From Joe's Desk...
The date was August 18, 2011, and I was tucked away on the fourth floor in a little room in Christ Church, Oxford, England. After successfully defending my dissertation, I sat down to write my forward to the work. Upon doing so, I was made to consider the relevance of... Read more
Caesar, Christ, and a lesson on Poverty
Luke commences his account on the birth of Jesus with the following words: “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled” (Lk 2:1). On one level, Luke is providing the reader with the historical circumstances bringing Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem,... Read more
Breathe In, Breathe Out
As I sit down to write this blog, there are hundreds of inspirational speakers traveling the world with an inspirational message about Jesus Christ and the Christian and Catholic faith. Just this past week, while speaking at a conference, I met someone who has not been home in weeks, because... Read more
Be Genuine
[Recently] I received a phone call from a friend who wanted to talk about the nature of repentance. It was a life-giving conversation. Last night, I received a phone call from someone, unrelated to the call the night before, who wanted to talk about, well — repentance. Clearly, people are... Read more
Listen More, Speak Better
Coming from a family of thirteen, it was common for me to “chime in” as often as possible at the dinner table (or wherever we found ourselves eating). Why? When you have ten brothers and sisters, there is not a lot of lag time—“dead air”, so to speak. More often... Read more