by Matt Karr
The transition between summer and fall is dramatic in our house. Our oldest two daughters have both started school. Fall activities like dance, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and piano lessons are being planned — not to mention sports.
Then there are PTO meetings and various other committees that meet in the evening. Life can be super busy for families. With all the things that are going on, my wife Jen and I and our family can feel overwhelmed.
In our family, we have had to work very hard at protecting our family time.
With all the activities and commitments, it can be easy to overlook or miss out on the most important things in life. Devel- oping relationships within our family, spending time together, hanging out with other families who share our values just to enjoy each other’s company are main priorities in the Karr household.
Other main priorities include taking time to invest in God and our faith with other people, praying together, and eating meals together. We have found that if we do not put these things first, they are the first things to fall away when life gets busy.
This fall the office of evangelization and Catholic formation of adults is offering a few programs geared at helping folks put first things first in their lives. Coming up in a week is a retreat for young adults and married couples called Fan Into Flame. Fan Into Flame is a retreat that helps adults connect with God and with each other. The hope is for a greater release of the grace and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and to begin to build au- thentic community based on our new relationships in Christ.
Fan Into Flame is Sept. 17-19 at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kan. The retreat runs Friday evening through midday Sunday. The cost is $150 per married couple; $85 for individuals. Nursing children are welcome. Come and give yourself a weekend away to more deeply encounter God’s love and plan in your life. For more information, check out the Web site at: www.archkckecat.org
On Oct. 23, the office of evangelization and Catholic formation of adults
is hosting “The Great Adventure Bible Timeline” at St. Ann Catholic Church in Prairie Village. Dr. Ted Sri, a former faculty member at Benedictine College in Atchison, will be the main presenter. The Great Adventure is a tremendous overview of the Bible that helps you to understand the “big picture” of God’s work in history. You can get more infor- mation at: www.archkckecat.org.
With all the busyness of life, I hope you can find time this year to make God and relationships with others a priority. Life is always better when done together — with God and with each other.
