Of Sound Mind and Spirit

This week marks the anniversary of my ACTS Retreat. As the memories flood through me, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the retreat, this past year, and how God continues to work in my life. The first time I heard about the ACTS Retreat was at the CNMC in 2009 when I met David and Valerie Calvillo who were inspired to create the group Real Men Pray the Rosary after attending ACTS. David’s whole face lit up with an inner glow when he spoke of the retreat. "If you ever have the opportunity," he told me, "you have to go." Soon after that meeting, God started working in my life in several different ways – or maybe He’d always been working in my life; I just wasn't paying close enough attention – and a year or two later a nearby parish began ministering the ACTS retreat to our parish. The men went first. (The men always go first, so they can do the heavy lifting later. ) Then the first women’s retreat was announced. I couldn’t go. It

Ok moms.  Admit it. We’ve all had those days where you just want some peace and quiet.  When you’ve heard Mom, Mom, Mom…  coming from another room and you just want to hide.   Well, I admit to doing it.   Hiding. Even though my kids aren’t little bitties any more, I , on occasion, do hide from them.  Especially when they want to ask me really silly things, like if they can have something to drink... But the best is when you are busted for hiding by your teenage daughter….  Yep.  Guilty…..  We had a good laugh about this one. So moms, if you need a place to hide, find a better place than I. Follow more of my family fun on Instagram...  @The5Jones 

We have a little birthday SURPRISE for Lisa this morning. She doesn't know it until JUST NOW, but her husband, Brian, planned a secret post for Of Sound Mind and Spirit to share with the world how much he loves her.  Dear readers, please welcome back Brian Jones:  I am the luckiest man on earth.  Yes, I said it, and I’ll say it again.  I.am.THE.luckiest.man.on.earth.period…and there is not a day that goes by when I don’t wonder what I did to deserve it.  So, why am I so fortunate?  Is it my Job?  No.  Is it any accumulation of wealth?  No.  Is it my health?  Not really.  I’m lucky because Lisa picked me.  Despite all of my faults, all of my bad habits, all of my selfishness, she picked me… she said yes .     Throughout the years people have asked, when did you know? What was the moment like when you knew she was the one?  It’s a rarely told story, but I remember vividly where I was when I decided to spend the rest of my life with Lisa Henley.  It started in the fa

As a new Sienna resident three years ago, my life was in a state of upheaval. Signing up to volunteer as a Core Team Member for Edge was an attempt to become involved, to get to know members of this new community and stay connected with my daughter’s faith development.  I’d never attempted catechesis at the middle school level and worried that students would challenge my own limited faith knowledge and experience.  How could I teach middle school students in faith? Turns out, they taught me.  And the experience changed my life. Let Go and Let God Work through You Being present for EDGE was a challenge at times.  The kids are loud.  They want to talk with each other. They constantly look at their phones.  They don’t always want to follow your instructions. But they listen. They want to hear God’s word in a way that makes them think. They want to learn what it means to be “grown up.”  They are old enough to question God’s mysteries, but not yet cynical about “org

Don Piper says it with a soft smile, “I’m just a guy who got run over by a truck.” On a rainy January 25, 1989, paramedics responding to the head-on collision between Don’s red Ford Escort and a semi-tractor trailer assessed Don’s broken body and declared him dead. No efforts were made to resuscitate or remove him from the crushed and twisted metal. Ninety minutes later, a minister crawled through the trunk, stretched out a hand and prayed over Don. He began singing to him. Everyone was shocked when Don Piper began singing in response. The story of Don’s long road to recovery, one of despondency, a strong yearning to return to heaven, and the power of prayer that saved him, has been published in 46 languages, sold more than 7 million copies, and spent over five years on the New York Times bestseller list. On Friday, September 11, 2015, his story will be available on the big screen as a feature-length motion picture . It’s an emotional story that Hea

Photo courtesy of the Rosenberg Library, Galveston, TX. Tonight my thoughts bounce back and forth between the events of this morning, Sept 8, 2015 and events of September 8, 1900.   Today is the 115 th anniversary of the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.  Over 6,000 people died in the Storm, which struck with more intensity that any previously recorded storm in Galveston history.   This morning I was asked, “Why is the 1900 Storm so little known? It seems that most people can tell you about the San Francisco Earthquake, the Chicago Fire, and the Titanic, but the 1900 Storm overwhelms all of these combined both in terms of destruction of property and the immense loss of life.  I really can’t answer that. There is so much available about the Storm that I don’t know where to start to put it all into context, except perhaps that if you're looking for something accurate and true, then you should be wary of what you read (especially on the