3 Ways To Stay Christ-Centered Post-Steuby

Depending on which week you attended Steubenville, you are now either two or three weeks past initial check-in on Friday.  Your life should look different.  The point of a conference like this is to help you make the changes in your life that are necessary to become a saint.

Going away to the mountain of a retreat is Christ-like (see Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23, and Luke 6:12), but it means very little if you don’t give it the power to change your life.  We are called to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), but before we start making new disciples, we need to make sure we are living a life of radical love focused on Christ.  I’m not a certified expert on evangelization, but I can give you some tips that have helped me live a more Christ-centered life post-Steuby.

1) Go To Mass

The Mass is everything.  As Catholics we believe that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. I triple dog dare you to see for yourself.  Get yourself to Mass as often as possible and at least on Sundays.

2) Read Scripture

One tip I heard while at Steubenville (I attended Week 2, and this specific idea came from Ennie Hickman’s talk to graduated seniors.) was to open the Bible before you go to bed to one of Paul’s letters (Corinthians, Ephesians, etc.) and put it on top of your phone.  In the morning, make reading a small, random part of scripture part of your routine.

3) Love People

We are called to love as God has loved us:  Without limits.  That means loving people exactly where they are and with no questions asked.  So, take that person you disagree with about everything out for coffee. Or ice cream.  Or whatever they like.  No matter where someone has been or what they have done, they are God’s.  Treat them with the love and mercy they deserve, and then everything else will come next.

Obviously, there are many more ways to live out the weekend, but these are what I’ve come up with.  I’m praying for you.  Be blessed.