Kris Frank
Sometimes I wonder if my story is too ordinary to matter.
I grew up in a small town in northwest Ohio, where life moved at an easy, familiar pace. If you’ve seen The Sandlot, you can picture my upbringing. My parents made faith a nonnegotiable in our house, but it felt more like a routine than a relationship. Looking back, the forced habits and small-town, slow-paced days were the unlikely soil where God began preparing me for things I never imagined. Everything began to change in high school during a retreat, when I knelt before the Blessed Sacrament. I can’t capture that moment in just one sentence or name a single, specific insight gained, except this: I knew Jesus’ love was real.
I didn’t leave that chapel a saint. But from that moment, my life began to move in a new direction. I felt a persistent desire to share the light of Christ with others, especially those who felt distant from Him.
That longing led me down unexpected paths. Before that retreat, I dreamed of becoming a doctor. In college, however, I felt called to study theology and catechetics and committed myself to ministry. It wasn’t a dramatic shift that led to that change, just a series of subtle nudges and everyday conversations that slowly steered me in a new direction. God used ordinary moments to point me toward an unforeseen calling.
For 12 years, I served young people in parishes. Later, my family and I became missionaries, working with teens in inner-city neighborhoods. Ministry is messy, beautiful, exhausting, and ultimately clarifying. The Jesus I met as a teenager was present in every young person I accompanied. That realization didn’t just shape my ministry; it transformed my understanding of discipleship.
Today, I serve with the National Eucharistic Congress, leading growth and marketing efforts as part of the broader mission of revival in the Church. On paper, my work involves strategy, content creation, and leadership formation. In reality, it’s about helping people encounter the same God who changed my life and equipping them to do the same for others.
Over the years, I’ve spoken to thousands across the country about Jesus, written books, and journeyed with individuals in spiritual direction. I’ve found real joy in making big theological ideas practical, because if the Gospel isn’t tangible, it’s forgettable.
My story isn’t about having it all figured out, nor is it the one I would have chosen. But it shows that God loves to work through ordinary people and everyday moments. Even the mundane moments can become a story of wonder when surrendered to God.
I guess it goes to show that life with Jesus is never boring.