An Interview with Ron Kenney:
Walking the Talk (Part III)

by Rod Hetherton

Practice what you preach. Walk the talk. These are very common phrases that you may hear thrown around rather freely. Unfortunately they are a lot harder done, than said. "Walk the talk" is also Ron's -- our friendly youth minister from Fenton, MI -- most shared motto. In our final interview, Ron talks to us about evangelization and hope.

ParishWebmaster: Part of what we have been doing the last year and a half at ParishWebmaster is trying to reach that new generation, or maybe people that have kind of fallen away, or maybe just people who are sitting in front of their computer for hours on the Internet. It is an evangelization situation. How important do you think evangelization is? You don't always think of the Catholic Church as evangelizers.

Ron: I always try telling kids -- if you are a believer, if you are a Christian, if you are a Catholic -- every moment that you breathe and live is a moment to evangelize. It is because people are watching you. You are not always going to be the one who is going to stand up on the old "soapbox" and preach the Word. It is by your actions.

I believe one of the most important aspects of being a Christian, being a Catholic today, is evangelizing. You know I preach the "walk the talk" a lot. That is really what it is all about. They know we are Christians by our love, by our love. A simple song, a Christian song, and it is not always about carrying the bible and quoting the bible. It is about doing the right thing and living as Jesus wants us to live.

It is the Golden Rule. It is help your neighbor, it's love your neighbor, it's love your enemy, it's serve others. It is not always about quoting and memorizing, it's about doing. Evangelizing to me is absolutely about living 24 -- 7 the way Christ has asked us to live. Really when it comes down to the Christian faith, really what it is all about, it is just a way of life. And that's it; it's a way of life .

ParishWebmaster: Which is really where my next one is going. You have someone who is trying really hard to do that, to "walk the talk" everyday in their life, which means with their family, with their friends, with their coworkers, with their community, with strangers. What advice do you have for someone who wants to do that, but just seems to be struggling and falling down and getting frustrated?

Ron: Don't stop. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to realize it, but don't stop trying. The minute you stop trying, that is when I feel God will have a tear inside. It is like the kid who is trying to learn how to ride a bike. Some kids pick it up right away.

I got two of my own kids. Thad, my now 9 year-old, we took the training wheels off, got him on it and I bet it took 6 months. I remember the frustration -- the throwing the bike down, kicking it, "I'll never ride a bike again", "I hate bikes" -- constantly. We kept trying and trying; we kept encouraging him and we kept encouraging him. Finally, he picked it up.

Megan, my now 5 year-old, was a whole lot different. I think we took the training wheels off, she got on the bike, and I didn't even get a chance to run behind her. She took off and never stopped.

I don't want to say it comes easier for some people, but I think some people might have their abilities, gifts, talents - whatever you want to call them -- they are in different places. Sometimes it just makes it go easier. You just don't quit. You don't quit, because you will begin to be there at that spot where God wants you to be, living your life the way God wants you to live.

It is also about -- if you keep falling, if you keep failing, if you keep turning away -- sometimes you do have to sit back and take a look at why you are doing this . It is the old thing with Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. They will tell them -- If you want to quit drinking or you want to stop doing drugs you have to stay away from the places where you got that stuff from. If you are an alcoholic you don't just go to a bar and say I'm not going to drink tonight. You are playing with matches; you might get burned.

Sometimes you got to take a look and say, "Am I doing the things that are going to make God happy? Am I doing the things that are God-like? Am I doing the things that are Christ-like? Am I hanging around the people that I am supposed to? Do my words and my actions reflect that?"

You can go to church every Sunday, but if right after church you go hang out at the neighborhood bravo, that doesn't make you a good Christian. You got to say HEY! -- I'm going to do this all the time (being Christ-like and walking the talk), you got to be aware of it.

Thanks.

I would like to take up this final space of your screen to give a big thanks to Ron. In our three articles with Ron, he has let us into his life and his ministry. He has also inspired us with his insight into family, teens, spirituality, and prayer. I guess that is why he is so good at what he does -- he "walks the talk". Thanks Ron.

Life Applications:

Would you consider the way you live your life evangelization?

Who in your life best "walks the talk"?

Have you ever been at that point in your life where you just wanted to quit? Where did you turn for help?

Copyright 2002 by Rod Hetherton  
This article has been provided by ParishWebmaster.com