Author: Vernon Dobelmann

On this date in 1970 major league baseball player Ron Hunt set a new record by getting hit by a pitch for the 119th time in his career. Although I was only 10 years old at the time, I can remember the discussions at our community ball park surrounding this “accomplishment”. As a young player, I had already had the experience of being hit by a pitch on a few occasions, and I knew that I had no desire to pursue such a record as the one Ron Hunt was holding. There had to be an easier way to make the record books.

Do not fear. Have courage. These are admonitions Christians have received for centuries.  Our response to the challenge of living a faith-filled life in the modern world can certainly require the gift of fortitude. Have we had the courage to stand up for truth and righteousness when we have been smacked down figuratively or even literally by those around us? Although it sometimes hurts, have we stood at the plate without bailing when the pitch comes sailing toward us? Have we stood firm on the promises of God?

The polarization of worldviews in contemporary society tends to create an environment in which an exchange of ideas in a thoughtful and orderly fashion is highly improbable if not impossible. Tolerance is preached as long as you agree with the views of the one preaching tolerance. Otherwise, the overriding sentiment seems to be that it would be best if you simply kept your opinions to yourself. Oh, and look out if you think there is an Eternal Truth. How unenlightened can you be?

As I continue to watch and listen to the many political discussions taking place across the country, it becomes more and more evident that Christians will be getting hit by pitches on a more frequent basis as the level of intolerance for traditional viewpoints grows. Are we going to be willing to stand firmly in the batter’s box when the pitches are coming at us wildly from a variety of directions? We may not be called to martyrdom for the sake of the Kingdom, but it is likely we will take some hits at least verbally, if not physically. At 10 years of age I will admit that I experienced fear in the batter’s box when the pitcher was lacking control, and there was no way I was going to emulate Ron Hunt. As an adult, I hope I can learn from his example and muster the courage I need to stand firm in the faith.

“Do not fear for I am with you.”
(Isaiah 41:10)

Have you ever had one of those days when it seems that everyone is angry or upset about something? No? Excellent! Then pretend with me for a moment that there are days when not everything goes exactly as planned, and let’s put it into the context of your local church congregation.

If disagreements arise within the church community which direction do people tend to go?

Matthew 5:48 (Expectation of others)
Luke 6:36 (Expectation of how I am to be treated)
John 8:7 (But he/she deserves it)
John 8:10 (What? You gotta be kidding me!)
Luke 23:34 (Hopefully, in all seriousness, we are here)

We are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. May we live up to the ideal!

It’s summer! There is ample sunshine, plenty of social gatherings, and an overall opportunity to be fully alive. So why do I feel so exhausted?

In her kind and loving way my wife started the day off yesterday morning by looking at me and saying, “You look rough.” I responded, “That’s good. Then my appearance matches how I feel.” Obviously, that was the wrong answer for me to give because then we proceeded through the 20 question scenario. She proceeded to ask: 

1.      Why do you feel rough?

2.      Didn’t you sleep well?

3.      What’s on your mind?

I’ll spare you the remaining 17 questions, but you get the picture.

In reality, I had actually been pondering some of those questions for weeks. Specifically, why do I feel so run down and sluggish? I had even picked up numerous books at the library in my quest for shaking off the cobwebs that had seemed to gather on my psyche. One of these was entitled, The Way of the Heart: Desert Spirituality and Contemporary Ministry by Henri Nouwen. As I read the book I was looking for the key to moving out of the rut in which I had found myself?

Reading the insights of Henri Nouwen certainly reminded me of some things that were missing in my prayer life—especially silence and solitude. His words resounded in my head over and over about the need for solitude. I frequently sit in church all alone in front of the tabernacle during my lunch hour.  This provides the opportunity to maintain silence, but I became very aware after reading this book, that I am a long way from experiencing solitude. Silence on the outside may be present, but my inner world continues bouncing around all over the place and solitude isn’t anywhere in sight. Quietness in the depths of my heart seems to be only a dream, and without solitude there is no chance of truly praying without ceasing.

Yesterday, as I sat in the Lord’s presence, my mind was filled with the anxieties of the world. It was like a newscast going from one negative story to the next—the Zimmerman trial, the IRS scandal, protests over the Texas pro-life legislation, a judge overturning a pro-life law in North Dakota, the continuing challenges all across the country in regard to the sanctity of marriage, and on and on the newsreel kept going in my head. Although the church was completely quiet while I sat there lost in my thoughts, the noise inside my head made it quite evident that finding silence or solitude would be a monumental task. Why was it so difficult for me to pray?

I had also started reading another one of the books that I had checked out from the library. This one was entitled, The Cause Within You: Finding The One Great Thing You Were Created To Do In This World by Matthew Barnett. It is a fascinating book centered on Matthew’s ministry as a 20 year old pastor in one of Los Angeles’ most dangerous areas. Matthew provided a lot of food for thought in regard to the outreach of the Church to those who are hurting. In the midst of all of the stories, what worked and what didn’t, I found a nugget of inspiration that I am hopeful will be helpful in refocusing my energy. In one of his epic failures during his early ministry, God revealed to Matthew that he wasn’t to be pursuing success. He was simply called to be a blessing to others. This statement mirrors that of Mother Theresa of Calcutta when she reminded us that God doesn’t call us to be successful; we are called to be faithful. I summarized that if I am being a blessing to others, I am being faithful.

It is no secret that day-to-day life can take a toll on us. People involved in ministry are subject to the same difficulties and challenges as everyone else. We can become tired, disillusioned, disaffected, apathetic, etc. When this happens, the joy of the Lord cannot be seen in us. If Church leadership succumbs to complacency and indifference, the flock will certainly suffer the effects. Subsequently, it is important for all of us, clergy and laity, to keep our batteries charged and ready to go.

I will continue to pursue the opportunities to sit quietly before the Lord. Eventually, I pray that the outer silence will make its way more fully into the depths of my heart providing the solitude which is desperately needed to more readily hear the voice of God. It is with the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit that I will gradually move from spiritual sluggishness to spiritual fruitfulness in both my prayer and my actions. Anticipation now fills my heart as I eagerly embrace the rest of the day looking for the opportunities to be a blessing to others. Maybe tomorrow I won’t look as rough?

Do you see the world as a sinking ship on its way to judgment and hell?  Are you grasping for the lifeboat?  I have heard numerous comments today expressing sadness at the direction our country is going.  One person said to me, “It is futile to fight in the culture war.  We have lost.”  One blog post title even lamented that “Marriage is dead and so is the Church.”  As another individual so aptly questioned some time ago, “Where are we going?  And why am I in a hand-basket?”

Much has been written today about “same-sex marriage,” the Supreme Court actively legislating from the bench, and the continued erosion of religious liberty in our country.  The spin placed upon these topics will certainly depend upon which media outlet you are utilizing.  My expectations for the secular media are relatively low and so I am not surprised by most of it.  However, the disheartening moments are when I read statements from pastors representing a variety of denominations expressing their support of these initiatives to legislate and legitimize same-sex unions.  In times like these it is evident that we are far from being one flock under one shepherd.

Disunity in the Church diminishes our credibility to speak effectively on issues of faith and morals.  We are in serious trouble when leaders in the Church can’t even agree on basic life issues such as (1) marriage is between a man and a woman, and (2) life begins at conception.
If we struggle to agree on these basic premises of life, we simply become another opinion out in the world rather than a prophetic voice of truth and reason. 

Today has been a difficult day.  It seems that the Supreme Court initiated a celebration of sexual promiscuity by their ruling.  That is problematic for society on a number of levels, whether it is heterosexual or homosexual activity.  Going hand-in-hand with sexual promiscuity we see the issues of contraception, abortion, and infanticide.  Nancy Pelosi boldly stated that abortion is sacred ground.  If our government leaders in the legislative, judicial, and executive branch view the horrendous act of abortion as sacred, we are facing a serious moral dilemma.  When we fail to protect the weakest among us, it is easy to move into the realm of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.  These stepping-stones have laid the groundwork for becoming a society which gives implicit, if not tacit, approval to any lifestyle of choice.  Same-sex unions will not be the end of where this road leads us.

These are the questions in my mind.

*Do Christians have the moral foundation that is needed to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth?

*Have we formed our own consciences correctly?

*Do Christians have the passion, zeal, and energy to engage the world and ultimately shape it for the better? 

I recently had the privilege of having an in-depth conversation with someone about specific endeavors within the Church to evangelize more effectively.  In the process of our conversation we watched some video clips of new material available to parish communities.  I was particularly struck by a comment made in one of the clips as the individual speaking referred to the “inertia of the Church”.  I have often heard words such as apathy, indifference, and complacency used to describe the life of the Church, but I couldn’t recall a time when I heard the word inertia used.  It was somewhat sad for me to have another word added to the vocabulary list of negative descriptions to describe the life of the Church.

I did some research on the internet and found the word inertia connected closely to the word torpor.  A search on the word torpor revealed the following quote.

“We find the most terrible form of atheism, not in the militant and passionate struggle against the idea of God himself, but in the practical atheism of everyday living, in indifference and torpor. We often encounter these forms of atheism among those who are formally Christians.”
~Nicolai A. Berdyaev

Inertia, torpor, and indifference aren’t new struggles within the Church.  These elements have been around for a long time.  The question becomes, “Are we going to be content with having these elements firmly entrenched within our faith communities without trying to do something to lessen the detrimental effects of living this way?”  In searching for some insights in regard to this topic, I began reading a book entitled, A Faith Interrupted by Alice L. Camille & Joel Schorn.  It didn’t take long for the authors to address these topics in a very direct way.  They summed it up by using the word mediocrity.  On page 10 of the book the authors stated:

“With a deep sigh, we admit that the church displays its share of mediocrity (or worse) in local celebrations of Mass and the sacraments and in preaching most of all.  Those who come to the church looking for spiritual nourishment or moral guidance have sometimes been simply bored to tears by an indifferent and passionless ritual.  Some of what passes for religious instruction may also be badly led, poorly explained, or barely funded.  Adult religious education is often nonexistent.”

Since I am a member of the clergy and have a leadership position in the Church, this stinging critique certainly gives me plenty to ponder. It wasn’t that any of this was news to me, but seeing it in print and stated so succinctly made the point hit home quite effectively.  As I attempt to put this statement in proper context, I recognize that society and culture have changed significantly in the last 50 years.  In many ways people have dismissed, replaced, or ignored the norms and mores that were firmly in place for generations.  However, I do not believe that we can subsequently throw up our hands in despair and allow the Church to be an irrelevant institution in our midst.  Indeed, quite the contrary, it calls us to a renewed awakening of the power of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives and in the life of the Church.  This renewal isn’t just for the clergy and leadership; it is for all of us.  How do we resurrect an internal fire within ourselves if we have allowed a fire that once burned brightly to simmer to a faint glow off in the distance?  How do we change ourselves (before we start looking at ways to change everyone else around us)?   

As I sat down and began to write this post, I was a bit disheartened at the many ways we struggle as Church.  We certainly have our share of challenges to proclaim the Gospel faithfully and effectively.  The bright spot is that we can look forward in hope, because we know we have plenty of room to grow and improve.  We have not “maxed out” in our ability to share the good news of salvation.  There is ample room to replace some negatives with positives.  Move over inertia, complacency, apathy, indifference, and torpor.  Here comes a real zest for life.  Here comes vitality, vigor, and vivaciousness.

“I have come that you may have life and have it in abundance.”
~John 10:10

Have you ever had one of those moments when something happened or someone said something and you were impacted more profoundly than what you would have anticipated?  Another case in point, have you ever read a Scripture verse that you have read multiple times before, but now it suddenly sends your thoughts and emotions stirring? 

In the Catholic Church we celebrated the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time this past weekend.  The Responsorial Psalm which takes place after the first reading contained the refrain. “I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.”  Although I have heard these words many times before, on this occasion I found myself getting lost in a sea of thoughts about my need to be rescued.  It certainly wasn’t a new concept or a revealing theological insight that just occurred, but it was more of a somber realization and reminder that I needed to be rescued.  I need the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. 

Having an awareness of this need to be rescued is healthy.  I know that is contrary to what our society says, but it keeps me from falling into the trap of thinking I can simply pull myself up by my own bootstraps day in and day out and keep plugging away doing things my way. When I choose to go down that road I end up shutting off the flow of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.  (Yes, I have tried that a few times; it doesn’t go too well.)  Although I enjoy the admonition here in Wyoming to “Cowboy Up” when things are tough, I want my toughness to be rooted in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  In order to do this successfully I may need to keep in mind another Scripture verse which says, “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.” 
~1 Corinthians 1:23

Although I am still not certain as to why the Responsorial Psalm struck me so forcefully this weekend, I am grateful for the blessing.  Has Psalm 30 touched your life in any significant way?

On June 5, 1999 I was ordained a permanent deacon in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis by Archbishop Justin Rigali (now Cardinal Rigali). I had no idea about what was in store for me over the next 14 years, and I will admit that it has been quite a journey.

It is common to wear many hats when you work for the Church, and I have been no exception. I have had the privilege to learn a great deal through a variety of ministerial opportunities. Since ordination I have served in the Archdiocese of St. Louis as a Coordinator of Religious Education for both parish programs and Catholic School programs. This included inter-generational faith formation as well. I was a high school religion and theology teacher at Valle Catholic High School in Ste. Genevieve, MO. This position also allowed me two other opportunities: I was the head boys basketball coach and the campus minister. Lastly, while in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, I had the privilege to be an elementary Catholic school principal.

In the diocese of Pueblo, Colorado I was a Parish Director of Religious Education in Florence, CO and was eventually asked by Bishop Tafoya to serve in the role of Vocation Director and Deacon Director for the diocese. That was quite the move out of my comfort zone, but a very beneficial experience.

I now serve as the Director of Pastoral Ministries and Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Cheyenne. In the past 3 and 1/2 years I have been blessed to meet many of the wonderful people all across the state of Wyoming. While the traveling can be exhausting and a bit challenging in the winter, it also brings many rewards. Being invited to lead workshops, retreats, and parish missions fills me with abundant joy and excitement. The faith of the people throughout the diocese truly inspires me to continue to grow in my own faith journey. I already have many speaking engagements lined up for the next 12 months and I am looking forward to meeting even more of God’s people throughout the diocese.

As I look back on 14 years of ordained ministry, I can easily see that I have learned a great deal in the process. All of the years of schooling only prepare an individual up to a certain point. “On the job” experience brings a whole new dimension to the book learning. I have learned from observing others in ministry; I have learned from trial and error; I have learned from continued study and diligent reading.

In closing, I would simply ask for your prayers–not just for me–but for all who have leadership responsibilities in the Church. We need the support of your prayers to hold us up in our human frailty. For me personally, I hope I have touched lives in a positive way for the most part during these 14 years of ordained ministry. I know there have been times I have failed in that endeavor, and for those instances, I can simply seek forgiveness. For the times when I have ministered effectively, I can simply turn and thank God for the grace and the privilege to be used as an instrument of His love. May I continue to grow in wisdom, grace, and mercy!

St. Boniface, pray for us!

This weekend I read a book entitled, Bringing Out The Best In Others!  It was written by Thomas K. Connellan, Ph.D.  It focused on 5 different situations in particular but alluded to many other areas of life as well.
1. Business (specifically dealing with sales representatives)
2. Business (specifically dealing with production work)
3. Healthcare (specifically looking at departmental needs in a hospital)
4. Education (specifically dealing with teacher effectiveness)
5. Parenting (specifically dealing with motivating children)

It was an interesting and easy to read book.  A lot of what it mentioned seemed like common sense, but when looking at the details it became clear that some principles may appear to be easy to understand but a little more difficult to implement.  In our day-to-day interactions at home, school, work, or anywhere in the community, are we bringing out the best in others?  Do the words we use, the gestures we make, and our overall body language communicate what we are hoping to communicate?

Although the book never addressed the Church community in particular, I started to think about areas in which we as Church could improve upon our skills in bringing out the best in others.  Why is it that church congregations often struggle with the dynamics of human interaction as much as secular entities?  Why are the Gospel values and principles that we focus on each week not more effectively guiding our behavior towards one another?

There are probably a multitude of answers to that question, but I think this book reminded me that we always have room to improve upon our skills in how we interact with one another.  This doesn’t just apply to the supervisor/employee relationship or the parent/child relationship.  It can apply to all of our relationships.  When someone interacts with us, do they walk away at the end of the exchange having been enriched because they encountered the living Christ through us and in us?  If we desire the highest and greatest good for others we want them to spend eternity with God in heaven.  Do our thoughts, words, and actions lead them in the right direction?  What is the message we consistently communicate to others?  What are some specific skills that I can work on to improve myself so that I can more effectively bring out the best in others?

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.“
(Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

This admonition from Proverbs is a key to our success in maintaining hope.  When we neglect our interior life and allow the external circumstances to rule, it won’t be long before a lack of discipline usurps the meaning right out of our lives.  Apathy and emptiness move in to claim the victory.

On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we are blessed with the opportunity to reflect upon our relationship with almighty God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Have we pondered the magnitude of the privilege we enjoy in being able to pray to God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit?

Today’s feast reminds us that complacency and indifference have no place in the Christian journey.  In his book, Secrets of Super Achievers, Philip Baker states the following:
“The truth is, however, most people are not lazy; they are simply uninspired.  Motivation comes from having a goal that is inspirational.  This, in turn, causes us to focus our lives even more and gives us the energy with which we can accomplish our dreams.”

When I studied that statement the question that popped into my mind was this:  Are Christians uninspired?  How could it be that a relationship with almighty God is not a sufficient enough goal to generate motivation within us?  If that is indeed the case, what changes do we need to make in our individual lives as well in our religious institutions?  

Bottom line: Do we see enthusiasm, zeal, and motivation bursting at the seams within our church congregations?  If not, why not?  Today’s challenge–let each of us deepen our relationship with The Most Holy Trinity in a profound and dramatic fashion.  May we each guard our heart, the wellspring of life!

A recent article going around on Facebook exclaims that teachers are hailed as heroes during times of crisis, but are generally under fire at other times.  It is true that school shootings, tornadoes, and other disasters highlight the heroic actions of our educators under some very dire circumstances.  I believe it is also true that there are many unheralded acts of heroism that take place by our educators all throughout the school year.

I want to say THANK YOU to all of our teachers, administrators, and support staff working so diligently in our schools all across the country to make a difference.  The work you do is admirable.  We expect a lot from you—much more than an education for our children—we expect you to wear so many hats that I dare not even try to mention them.  In all of the ways you succeed at meeting our expectations, thank you!

The teaching profession has individuals who excel in their field; it also has individuals who lack the skills necessary to be effective as well as those who are simply content with mediocrity.  It is the same in any other profession.  The sad reality in education is that we often times focus our attention on the poor performers and penalize the competent individuals in the process.  As we move our educational structures to focus more and more on standardized assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers, we lose much of the creativity, sensitivity, and compassion that need to be present between teacher and student to create an environment conducive to learning.  Our fixation on standardized testing leads us down a path where we can over-emphasize performance versus true learning.  Adequate assessments are important to make sure we are pursuing academic excellence, but a teacher building a bond with the students is important to be sure we are pursuing Christian excellence.

Let me focus attention on Catholic school teachers for a moment.  You have many unique challenges in your chosen profession.  First of all, it is no secret that you are frequently underpaid.  There are some locales where Catholic school teachers make only 50% of what their public school counterparts are making.  That is a sacrifice you have chosen to make because you look at your profession as a ministry.  Thank you for your commitment and sacrifice.

Catholic school teachers frequently are called upon to go above and beyond the call of duty in their parish as well.  They are expected to be seen at parish events, the sporting events of their students, fundraisers, and the list goes on and on.  These sacrifices of time are made because of the sense of commitment and the sense of family that is present in so many of our Catholic school teachers.  Thank you for your presence at these events.

Thank you for all of the work during the year grading papers, preparing lesson plans, staying in touch with parents, and creating a classroom environment with your decorations that says, “Welcome!  Glad you are here!”  The work you do behind the scenes is appreciated, and it is unfortunate that most of you don’t hear the words thank you often enough.

The one item that astounds me is when I hear people say, “Teachers only work nine months out of the year.”  So teachers, as you prepare to wrap up the current academic year and embark on your three month vacation, we won’t watch as you pursue professional development coursework over the summer, or as you work creating new lesson plans, designing your upcoming year’s bulletin boards, writing welcome postcards to your incoming students, and on and on.  We know you think all of that is fun and that is how you choose to spend your “vacation”.   (Yes, that is being said tongue in cheek.)

Although the field of education has become a political football at the national and state levels in many regards (and at the local level in some cases), I want to take a moment to look beyond all of that and see the good that has taken place in our classrooms during this year.  Teachers, thank you for the positive ways you have touched the lives of your students this year.  Principals, thank you for your leadership.  Support staff, thank you for all of the things you do that goes unnoticed and unappreciated.  To all who support the local schools with your financial support and your volunteerism, thank you!  Each of you is an important component to our pursuit of excellence on a daily basis.

Have a blessed summer!

“There is real magic in enthusiasm.  It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.”
~Norman Vincent Peale

“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.”
~Andrew Carnegie

“Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius.”
~Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

“It’s a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation.”
~Roberto Benigni