One motto I like to say is “There are two types of people, people who get it done, and everyone else. Be one that gets it done.” To that end, I have tried to live my personal and professional life under this mantra. God has called me and my family to do this most urgent and radical duty of the Church, can I ignore it any longer?

I joined the catholic church 12 years ago, and I often have wondered what God wanted me to do for Him. I always had a feeling it was going to be something radical! That being said, I still would not have imagined that Foreign Missions would be the call.

In the time I have known and loved Jesus, I have realized I am not doing His will. He has been saying “Live radically for me” through various ways and in various times in my life. He has been saying this since my wife and I got married, although only now have I begun to listen!

I set out in my business life to be as successful as I possibly could. God, it seems, has always had another plan for me. I have never been fulfilled in my work, even though the companies have all been very successful! I used to say, if I could sell this much, we would be doing outstanding. Well, we sold “that much” and not too much later, I remember thinking “If we could only sell this much more.” Then we did that. I was never any happier. On the contrary, I had been growing increasingly lost, unhappy and with a restless heart. One day it hit me: God had been asking me a question throughout my whole business life, and it was first spoken to me through a Jimmy John’s poster of all things. “Then What?”

God began asking me this question all the time! “We can expand our business and add new locations and trucks!” – “Then What?” “We can buy a new rental property and increase cash flow!” – “Then What?” “Well, more money” – “Then What?” I continued chasing this empty dream and empty promise.

One day God splashed a cold bucket of water on my face. We lost a key permit we needed to operate our business. It was devastating. Like most major life events, I did not understand God’s reasoning for this at the time. In hindsight, this event set off a chain reaction that has led me closer to God and with a more detached, open heart to the will of God.

I realized there was never a good answer to the “Then What?” question. Especially if you aren’t doing the Lord’s will and ignoring his calling. I know in my heart I have never truly done the Lord’s will. Sure, I go to Mass every Sunday, say my prayers, etc.… but was that enough?

When I was at our Come-and-See weekend, I realized why God brought me and my family this far down the path to Foreign Missions. I laid in bed the last night we were in Abbeville (after a cancelled flight), crabby, tired, and wondering why I was still here, and I hear very clearly in my head “Brad, there are two types of people…” The time has come to live extraordinarily for God!

• Uncategorized