Holiness Archives - Redeemed Online

Overcoming 3 common excuses for growth

May 16, 2017 by Andy Lesnefsky Leave a Comment

St. John Paul II reminded us that “it is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives.” (Tweet This)

Not many people wake up and dream that they might live a boring life. Don’t get me wrong, you might feel that your life is boring or that you are stuck in a boring dream. I don’t think this is what God has in store for you.

Don’t stop. Don’t settle. I want to share some tips on overcoming 3 common excuses for growth and holding back in taking a new step in your life.

Here are a few excuses I’ve had to overcome in running Redeemed Online and the #ShareJesus campaign:

Excuse #1: I can’t.

I have a confession to make that might be surprising to you: I myself don’t know how to personally edit video. The reason that might sound strange to you is that I run a social media campaign that’s based on producing and distributing lots of video.

Sometimes we believe the lie that if we don’t know how to do something, we can’t do it. The secret to doing great things is not knowing how to do everything in life. It’s knowing how to surround yourself with an amazing team.

One of my business mentors always says he desires to be the dumbest person at the table. What he means by this is that he wants to surround himself with people who are experts at what they do so they allowed him to fill the leadership position only he can fill.

Perhaps you feel stuck in your job or that you have plateaued spiritually. Don’t settle for “I can’t.” God can and often God can through other people (Tweet This) who have different gifts than you have. Find wise counsel. Search out good friends. With the help of good friends, a business team, a mentor, a spiritual director, etc you can turn the “I can’t” into “I can.”

Excuse #2: I need to ask permission of “someone.”

When I first started #ShareJesus, one of the funniest emails I received was a note telling me to thank the many people I must have had to ask permission of to start this Catholic social media evangelization project. Feeling compelled, I left my desk and found my wife and said thank you because she was the only person I could think of that I had to ask permission.

What I found humorous in that email was the assumption that permission needed to be granted by someone or some authority. Too often we are waiting for permission when we need to just act. I am not saying that there’s not an instance where we do need permission from people like our bosses or our spouses. There’s a time and a place for that.

What I mean is that we don’t need to hear the audible voice of God to make a decision or to act. If you’ve been praying about something for a long time and feel like it’s time to pull the trigger, don’t be afraid. Go for it.

God doesn’t desire you to plateau. If you are stuck spiritually, don’t wait for “permission” to grow. Make some changes. Read a book. Go on a retreat. Get to confession. We must continue to allow ourselves to be transformed in Jesus.

Excuse #3: I don’t have the resources.

Starting a new project can be intimidating when you don’t have any money and you realize what you are endeavoring to do takes financial capital. I knew that God wanted me to make the vision of #ShareJesus come to fruition so I was committed to doing whatever it took to do that. This was risky. I knew this was going to take more than time and expertise. It would take money and resources I didn’t have.

I’ve come to realize that sometimes it’s easier to raise $2,000 than it is $20. That might sound strange, but I’ve found that if your vision is small it’s hard to get people on board. Know your vision and be able to share that with others in a way that invites them to join you.

Don’t operate from a scarcity mentality in your life. If there are investments you need to make to take your business, spiritual life, or relationships to a new level, don’t hold back. You can’t make lemonade out of rocks. You need to find some lemons.

Don’t be limited tomorrow by what you have today. If it’s time for growth in your life, it’s good to know where you are lacking. This lacking should lead you to figure out what it is you need to achieve the growth you desire.

If you are lacking in your prayer life with God, don’t believe the lie that you can’t overcome this lack of resource. God’s desire for us is to grow in relationship with him. Seek him with your heart and you will find him. Pray to be more receptive. Know that God desires you and he is enough for you.

What’s holding you back? What have you overcome to achieve spiritual or personal growth? Share below…

What was I thinking?

January 19, 2017 by Andy Lesnefsky 25 Comments

This question might sound dramatic, “What was I thinking?” However, if you told me that I would have started this new internet venture even 3 months ago, I probably would laugh. I am passionate about using the latest means of technology and communication to share the good news of the gospel. This didn’t seem to fit at first, but now I see God using it in great ways.

What is it?

I would like to introduce you to my new podcast Catholic Heroes. It’s a 10-15-minute podcast that focuses on our call to be saints, Catholic heroes, by looking to the lives of the saints as guides and inspiration.

You were created by God for great things. My hope is that this podcast will help you discover who God created you to be. Holiness is exactly that.

Now I realize reading this announcement might seem like your neighbor telling you how excited they are about getting dial-up internet. I am mean aren’t podcast old news? Are they relevant?

Consider these two statistics:

21% of Americans listen to a podcast at least monthly (and that’s a 23% increase from last year.) Source

and

Apple has surpassed 1 billion subscriptions for podcasts via iTunes Source

If you haven’t discovered or rediscovered podcasts recently, check them out. I love listening to a good podcast when driving, working out, or even doing some work around the house. I think podcasts are a great medium for learning, growing, and engaging in thoughtful conversation.

My Show Idea

We believe that every person is called to be holy and to be a saint. That call can sound overwhelming, intimidating, and even silly if we don’t understand what that means. Each week I talk about what this call to be holy means and I look at the life of a saint. The saints show us great examples of how to live out that call to be heroes. My goal is to share 2-3 lessons from the saint I am discussing that can help you on your journey in following Jesus.

Each episode normally starts off as a Facebook Live video on Tuesday afternoon and then gets converted into a podcast episode (you can join in live at Facebook.com/redeemedonline Tuesdays at 2 PM EST).

I want to invite you to check out the episodes on my website here or subscribe on iTunes Here or Google Play Here. If you like it (I hope you do), please leave a review on iTunes. This helps get the word out and helps other people find the podcast.

I would love to know what saints you would like me to talk about? Any other podcasts you would like to highly recommend? Share below- love hearing from you!

Five Lessons from the Saints

October 31, 2016 by Andy Lesnefsky 11 Comments

You might think that you have a better chance of becoming a professional athlete than a saint, but in reality the opposite is true. Today as we celebrate the feast of All Saints, I wanted to stop and reflect on the crazy reality that God calls each one of us to be a saint.

Too often we define holiness as a contrast to our own lives, but by it’s definition holiness is being who God made us to be. Here are five lessons from the Saints each one of us can learn:

1. You can be a saint.

“I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, He can work through anyone.” St. Francis of Assisi

We believe too many lies. I’m too far from God. There’s no way God loves me perfectly. I’m not gifted. God doesn’t have a calling for me in my life.

The quote from St. Francis reminds us these are lies. You are called to be who God made you to be and you can be a saint. Ultimately being a saint means being in heaven and bringing a bit of heaven to earth while we are living.

You are not too far from God. He loves you perfectly and completely. St. Francis reminds us God can use anyone. Saint Paul persecuted and killed Christians before he encountered Christ. Because Jesus loves you he calls you to greatness, not to a life of mediocrity.

2. Allow yourself to encounter God regularly.

If you’ve been a Christian for longer than a week, it can be easy to start to view prayer as a regular required chore.

Our prayer is meant to be our place of encounter not merely a routine.

When you read the stories of people who would encounter Jesus in the Scriptures, you see that the early disciples leave everything to follow Jesus. This is pretty amazing and kind of scary. Sometimes we want to psych ourselves up enough that through our own sheer will and determination we will make a more firm resolution to follow Jesus. This approach is missing the element of encounter. The disciples leave everything not only because of what Jesus offers them in following him, but precisely because they have had a living encounter with God

3. Surrender control to God.

“You cannot be half a saint; you must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” -St. Therese of Lisieux (TWEET THIS)

This awesome quote reminds us that you can’t hold back. Again, being holy isn’t about your decision or resolve. It’s about your surrender. Being a whole saint is about surrendering completely to God. Don’t hold back.

What’s one area of your life you need to surrender to God? Ask God for the grace you need to trust in him more and surrender control to him.

**4. Be the saint God created you to be.**

“If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!” -St. Catherine of Sienna (TWEET THIS)

There’s no cookie cutter mold for saints. Each one of us is created differently precisely because God intended it that way. We don’t need another St. Francis, St. Peter, or St. Therese. We need you to be a saint.

Each of us has a unique calling and gifting. I think too often men and women don’t see how their individual gifts can be used to build up the church and God’s kingdom. Instead they only see how their gifts and talents can be used in work outside of the church. There’s a place for you in the walls of the church even if you feel out of place sometimes (tweet this.)

Set the world ablaze both in the world and through the church. If you are striving to be a saint but aren’t involved locally in your parish, get involved. I have never been to a church that wasn’t looking for people who were striving to be saints to get involved in ministry.

5. Being a Saint is about being loved and being love.

“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” St. John Paul II

Jesus knew who he was and his mission in the world. “You are my beloved son with whom I well pleased” Mark 1:11.

Being a saint is no different. Sainthood doesn’t start with walking on water. It starts with knowing your identity as God’s beloved son or daughter. It’s knowing you are loved more than you could ever fathom.

Today take a few minutes to reflect on how much God loves you. He invites you deeper into that love and to share that love with others.

Got a favorite saint story? Or favorite saint quote? Any inspiration you would like to share on this Feast of All Saints? Share below!

Superheroes, Saints, and the Average Joe

May 26, 2016 by Andy Lesnefsky 15 Comments

I would like to be a saint. I would also like someone to give me a million dollars. Most of us don’t believe either of those things are going to happen to us, because in some ways we want to get holy like someone who wins the lottery. We want it to just magically happen.

I think we sometimes believe that the greatest of saints are sort of like superheroes who realize they are born with superpowers. In some ways this is true. Saints realize God made them for greatness. However, this is also true about you.

Holiness does not mean looking exactly like every other Christian. The saints are great models, but Jesus doesn’t need another Saint Therese because he already has one. He desires for you to be a saint and has created you to be a saint.

God has created you with purpose and meaning. Only you can reflect him in a very unique way because no one else is quite like you. The simplest definition of holiness is being exactly the person God created you to be.

The church says there is a universal call to holiness. Translation: each of us are not just average Joes, but are born like superheroes with a unique calling and gifting to follow Jesus and be saints.

Each of us are born like superheroes with a unique calling and gifting to follow Jesus and be saints. https://t.co/Vwsy2hFcT7

— Andy Lesnefsky (@RedeemedOnline) May 27, 2016

We born and called to be saints in the water of baptism. Holiness might seem like the most distant reality from your life. The good news is that it is not reliant on your efforts alone. It is our response to God’s free gift of grace (him sharing his life with us), but it always starts with, and is continually reliant on, God working in us. It’s not passive though. We must actively receive this free gift, respond and surrender to him.

Here are a couple of things we should do each day to try to grow in holiness:

Give your day and your entire life to Jesus everyday.
Try to acknowledge, receive, and respond to what God is doing/saying to you in your prayer time.
Get to know who God has made you to be. Saints live bold lives because they intimately know God and because of that have a real sense of who God has made them to be.

What does holiness mean to you? What are some of your favorite saints and what have they taught you about holiness? I would love to hear from you.