Lumina Gloriae

The Heart of a Father If you are Catholic and live in the west side of Houston, chances are quite high that you know a man by the name Allan Klenke. Allan is the third of four boys and spent most of his childhood life in San Antonio, Texas. He attended the University of Kansas for undergrad, where he studied business and played soccer. Then, he went to the University of Notre Dame to earn his MBA, which ultimately led him to meet the love of his life, (and my mother) Connie Klenke. Connie and Allan moved to Houston and gave birth to a sweet daughter named Shannon. And from there, the kids. kept. coming. Now the father of seven, Allan can be found either at work for UBS downtown or at a [insert sport name here] field around the city of Houston supporting one of his children. Allan’s personal loves include Notre Dame football, Kansas basketball, the Tour de France, and Razorback track and field races. He also likes Shiner Bock Beer and going for a run. Don’t try to talk to A...

The Samaritan Woman "If you knew the gift of God and who it was speaking to you...." John 4:10 You've heard the story a hundred times. A woman from Samaria goes to draw water, encounters the Lord, and then converts her whole community. Crazy, beautiful, miraculous.  However, as with all of Scripture, when you sit with it a little longer, new lights begin to emerge. This story recently struck me in deep ways--and I pray it does for you as well.  To start, it is important to note the time of day this story takes place: "it was about the sixth hour" (John 4:6) or 12 PM. I can't take credit for picking out this detail, but I'll share what I once heard at a youth conference. The speaker noted that noon is the hottest time of the day; I can't even imagine how hot it is in a desert landscape. Since it was so hot, 12 PM was not the ideal time to walk out from the city to the water well with a big jug that you'd fill to the brim and then...