“We’re All Going to Have a Cross to Carry…”

February 15, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

Last night, I had the honor of assisting the good and holy bishop of my area at the Confirmation of school children into the faith. After the event, he turned to me and asked, “How are you doing?” asking about some health issues I’d just faced. I thanked his Excellency for his prayers and assured him all was well again, that I’d received a clean bill of health just a few days before. He turned to me and said, “We’re all going to have a cross to carry. We just don’t get to choose what it will be.” Read more

Preparing Snacks in Secret

February 11, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

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As we move into Lent, we have the opportunity to be “moved with pity” for those around us. To do so, we need to read the actions and not the words of others. So, what is the one thing you can do for someone that will make a change in their life? Or better put, what snacks can we secretly prepare for our neighbor? Read more

“Sorry, I can’t help. You’re homeless.” (3 of 3)

February 8, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

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So, what can I do when I meet the homeless? Simply acknowledge them as a person. I know that sounds rather simplistic, but asking them their names, that simple act raises their dignity from “object” to human faster than anything else you can do. They leave the shell of “Oh, you’re just one of them…” behind. I always ask a person who is homeless their name and extend a hand to shake at the same time. It usually gets a look of “Why do you want to shake my hand?” followed by a smile and a long handshake with them telling me their name. Read more

Life is a Drudgery

February 4, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

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“Is not life on earth a drudgery?” Job, the ever Eeyore, starts chapter 7 with this comment. Life isn’t always a party, and you can sometimes feel that way, doing the same thing day in and day out, never breaking free and living a different life. But what makes life a “drudgery?” Is it what we are doing, or is it our perspective on what we do? Read more

“Sorry, I can’t help. You’re homeless.” (2 of 3)

February 1, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

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Today, there are close to 650,000 Americans on the street on any given day. That’s the population of Boston, MA, Portland, OR, or Washington, D.C.! and almost 2% of the American population. In many cities and counties across the U.S., it is basically seen as “illegal” to be homeless. People without brick-and-mortar homes are disenfranchised from services that allow them full citizenship. Read more

Are YOU Your OWN Authority Figure? You Should Be!

January 28, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

What is Authority? The dictionary says authority is the right or power to make your own decisions or enforce the obedience of someone else. It’s the recognition that the power to decide lies in that “person's” hands. When I was a very young child, authority was in the hands of whoever was looking after me. But once my parents went to work, I had authority over my own actions. Don’t get me wrong; I’d still get in trouble if I didn’t get my homework done or finish my chores. But I had the authority as to when, how, and where I would do those things. Read more

“Sorry, I can’t help. You’re homeless.” (1 of 3)

January 25, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

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Not All Are Homeless for the Same Reason. For some reason, society loves lumping the homeless into a simple package. “Oh… They’re all drunk and drug-addled freaks that can’t tie their shoes without a hit or something!” Or “Ah, they’re too lazy to work. They complain about this pain and that pain… They don’t really want to work.” Or “They’re a daman illegal from Mexico! They came up here to rape and steal. I’m not helping any filthy thug like that!” Sound harsh? I assure you, I’ve heard much, much worse being thrown at the men I worked with. Read more

So, You Have Faith. Can You Question or Doubt?

January 21, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

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To have faith is to have trust or confidence in something. “I have faith that the sun will come up tomorrow,” or “I have faith that the pound cake I’m making will turn out perfectly.” Having faith is not a thing you just **poof** have. Faith is something you practice, something that has been tested over time, something that you have come to rely on. Read more

We Believe… We Have Faith…But Where’s the Peace?

January 18, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

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What Does it Mean to Believe? We’ve all heard the adage, “If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck and swims like a duck…” So why do people still question what’s quacking, waddling, and swimming? Read more

The “Call”: We All Receive Them, But When Will You Answer?

January 14, 2024 By Ben Bongers KM

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Nine years ago, I got a text from a friend I hadn’t seen in a few years: “I don’t know where to turn or what to do. I’m sick and getting evicted from my apartment as of the 31st. Help me!”. I was happily living my life. I was a successful singer and sommelier in the San Francisco Bay Area. But, with that one text, my life changed. Read more