I Wanna Live Like That

I have had several questions lately about how to keep up your faith and teach it to the kiddos. Music is probably my number one prayer and the way that I connect most to God. Lately the song "I Wanna Live Like That" by Sidewalk Prophets has struck a cord with me. Listen to the song here so that you understand where I am coming from.


I do want to live like that. I want everyone around me to see God shining through. I want every decision and every step I take to point directly to Him. I think at work and church I do a pretty good job of this. At home it is a bit harder. It seems to be more difficult to share God's love with those closest to us. I think we get a bit complacent and much more easily frustrated with those we love the most.  So my big goal is to show my kids and husband what it means to "Live Like That" everyday!!

So back to the question. How do I keep my faith alive and rocking everyday. Sadly, I have seen so many people who were alive in their faith start to dwindle over time. The world is a dark and scary place and it doesn't give us a lot of time to be great Christians. Instead we are highly distracted by TV, movies, music, books, etc that pull us away from who God created us to be.  Here are a few of the things that I do to keep up the faith and show my kids just how important my relationship with God is to me.

1. Listen to Christian music- I used to be a Texas Country and ghetto rap lover! Yep it is true. My husband and I fell in love because we both loved Pat Green AND believed Tupac was still alive! For the past five years though I mainly stick to Christian music. It fills me with joy and reminds me how much God loves me everyday. It is also the way that I hear God speak to me most often. I feel like He gives me exactly what I need to hear when I need to hear it. Now don't get me wrong I still like to listen to my Texas Country every now and then. It reminds me how much my husband loves me and that is a good thing too! :)

2. Relevant Radio-  I live in Austin and we have the huge blessing of Relevant Radio a Catholic Radio station. I cannot BEGIN to tell you how much I have learned about my faith through this radio station!!!!!  I could argue theology with the best of them just from what Relevant Radio has taught me. This is two fold: one it is a constant reminder of my faith everyday while I am cooking, driving, etc. Two, it is teaching me more and more about my faith. Father Rocky once said "Learn you faith..If you learn it you will love it. If you love it you will never leave it!" I totally agree!!!!

3. Surround yourself with believers- In our church we found a true home for the first time. I wasn't even Catholic when we started attending but was welcomed with open arms. Suddenly we had hundreds of friends who believed just as we did. The closeness of the relationships formed were unlike anything I had every experienced. There is something extremely different about a Christian friendship. It is great to be able to share your faith and ideals with friends!

4. Get Involved!!- Find a ministry at church that you can get involved with. I have been known to be TOO involved, but that is another topic. It could be children's ministry, youth ministry or some type of service ministry. Just make sure it is spiritual and that you will leave feeling full filled. We are all called to serve in different ways. On the music video it shows working with homeless people. That gives me a bit of guilt because I do not do a lot of service ministry. But, I have to remind myself that this okay. My ministry is to witness and I like it that way!

5. Bible Study- The best way to stay involved in your faith is to study God's word!  I find that I am better about this if I have a group of people to study with. I have been involved in several studies over the past few years. One of my favorites was the "The Bible Adventure Timeline" by Jeff Cavens. He teaches you all of the narrative stories of the bible in chronological order. I learned so much from this study!! It changed my way of thinking about the faith. 

But, what keeps me going week to week is my wonderful mommy group! I have a group of women that I meet with each Thursday. We are all moms of young kids. We bring our kids and they run, play and scream while we have the most meaningful, spiritual conversations! It is madness and I love it! These women know me on a level that no one else does. This summer has been hard for us to coordinate our schedules and I can see a difference in my spirituality without them. I have come to need this group!

Any type of group like this is great to join whether it is a bible study at church, mom's group, Life group, couples group just find someone you can share your faith with. I promise it will make a difference!

6. Last but certainly not least Pray, Pray, Pray!- St. Paul said to pray unceasingly. You may think I have no time for that!!! Make it part of your daily life and it is easier to make time. Pray while you wash dishes, take a shower, drive the kids to school, etc. Pray in little moments that make you crazy: when someone cuts you off on the highway, when the kids just won't listen, if your husband does something that makes you cringe, etc. Ask for God's help in all of these little matters. It will make them a lot easier to handle. On the flip side you can say a little "thank you" prayer when good things happen! Just keep the lines of communication open!

All of these little things will add up to a life lived for Christ and your kids will see this!!!!  Then they will start to ask questions and voila the door has been opened to share your faith!!!