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The Kingdom of God is at Hand: Abandoning Our Nets to Follow Jesus | sarahdamm.com
The Kingdom of God is at Hand: Abandoning Our Nets to Follow Jesus

The Kingdom of God is at Hand: Abandoning Our Nets to Follow Jesus

“Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:18) The place looks familiar. There is a swing set in the background and a metal merry-go-round in the middle. No one is on the playground, and everything is still and quiet, like that audible quiet one hears when it is snowing. I look around, and there is Jesus, standing in the middle of the playground. His dancing eyes are on me. His smile is full of delight and joy. His arms are…

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5 Simple Ways to Encourage Vocations Within the Family | sarahdamm.com
5 Simple Ways to Encourage Vocations Within the Family

5 Simple Ways to Encourage Vocations Within the Family

O, God, we earnestly ask you to bless this archdiocese with many priests, deacons, brothers and sisters … At every Sunday Mass, my parish prays two special prayers for vocations. We begin with a prayer for marriage and family, asking St. Joseph to intercede for us. After the Prayers of the Faithful, we pray another prayer that begins with the words with which I began this blog post. It has been a long-standing tradition to pray for and foster vocations…

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Lessons I Learned This Advent and How I Can Apply Them to My Ordinary Life | sarahdamm.com
Advent Lessons I Learned and How I Can Apply Them to My Ordinary Life

Advent Lessons I Learned and How I Can Apply Them to My Ordinary Life

Two and a half weeks ago, my family and I gathered around our Christmas tree. Excitement and joy mingled with the festive scents of hot coffee, cinnamon rolls, and pine needles. The kids piled their gifts next to them and eagerly wondered what was inside each wrapped box. As I sipped my coffee and breathed in Christmas goodness, I felt grateful. For the first time in forever, I felt like Christmas had arrived and I had arrived with it. I…

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Jesus Approaches Review: Learning from Women in the New Testament | sarahdamm.com
Jesus Approaches Review: Learning From Women in the New Testament

Jesus Approaches Review: Learning From Women in the New Testament

If my bookshelves could talk, they would tell you of my love of books. Yes, I am a bit of a bibliophile, and I enjoy reading a good book with a steaming cup of tea. And while I have read many good books over the years, very few enter the category of “best books.” You know the ones. The books that are more highlighted than not, the ones you return to again and again, the ones you praise from the rooftops. When…

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Five Simple Ways to Savor the Last 10 Days of Advent | sarahdamm.com
Five Simple Ways to Savor the Last 10 Days of Advent

Five Simple Ways to Savor the Last 10 Days of Advent

Ten more days! Are you feeling overwhelmed about getting it all done? Do you feel like there is still too much to do? Is there an internal struggle between getting things done and remaining prayerful and focused on Jesus? This reminder that there are only 10 days until Christmas Day is not meant to make you more stressed out or anxious than you already feel. No, this reminder is to encourage you (and me) to take a breath, to pause,…

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Waiting and Watching With Mary This Advent | sarahdamm.com
Waiting and Watching With Mary This Advent

Waiting and Watching With Mary This Advent

This article was originally published on the WINE: Women In the New Evangelization blog, as a reflection on the readings for the first Sunday of Advent. Since that was just a few days ago, I thought I would share it here, too, as part of the #WorthRevisit series. Seven years ago, I had the beautiful privilege of being pregnant during the Advent season. I was anticipating a Christmas baby, so I couldn’t help but think a lot about the Blessed…

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The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Playground | sarahdamm.com
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Playground

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Playground

The invitation is real. His eyes dance with delight as He beckons me to join Him. “On a playground, Lord?” I ask. And all He does is laugh and extend His hand. The magnetic pull is strong. It’s as if one part of the magnet is Jesus’ heart, and the other is my heart. They are not meant to be separate but together. He is asking for my yes, my fiat. And He really hopes I don’t keep Him waiting…

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How I Reconnected With God Through a "Grown-Up VBS" | sarahdamm.com
How I Reconnected With God Through a “Grown-up VBS”

How I Reconnected With God Through a “Grown-up VBS”

Have you heard the Christmas song “Grown-Up Christmas List”? Many singers have recorded it, but the version I am most familiar with is on Amy Grant’s Home for Christmas album. The lyrics reflect back on childhood when Christmas included writing out a wish list and sending it to Santa Claus. As children, we hope for the magical appearance of presents underneath the tree on Christmas morning. However, as we grow up, our Christmas wishes change. We realize that we care…

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Why I Love My Catholic Faith | sarahdamm.com
Why I Love My Catholic Faith … Let Me Count the Ways

Why I Love My Catholic Faith … Let Me Count the Ways

Less than one month after I was born, my parents brought me to our local parish and asked the Catholic Church for a gift on my behalf. They asked that I receive the sacramental grace of Baptism, to become a daughter of God and a member of the Catholic family. Growing up, I loved Jesus. I was one of those kids who enjoyed Mass and Sunday school. Church was a familiar, comfortable place. Looking back, I didn’t attend a particularly…

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How I am Learning to Fly in the Midst of Transition | sarahdamm.com
How I am Learning to Fly in the Midst of Transition

How I am Learning to Fly in the Midst of Transition

It is 8 AM. I walk into my quiet house, and I stand in the kitchen. Breakfast dishes are piled next to the sink, waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher. The stools around the kitchen island are pushed out, a reminder of the people sitting on them an hour ago. I can hear the hum of the refrigerator; I can hear my own footsteps. When is my house ever this still? With no one around, I wonder what I…

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