In this episode of Newsgram, Sam Youmans features Higher Power: My Life of Service by Reverend Michael D. Schmitz. This heartfelt memoir reflects on the lessons learned from life’s mistakes, offering wisdom on personal growth and faith. Ordained at 50 after entering seminary at 44, Reverend Schmitz’s journey of service is shaped by the grace of God and the love of his parents, Leo and Elizabeth Schmitz. Tune in to hear how his powerful story continues to inspire and touch lives.

Subscribe with your favorite podcast player

Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

If you or someone you know is on the precipice of a major life change then I invite you to keep listening. Today’s podcast is about finding purpose, learning from our mistakes and leaning into faith to overcome personal struggles or addiction. Finding the strength to overcome adversity sometimes begins by hearing someone else’s story because each one of us has a unique perspective to share and that perspective is shaped by our struggles, our triumphs, and our experiences.

Now I’ve heard people say, “Hey, not everyone’s life is interesting”,  but I would disagree with that. I think in some way we have all led interesting lives if for no other reason that they are different than our own and sometimes, when they are similar they can be just as interesting because of the shared experiences. Writing an autobiography is both a record for others and a journey of self-reflection. It helps make sense of the past, recognize patterns, and appreciate growth.  It can be therapeutic, a way to process life’s ups and downs and with that I will introduce you to Michael D. Schmitz. Father Mike is seventy eight years old and in all that time he has had quite a few life experiences. 

Father Mike – and many of them. When I was in the seminary, it kept preaching to me and the students that your life experiences are very important. Every person should write their own autobiography, as each person will learn from each other.

Father Mike went to the seminary to become a Roman Catholic priest at the age of 44. He was ordained at 50. His book Higher Power: My Life of Service is dedicated to his mother and father Leo and Elizabeth Schmitz. So why did he write it? 

Father Mike – To give people hope, that’s my main intention, my main goal, whoever’s reading the book, you have a hope in life.

Hope is important. Most of us are going through something and it’s sometimes hard to see clear to the other side of it. Sometimes we don’t even know we’re in a bad situation until something changes in our life and we have the perspective to look back. Hearing someone else’s story can sometimes give us that perspective. When it comes to growing up with an alcoholic it can seem like just they way life is until you realize that it isn’t. Take a listen to an expert from his book and you’ll see what I mean. 

Sample of Higher Power – Alcoholism played a major role in my life. When I was growing up on a farm near Currie, Minnesota, in the 1960s, my father was an alcoholic. When my sisters and I attended Catholic school in Currie, our father would drop us off at school  no buses were available  and, on many occasions, go to the liquor store for the day. After school, my sisters and I would have to walk downtown to the liquor store and wait for him to leave the place so we could all go home. We had to stay in the family car because in those days minors were not allowed in the liquor store. When there was no school, he would leave the farm at about two thirty to go to the bank. Afterward, he would go to the liquor store and have several beers until late at night. Our mother would send one of my sisters or me with him to make sure he would get home safely. This was the atmosphere in which I grew up, and in the 1960s, there was little help available. My family was in disarray. 

When children grow up around alcoholics, there is a greater chance they will become alcoholics themselves later in life. I fell into this category. I had my first drink, Seagram’s 7 and 7UP, when I was in seventh grade. The occasion was a Christmas party at my grandfather’s home, when drinking was prevalent among my aunts and uncles present. This was the beginning of my becoming an alcoholic. 

He goes on to explain how drinking played a major role in his life. His time in the Air Force reinforced heavy drinking. Working in a restaurant and nightclub further enabled his addiction and then with the loss of his mother, a significant figure in his life, it led to even more alcohol dependency and eventually he sought hospitalization for chronic alcoholism. His life was spiraling deeper into addiction, but throughout it all, he never lost faith. That faith became his foundation for change

Father Mike – I always felt God was there with me with my higher power, in spite of everything.

Yea, for Father Mike it was his faith that helped guide him and it still does 

Father Mike – Oh, yes, and one thing that is similar, you always be sure you touch the people some way or another. If you touch one person’s heart, it’s been a very successful homily.

In case you’ve never been to the Catholic Church I should explain, the Homily is a short sermon – five or ten minutes – given by the priest after the reading of the Gospel to help the congregation understand the meaning of the day’s Bible passages. I think it’s the best part. 

Father Mike – A lot of people don’t go to church anymore, but now it’s time to read my book and carry on in life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, seeking a deeper faith, or simply looking for a story of resilience, Higher Power: My Life of Service is worth reading. You can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Check the link in the description.

Thanks for listening to this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com. 

The post Higher Power: My Life of Service appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.