Five Minutes with Tony Agnesi

FMWT-103 The Power of Yes

“Yes” is a word with tremendous power. It can unlock amazing opportunities, open doors, and lead us to a richer, fuller and more vibrant life.  In this podcast, Tony discusses the Power of Yes.

Scripture:  “Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.” –Luke 1:38

Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.   –Matthew 1:20

Quote: “Let us look at her, and let us look to her, in order to be more humble, and even more courageous in following the Word of God, to receive the tender embrace of her son Jesus, an embrace that gives us life, hope, and peace.” -Pope Francis

Reflections:  Have you said yes to Jesus?  How did Mary and Joseph’s yes make you examine your own commitment?  How do you say yes every day to Our Lord?

FMWT-102 It's All About Commitment

I am a fan of committed marriages.  Whenever I hear of a couple celebrating 50 or 40 or even 25 years together it makes me smile.  In this podcast, Tony discusses commitment in marriage and offers 6 things you can do to have a deeper understanding of commitment.

Quote: “God created marriage. No government subcommittee envisioned it. No social organization developed it. Marriage was conceived and born in the mind of God.”  — Max Lucado

Quote: “As God by creation made two of one, so again by marriage He made one of two.” — Thomas Adam

Reflection:  Do I have a “do what it takes to make this relationship work” commitment with my spouse?  What are the thing I am doing to strengthen my marriage?  Do you feel that a Christ-Centered relationship give you an commitment advantage?

FMWT-101 In The Blink of an Eye

Time flies is an expression we hear all the time.  And it’s true. In this podcast, Tony discusses how time flies and how we need to understand that in the blink of an eye things can change.  He offers several suggestions. too.

Scripture: To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, or like a watch in the night.  You sweep them away like a dream, like grass which is fresh in the morning.  In the morning it sprouts and is fresh; by evening it withers and fades. Psalm 90 4:6 (Grail Version)

“Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.”  Hebrews 13:5

Quote: In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance, when you least expect it, sets you on a course that you never planned, into a future you never imagined. –Nicholas Sparks

“Life is a preparation for the future; and the best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none.” — Albert Einstein

“Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.” –Walt Whitman

“Life can change in the blink of an eye. All you have is right now. So don’t ever put off telling someone how you feel about them, don’t assume that they know, because they might not and it might be too late.” ― Alexandra Potter

Reflection: Have you blinked you eyes and a year has goon by or even a decade?  What can we do to savor the time we have together? Do you try to live in the moment?  How difficult do you find it?

FMWT-100 The Crosses We Bear

“Please don’t shake my hand too hard,” one of the prisoners whispered, as I reached out my hand to greet him. “I have cancer.”  As we took our seats, with Theresa, George and me facing them, I asked, “tell me about your cancer?”  In this podcast Tony discusses the crosses we bear.

Scripture: God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.   But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  [1 Co 10:13].

Reflections: Which of the three crosses would you choose?  Or, would you rather keep the one you’ve got now?  Are there those whos crosses would be too hard for you to handle?

FMWT-099 Church, My Mom Made Me Go

Faith was the center of my mother’s life.  Everything revolved around the church; mass, confession, holy days, and Christmas and Easter. My mom was also a stickler for attending mass and confession.  As a kid, I never got away without attending Sunday mass and every week, it was confession on Saturday mornings.  It wasn’t really my choice, my mom MADE me go!  In this podcast, Tony discusses the positive influence his mother had on his faith.

Scripture: Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone!  Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.  Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.  Drill them into your children.  Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.  Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Reflection:  How do you share the faith with your children?  Do you think that your faithfulness has rubbed off on your children?  How important is passing along your faith to your kids?

FMWT-098 Persistence in Prayer

Do you ever feel like your prayers are never answered? Do you wonder if God actually hears your prayers? If God knows my needs, then why do I need to pray more than once or at all for that matter? Wouldn’t He just know and answer them? In this podcast, Tony discusses persistence in prayer.

Scripture: “Then, he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision Persistence in Prayer for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” –Luke 18:1-8

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. –1Corinthians 15:58

Reflections:  Do you feel your prayers go unanswered?  Does God really hear my prayers?  What can I do to be more persistent in my prayer life?

FMWT-Extra2- One Nation, Under God

Let’s face it, the Christian monopoly on politics, world views, government and society is over or at least on life support. Our country is no longer rooted in Christendom. We are moving quickly toward national secularism where the Judeo-Christian ethic and especially Christianity has become a personal hobby. In this podcast Tony discusses the end of Christendom.

Quote: “The world in which we live is the battleground of the Church. I believe that we are now living at the end of Christendom. It is the end of Christendom, but not the end of Christianity. What is Christendom? Christendom is the political, economic, moral, social, legal life of a nation as inspired by the gospel ethic. That is finished. Abortion, the breakdown of family life, dishonesty, even the natural virtues upon which the supernatural virtues were based, are being discredited. Christianity is not at the end. But we are at the end of Christendom. And I believe that the sooner we wake up to this fact, the sooner we will be able to solve many of our problems.” —Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Remind them to be under the control of magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise. They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another. But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these points, that those who have believed in God be careful to devote themselves to good works; these are excellent and beneficial to others.    –Titus 3: 1-8

Reflections:  What are your thoughts about Christians being exiles in our own country?  Do you see the increase in secular humanism and how it is affecting everything?  How do we live in this new reality?

FMWT-097 Walk the Talk

“Put feet under your faith.” I hadn’t heard that phrase since the late 1970’s.  It’s a phrase that we used when we discussed putting our faith in action, to reach out to those less fortunate and offer a helping hand. In this podcast Tony asks, “You can talk the talk, can you walk the talk?”

Scripture: For, I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ —Matthew 25:35-40

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Mark 10:45

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. –1 Peter 4:10

Quote: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” –Mahatma Gandhi

Reflection:  How are you walking your talk?  Are you putting you faith into action?  What can you do to put your talents to work for the betterment of others?

FMWT-096 Who Are You?

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Who am I?” What are the things that most define my personal identity? What are my talents, passions, and strengths? In this podcast, Tony discusses who you really are.

Scripture: But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. –1 Peter 2:9

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. –Ephesians 2:10

Exercise:   Here is an exercise to try.

1. Make a list of all the things that define you both externally and internally.
2. Eliminate anything that is negative from your list.
3. Scratch off the list those external things that might change in the future.
4. Look at what is left and ask the question, “What remains on my list that really defines me?”

Reflection:  Have you tried Tony’s idea on discovering the real you?  Do you like hat person better than the one you portray? What can you do to live the person you really are?

FMWT-095 Rush To Judgement

The news headlines are full of accusations, judgments, and jumped-to conclusions. Innocent until proven guilty has been replaced by the court of popular opinion. In this podcast Tony discusses rushing to judge others.

Quotes: It’s easy to look at people and make quick judgments about them, their present and their past, but you would be amazed at the pain and tears a single smile hides. What a person shows to the world is only one tiny facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. And more often than not it’s lined with cracks and scars that go all the way to the foundation of their soul. Never judge, learn to respect and acknowledge the feelings of others.  — Sherrilyn Kenyon, Acheron

“You know my name but not my story. You’ve heard what I’ve done not what I have been through. Go ahead judge me, but you will never understand me until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”  –Anonymous

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.” — Paulo Coelho

Reflections: Are you quick to judge?  Do you find that you are gossiping more?  Do you ever consider walking a mile in someone else’s shoes?