Take up your cross and follow me

​I was 18 when God spoke to me. It was early fall, and I was at a retreat centre deep in the woods of central Alberta called Ephphatha House.
 
On the grounds was a large chapel with a massive stained-glass picture of Jesus known as the “Divine Mercy.” It’s a painting of a vision that a young Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska, saw in prayer: an image of Jesus standing in a doorway, with two rays of light emanating from His chest, and an inscription below His feet that reads: “Jesus I trust in you.”
 
His stained-glass eyes would follow me as I walked from one side of the chapel to the other. There was Jesus gazing at me, and here was I, a beggar at his feet, hungover, lonely, and empty.
 
I looked up at this Stained-Glass Gaze of Jesus and felt this sensation of love in a way that I hadn’t encountered before. Then he spoke:
 
“Kevin, I love you. Take up your cross and follow me.”
 
It was in that moment that I knew everything I was looking for was found in Jesus. The desire for belonging, for freedom, peace, joy, happiness … all of it was found in Jesus. I gave Him the only answer I could ever possibly utter: “Yes.”
 
That’s how Jesus transformed my life. Shortly after this event I became filled with a missionary fervour that sought to proclaim His love to the ends of the earth. Now, 30 years later I am married with three children and my wife and I both share this missionary fire.

Three years ago, my wife and I decided to leave full-time employment for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus. Our ministry is called Boats on Fire Catholic Ministries, and we seek to abandon all things for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus.
 
The heartbeat and evangelical fire of our ministry is found in peripheries. Whether that be in the slums of Mexico City or the hard-to-reach areas of Canada and even throughout the prairies, God has called our ministry to teach the great story of Jesus and his Church throughout Canada and beyond.
 
One area where we’ve encountered significant fruit is by facilitating simple revival events for parishes. Our goal with these events is to keep them very simple and have three components:

1. A community gathering around a meal (like a potluck or a BBQ), music, or even something as simple as a cup of coffee.
2. I share a simple message about the life-changing love of Jesus.
3. We finish with an opportunity to respond to the message.
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Over the next few weeks, I will be contacting your pastor and your parish renewal team to book one of these events for the summer and into the fall. Together, we will meaningfully engage our brothers and sisters in Christ, see our faith come alive, and watch God transform our communities with His love and power. He’s done that in my life, my family’s life, and I am excited to see Him transform yours.
 
I look forward to being with you this summer!

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Written by Kevin Philip, Boats on Fire Ministry