Lisa Brenninkmeyer's Blog, page 7

For Your Weekend: With God, Less is More

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 12:28–34

About every three weeks, I have a conversation with my husband that goes something like this, “Can we have a meeting about our finances? We really need to start focusing more on how we manage our money.” When he agrees, I add, “Also, food dyes are like poison for the kids. I found a podcast to help us get the kids to eat whole foods; I’ll send it to you.” Then, before he can respond, I’m off to the races, “How’s your workout, prayer life, the h...

For Your Weekend: The Power of Perseverance

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 10:46–52

Growing up, my family would hold hands and say grace before dinner. We'd pray the familiar, "Bless us, O Lord" and then go around saying our own prayers of thanksgiving and petition. During my 8th grade year, my aunt and her three children came to live with my family for six months. The prayers before dinner continued, with four more people praying. Almost every night, my aunt would pray for perseverance. At the time, I didn't fully understand ...

For Your Weekend: A Servant’s Heart

Dig Deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 10:42–45

My morning routine is similar to many other women's; there's nothing particularly special about it. Arising before dawn, I take our dog for a nice long walk and then return home to prepare for my family’s morning rush: ensuring backpacks are good to go, lunches are made, water bottles are cleaned and freshly filled, different breakfast options are prepared and ready for eager hands, coffee is prepped, uniforms are ironed, shoes are found, ...

For Your Weekend: When Jesus Gets Personal

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 10:17–30

I was doing everything right—okay, not everything, but most things. I prayed every morning, no matter how exhausted I was. I hauled myself to daily Mass, no matter how inconvenient. I thoroughly examined my conscience, noting the number of times I fell short of God's glory. I kneeled and asked for God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation every week. Morally speaking, I believed I was in pretty good shape.

Then I walked into the conf...

For Your Weekend: The Heart of the Issue Is the Heart

Dig Deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 10:2–16

We’ve all been there. We get into an argument with a loved one, and the size of the argument becomes much bigger than the size of the problem. It often becomes apparent in those moments that the issue is not this issue. Something more profound is going on and needs to be addressed.   

In this Sunday’s gospel, the Pharisees approach Jesus about divorce. While divorce is a monumental, personal, and painful subject, the issue here is not the i...

For Your Weekend: Warning Against Exclusivity

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 9:38–43,45,47–48

In high school, I was a wannabe popular girl. I desperately wanted to be part of the elite social circle of the prettiest and most athletic girls, and I spent my high school days slowly climbing the social ladder until, eventually, senior year, I was accepted as a fringe member of the club. I was good enough to sit at their lunch table and be included in group projects, but when it came to the pre-prom photoshoot or the after-party inv...

For Your Weekend: Ask the Questions

Dig Deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 9:30–37

This time of year is particularly rough for me, spiritually and emotionally.

As the calendar inches toward October, a season of holiday planning and preparation for many, I find myself bracing for the emotional challenges that lie ahead. The anticipation of difficult conversations, the need to reiterate boundaries with family members, and the constant reminders of relationships unavailable to me or my children all weigh heavily on my heart....

For Your Weekend: Why We Suffer and the Cow on the Roof

Dig Deep into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 8:27–35

Every Sunday after Mass, my husband and I join my parents for breakfast at a Connecticut diner—the restaurant known for its giant cow on the roof. It's not our style of decor, but boy, do we love the eggs and coffee! But mostly, we love our waitress.

She’s the kind of server who knows your order. Efficient, attentive, and friendly, she appears genuinely happy to see us when we walk through the door. A few weeks ago, she shared, “People always ask ...

For Your Weekend: Let Them Bring You to Jesus

Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 7:31–37

As the mother of five small children, meltdowns are expected. What isn't expected, however, is that I, the mother, the adult, should be having them, but that's what happened yesterday. My family was doing fine as I embarrassingly and humiliatingly melted down over what should have been a joy-filled day.

Here is the story.

It was a Sunday, and our family schedule included attending Mass, baptizing our son, and hosting a family party. 

Post-Mass b...

For Your Weekend: Wash Your Heart, Not Your Hands

Dig Deep into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 7:1–8,14–15,21–23

Whenever Jesus addresses the Pharisees in Scripture, my conscience is pricked, and my heart is stirred. My love for tradition, ritual, and rules can lead me to be overly scrupulous of myself and others, to be pharisaical. And if there is one thing I detest, it is a pharisaical heart. 

If I’m honest, one of my greatest fears is that when I reach my judgment, I’ll find out that I missed the point—that I was too focused on other's unwashed ...