Theology on Tap, Gumbo Ya-Ya, and The Art of Work
The Catholic Conference for Moms (at http://CatholicConference4Moms.com) continues today and tomorrow. Today my presentation runs. It’s titled: How You and Your Family Can Eat Your Way to Salvation: A Foodie’s Guide.
If you missed the conference, don’t fret. The entire conference (and a bunch of bonuses!) will be available for purchase on March 10th. And I have a special discount code that will get you $10 off!
[Hint: The discount code will be FOODIE. I’ll remind you again on Tuesday morning. You’ll be able to purchase the conference from the main conference link. More Tuesday!]
I am very happy to be a part of the conference. If you saw my presentation, please let me know if it inspired and encouraged you in your vocation. Thanks!
The Catholic Foodie and Theology on Tap
If you’re in New Orleans this Thursday, come join me at Theology on Tap! Here are the details from the Archdiocese of New Orleans:
The Archdiocese of New Orleans Young Adult Ministry is pleased to announce and invite you to Theology on Tap Spring 2015.
When: Thursday, March 12, 2015
Topic: How to Eat Your Way to Salvation – A Foodie’s Guide
Speaker: : Jeff Young, author of Around the Table with The Catholic Foodie: Middle Eastern Cuisine (Liguori Publications), is the founder and producer of The Catholic Foodie™ where he offers Catholic culinary inspiration to help families grow in faith around the table. You can find Jeff’s blog, podcast, and the Around the Table radio show at CatholicFoodie.com.
The location for all four weeks is at New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Restaurant located at 4141 St. Charles Avenue, with Theology on Tap being held in the Upstairs Main Room. Gathering/drinks is at 6:30 PM and the speaker begins at 7:00 PM.
Contact Chelsea at ccolomb@arch-no.org or call 504-227-3229 with questions or for more information! Hope to see you there!
Got Gumbo? Gumbo Cook-off Supporting United Way
Next, I am honored to have been invited to judge the annual Got Gumbo? gumbo cook-off produced by the New Orleans chapter of the United Way. It’s on Wednesday, March 11 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel here in New Orleans. I was told to come hungry. 😉 If you are in town and want to try some awesome gumbos while supporting a worthy cause at the same time, you can join me there! Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Proceeds go to the United Way. You’ll get to sample gumbos from many famous New Orleans restaurants, and I would be delighted if you stopped by the judges table to say hi.
The Art of Work
Finally, I want to share something with you that I am very excited about.
Looking back on my life, I can tell you that I have had some very unique experiences. Today I am a husband and a father. I have 3 teenage children… and one child on the way. But I started out my adult life as a seminarian and a missionary. At the age of 18 I left home and entered formation with Mother Teresa’s priests, the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. I spent two years with them in Mexico, and I had the privilege of meeting Blessed Mother Teresa on several occasions.
I later spent two more years in the seminary – this time in the United States – studying for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. I have a degree in Philosophy. I have worked as a bartender, a teacher, a youth minister, a Director of Religious Education, a grant writer, a project manager, a health benefits coordinator, – probably several other things that just aren’t coming to mind right now – and I am now self-employed.
Looking back, I can see that work has been one of the most challengeing aspects of my life. Not because I didn’t want to work. No. Because I wanted to work with dignity… in a society that is prone to strip us of human dignity.
Work is a calling, a participation in the creative and ever-expanding love of God. But it has been such a challenge for me to maintain that vision over the years. I feel like I flailed about, trying different jobs, different companies or schools, always striving desperately to hold on to the vision… and feeling totally beat up (and often times defeated) in the process.
The most difficult part of that journey was feeling totally alone. Life is so busy, and most of us have to work so hard just to make ends meet that there’s usually not much left of us to actually reflect on our experiences and listen to what God is saying to us in our hearts. It can be a lonely journey, but it doesn’t have to be.
That’s why I am excited about a new book written by my friend Jeff Goins called The Art of Work. Jeff has had similar struggles. He, too, spent years searching for purpose and meaning in his work. He, too, struggled to find his calling and felt like he was bumbling along and not really making progress. And his new book will help many people make the jump from being lost to discovering what they are meant to do.
Jeff’s book, The Art of Work, is all about finding your calling, that thing you were meant to do. It’s full of inspiring stories and research about how you can take your passion and turn into a way of life.
If you feel like there’s “something more” to life, this book is for you. If you want to live with more purpose and clarity, this book is for you. If you want to do work that matters, this book is for you.
This message is so important that for a limited time, Jeff is giving the book away. All you have to do is click the link below and follow the instructions online.
Not a book of theory, The Art of Work is filled with inspirational stories of people who have found their calling. Stories of people who are living beyond the status quo and doing the very thing they were meant to do.
Like the story of Ginny Phang. Ginny was a young single mother in a country where single mothers are shunned. Ginny was faced with the pressure to have an abortion. She faced hardship and endured much loneliness.
Despite her tough circumstances, Ginny didn’t give up. She went on to become a doula, impacting the lives of many mothers.
CLICK HERE to get your free copy of The Art of Work.
I know you’ll learn from and be inspired by the stories in Jeff’s book. Stories of people, like Ginny, who are living their life for a larger purpose.
Asking for Prayer
Finally, please remember me and my family in your prayers. My father-in-law is having major surgery this week, and we would all really appreciate you keeping him in your prayers. Please pray also for my wife and for Baby #4. Mama and Baby are fine, but I always like to shower them with prayer. Baby #4 will arrive in June.
Thank you so much!
