Posts Tagged

Nicholas Hardesty

It’s hard to share your faith at school. No one wants to stand out or have unpopular opinions. When I first decided to share my faith, it was in college. Through intense study, I became a passionate Catholic – but everyone around me either didn’t care or they strongly disagreed …

How did you learn your prayers? Maybe it was from an elementary school teacher, a children’s book or a pious grandmother. Or, perhaps you learned your prayers from a kindly priest, a Sunday school catechist or a friend. I learned mine from my dad. CHILDHOOD MEMORIES You should know something …

Before I started working for the Church, I was a counselor. Sometimes I would ask my clients to complete an “I am” statement: “I am ____.” It’s amazing how varied the answers can be: I am worthless. I am hopeless. I am unlovable. I am a failure. Each one is …

My 7-year old daughter made me cry the other day. There’s something you should know about my daughter: she never sings, dances, or performs in front of me. She’ll go to her room, shut the door, tell Alexa to play the Frozen soundtrack, and sing her little heart out. She’ll …

By the time you read this, I will be two months into Exodus 90. I’ll also be hungry – very, very hungry. In case you’re wondering, no, there are not 90 chapters in the Book of Exodus. Exodus 90 is a 90-day spiritual exercise for men, a kind of personal …

I love barbecue. Seriously, my heart yearns for it. Owensboro, KY, where I’m from, is actually the epicenter of a unique variety: mutton barbecue. Mutton is meat from sheep around three years old, as opposed to lamb, which is meat from sheep less than a year old. It starts out …

I prayed over my five-year old son the other day. He was on day three of a stomach bug, and I was willing to look like a fool if it meant his healing.Even a couple months ago, I would not have done such a thing. I’ve prayed over other people …

Are you ready for Christmas?” I dread that question. After all, who is ever really ready for the cooking, cleaning, packing, traveling, buying, wrapping and even fighting that fill up our typical preparations for the holidays? Not me. The good news is that Advent doesn’t have to be that way. …

Next year, the men in my family will celebrate an important milestone: 25 years of going on an annual camping trip together. When it all started, my dad and uncle were there, but the rest of us were just boys. We idolized the grown-ups for their ability to pitch a …

I can do a great deal of thinking on the top rung of a ladder. Chief among my thoughts is “Dear God, don’t let me fall,” but I’m also thinking other things too: “Go slow,” “Be careful,” and “You got this.” And then, on my most recent ascent, a new …