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
There’s a small deck of cards I’ve kept around for years called Questions to Ask Before Giving Up.
I don’t pull it out when things are calm. I reach for it when the moment is already too full – when someone is overwhelmed, when the conversation starts looping, when another “helpful suggestion” would only make them feel more alone.
The questions themselves are simple.
They start with basic human physical needs like sleep, hunger, movement. They move on to emotional and relational needs like connection, fear, and joy. They encourage simple reflection on the story you’re telling yourself, and ask whether this is a one-off or the same wound again.
They don’t make decisions for you. They don’t fix the day.
They just slow it down.
And slowing it down is often the difference between a person staying open… or shutting down completely.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
I need you to know this: I am philosophically opposed to making the bed.
It feels pointless. I’m going to mess it up again tonight. I’ve even sent my husband articles claiming it’s healthier to let the bed “air out.”
But here’s the thing.
My husband loves a neatly made bed. He honestly believes the world would be a better place if everyone pulled up the covers each morning. Decorative pillows? Don’t get him started.
So why do I sometimes make the bed, even when every fiber of my being resists?
Not because I’ve been convinced.
Not because he argued me into it.
I do it for one reason.
Because I love him.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
An Advent reflection on memory, longing, and the quiet ways God gets our attention
The smell hit me before the cold air even settled behind me. Hickory smoke. Spice. A smell I hadn’t bumped into in years. It landed in my chest before I had time to think about it, and suddenly I wasn’t standing in a little country grocery store. I was eight years old again, listening for the garage door and trying to guess how close Dad was to walking inside.
Growing up, my dad worked at Johnsonville Sausage, and most evenings he brought a bit of the plant home with him. The house carried that faint smoky scent by the time he stepped through the door. It wasn’t strong and it wasn’t unpleasant. It was just Dad. It meant he was home.
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- Written by: Kristin Bird
Christmas can feel like a tug-of-war for parents. You want your kids to experience the wonder of the season, but you also want them to know it's about more than gifts and magic. It's about a God who loves so freely that He gave us His Son.
But here's what I've come to believe after raising kids through all of it: the story of Santa doesn't have to compete with Jesus. Used well, it can actually teach children – and maybe a few adults – what grace feels like before they have language for what grace is.
