Got to deliver a message about holiness on modern culture to about 600 middle schoolers in the Diocese of Brooklyn using music to connect to their daily life. (Start at 20 minutes for clip)

- The Symbol
- All is Love

One minute clip from a moment at The Encounter NYC a few months back. Video shot by Earthly Lynx Productions.  

Members from Rooted Youth Group made a skit about the song "They Don't Understand" off of the Sainthood In the City, vol. 1 project and The Symbol breaks down a little behind the song in this clip.

For more: www.TheEncounterNYC.org

- The Symbol
- All is Love

"Practice what you preach - never inconsistent
Carry Cross - persevere in affliction."

- The Symbol
- All is Love

Got asked to share some words and images from this event a few weeks back.  Read the full article at: thetablet.org/around-the-school-bell-st-josephs-fully-alive-retreat/

- The Symbol
- All is Love

Make me more like you Father....

- The Symbol
- All is Love

The life of those who follow Christ, is one marked by suffering.  It is to do as Jesus said and "take up your cross, and follow him." And as much as we know that psychologically, it still sucks - we can be honest with that.  Because we once were on the team of the Devil when we were in sin, after passing through the waters of baptism he has aimed his anger towards us.

One way to look at it is like an endorsement deal.... We are representations of the brand of the Church - the brand of Christ.  And if you look at it that way, then suffering is the logo we seem to need to sport each and every day(in smaller and larger ways).  By enduring these momentary afflictions, not only are we purified but we also become symbols of hope to the world around us.

A lot of times you guys only see the highlight reel online... The one minute clips from talks, without the times spent with families or with young people crying in their anguish... The 3-4 minutes of music, without the hours of creating the instrumentals, vocal recording, and mixing... The financial planning with my wife, as opposed to the perfectly cropped pictures used for instagram.  The struggles with family, and in ministry, etc is what you don't see - however I persevere in the joy of Christ("heh-ha").

I encourage you in your suffering to push on.  As I carry my cross, walk with me and carry yours as we move forward to heaven. Amen.

- The Symbol
- All is Love

in a larger way.My wife and I launched an Instagram page @Pinky2Heaven

A lot of this started as we were preparing for our own marriage.  As we searched we saw a lack of examples that where multi-cultural, as well as urban and in turn we found it hard to relate to a lot of the relationship/family building materials we saw out there.  We started by just doing a few local talks at youth groups, etc. and building forward we started creating more and more.

We launched the Instagram page as a platform to begin the discussion and to challenge the imagery used to describe relationships.  We pray that it will grow to be a space where we can present many different couples/families that can offer a perspective that will help us build up our community of love in a larger way.

Here on this site we also will be collaborating with many in creating materials that can be a help for other relationships that are building and growing.  That can be found at the >"Teaching" >"To Heaven" drop down tab, or: www.BeTheSymbol.com/To-Heaven.html

Please follow us on Instagram as we start to build and grow. (Also use some of the images above to share to your own pages and tag @Pinky2Heaven)

- The Symbol
- All is Love

- The Symbol
- All is Love

Finding the balance between charism and orthodoxy is a difficulty for many people of faith.  Here is one short clip from a much larger presentation speaking about our unique identity in Christ at St. Joseph's Patron Church in Brooklyn, NY.

- The Symbol
- All is Love