Get Your Donkey Outta the Way!

Last updated on: March 24, 2024 at 3:31 pm By Ben Bongers KM

Imagine for a minute you are about to make a grand entrance—you’re the star of the show, the big cheese, the Grand Poo-Bah. What type of car would take you to the event? Maybe a Rolls Royce limo to show your star power charm? Or a Ferrari or Lamborghini to show your sleek and powerful side? What about an Aston Martin to show that you’re from old money? At any rate, it probably wouldn’t be a ten-year-old Ford Tempo. So why did Jesus (as is told in Mark 11:2) pick a “donkey colt tethered on which no one had ever sat?” Read more

What the Heck is a Chaplet, Anyway?

Last updated on: March 21, 2024 at 2:36 pm By Ben Bongers KM

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I’m asked on a regular basis by many non-Catholics what a rosary is and why we pray it. Many times, this question is followed by a scree of derogatory comments like, “Repetitious prayer is evil and forbidden by the Bible!” or, “You’re worshiping Mary, not God!” I’ll get to those points in a bit. Read more

Listen to the Canary in Your Coal Mines

Last updated on: March 17, 2024 at 1:34 pm By Ben Bongers KM

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God sends us canaries all the time, trying to communicate with us every day. The question is, do we listen? Do we hear the canary, the Holy Spirit, the Guardian Angels—or do we go about our day with our heads and hearts buried in our work? The miners listened to the canary's song and knew when it stopped, it was time to leave. My dad’s cousin listened to his canary, and he had adventures of many lifetimes. By seeing the Greek converts, Jesus knew His canary was singing loudly in His ear and that the time for His being here was at hand. Read more

There Is a Time to Eat BBQ… Turn! Turn! Turn!

Last updated on: March 14, 2024 at 9:45 am By Ben Bongers KM

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The other day, someone near and dear to me and I were watching TV. There was a funeral on the screen, and a time-worn voice stoically recited Ecclesiastes 3 (E3), “There is a time for birth and a time to die…” across the room, I heard, “Ugh… I hate that passage at a funeral! It’s so cliché. Make sure they don’t do it at mine.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized they were right—not about the funeral part, but—about the passage being cliché and not really listening to its meaning anymore. Read more

“Get Outta My tribe!”

Last updated on: March 11, 2024 at 9:38 am By Ben Bongers KM

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I blame tribalism. Tribalism is more than just being organized into a tribe. It’s a way of life and thought. You naturally hang with people who look like you, who act like you, who speak like you. You feel more comfortable with them, and there is a natural shorthand of thought. You know what your friends and neighbors are going to think, say, or do before they do it. It’s comfortable. It’s lazy. Read more

What Am I Worth?

Last updated on: March 7, 2024 at 1:31 pm By Ben Bongers KM

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We are constantly bombarded by the question on social media, TV, and radio, “What are you worth?” Girls have been comparing themselves to Barbi, the latest pop star or the most-watched influencer, for years. Boys compare themselves to their favorite athletes, movie stars, or ultimate fighters. Even older men and women aren’t exempt from the comparison game. “Am I as pretty, strong, desirable as_____?” (fill in the blank with a known name here). So, what are you really worth? Read more

All I Hear is, “Thou Shalt Not!”

Last updated on: March 3, 2024 at 9:05 am By Ben Bongers KM

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I was in a discussion with someone a few weeks back who became frustrated with the conversation and blurted out, “All I ever hear is the ‘Thou shalt not’ parts of the Bible! It’s like God is just sitting back and waiting to smack us around!” I had to admit; it doesn't always look like God has a plan for us. But that’s where faith in God’s Will kicks in. Read more

My Dad Wasn’t a Boy Scout, but He was Prepared.

Last updated on: February 29, 2024 at 10:52 am By Ben Bongers KM

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I was thinking a lot about my dad this week. Mom would give Dad a clean, crisp package of handkerchiefs for every Thanksgiving and Christmas. He would take a close look at them, smile, thank her, and then *shoop* into Dad’s pants pocket one of the handkerchiefs would go. I will never forget my dad's pants. More specifically, his pockets. It didn’t matter if he wore jeans, work pants, overhauls, or a suit…he had three bulging pockets. Read more

“Don’t You Test Me!”

Last updated on: February 20, 2024 at 1:38 pm By Ben Bongers KM

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The fact is we are tested every day, every hour, every minute of the day. The Bible calls it “temptation.” The Bible is a book chocked full of stories about testing/temptation. Some people like Abraham and Moses rose to the test, others like Jezebel and Herod failed miserably. So, what are the rules of the game? What’s to say if someone passes the test or not? Read more

Help others? Why should I?

Last updated on: February 20, 2024 at 2:08 pm By Ben Bongers KM

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The one conversation that seemed to be almost made of T-N-T was about helping those less fortunate. Inevitably, I’d get answers like, “Why should I? What have they ever done for me?” And “They need to stop being so lazy and get a job.” When I transferred the idea of helping the less fortunate from other countries, it became even more caustic. Comments like, “I ain’t helping those people. No way! They dug their own hole; now they need to be buried in it.” That was mixed in with the inflammatory commentary were always genuinely heartfelt statements of gratitude and hope from people who either had helped others in the past or had been helped and continue to help others to this day. Read more