As some of you know, the last few months I have been commuting from the greater Chicago area to Kansas City. Our home is on the market and along with so many others around the country, we sit watching the current economic reality scare people — making them more hesitant to buy — and I can’t say I blame them.

I have been on dozens of flights, driven my car to KC a few times and last week I decided I needed a change so I took Amtrak. I gotta say, the train is a very nice way to go! The train only took me a little over 6 hours (I can’t make it that fast in my car) and I was able to work — using my phone and computer nearly the whole trip.

I meet very interesting people each time I make the trip to KC. As you can imagine and might expect, the mode of travel tends to dictate which of my trips will allow me to meet the most interesting people.

Last night, I met a guy named Steve Angrisano. Steve is a fascinating and brilliant guy who has been involved in youth work for nearly 20 years. Steve is a singer, songwriter and storyteller. He speaks nearly every weekend to thousands of students and hundreds of parishes around the country.

I almost didn’t have the chance to meet Steve. Fortunately for me, and not so much for several hundred youth waiting for him to show up, his plane was delayed out of O’Hare (surprise!) en route to Kansas City so he ended up on my flight.

Thinking I had an empty seat next to me I began to get real comfortable. Suddenly Steve rushed on the plane, just seconds before the door was closed, and plopped down right beside me. He was on the phone praying with his wife when he sat down and as soon as he hung up he took his Bible out and began to read. I couldn’t help it. Normally I stay very quiet on the plane, but this time I just had to ask…

My question, “Where are you headed?” was the beginning of an absolutely terrific one hour conversation that involved a variety of topics including the absolute necessity for adult/parent engagement in spiritual development of their children, how to best help students experience their faith, the mystery of God, the similarities between our faith traditions, our families, our travel schedules and a bunch more.

I was deeply inspired by Steve’s passion for students and his love for God. I pray that this week you too will bump into someone who inspires you. Sometimes it is in the passion of others that our own passion is reignited. Blessings friends!