All tagged Jesus

I wish I knew this when I first met Jesus

I wish I knew this when I first met Jesus

Christina Kleehammer

Eventually, most of us have to become very intentional about not taking Jesus’ love for granted. But this is not so in the beginning! When we first encounter that amazing grace, Jesus starts messing with everything that messes with us, and we are easily beside ourselves with gratitude and awe. I can remember a time when a simple bumper sticker that said, “Jesus loves you!” could make my heart leak out of my eyes. And I recall the bliss of singing a praise song and actually meaning it for the first time.

Do we really need priests? (A response to Carl Lentz)

Do we really need priests? (A response to Carl Lentz)

Christina Kleehammer

When this Relevant Magazine article showed up in my Facebook news feed with the headline, Carl Lentz to Oprah: 'That’s Why Jesus Came, So You Didn’t Need a Priest in the Middle', I couldn’t help but click on it, watch the videos and read some of the subsequent comments. What I mostly took away from it was a reminder that while I’ve been on this journey of discovering the beautiful relationship with God and His Church known as authentic Catholicism, there are still so many others walking around, continuing to hold and perpetuate gross misconceptions of what the Catholic Christian faith is. So instinctively, I wish to clarify some things here.  

Tattoo removal and the agony of free salvation

Tattoo removal and the agony of free salvation

Christina Kleehammer

Several years ago, we were very much in a do what you feel phase in life when my husband, Josh, was feeling a half sleeve tattoo of three stars and a bunch of leaves blowing in the wind.

“What if you eventually want to get a job that you won’t be able to get because you’ll have visible tattoos?” I protested.

But he didn’t listen. And really, I didn’t protest all that much. He was really feeling it, ya know? That's really all that mattered.

On loving people we really don't like

On loving people we really don't like

Christina Kleehammer

The first time I met Rodillo*, I knew I couldn’t stand that guy. It was 2011, we’d been here at Fort Benning for less than a week as my husband, Josh, was taking his place within the ranks of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and we were attending our very first Ranger Ball (which is like prom for grown-ups).

The Church, The Pedophiles, and the Filipino Party Tree

The Church, The Pedophiles, and the Filipino Party Tree

Christina JK

“A friend of mine was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest up in Atlanta, so I went up and celebrated with him and some of my other friends.  It was really awesome.”
“Oh that’s cool!”
“Yeah!”  
“Did you tell him to stay away from little boys?”  
Stunned and deadpan.  “No.  I didn’t.”