Anyone that really knows me knows that I love cheesy childish things.  One of those things is the Disney Channel.  I just happened to be watching one of my favorite Disney shows, The Suite Life on Deck, when during the commercial they played a song that was created for their new campaign Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green.  The song just really moved me.  I think it has a very powerful message.  The message is talking about being the change you want to see in the world.  The change doesn’t need to be anything big.  It can be a simple smile to someone, holding a door, or picking up trash that isn’t yours.  The other powerful piece of it to me is that it recognizes we each have gifts that are meant to be shared with other people and our actions can lead others to take an initiative to help make a difference in the community, country, and even world.  These messages really aren’t anything new…We Christians have been hearing them for ages.  All of this is what Jesus was teaching to us; to love one another, to love the earth, and love God.  I encourage you to think of one simple way you can help make a difference in the world.  Keep me posted and let me know how it goes.  I’ll let you know how my little change is going in my next blog.  For your pleasure I’ve included the lyrics to the song.

Send it On

A word’s just a word
‘Til you mean what you say
And Love isn’t love
‘Til you give it away
We’ve all gotta gift
Yeah something to give to make a changeSend it on
On and on
Just one hand can heal another
Be a part
Reach your heart
Just one spark starts the fire
With one little action
The chain reaction will never stop
Make it Strong
Shine a Light and Send it OnJust smile and the world will smile along with you
That small act of love
Is spent for one to become two
If we take the chances
To change circumstances
Imagine all we can do
If we… There’s Power in all of the choices we make!Lea

As the 2009-2010 retreat season gets rolling, TYME OUT welcomes two returning faces and two new comers to the Intern Program. Emma Janssen, an education major at Cardinal Stritch University, and Sarah Skosey, an education major at Carroll University, are returning for their second year. The staff is very excited to welcome them back because of the energy and experience they bring to the retreats. TYME OUT would also like to introduce our two new interns: Katie Kannall and Andrew Schueller. Both are students at Marquette University. Katie is an education major and Andrew is studying theology looking to go into youth ministry.

Over Labor Day weekend, the interns and I gathered for an overnight orientation. While building community through meals and icebreakers, we talked about the philosophy, methodology, and theology of the TYME OUT retreats. A fun time was had by all as we got to know each other better through stories of our journeys and prayer.

Our Intern Program also received some notoriety through the Catholic Herald. The article in the August 20 edition highlighted the program and a couple of our interns, one past (Ben Wolf) and one present (Emma Janssen). Thank you to Ben and Emma for their contribution and time.

Peace,

Marc Puechner

Intern Director

I was on a tough assignment this summer.  My SSND community sent me to Guam and Hawaii to work with our Sisters and Associates on Guam and to do catechetical training events with the churches on both islands.  Of course, I also took time for fun as long as I was there: an evening swim in the ocean at high tide, a tour of some of the island’s historical parks, an early morning barbecue on the beach, 4^th-of-July fireworks over the ocean, and a concert by a world renowned pianist in the ballroom of one of the big tourist hotels. 

I just got back from a road trip vacation out to Montana for Jen, the wonderful chef of TYME OUT’s, wedding.  When I got back to work I remembered this is my week to blog.  There are so many things I could type about from the beautiful scenery, to why maps are still better than GPS’s, and to historical information I learned.  But I felt there was something bigger that happened on this trip.  I’m going to borrow a couple of paragraphs from a speaker I really enjoy.  I’ve mentioned him and his wife on my blog before.  Their names are Kim & Jason Kotecki.

Jason writes, “ If you’re like me, sometimes it’s easy to feel like God is up in Heaven, keeping track of all the good and bad things we do. He throws us a bone when we do something right and screws with our life when we mess up. But that’s not how he operates.

In a world that is broken, with millions of wounded hearts and hurting souls, God is endlessly trying to communicate the message of just how much he loves us. (Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that he actually likes us, too.) If we could ever truly get our heads wrapped around that, our world would look very different indeed.

Signs of this message are everywhere, but we are often too busy to stop, too blind to see, too deaf to hear, and too dumb to understand that his entire creation is whispering three magic words: I love you. Fortunately for us, God sometimes finds it appropriate — and necessary — to shout to get our attention. The shouting works, but life goes so much better when we’re paying attention to the whispers along the way.

I challenge you today to slow your pace and open the ears of your heart to listen for God’s whisper. What is he trying to tell you?” (http://kimandjason.com/blog/)

I just have a few things to add to this sometimes if/when we’re searching for something too hard we don’t get what we want but when we turn it over to God he’ll reveal what it is you’re looking for.  Just like how I searched my entire road trip for big animals and didn’t see one until my last day.  God has a way of showing love in this world and I was able to witness that through the marriage of my friend.  Love really is all around. Congratulations Jen and Dustin for bringing a little more of God’s love to this world!