My Homage to FOCUS

Saturday I moved back to the Good Life.  I put the mountains of Colorado in my rear view mirror and headed back to Nebraska.  I was happy.  In fact, I was downright giddy to be heading back home and to move onto the next chapter of my life.  But as I drove and stared in awe at the glorious piece of land that God created, called Nebraska I got to thinking about my time with FOCUS.  And while I don't have time and you don't have the patience to read a full soliloquy of thoughts from the last two years, I figured it may be best to give one last shout-out to the best 2 years of my life.

FOCUS is hard.  But to quote Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan in "A League of Their Own," "It's supposed to be hard.  If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it.  The hard...is what makes it great."  I got tempted, pushed, stretched, knocked down, rejected, and so many other things that made the last 2 years...so incredibly awesome! Humans are creatures of habit and comfort and with FOCUS, or any other evangelical organization that actually works, you get none of that.  You give up your family, friends, money, and put your future career on hold to work for the Kingdom.  That's not easy.

Okay so you may be asking yourself, "Why is all of that awesome?" Here's why. I had the opportunity to do things that I never imagined possible. I went to places I had only seen in movies.  And I got to converse with and build up the hearts and souls of members of what I believe is going to the be next huge generation coming through the Catholic Church.  What could be better than that?!  Nothing.  It may seem like a simple and anti-climatic answer but it's the truth.  There really is nothing better than watching young boys and girls grow into amazing men and women living their lives for God.

As I mentioned earlier, I got the opportunity to do things and go places that I never thought possible.  So besides my day to day work with the guys around me, here are some of the things I did.  I went on a service trip to New York City where I did a lot of painting, but I also got to hand out sandwiches to homeless people at Madison Square Garden and Grand Central Station.  Being an ear or a venting station for those less fortunate was an awesome experience.  And can we talk about SEEK for a second?  I mean come on!  6,000 college students packing Orlando, Florida for 5 days so they can learn about the Catholic faith?  Mind-blowingly awesome.  Another thing that ended up being really great even though it scared me to death was bare-handed evangelization. Try walking up to someone or a group of people you don't know and strike up a conversation about God.  Pretty powerful stuff.  My favorite conversation by far was with Spectrum, the LGBTQA group at UNC.  I was able to clear up misconceptions about the faith and our views on homosexuality and left with a mutual understanding of where both sides are on a hot-button issue.

There are a thousand other things I could write about and put down on paper, but again I will refrain.  I will say though that there is one thing that I know I will never take for granted after my time with FOCUS.  And that is my love of God and His Church.  When I joined FOCUS, my relationship was okay.  It was probably above average but not near where it is now.  The two years with FOCUS trained me on how to pray, how to talk to people, and how to love.  So many times we see people that don't look like us or behave the same way as us and we automatically write them off as lower than us or "different."  We may have differences but the last thing that any of us are is different.  I say this because at our very core we all have the same identity.  We are children of God.  The second we put something else in that place or take that away from anybody else, we miss the boat.  Treat your brothers and sisters like so.  Like brothers and sisters.  That is what FOCUS taught me.  And that is something that I will never forget.

So I finish up with a little PSA, and this is for anybody who wants to make something of their lives.  If you have been approached or even if you haven't, consider applying for a position with FOCUS.  Guys, I'm calling you out in particular.  Our world needs men not just of faith, but of action.  You can go to church every Sunday and sit in an empty pew, or you can go out and fill those pews.  It really is your choice.  And if you choose to decide for the latter, go learn how through FOCUS.  You will get the best training and receive the best skills for that particular purpose.  But remember that it's not about numbers, but about souls.  We don't fill the pews to cure our loneliness. We do it so people can get to Heaven!  So give it a shot.  I know that after two years, I don't regret a second of it.  Neither will you.

1Cor 10:13

In Christ,

Josh