Kids, It’s Time We Have THE TALK - because doing the sex-thing or doing the drug-thing can ruin a kid’s life, but NOT doing The God-thing can ruin a kid’s eternity. Catholic dad, John R. VanBuskirk tells his kids about God & God-stuff, Living & Dying, Heaven & hell. He explains the purpose of life…
Description of audio content that uses teachings from John Paul II, Fulton J. Sheen, Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, and others. Throughout the audio, John VanBuskirk's central theme is to challenge his kids to: Love the world more than any other creature God has ever given life to Possess the heart of a servant and add to what God has created as one of His co-creators and partners Know God in ways equal to the saints and angels in Heaven Achieve a special, personal intimacy with God – an intimacy that the angels might envy
Opening prayer from Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton. Motivation for Kids, It's Time We Have THE TALK including The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.
My personal mission statement is to make daily strides in becoming a saint and to assist my family, friends, and acquaintances in becoming what God has intended all of us to be - saints. I believe in striving daily to achieve four goals: Love the world more than any other creature God has ever given life to. Possess the heart of a servant and add to what God has created as one of His co-creators and partners. Know God in ways equal to the saints and angels in Heaven. Achieve a special, personal intimacy with God – an intimacy that the angels might envy. You are impermanent flesh and blood human beings engaged in a Mystical Journey. You are Eternal Mystical Beings engaged in a time-bounded Earthly Journey. The the gift of Human Life is made up of two experiences: Your Living Experience and Your Dying Experience.
Throughout life, humans pursue Physical, Social, Cognitive, Emotional, and Mystical Essentials & Attractions. There are three classifications of travelers on life journeys: Earthly Super-HUMANS, Mystically SUPER-humans, and Self-Centered ANTI-humans
How do you classify yourself - Earthly super-HUMAN? Mystically SUPER-human? Self-centered ANTI-human? JOY is the fruit of being mindful that Life consists of two integrated and equal Experiences – Living and Dying. JOY is also the fruit of a Mystically SUPER-human life. My Name is Joy
The Majority Hates Truth & Fears Goodness by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen -modified from Renewal & Reconciliation, ”The Nemesis of Mediocrity”.
Before the beginning, when the beginning began, and after the beginning had begun.
Day 6 - the new Human Being would have the exclusive opportunity to: Love the world more than any other creature God had ever given life to Add to what God had created as one of His co-creators and partners Know God in ways equal to the angels in Heaven (and most importantly) Achieve a special, personal intimacy with God, The Creator
What is Love and What is the Opposite of Love? Three types of love described. Sister Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio from The Father Speaks To His Children describes how Jesus is the manifestation of Agape Love.
A Humanity living without Love lost Paradise. The Holy Spirit however introduces Humanity to a new love principle that motivates us so that we can resist the temptations of the devil and do the will of The Father. When the Spirit dwells upon us, we can do Christ’s will – not because we fear living for eternity in hell but because we choose to.
On the Seventh Day of Creation, God told Adam and Eve that He had gifted them with the ability and one-time opportunity to love the world more than any creature He had ever given life to. Five types of Essential and Attractions make up the Living Experience and leads to happiness: 1) Physical Essentials and Attractions, 2) Social Essentials and Attractions, 3) Cognitive Essentials and Attractions, and 4) Emotional Essentials and Attractions described
5) Mystical Attractions and Mystical Essentials described. Also, today, tomorrow, yesterday, and eternity - what I’ve been told to be happy in this world and what drives us mad.
Living in No Man's Land - What I want read at my funeral (by Thomas Merton From Seven Storey Mountain). My visit to a Trappist monastery where a community is keenly aware that their Mystical Journey can only flourish if Living and Dying are integrated and equal.
What is death and what happens at the moment of death - per The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church. If you remember dying each day, death will lose its sting and will no longer be something to fear - sentiments from the Trappist Monks and Sogyal Rinpoche (from Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World).
The words of Norman Vincent Peale from The Positive Power of Jesus Christ - a great comfort for those who have lost an aged loved one.
Whereas Living and Dying are integrated and equal, the Earthly and Mystical Journeys are conflicting and unequal. The love of God and the love of the creature are contrary and cannot live in the same heart.
The mysteries of why God Continuously Thins His Ranks, Works in Minorities, and Chooses the Foolish of the World.
Your Earthly Journey not only consists of striving to achieve the Essentials necessary to resist death and avoid suffering but pursuing all the Attractions that you believe enable personal happiness and personal fulfillment. Your Formula for Happiness must be YOUR Formula for Happiness.
The writers of The Bhagavad Gita, Lao Tsu who gifted the world with the Tao Te Ching, and Mother Teresa in A Simple Path, as compiled by Lucinda Vardey, describe how to avoid the harmful effects of desire.
Because your Earthly Journey consists of pursuing Essentials & Attractions, life matters such as love, sex, sexuality, and marriage require consideration. Three Greek types of love are considered - Eros, Philia, and Agape.
The Catholic Church does not hate those who behave in ways that have been declared contrary to Catholic teaching. Think about it, without a sinful Humanity, there is no Redeemer...
Because we both agree that I have no legitimate authority of my own to state what is proper and not proper, I can hand you The Word of God and I can ask you to try answering the Questions of Our Father (Job Ch 38 and 39).
I can pray for God's mercy. I can take on your sins. I can wait. St. Faustina from her diary describes how The Chaplet of Divine Mercy and The Divine Mercy Novena are great gifts for one’s Dying Experience.
Excerpts from From Renewal & Reconciliation, “What God Has Done for Us” by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen answers the question the best way anyone possibly can. Also the difference in how Christians view the world versus Eastern Philosophies.
The moment Adam bit into the apple, 10,000 triggers of suffering were injected into the world. Why? What should we make of this reality? Includes Hell’s Best Kept Secret by Ray Comfort as told by Kirk Cameron
A Mystical Invitation that Christ offers each suffering and sorrowful soul - an invitation to join Him, not on the way to The Cross, or under it, but on it with Him. Also a prayer, Help Me Lord Lord so I can accept my sufferings and sorrows, and in my own minor little way, imitate you.
The real horror of The Exorcist. Description of hell as told by the visionaries of Fatima and Medjugorje, as well as the reality of hell as described by our Blessed Mother and multiple saints. Excerpts from The Father Speaks To His Children by Sister Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio that give us hope and comfort.
Excerpts from Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain regarding the reality of a Mystical Order and how the logic of the Mystical Journey is completely opposite to the logic of the Earthly Journey. To establish and sustain an intimate union with The Spirit of God, you must continue Mystical Practices.
The first key to Heaven, The Holy Mass, as described by Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M from The Catholic Update, “A Walk Through The Mass”. Also promises given to St. Gertrude the Great by Our Lord for those devoted to The Mass.
The second key to Heaven, The Brown Scapular, as well as its' power as told by Our Lady to St. Dominic and St. Lucia of Fatima. The third key to Heaven, The Rosary, as well as The Blessed Mother's role in the world today and The Third Secret of Fatima as described by Scott Hahn.
The fourth key to Heaven, The Stations / The Way of The Cross as well as the promises given to St. Estanislao by Our Lord
How do you become a Mystical SUPER-human? How do you achieve intimacy with God? Here’s the Way: Silence enables Prayer and Contemplation Prayer and Contemplation enable Understanding, Faith, and Hope Understanding, Faith, and Hope enable Love Love drives the desire to Serve Love drives the desire to Sacrifice Love drives the desire to Repent and perform Penance Service, Sacrifice, and Repentance enable Peace Peace enables Silence
Now that you know The Way of becoming a Mystically SUPER-human Being, what ya gonna do?
How do we fall away from The Lord and join the ranks of The Majority? Five steps lead to neglect of doing Good: Neglect of Prayer Neglect of The Holy Eucharist Tolerate What is Wrong Seek Creature Comforts Seek Creature Friends
Excerpt from Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's “The Nemesis of Mediocrity” from Renewal & Reconciliation. Guys, we fall away from God, not because we choose to but rather because we begin to neglect little-by-little to do what is Good.
What a wonderful world this would be if The Majority got all this - but God (as we know and for reasons that are His alone) always works in Minorities and never in Majorities. What a wonderful life you will have if you not only get all this but strive to live it daily. Just try and keep trying.
VanBuskirk's true motivation for writing Kids, It’s Time We Have THE TALK Feel free to email comments or questions to John VanBuskirk at: TheGodTalk@yahoo.com
Kids, It’s Time We Have THE TALK is a talk from a father to his kids. VanBuskirk provides a list of 80 fathers in his life that he dedicated his writing:
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