Brian Kissinger, Author at Redeemed Online Page

Best Dad Ever

September 30, 2019 by Brian Kissinger 3 Comments

“To remain little is to recognize one’s nothingness, to expect everything from God, as a little child expects everything from his father; it is to be disturbed about nothing, not to earn a fortune.” – St Therese of Lisieux

Today the Church celebrates the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower.” As a little girl, Therese had big dreams. She desired to spend a long life serving as a missionary in foreign lands, she longed to do big things for God. Despite her lofty goals and her zeal to bring the Gospel to far off countries, Therese never made it out of the convent and died of tuberculosis at 24. Yet in the midst of her suffering, her failed plans, and her hidden life, her journal entries have influenced millions and Pope Saint John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church for her spiritual insights. So, what unique perspective did Saint Therese offer the Church? What was so profound about her understanding of God?

Simply put, Therese was thoroughly convinced that she was immensely and totally loved by God the Father. She was so sure of God’s love for her that she was unafraid of her weaknesses and shortcomings. Saint Therese of Lisieux prayed and lived as if God really was a loving Father who desired to provide for her every need.

As an adult concerned with bills to pay, I used to struggle in even imagining what childlike dependency looks like. Then I became a dad. Every day, multiple times a day, I’m given a glimpse into what neediness and dependency look like. My kids don’t hesitate to ask us for stuff, because they’re certain that we’ll give them whatever we can. But our children still have their moments when they forget who I am, when they grab for things I’ve told them not to take and they’re inexplicably certain that my wife and I are set on ruining their lives with our oppressive rules.

After six years of arguing with toddlers and failing to convince babies to go to sleep, I decided to write a book. Even in the midst of my impatience, my moods, my issues, and my imperfections, I know that my kids will never realize just how loved they are. This experience has pointed me to the reality that my love for my kids is only a faint shadow of God’s perfect love for me.

Best Dad Ever is the story, made up of a bunch of shorter stories, of how my kids introduced me to God the Father. Each chapter focuses on a lesson I’ve learned about the Father’s love through my own imperfect and broken attempts to love and provide for my kids. It’s not a manual for parenting or a list of my credentials. It’s just example after example of an incredibly undeserving dad experiencing glimpses of God the Father’s perfect love as I try to figure out how to keep my kids alive. This book is available free of charge, both as an eBook, an Audiobook Download and as a series of podcasts (launching soon).

Download the Book here.

Download the AudioBook Files here.

The Sitcom Dad and God the Father

September 29, 2019 by Brian Kissinger 1 Comment

Today I wanted to share with you a blog article titled “The Sitcom Dad and God the Father” by one of my closest friends, Brian Kissinger. Brian is the other voice you hear on our daily podcast.

Even though I grew up with an amazingly loving and encouraging dad, I was convinced as a kid that God that Father was something like the dad from The Wonder Years. I believed that God loved me, but I was convinced that His caring for me was like a dad returning day after day to a job He disliked but felt obliged to show up for.

The Wonder Years was my favorite show as a kid. It followed the childhood of Kevin Arnold, the youngest of three kids growing up in the 1960s. The show traveled through Kevin’s experience of grade school, junior high, and high school, all the while being narrated by adult Kevin looking back on his childhood. No matter what middle school drama Kevin was going through, his mom was supportive while his dad would be angry.

The rest of the family was constantly walking on eggshells when the father showed up, and it was simply a matter of time before he would either yell at the kids or retreat to his recliner to avoid his family. I know, I know, it sounds like a great show for kids. Give me a break, I was 9.

I was somehow convinced this was what God the Father was like.

I figured that maybe I could keep God from being angry with me if I behaved well and stayed out of trouble. I thought that God found me annoying and I hesitated to ask Him for things, fearful that I would just be adding more work to an already overburdened Father.

When I was doing good things, I fell for the lie that I was somehow earning God’s approval and that I was always one misstep away from disappointing Him once again. I remained committed to the Catholic faith, but I still couldn’t shake the notion that Jesus was the friendly son sent to warn everyone about his angry dad.

I spent several years as a parish youth minister, sharing the Gospel with young people and letting them know about God’s love for them, but I still was unconvinced that God was a Father who could and would provide for my own needs. Slowly God began to heal my broken understanding of His Fatherhood, and over time I’ve come to see just how wrong I’ve been in my perception of God the Father.

My marriage and my own experience of becoming a dad have radically altered my understanding of God’s Fatherhood. I was initially scared at the prospect of being a father, fearful that my shortcomings would ruin my kids. I’m sure that’s still a real possibility, but I’m also given daily reminders that my imperfect attempts to love my kids are just a shadow of the unspeakable love that God the Father has for them.

Tomorrow we will be releasing a free e-book called Best Dad Ever. I know you are going to love it. It will also be available in Podcast form. Stay tuned for more info!

We need your help to bring our Advent and Lent Project to life.

Advent and Lent are our going to be our best series to date. We are excited to share with you today about Advent Made Simple and Lent Made Simple, a new project from our team at Redeemed Online. Over the past 5 years, we have reached millions of people with our #ShareJesus project and are excited to build upon this past success to bring this new series to life.

We are off to a good start, but far from the finish line. Go to kickstarter.com/projects/redeemedonline/faith-made-simple. Check out the project and donate today.

Failing at Lent

April 7, 2017 by Brian Kissinger 7 Comments

Thought for today:

All too often, Lent becomes like most mid-January letdowns. We begin with big plans and drastic promises, convinced that this time is going to be different than every previous attempt to improve ourselves. But what if we let our failures turn our hearts back to God? What if our broken promises and our backpedaling, instead of burying us, could point us to our need for a Savior? After all, Lent is less about our strength and more about God’s unrelenting faithfulness to us in the midst of our brokenness.

Action for today:

Call to mind one way that you’ve fallen short this Lent, and offer this up to God in prayer. Recognize your inability to fix yourself and call out to the God who comes to heal and restore.

Prayer for today:

Jesus, I wish I could offer you a list of my accomplishments. But You know me too well, and You know that I fall short every day. I surrender my shortcomings, my sins, and my inability to save myself. I need You. Thank you for the opportunities to love you and for the ways that even my failures point me back to you. Thank you for loving me unconditionally.

Quote for Today:

“Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.” – 2 Corinthians 12: 8-9 (CLICK TO TWEET)

Be a Hero today – #ShareJesus:

Share with one person today how God has worked in your life, even through your own failures and shortcomings.

About the Author:

Brian Kissinger lives in the foothills of the Austrian Alps, where he serves as Director of Student Life for Franciscan University’s Study Abroad program. He has a passion for sharing the Gospel, and he emphasizes a message of hope in a culture that has lost its sense of purpose. Brian married the girl of his dreams, Courtney, in 2012, and they are the proud parents of Ellie, Francis, and another baby due in early May!

#ShareJesus is produced in partnership with Franciscan University. Begin your journey with Franciscan at franciscan.edu

The Message of the Cross

March 24, 2016 by Brian Kissinger Leave a Comment

What did Jesus actually accomplish? He claimed to bring peace, and yet our world is still ravaged by war. He claimed to bring life, and we’re still dying down here. What did Jesus bring to the world? This question was posed to Pope Benedict XVI by a non-Christian friend, and the Pope’s response was very simple. Jesus brought God. Being fully God and fully man, Jesus enters into every corner and every dark, scary place that we could ever find ourselves in. Now even death itself is known and experienced by God. No matter where we are, we have a God who’s been there.

The message of the cross is that we are pursued endlessly by Love that will stop at nothing. So desperately does the Father desire to rescue us that He would send His only Son, His very heart, to save us from sin and death. It sounds like a great idea, but do we really believe it? Is Good Friday just another story from a long time ago, or have you experienced the reality of God’s presence in the midst of suffering and loneliness? What is one step in Christ’s journey to Calvary that stands out to you and speaks loudly of God’s love for us?

Watch the video:

4 Ways to Take This Offline

Spend 5 minutes in prayer today, reflecting on just one of the sufferings Jesus endured for us
Share today’s video on social media or send it to someone via text or email
In the next few days, seek out someone you know who is struggling or lonely.
Make time Spend time tomorrow, Holy Saturday, praying and reflecting on how God has brought life and hope into your own life.

About our Speaker:

Brian Kissinger lives in the foothills of the Alps, where he is the Director of Student Life for Franciscan University’s Austrian Program. He has a passion for sharing the Gospel, and he emphasizes a message of hope in a culture that has lost its sense of purpose. More importantly, Brian is married to the girl of his dreams, Courtney, and they have been blessed with 2 kids (Ellie and Brian Francis). But most importantly, Brian has known Andy Lesnefsky for the past 16 years.

Listening to the Holy Spirit

January 19, 2016 by Brian Kissinger 2 Comments

What if evangelization was more about listening than speaking? All too often, we think of sharing the Gospel as a talk or presentation that we rehearse in advance. This is quite different from Jesus’ instructions to His disciples, when He insisted that the Holy Spirit would tell them in the moment what they were to say (Luke12:11). But listening is hard. It requires silence, and it requires trusting in the wild belief that the Holy Spirit will actually speak to me in a way I can understand. It’s much easier to prepare a talk, to memorize a list of arguments, or to share a faith-related meme.

When we spend time daily in prayer, learning to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit, we become more aware of His promptings. We learn to prioritize His agenda over our own, and we begin to ask what He would have us say rather than what we think other people need to hear.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

4 Ways To Take This Offline:

Spend 10 minutes just listening for the Lord in prayer.
Identify 1 person you believe God wants you to share the Good News with.
Spend the next few days praying that the Holy Spirit would tell you how He wants you to share Jesus.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance before, during, and after your interactions with people today.

About our Speaker:

Brian Kissinger lives in the foothills of the Austrian Alps, where he serves as Director of Student Life for Franciscan University’s Study Abroad program. He has a passion for sharing the Gospel, and he emphasizes a message of hope in a culture that has lost its sense of purpose. Brian is married to the girl of his dreams, Courtney, and they are the proud parents of Elliana and Brian2.0

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