Do you hate getting up in the morning? How to wake up on time.

Ring! Ring! No, it's not the telephone, not a siren; it's worse. The alarm to get up in the morning. Who knows what makes it so traumatic, but it is.

One summer in high school, I remember every morning was an existential experience. Sometime the question was where am I, sometimes who am I, but the worst is why I had to wake up in the first place.

What makes it so hard to get up. Why do we hit the snooze button over and over when we know we will regret it later?

"States!": How Flint Catholic won the State Championship, through Macauley Rybar's eyes.

It seemed impossible. Flint Powers High School started off their seaon 2-4, and just suffered through a 1-8 season over a year ago. Macauley Rybar, a senior offensive guard and captain of the team wasn't going down without a fight.

They believed and did the impossible - coming back to win the State Championship. They beat Lansing Catholic Central in the final 56 to 26, a team that they lost earlier, 17 to 37.

I got a chance to ask Macauley some questions about the season, and his words speak for themselves.

Phil Mulryne: What to do with our lives? Vocation and discernment are for everyone.

Phil had it made. He was 18 and playing for Manchester United, one of the most respected football (soccer, for us Americans) teams in Europe. He had already played on their youth team for a couple of years. What more could a guy want?

But vying for midfield with David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and losing out on playing time wasn't exactly a glorious career. He moved to a much smaller club in hope of a little time on the field. But things didn't get better. Injury struck, more than once. As he moved from team to team, he wasn't getting playing time or recognition. What was he to do with his life?

How to Tebow? 3 simple steps and why it's not over!

Three simple steps:

1. Knee to the ground.
2. Elbow to the knee.
3. Forehead to the hand.

Tebow and the Broncos are out of the playoffs, and it's down to the Giants or the Patriots. On February 5th in Indianapolis, Tom Brady or Eli Manning and their team will take one of the most coveted sports' trophies world.

But Tebowing hasn't died out. In fact, even more seem to follow his example.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good! The Story of Paul.

The other day I walked into the Basilica of St. Paul, Outside the Walls. It's a little different from the other patriarchal basilicas in Rome. It's kind of stark, bare, imposing. I rather like to see it as a little like the apostle itself - strong, straightforward, powerful, and to the point.

This comes one day late, but yesterday we celebrated the conversion of St. Paul. We don’t know much about his early life other than that he mad tents. The first even we hear about him is when he's actively killing Christians, specifically St. Stephen. Little did he know that we would not only undergo the same fate but would suffer the same sort of thing multiple times.

Life's a Battle: the strength and joy we need to win (not just to get by).

Sometimes an idea just seems to hit us from all sides - like when we used to play bumper cars at kids. Well, these past few days have been that. 

So often, we're tired, down, and life's tough! It seems like we just keep giving, and every time we're emptier. We start calculating, measuring, compromising. If we cut a little here, stop doing that, and maybe just take it easy. No, it's lost before we even set foot on the battlefield. So where does real strength and joy come from? It's possible - we've seen it!

Pilgrimage revisited - Mass in St. Peter's, just bring your own priest.

If you've had Mass in St. Peter's with me you've heard this phrase, but it's true. There are Masses in languages from across the globe - all are welcome. A great memory from a couple years back.

I glanced around me.  Here again, yet every time there was something different, something new.  It was always a novel experience, not with the novelty of the latest gadget or newest philosophy – rather the deeper eternal freshness of a truth, a reality never fully comprehended.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Pilgrim - on your way to Rome, Jerusalem, Lourdes, or Heaven? 4 things you need to know!

It was bright and sunny as I walked into the Square. The columns were like a last grove of trees before walking into the beauty of a hidden meadow. Except this was no hidden meadow, but perhaps the most imposing Church in Christendom.

The water danced in the fountains like diamonds in the sunlight. Everything was almost surreal. As I walked to the door, people all over trying take it in, as much as they could with artistic, cultural, historical overload. Italy does that to people. 

To the death: Navy Seal, Praetorian Guard, and a Man on a Mission

"Amazing, I thought to myself," as we walked through the Church. "He's not here, he's actually not here." He'd seemed to follow us to all the rest of the Churches, and there was really no avoiding him.

It's not that he was that unpleasant, and in fact his story was rather interesting. It was just surprising that he popped up everywhere. Then just as I turned, I saw him again.

What really happened with the Costa Concordia? What, who, was behind the wreck.

 

I don't like to negatively about people or things. We just have to turn on the computer or television to get enough of that! But Nathan, a reader, made a suggestion to good to pass up. 

So I am about to break the first part and tell a negative story and will have to make a "distinction" like good philosopher so as not to talk badly about this man.

Workouts, masochism, and Velcro. Four common pitfalls and the elements for true success.

Kind of a strange topic? Well, I spent two years of graduate philosophy researching it, and I would agree. But to succeed at the project of life, very necessary.

As I was looking for some kind of definition or motivating quote, everything that kept popping up was either Nietzche or Machiavelli and the will-to-power. I decided against the quotes, but I dare to say that willpower for you is probably tainted by these ideas.

"What's up with the title?" - Part II: Project, what project?

Seems everyone's quoting Tebow to insult or praise. I must be stuck with the fever: 

"This is an opportunity where great things can happen and lets be great right now. Everybody believe and we went out there and achieved it because our faith and our relentlessness to keep fighting."

His faith is making big news, but we're going to focus on the second part - relentless fighting. Tebow wasn't born a national championship football quarterback or with a superbowl ring on his finger for that matter. What did it?

The Tebow Phenomenon: Can we believe what's next? He does!

Tim Tebow electrified the nation with the quickest end ever to overtime in the NFL. 11 seconds flat was all he needed to connect with Demaryius Thomas for 80 yards and beat the Steelers in the Broncos' first playoff game.

Yet again he proved all his doubters wrong, but some just seem to keep doubting. His form might not be perfect, but Tebow threw for 316 yards including two TD passes and also ran 10 times for 50 yards and a touchdown. What's next?

CampionProject: the first half of "What's up with the title?"

What the blog about, anyway? Why is it called the CampionProject? The two-part title doesn't seem to have to do with the content. Once in a while, I want to post directly related to the title to fix this, and this time about the first word - Campion.

As I mentioned blog explanation, it's about renewing our vision of man, his destiny, his happiness, and thus ourselves. But how?

Chad Regelin: Going Home

"Feels like home." This doesn't happen right away. We move to a new city, a new apartment, or just remodel the kitchen, and it takes a while to warm-up to it, so that it feels like home.

But honestly, there's always something. We have to make it more like HOME. Put in some last minute furnishings, change the color scheme, or complete the household - but it is never quite HOME, completely.

Brad Sonntag: holding the football for a MSU Bowl win

The Big 10 didn't fair too well in bowl games this year, but both Michigan teams did manage a win... in over time, and one in triple over time at that. It just takes Michigan State a little longer!

Okay, sorry, just tough to bring myself to write about Michigan State with two proud Spartan grads and fans for a dad and brother. But Brad Sonntag was a little to hard to pass up. I don't think I have ever read, heard, or seen anything about the holder for the kicker until this guy.

5 Step New Year's Resolution Thermometer - how healthy are they? are we?

Here's a great quote for New Year's I came across yesterday:

Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.

Mark Twain

A little depressing, but how true. January 1st we make a firm decision, on the 2nd we're already having second thoughts. On the 3rd, third thoughts, and by the 4th, we've forgotten.

So how healthy are they? Are they going to make us happier, better? Or not?