Seeds of Truth Ministries

Joseph Hollcraft

More Blog Entries

Come and See

I still recall as a young boy walking to our local grocery store, and one of my older brothers going underneath a bridge to find some crayfish. At the time, I had no idea what he was doing, or why he would be doing anything other than getting to the... Read more

Stretch for God

What is the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning—if not, before we get out of bed? Stretch (and yawn). We do this instinctively. Our bodies need to stretch after a good night’s rest, because it loosens our muscles and helps blood circulation. Stretching is more... Read more

The Son Becomes the Father and the Father Becomes the Son

In June of 2006 my wife and I went to the theatre to watch Superman Returns. As usual, I did not leave disappointed: from the imaginative cinematography to the engaging storylines, the movie moved swiftly along, but it was one encounter that had the hair on my skin stand up... Read more
  • 1 of 13
  • >

A King's Riches

The story is told of Alexander the Great, that one day, upon heading home from a victorious battle, his caravan came upon a beggar by the roadside who asked for a copper coin. Initially, the courtier sent him away, but King Alexander intervened and asked what the poor man wanted. The courtier said a copper coin. After looking at the man, he returned to his carriage to grab a bag of coins. He returned to the beggar and gave him a bag…of gold coins. The courtier was surprised by this gift, and commented, “Sir, a copper coin would have adequately met the beggar’s need and desire. Why give him gold?” Alexander responded as a king responds, “A copper coin would suit the beggar’s need, but gold coins suit Alexander’s giving”.  

So often we go to God in our prayer asking for one thing, and God desires to give us so much more. In order for us to receive this “more” that God wants to give us, sometimes he responds with “no”, or “not yet”. When God answers our prayer with “no”, or “not yet”, we have to be willing to accept this answer; mindful that behind every no is an immeasurable greater yes.

We often say hindsight is 20/20: “If only I knew, I would not have acted in that way”. Well, accepting God’s “no” as an answer to our prayer is faith’s 20/20. God’s “no” helps us to avoid “acting in that way”. God is a Father who is always looking out for His “best interest”, which in prayer, we quickly discover is our “best interest’. If parents are always on the lookout in what’s best for their child long term, which means saying “no”, and “not yet” from time to time, then how much more should we enter into the wonder of the Father’s “no” when it is an exercise of the greatness of His love. Just as we need to be in relationship with our parents to understand the reasons behind their “no”, all the more do we need to be in relationship with our Father to better understand the reasons behind His “no”. We do this through the reading of Scripture, the wisdom of the saints, and increasing our conversation with God in prayer.

The Son of God left this world with a crown, but a crown that very few understood. It was the crown given to a King who shows us how to fight the good fight, keep the faith, persevere in the race marked out for us, and finish the course (cf. 2 Tim 4:7; Heb 12:1). Our crucified King has revealed to us that doing the Father’s will is not the road most traveled, but “less traveled”, and if we are going to share in this great mystery of doing the Father’s will, then we must seek out the deeper wisdom that lies behind the “no”. This deeper wisdom is the confidant assurance that by accepting God’s “no”, we are saying yes to the riches of God that far exceed the value of any gold coin, because they do not belong to any Kingdom of this world, but the everlasting Kingdom. These riches consist in the actual sharing of God’s very life and the treasures His grace provides.  

View Dr. Hollcraft's author profile on Amazon
Unleashing the Power of Intercessory Prayer - Book Cover

“Hollcraft's book engagingly integrates his personal experience with the luminous witness of Scripture and the overflowing holiness of the saints to help you maximize the effectiveness of your intercessory prayer.”
Bishop Liam Cary
Diocese of Baker, Oregon

“With this book, Hollcraft opens the door to the humble act of praying for others and invites us, through practical and accessible tips, to step through that door with trust.”
Dr. Anthony Lilles
Author and Academic Dean of Saint Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park (CA)

"As I read through these pages, I am reminded of our beautiful calling to pray for others, and Dr. Hollcraft explains here how to do so in deepest intimacy with Jesus Christ!"
Fr. Dave Pivonka T.O.R.
President of Franciscan University of Steubenville

Buy Now on Amazon.com

Buy Now from Sophia Institute Press

A Heart for Evangelizing - Book Cover

“Evangelization is never about numbers, and never about programs. It’s one heart setting another on fire. With this book, Dr. Hollcraft helps us keep the home fires burning—even as we set the world ablaze with Christ.”
Mike Aquilina
Award-winning author of more than 40 popular books

“Hollcraft wonderfully displays the tapestry of Catholic life and evangelization by weaving solid Catholic teaching, its application to the modern world, and clearly expressed examples that bring out the light and shadows of this beautiful picture.”
Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.
Author, television host, Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center
for Biblical Theology

"In a world of burgeoning textbooks and media, the reminder that  catechesis is inescapably a personal task to which we are all called, through a cooperation with the redeeming and educative work of the Person of the Holy Trinity, is a timely and important one."
Dr. Petroc Willey
Professor of Catechetics, Franciscan University of Steubenville

Buy Now on Amazon.com

Buy Now from Emmaus Road