena were opened, but the storm was a very prominent reminder of God's awesome power!

I shot the video below on my iPhone 4 (which had a couple of close calls, during the extremely windy parts of the storm) in HD, and posted it to YouTube:

God Teaches Us Humility - At All Times!

Jeff Geerling — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:03:23 +0000

At this past weekend's Steubenville conference (the first of two for 2010—I'll also be present at next week's conference!), I took over 1,000 photos. After editing and deleting redundant or crummy pictures, I posted 353 of them to this Flickr collection (slideshow here).

My normal photo-taking workflow is this:

Take a ton of pictures (maybe 100-200).
Pop out memory card, insert into computer, transfer photos, erase memory card.
Take another ton of pictures.

Sadly, during Saturday night Eucharistic Adoration, I was happily snapping away a bunch of beautiful shots (I was probably up to about 100), and a little warning popped up on the camera "There was an error writing this image to the card. Please use a new card."

Well, this has happened before, and wasn't a problem, so I simply popped out the card, and re-inserted it, then took more pictures (I think the card overheated, or maybe some other odd bug happened). Well, after going back to the computer, I realized that all the first 100 or so pictures I had taken were gone.

A few minutes earlier, I was thinking to myself, "Man, these are some of the best photos I've shot at a Steubenville conference ever!

God was thinking, "This is a great opportunity for you to learn some humility, Jeff!"

I was angry when I returned to the computer and found that most of the pictures from adoration were gone, and I was unable to recover them with my PhotoRescue utility, but after praying over the situation, I realized that I should be thankful to God that I am able to take any pictures at all, and I should always realize that my photographs are only meant to give HIM the glory. Not me.

It helps, though, that I didn't lose all the photos. There were still some beautiful shots of our Lord in the monstrance, like this one:

The Statistics are In

Jeff Geerling — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:38:30 +0000

It has always amazed me how quickly Steubenville registration slots fill up when group registration opens online. I was amazed yet again, as this year we had over 2000 more slots available than we had in years past, and they still filled up in record time.

Spots remaining: none.

Registrations were accepted beginning at 9:00 a.m. CDT. At mid-9:01 a.m., Week 2 was already full, and new groups were being waitlisted. By 9:30 a.m., Week 1 was pretty much full as well. There were a few groups who mistakenly registered for the wrong week, or registered twice, but still... over 4,000 slots were reserved for Week 2! I guess I'm simply glad the new registration website didn't go up in a ball of flame.

Well, here's to the best Steubenville St. Louis Mid-America conference ever!

Forever

Jeff Geerling — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:43:15 +0000

Most of you have seen the infamous Wedding Dance video* on YouTube (and spoofed on the show "The Office"), but for those who haven't, the video shows a couple and their wedding party dance into the chapel to Chris Brown's Forever, a song released and made popular last year.

I'm guessing most of you have heard Forever... if you have not, you can listen to it on Lala.

In the song, Chris Brown comes so close to the Catholic teaching of the purpose of sexuality and marriage that I almost thought he was quoting John Paul II's Theology of the Body. But, like most popular musicians today, he went a little too far and mangled the true meaning of nuptial love.

From Chris Brown's Forever:

"It's you and me moving at the speed of light into eternity... Tonight is the night to join me in the middle of ecstasy...

It's like I've waited my whole life for this one night..."

After listening to the rest of the song, it's pretty apparent he's only talking about a one night stand, or at the minimum, some other immoral behavior that will hurt both him and his dance partner. But there are grains of true wisdom in the words quoted above.

"...Moving at the speed of light into eternity."

God gave us a great gift in human sexuality, and one of the greatest acts that expresses this sexuality is intercourse between a married man and woman. Every time a married couple performs this great act, given as a gift by God, without any barrier or stain of sinful lust, the couple experiences "an image, a foretaste, a little glimmer of the eternal ecstasy that awaits us in Heaven" (Quoted from Christopher West).

Chris Brown, and, I assume, most other people in our culture who know sexual acts to be so enlivening and joyous as to attach the word 'ecstasy,' knows how good it feels to have intercourse. However, most people leave their intercourse and feelings on a natural level. This makes their relationships fall apart, mostly due to the fact that the result is usually selfish lust. But we want to go higher—we want to have intercourse give us a glimpse of "the eternal ecstasy in Heaven!" We want to experience a nugget of the beautiful and awe-inspiring glory of God's presence!

Sex is Sacred

We, as Catholics, are called by Christ to preserve the marital act (sexual intercourse) for married relationships, and to bring our bodies before Christ. A married couple must pray that they keep their thoughts and actions pure, and always seek union with God. Only then can we really be "moving at the speed of light into eternity" and join each other "in the middle of ecstasy!"

Next time you listen to Chris Brown's Forever, you might want to say a little prayer that Chris (and anyone else who shares his sentiments) can take another step and understand how powerful and amazing sexuality can truly be, if it is lived within a loving and committed relationship with God at the center!

*Note: I do not endorse this kind of behavior during a wedding liturgy... I simply provide the link as a point of reference.

If you'd like to read more about sexuality in a Catholic worldview, I highly recommend Christopher West's Theology of Body for Beginners.

Do You Pray the Rosary?

Jeff Geerling — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:43:01 +0000

A friend of mine recently sent me a link to the following YouTube video:

The video was a good reminder for me: I often feel overwhelmed with work, with keeping up on all the things happening around me. Sometimes I simply need to stop what I'm doing and say hello to my Mom. Not just the Mom who lives in Florissant, though... I need to check in with my Heavenly mother! And what better way to do that than by praying the Rosary, following Mary's footsteps as I contemplate the life of her Son?

I really hope you were able to spend some quality time with your mother this past Mother's Day. But, whether you did or not, you should spend some quality time with Mary.

And if you need any more inspiration, Mary herself asks, "Y u no sez ur Rosary?!?" (Check out all the Marian postings at LOLSaints, too—maybe you'll find some food for thought... or prayer!).

The Pope: Now on YouTube!

Jeff Geerling — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:47:07 +0000

Today Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican released a flurry of statements and speeches regarding the use of communications media, social networking, and YouTube, all targeted towards the 'digital generation' (that means you and me!).

The Pope gave a challenge to those of us who are born into the 'digital age,' in which social networking, texting and chatting rule the day: he wants us to remember who we are (creatures of God) and what our purpose is (to love God and to bring our love of God to others).

He tells us:

[New communications technologies] respond to a "fundamental desire" of people: the desire to communicate and relate with one another, something rooted in human nature itself.

"When we find ourselves drawn toward other people, when we want to know more about them and make ourselves known to them, we are responding to God’s call -- a call that is imprinted in our nature as beings created in the image and likeness of God, the God of communication and communion," the Pope contended. "[W]hen we open ourselves to others, we are fulfilling our deepest need and becoming more fully human. Loving is, in fact, what we are designed for by our Creator. […]

"In this light, reflecting on the significance of the new technologies, it is important to focus not just on their undoubted capacity to foster contact between people, but on the quality of the content that is put into circulation using these means."

So when we use Facebook, Twitter, Instant Messaging, or texting, we need to use them to further the mission we are given by God: to love one another as He has loved us! You don't need to be 'preaching' every time you post a status update... but you should never forget who you are in the dizzying world of the Internet.

Will you take up this call? Will your rise to the challenge? I think you could at least try!

The Pope has put his money where his mouth is, and is now posting videos to YouTube! Check out the new Vatican YouTube channel.

"Safe Sex" - a Misnomer

Jeff Geerling — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:31:44 +0000

I keep hearing the phrase "safe sex" thrown around. A lot of newspapers, Hollywood, even some schools tell us that we should make sure we have "safe" sex. I really wonder what they mean by that, because I didn't know having sex was such a dangerous thing!

You get married, you have sex, and you have children, right? What's so dangerous about that? Why do organizations like Planned Parenthood have to protect people from a completely natural and holy act of marriage?

The organizations that throw around the phrase "safe sex" want you to believe that having sex without adding in their products (condoms, the pill, etc.) is a bad thing. In fact, it would seem that they don't like the idea of 'natural' sex at all! But I say that "safe sex" itself is a misnomer ("a wrong or innacurate use of a name or term").

When Planned Parenthood says they want to make sure you're having "safe sex," they're usually implying that you're having sex outside of marriage. But, if you are truly thinking of marrying a person, the "safe sex" Planned Parenthood advocates is probably one of the most dangerous things you can do to your relationship! There are many reports on the negative effects cohabitation and premarital sex have on couple's relationships (especially concerning married life), but this is not the only reason why "safe sex" is wrong.

Safe sex, in truth, is sex inside of marriage. Safe sex is sex that allows a man and a woman to love each other in the best possible way, without putting any barriers between them. Safe sex is sex that allows God to work through our bodies!

There is a reason the Church teaches us to wait until we're married to have intercourse, and to always be open to the possibility of having a child when doing so. There is nothing more satisfying than giving oneself over to another fully and completely, with no reservations and no barriers (physical or otherwise!). You simply cannot do that without committing yourself to another person totally through Marriage. (And, on another level, through consecration as a nun or a priest).

I will refer you to the Reap Team's article, "What could really go wrong with sex outside of marriage?" for more information. The Reap Team's website is an excellent resource for many questions about chastity and sexual relationships.

Letting Jesus Take the Wheel

Jeff Geerling — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:13:57 +0000

It's not all that often I use a popular country song in my writings. Heck, I rarely even listen to country music! But there are a few country songs that stick in my head, and I just can't get them out. "Jesus, Take the Wheel," from Carrie Underwood, is one of those songs.

The first time I heard the song was while driving on highway 170 in the midst of a lot of traffic. The sky was blue and the weather outside was quite nice, but I was getting angry at the fact that I was stuck in traffic! I wonder if God inspired the DJ to play that song, because it made me think about how I was approaching that situation, and how I was dealing with people around me that day.

Carrie Underwood sings,

"Jesus take the wheel,
take it from my hands,
cause I can't do this on my own.
I'm letting go,
so give me one more chance,
save me from this road I'm on."

When I heard this, I couldn't help but think of the apostle Paul, and how he continually proclaimed the 'call to conversion.' We are all called to direct our thoughts, words and actions to God, each and every day of our lives. Paul's not talking about a huge conversion like his own, outlined in Acts 9, but 'little' but frequent conversions—every hour of every day.

There are obvious distractions from doing what's right and following God's call; On the day I heard "Jesus, Take the Wheel" on the radio, I was distracted by the stop-and-go traffic. The distractions will never end, but if we willingly continue to give Jesus control of our lives, we will not stray from the road He wants us to walk on for long!

Let us pray, then, that we will constantly give God our lives, and follow the path he has set out for us, and that we will never be led away from this path due to life's little distractions.