Oddwalk Ministries

Category: retreat

Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, ministry, reflection, retreat, video

Seeing the World as God Sees

Hello from Orin… Shannon and I had the privilege of presenting a couple days of retreats for the sophomores of St. Dominic High School in O’Fallon, MO (“Mofallon,” as there’s also an O’Fallon relatively nearby in Illinois), yesterday and earlier today. We were challenged to create a whole new retreat for the days, as some of the students there have also been on other retreats we’ve given (parish confirmation retreats for instance). I’m grateful to Shannon who took on nearly 100% of the work in crafting our new content, tracing a path of “how we see ourselves” to “how others see us” to “how God sees us” to “trying to see others as God might.” Then of course, a final piece on how to live that in day to day life. The days seemed to be successful, and we look forward to presenting this retreat again on other occasions.

It’s a bit corny, and we’re open to other suggestions if anyone knows of a similar-but-better-produced video, but part of the day was spent watching and discussing this brief clip. Perhaps you’ll be able to glean some with of spiritual growth from it too. Enjoy!

announcements, catholicism, family, friends, Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, ministry, music, prayer, retreat, YSP

Musical Theater Jesus Camp = YSP


When I (Orin) and some others need to quickly describe Youth Sing Praise (YSP) to those who know nothing about it, we often call it a “Musical Theater Jesus Camp.”

More elaborately, it’s an 8-day period where high schoolers gather to both mount a production of a faith-based musical and take part in a retreat based on that show. This year that show is the 2012 revival of Godspell.

Pictured here are the campers and staff gathered at Mass Saturday night. It’s hard for me to think of any community that more embodies “We are many parts, we are all one body” than does YSP. Christ is present here in community, with varied gifts of music, acting, dancing, and more, and through the evangelization that the show allows the cast to do, Christ is again present in word, song, and actions.

I hope you can all come to the free performance this Saturday night, 7pm, at Our Lady of the Snows. I’ll be the guy playing piano in support of these amazing teens. I will personally guarantee you will not be disappointed you came.

Visit: youthsingpraise.com

catholicism, family, friends, JesusJusticeJoy, Justice, keytar, ministry, pope, quote, reflection, retreat

If you don’t…

There’s a new meme circulating around, like the one here, which I (Orin) have made a version of in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way.  The gist of the meme in general is for a person to point out when they are at their worst and when they are best, and that some significant other in their lives needs to love the meme-making person at their worst, or else that significant other doesn’t deserve the meme-maker at their very best.

(Describing and analyzing memes makes them even more funny, right?)

Anyway, what I’m going for here, by way of amusement, is that 1) I’m at my worst when I pick up the keytar and “try” to be “cool” (which is quite possibly accurate), and 2) that I don’t really have a best – in a way, the joke is possibly even that my worst is all I have.  When seen through eyes of faith, of course, that’s all wrong.  The meme as a whole is asking another to love unconditionally – and so far, so good.  But what rubs me the wrong way a little bit, is that most of these memes try to distinguish human worth and value by something pretty superficial – either physical appearance, or by certain accomplishments, or other external things.  Something Oddwalk often tries to “get at” when present retreats is that our worth, our dignity, is given us by God, that we are created by God in God’s image and likeness, that we are temples of the Holy Spirit as a dwelling for the Divine.  Each of us, regardless of gender, race, any economic or social status, even regardless of our faith (or lack thereof) have this innate dignity.  Nothing can change it, nothing can take it away.

If we were to try to make this meme about God’s love for us, we would quickly find we couldn’t, really.  Sure, we are all sinful, and in those worst of times, God still loves us as much as ever.  And to try to say that God might not as some point deserve us, well, that’s just kooky, to put it colloquially.  And as God loves us, so we must try to love another: to love at all times, and to never place ourselves on a pedestal, that someone feels they must earn (or deserve) our love.  This Christian dignity, once recognized and lived out, will truly change the world, making it an infinitely more just and peaceful place.  We must not only live love, we must be love, at all times.  Are you ready to pick up the challenge?

Pope Francis, in “Gaudete et Exsultate,” tells us that he often likes

“to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile.”

May we too all see holiness in every person we meet!

announcements, bible, catholicism, good news, liturgy, ministry, music, oddwalkia, prayer, reflection, retreat, scripture, Twenty-Third Publications

We’re writing a book!

Hey everyone! Shannon and Orin are excited to announce that… wait for it… we’re writing a book! If you had not guessed from the title of this post, seeing some news on social media that led you here, or from this super-cool graphic, we’ll say it again – we’re writing a book!

It will be published next July by Twenty-Third Publications, a division of Bayard which specializes in books and devotionals for nourishing your spirituality and celebrating the liturgical year, as well as the newest resources to help you lead and guide your parish community.

Our book has a working title of “Praying and Living the Faith Through the Year” and is a collection of twenty interactive prayer services on various Church themes and celebrations as well as other special times during a school year. Each service has suggested music, prayers, scripture, and interactive, prayerful activities to help bring faith to life. While the “target audience” for this book is middle-school-aged youth and those that minister to them, this collection should also be useful for other ages, as well as other situations, like youth ministry and family units.

Here’s the rundown (for now) on “chapters” the resource will have:

– Welcome to Teachers/Staff/Students (Community)
– For Grandparents (Generations, Wisdom)
– At a time of tragedy (Consolation)
– All Saints (Communion of Saints)
– All Souls (Deceased Family and Friends, Tradition)
– Thanksgiving (Gratitude to God)
– Christ the King (Dominion, Sovereignty)
– Advent (Waiting in Joyful Hope)
– Immaculate Conception / Guadalupe (Mary, Dignity)
– Christmas (Incarnation)
– Discipleship (Learning, Following)
– Before an Exam (Peace, Assurance)
– Ash Wednesday (Repentance)
– Lent (Returning to God, Conversion)
– Holy Week (Suffering, Obedience, Cross)
– Easter (Resurrection, New Life)
– Mercy (Divine Mercy)
– Ascension (Church and Our Mission)
– Pentecost (Holy Sprit, Gifts of the Spirit)
– At Graduation (Transitions)

Each chapter will also include some introductory material from us, for those putting together each service.

We feel this resource will pull together strongly many aspects of Oddwalk’s varied ministries – storytelling, humor, prayer, music, retreats – and hopefully be a welcome and successful resource for many folks helping to lead the young Church on their journeys to and with God.

Watch this space for more updates, especially as the project gets closer to completion! We can’t be more excited to be working with 23rd, and can’t wait for you to be able to hold this book in your hands – and use it!