Jan 29 2026 Pray and Don’t Lose Heart In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 18, Jesus tells us we “ought always to pray and not lose heart.” The life of a disciple is foundationally a life of union with God. We must never be afraid to reach out to our Father, trusting in Him to provide for all of our needs. In this video, Dave Nodar shares a few reflections from this Gospel passage.
Jan 22 2026 Empowered to S.E.R.V.E. ChristLife hosted our Strengthen Gathering in September 2025 for all friends of ChristLife: team members, course participants, and supporters. We heard messages of encouragement and hope to strengthen us as disciples of Jesus Christ, and helpful guidance for those offering ChristLife in their communities. One of those talks was a panel of ChristLife parish leaders. Dan Amabile, practitioner and leader at St. Magdalene Parish (Flemington, NJ) was part of a panel presentation entitled, “Empowered to Serve: Revitalize our Calling.” One of Dan’s roles on his team is to train the facilitators and helpers. He called it “building a grassroots family of faith.” Dan shared a catchy five-point acronym “SERVE” he uses with his team to emphasize the foundation of our calling, and as a way to continue to revitalize what the Lord has called us to do. S – Spiritual Battle Awareness Do we know we are engaged in a spiritual battle? It’s normal to face trials. These challenges are the signs that you are endeavoring to preach the Gospel and advance the Kingdom, because the evil one doesn’t like it. Expect spiritual attack when serving God. E – Embrace Your Gifts Each of us is uniquely gifted by God. It’s a responsibility and a joy to use them. R – Renew Your Calling We must continually revisit our motivations and reignite our passion. “God’s gifts and callings are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Go back to your first love. Consider the fruit of your labor—the lives you’ve touched. V – Validate and Confirm One Another It is essential to confirm the powerful ways you’ve seen the Lord working… it convicts us and helps us stay in the fight. We are raising up missionary disciples. Hearing the testimonies of real conversions is impactful. E – Equip and Encourage What are the tools needed to persevere? Annual retreat for the team for additional prayer and development? A mutual commitment to each other? Noticing and encouraging others in their gifts? Remember, our calling is noble and dignified!
Jan 07 2026 Offering Your Five Loaves ChristLife hosted our Strengthen Gathering in September 2025 for all friends of ChristLife: team members, course participants, and supporters. We heard messages of encouragement and hope to strengthen us as disciples of Jesus Christ, and helpful guidance for those offering ChristLife in their communities. Dianne Davis, speaker in the Sharing Christ course, gave an inspiring talk called “Offering Your Five Loaves to the Mission of Evangelization.” She shared a Scripture from Mark 6:34-37. Jesus had preached all day and His followers were tired and hungry. Instead of sending them off to find food, Jesus told His apostles, “You give them something to eat.” (v. 37) They had no provisions, but ultimately, a young boy offered all he had (5 loaves of bread and 2 fish) which Jesus multiplied to feed 5000. Dianne asked us: What are your five loaves right now? What little offering can you place in Jesus’ hands? She offered a few suggestions: 1) Your YES Your first loaf isn’t your strength; it’s your yes. Are you willing to be available? If you bring Jesus your small yes, He will supply the strength and multiply whatever little you have. 2) Your Day Give God your day, your ordinary schedule and encounters. Then let Him use whoever He places before you for a divine appointment. God can open small doors through an ordinary relationship. 3) Your Prayers Intercessory prayer is powerful, especially when united to our sufferings. Pray, offer a holy hour, or fast for someone in your life. 4) Your Table (Hospitality) Hospitality is any space you make for someone to be seen, heard, and loved in Jesus’ name. A simple invitation to “sit with me” can become a friendship, an opportunity to share about the Lord. 5) Your Service Small acts of love open hearts to the Gospel. You can choose a corporal work of mercy or one spiritual work of mercy and do them for others in Jesus’ name. These five loaves may feel small, but when we place them in the hands of Jesus He blesses, breaks, and multiplies them. What are your loaves? Offer them to God and trust Him to provide more than enough. Photo by Diego Arenas de Rodrigo on Unsplash
Dec 04 2025 Joe’s Testimony from St. Matthias Parish Joe shares the experience of ChristLife at St. Matthias Parish including how they got started and testimonies from several parishioners. Joe ran ChristLife at St. Matthias Parish in the Diocese of Cleveland. Joe’s testimony was originally shared on the November 2025 Proven Path webinar.
Nov 20 2025 Cheryle’s Testimony Cheryle shares how ChristLife helped her get through a deep grief and empowered her to pray with others. Some years ago, my pastor decided to offer ChristLife in the parish and needed someone to attend the training in Baltimore. Normally, I would have jumped on that because I love to start new things. But at that time, I knew I was at my limit, my plate was full. On top of being very busy, my husband died just some months earlier and I was still struggling with my grief and the effects of it: Lack of energy, confusion, bouts of tears, sleepless nights, navigating this new life, etc. I immediately said no to the training. I was overwhelmed and couldn’t imagine leaving for three days. After three people encouraged me, though, I brought it to Adoration, and the Lord clearly asked me to go and showed me exactly how: what to organize, who would help, etc., and He faithfully provided it all! I am here to tell you that it was the best thing that I could have done! The training was very thorough and hands-on, allowing us to experience what the participants would during the course. Each day, I felt the Lord lifting a bit of my grief. For example, On the first night, a prayer team prayed with me to be renewed and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. I left feeling so much lighter. I was reminded that I was not alone and am loved by God. I received so much comfort in that reminder! Later, we stepped through an exercise of forgiveness, and I realized that I was harboring some unforgiveness regarding Dale’s death. I was able to forgive and that heavy burden was lifted from me. I learned and experienced so many things that I never knew about my faith, even though I had been Catholic all my life. I went home in utter amazement and awe, filled with comfort and peace. I still had some grief, but it was so much lighter, and I was full of energy and was renewed and refreshed to deal with everything coming up AND to experience some JOY in it all too! I was no longer afraid of having to face a new life ahead of me. I remember thinking that I couldn’t wait for our parishioners to experience all of what I just did throughout the series. There was one more healing that took place after I got home. I had not been able to sleep in my bed since my husband Dale’s death. When it was time for me to retire, the thought of going to that bed was just too painful! I couldn’t do it. So I slept on the couch for many, many months. Until I got home from the training! That very night, without any thought, I went to my bed as if it was what I do! That pain was taken away completely! I was able to get a good night’s rest to serve the Lord! Through ChristLife we also learned and practiced how to pray with people, which was new and a little intimidating for me because I mostly prayed memorized prayers. The Discovering Christ retreat gave me confidence to respond when the Lord opened a door. In December, after completing Discovering and Following Christ, I noticed a woman in the Walmart Christmas aisle quietly crying. We talked, and when she shared that she had lost her husband seven years ago, I asked if I could pray with her right there. She said yes, and we prayed together right then and there: in WALMART! This is something I never would have done before ChristLife. Now? I pray with anyone, anytime and anywhere! I am so grateful that God pursued me for this work of running ChristLife in our parish. Just as he worked amazing miracles in my life, He is working marvelous and wonderful miracles in the participants. We have had nearly 1,000 people go through the courses since 2017. I love listening to their incredible testimonies of how their lives have changed: Many have begun to pray daily. Many have gone back to Confession and now celebrate the Sacrament regularly. I hear frequently from couples how their marriages have improved. Those suffering from grief have found relief – like me. Some have grown to love the Holy Spirit, who didn’t really know Him before ChristLife. Faith has been strengthened or awakened. They feel a part of the community and are now doing things like serving at the Church, continuing small groups in their home, attending Bible study, share their testimony at Mass, and more. This is just a small sampling of how God is working in our people through ChristLife. I am confident that Jesus will work his wonders and healings in the lives of your parishioners as well. Cheryle leads ChristLife in the Diocese of Cleveland. Cheryle’s testimony was originally shared on the November 2025 Proven Path webinar.
