The Making Disciples Today Blog has reflections to help you grow in your journey of missionary discipleship, reviews on recommended Catholic evangelization resources, and practical insight on how to evangelize in your daily life.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
On July 27, 2026 an EF3 tornado tore through Appleton, Neenah, Fox Crossing, and Menasha in Wisconsin – less than 9 miles from where we are based.
In just 26 minutes, it traveled more than 12 miles, with peak winds estimated at 140 miles per hour. Sixty-eight people were injured. Homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Trees were uprooted and power lines came down across the Fox Cities. Miraculously, no one was killed.
The cleanup began almost immediately.
People brought food. Cleared trees. Hauled debris. Donated money. Checked on neighbors. Businesses stepped in. Volunteers showed up with gloves, trailers, chainsaws, rakes, whatever they knew how to use.
My sister, her daughter, and one of my sister's friends felt particularly drawn to go help with the physical cleanup. So I went with them.
There was nothing particularly strategic about it. There was damage. There were people who needed help. And for them, the response that made sense was to show up and work.
Standing in the middle of that kind of destruction makes something else painfully obvious: There is far more need than any one of us can meet.
That is true after a tornado. It is also true whenever we encounter people who are facing crisis in their lives.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
Finding Your Christian Testimony
Have you ever had someone ask you, "So why do you actually believe?"
Maybe it's your niece in the kitchen, a coworker over lunch, or a friend after a funeral.
You know the faith. You could explain the Creed, the sacraments, why the Church teaches what she teaches.
But they didn't ask what you believe. They asked why.
Nothing dramatic comes to mind. No rock bottom. No life-changing moment that explains everything. No story that seems big enough to tell. So you share something true and general instead. They nod. The moment closes.
You walk away wondering why you couldn't answer a question you've spent your whole life trying to help other people answer.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
What a week in London revealed about formation, trust, and the Holy Spirit
I've been back from London for two weeks now. I keep waiting to feel ready to summarize it. I'm not sure that's coming.
What I can do is tell you what I keep returning to.
We Experienced Something We Didn't Have a Name For
In late April, my college-aged daughter Elizabeth and I joined about 400 Catholic and Protestant leaders from around the world for the Alpha Leadership Tour – a week visiting churches in London and Oxford where the Gospel is bearing visible missionary fruit. It ended with two days at the Leadership Conference at Royal Albert Hall, where 6,000 leaders from nearly every continent gathered to worship, learn, and ask hard questions together.
I've been to conferences. I've been to formation events. I've been to gatherings designed to inspire and equip.
This was different. And it took me most of the week to understand why.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
A woman I'll call Maria had been serving in her parish for eleven years.
She coordinated volunteers, ran the food pantry, organized the Christmas toy drive, and filled whatever gap appeared. She was dependable, faithful, and exhausted. When I asked her what she loved about her work, she paused longer than I expected.
"I don't know," she finally said. "I just do what needs to be done."
And in that moment, she knew that wasn't the same thing as being called.
