My Life and Such

Jilted Ex-Boyfriend's Abortion Billboard Ignites Free Speech Debate

2011-06-07T11:00:00.002-05:00

You can read the whole story at the following : Link

So, what do you think? I understand where this guy is coming from, and it is a breath of fresh air that he is speaking out on loss father hood from a man's perspective. The pro death people always seem to forget that a guy is part of this whole process of creating life and should have a say also. But because he doesn't have to actually carry the baby and "ruin" his body to do so, then he should not have a say. Wrong thinking, but us pro lifers know this don't we?

His argument is a little weak. I agree with what his defense is saying about Westboro Baptist church and their anti-gay sayings. I get that part. However, they are not putting specific names to people. Even though this gentleman did not, his face is on the billboard and people can associate him with this girl.

I do question his motive somewhat. Is he really this upset about an abortion that he had no say in, or is he just trying to "lash out" as a jilted lover? I hope it is the former and not the latter. If anything, this story brings the abortion debate front and center again.

Catholic apps for the Android

2011-06-05T12:17:00.001-05:00

One of the first things that I went to check out and the Android market was some Catholic apps. I wasn't sure how many I would find, and if they were any good. The first one I found was quite a gem. The program is called Catholic One, and it is very handy. It is also free, which is a huge plus. The program has prayers in both English and Latin. It has a bible, daily Mass readings, Liturgy of the Hours, rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Stations of the Cross. There is also audio for the Rosary prayers. The program will also let you bookmark your favorite prayers and add a prayer. This has been updated a few times in the last couple of months, and it keeps getting better. The developers are planning on putting The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary plus some other really nice things. This is probably one of my favorite apps. Price is Free

Cofession: A Roman Catholic App is now out for the Android. It was released during Lent. We have all heard of this app for the i-Phone. This is the same app. The support is great. The devs were very responsive to my request. When it came out I was not able to download and run the program because it was only for Android version 2.2 and above. At the time, I only had version 2.1. I asked them if there was anyway they could change it, and within a day they did. This app is designed to make confession easier. It will go through each commandment and list the sins associated with it. The app allows users to password protect their data. When you go through the list, you touch the box and it will put a number 1 in the box. Touch it again, and a two will appear. These will appear in your list of sins to tell the priest when you go to confession.

The application will allow you to delete and add sins. What is the purpose of this you say? Well, if you would never, ever encourage someone to get an abortion, you can get rid of that sin so it will not show up in the list. You can add sins also. This is nice to add venial sins to the list (which I have done). After the first use, the program will keep track of how long it has been since your last confession. It will walk you through confession: what to say and what the priest will say. This app would be really beneficial for those who have been away from the sacrament for awhile. I like it, because I can do an examination of conscious at any time and it will be with me when I go to confession. Price is $1.99

Divine Office is one of the newer apps I have downloaded and the most expensieve one. I like this app because it has audio that is downloaded whenever there is an internet connection. The audio is not stored on your hard drives, thus saving precious space in internal memory and on your external storage. These are the same as the podcasts that can be downloaded from the website. There is no audio for afternoon prayer. I want that feature because I like to go and walk at lunch time and it would be nice to listen to. With the music and readings, each hours is about 17 to 21 minutes. If you can afford it, I would get it. Yes, Catholic One has the Liturgy of the Hours from Universalis, buy you have to read it. I love to read it, and will get out my Christian Book of prayer or read from the app. But the night prayer I do enjoy listening to while going to sleep and the morning prayer I do enjoy listening to after my morning prayers and readings. Price is $14.99

i-Padre has some very good topics presented by Father Jay Finnelii. Father Finnelli is well known around Facebook, Twitter and Plurk. He proudly is part of SQPN. You can download any of his podcasts for listening later. He covers such topics as Our Lady of Akita, marriage and family, same sex marriage, the Eucharist, and so many others. I really enjoy listening to him. I learn something new everytime. He also shares some great music from Catholic musicians. This is a must have app. Price is $1.99

AMR Radio is Ave Maria Radio out of Michigan. It is an EWTN network. Great Catholic radio station. Price is Free

There are many other programs out there, and I will write about them as time permits. I encourage you to check these out if you have an Android phone.

New Technology to me

2011-06-03T17:03:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago we (meaning wife and I) decided to upgrade our phones for various reasons. Our contract was up with Altell and my wife had lost her phone and didn't have one anymore. I was really wanting an I-phone. I went to the local Verizon Store and started looking around. It would have cost me $350.00 bucks to get into one. I told my wife, and she asked if I could wait until the next payday and we would be able to do this. I said okay. We went to Wal-mart, and they had all kinds of Android phones. I got into one for $45.00 with a new two year contract. I picked the Samsung Fascinate. I wanted the Droid 2 but they were out, so I decided to go with the Samsung. It would do everything I wanted it to. Only problem with that is it had Android 2.1 and it did not look like it was ever going to get an update. My work gives us a discount with Verizon, so my data plan is free. My wife picked up a smart phone also, and her data plan is half off. How could I resist that?

Now, I knew a little bit about the Android phone. I knew it was from Google, and I knew it was overpowering Apple. Now that I have had one for a couple of months, I can understand why Apple is losing market share. Apple does not allow tweaking of home screen, and you can not apply themes and such. With the Android, you can do this. You can customize by using ROM's and themes. It was my hobby for awhile hacking into it. The phone is so much better once you are able to root it (allow system level access). Makes the phone faster and more user friendly. I installed a hacked version of Android 2.2 (FROYO), even before Samsung and Verizon announced that they would give an over the air update. I had a lot of fun hacking it, changing themes and ROM's. Some worked, so did not. I finally got it where I want it, and haven't messed with it in three weeks. I am sure I will hack it again, but for now I am happy with my custom start up/shutdown screen instead of that annoying Verizon one.

I use my phone for much more than calls. In fact, I hardly use the phone at all for that purpose. I watch movies, check email, calorie count, post on twitter and plurk. I also upload and download files from my google docs account. I can even print from my phone using Google's cloud print. I can also add tasks and to do's with ease. Or if I am at my computer, I can add a task and have it instatly on my phone.

The phone is buggy. It will shut down sometimes for no apparent reason. Doesn't really bother me much, but there has been a couple of times where it really ticked me off. I love my phone! it has helped me to stay organized with calendars and to do lists that I can set with alarms. It really keeps me from procrastinating about doing something as long as I set the alarms up. All the programs that I use synch up with my google account so I am always organized (or so I would like to think).

What I really like is some of the Catholic apps that I have found. Many are free. Some are not. In my next post I will tell you all about some of the great apps available for the Android. It is nice to carry my faith with me.

eye need a spel chequer

2011-06-03T15:44:00.002-05:00

Eye have a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plain lee marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write.
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
and eye can put the error rite.
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

Sauce unknown

Hello!

2011-06-03T15:30:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! It has been quite awhile since I have been on this blog. I am really sorry about that. Life has definitely gotten in the way. In February my wife got really sick. She went to urgent care and was admitted to the hospital that day with an emergency surgery that very evening. She had a hernia that her colon and intestine were inside and they were getting choked off. If she hadn't have come in when she did, shw would have lost part of her colon. This would explain why she was not feeling well since around Thanksgiving. She was in the hospital for seven days. She has recovered, but still not allowed to lift or vacuum for a few months still. Lifting is hard with three kids, as you can imagine.

So with that, and other things, I have neglected the blog. I have a lot to write about. I promise that I will be writing more. I got a smart phone a couple of months ago, and I will be blogging about that, and some of the great Catholic apps that I have discovered. I promise that I will write about that within the next couple of days.

Kill the Baby, Endanger the Mother: Day's Work for a Late-term Abortionist - U.s. - Catholic Online

2011-02-02T08:31:00.001-06:00

via catholic.org

Pay attention America!

Planned Parenthood aids pimp and his prostitute

2011-02-01T16:54:00.003-06:00

Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, WI blesses crisis pregnancy centers in Appleton

2011-01-20T10:49:00.002-06:00

The Badger Catholic: Bishop David Ricken visits, blesses crisis pregnancy centers in Appleton

Good for him. This has to be a difficult place to work at, considering it is across the street from a Planned Parenthood. I am sure that the people working at the crisis center experiences a lot of sadness when they see women going into the PP. I don't know what kind of advertising they do, or if they sidewalk council or not. I am assuming that they do. Some of the volunteer jobs are:

• Post Abortion Ministry

• Parenting Mentor

• Bible Study Facilitator

• Receptionist

• Sorting and Organizing

• Clerical

• Pick-up and Delivery

I especially like the Pick-up and delivery. This alone is probably worth tons of lives saved.

Some of the services that are provided are as follows:

• Limited Obstetrical Ultrasounds

• FREE pregnancy test

• Pregnancy information

• Medical referrals

• STD referrals (test & treatment)

• Maternity supplies (clothing, vitamins, etc.)

• Infant supplies (cribs, strollers, etc.)

• Housing information

• Adoption information

• Financial guidance

• Post-abortion support and referrals

• Parenting classes

• Lay counseling

• Life skills training

• Spiritual mentoring

• Bible studies

So, look this fine group up and make a donation of your time or money if you are able. Or give them a call and let them know that you appreciate what they are doing. Of course, any ministry like this needs our prayers.

Saints for Diabetes

2011-01-17T16:52:00.002-06:00

I went to the doctor this past Friday. It was time for my three month checkup. I went to a new doctor, because this one actually has diabetes expierence. Today they called and they had my HbA1c result. It was 7.7. Up from 7.0 three months ago, and up from 6.3 six months ago. I am so upset with myself. It is not necessarily what I have been eating, but that I have not been exercising. Sure, the Christmas goodies did do me in some. I am losing control of my health, and I have no one to blame but myself.

For those who do not know, a HbA1C test is a test that measures the amount of sugar in your blood. It is a three month average. The lower the number, the better and depending on who you talk to or what group you listen to, will tell you how good one is managing. A 7.7 is not good control. A 6.5 or under is good control. I have not been this high since I was diagnosed 6 years ago and it was 19.9. 19.9% is the highest that it can go.

Okay, I am a Type 1 diabetic. This diabetes is a not a lifestyle disease. My pancreas does not work, period. For information on Type 1 diabetes go to here. There is a difference between 1 and 2, but won't go into it during this post.

So, I am mad at myself. I am losing control and am scared about it. Started looking for saints for diabetes to help me with controlling blood sugar and I found two of them. One is Saint Pauline Visintainer and the other is Saint Josemaria Escriva. Although St. Pauline is not the official saint for Diabetes, it would make the most sense for her to be because she suffered from the disease and lost her eyesight because of it.

Saint Josemaria suffered from a rare form of diabetes and was miraculously cured of it after 10 years. I have added the following two prayers to my prayer book.

Prayer to St. Pauline Visintainer

St. Pauline, you have suffered much in your life blind with Diabetes. In heaven, you can see clearly now. The love of God and the sick, enabled you to endure tragedy; your example will forever be our vision.

St. Pauline, ask God to give me the strength to sustain this illness, and to allow my body to produce energy needed to function. I ask your loving intercession to control my blood sugar and other risk factors, so my body will live and I may live to help others. (Add your own intentions)

St. Pauline, intercede to Our Savior to help the newly diagnosed Diabetics throughout the work so they may have medical and Divine intervention.

Healing Heart of Jesus cleanse us from all sin to be Reborn in Faith, Hope and External Love.

St. Josemaría Escrivá

O my Jesus, you accepted Your suffering so that we might have eternal life. Give my hardship meaning and ease my fears as you turn my suffering into a source of joy.

Your servant, St. Josemaría Escrivá, was cured after suffering with diabetes for ten years. He used his many obstacles and physical ailments as a passageway to holiness. Through his experiences you taught him that "sorrow is the touchstone of love." Overcome my sorrow with Your enduring love and purify my body and soul. I ask this through the intercession of Mary, Our Mother and St. Josemaría Escrivá. Amen.

Trump Says He Will Run for President

2011-01-13T10:56:00.001-06:00

via newsmax.com

By Ronald Kessler

Billionaire Donald Trump is telling friends he has decided he will definitely run for president as a Republican.

Trump will make the announcement when his NBC show "The Apprentice" finishes the season in the spring, he is confiding. He has been soliciting recommendations on political advisers, focusing initially on the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. Trump declined to comment.

In October, Trump said on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" and on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he was thinking about the possibility of running. In an interview from Scotland, where he has been building a golf course, Trump expanded on his comments to Newsmax, saying that "the world is laughing at us" and the United States is now “a punching bag for the world.”

It is “sad what’s happened to the country,” Trump said. “We’re no longer a respected nation, and we should be the most respected.”

According to a Newsmax/SurveyUSA poll conducted Nov. 3 and 4, in a head-to-head race between President Obama and Trump, the entrepreneur would get 47 percent of the vote, versus 53 percent for Obama.

Trump polled strongly among Republicans and conservatives. He got 50 percent of the votes of independents.

Understandably, many are skeptical that Trump would actually run. He has toyed with the idea before and is now at the pinnacle of his real estate career.

At his New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, his home and club in Palm Beach, he clearly was enjoying his celebrity, shmoozing with Regis Philbin and Rod Stewart in between dances with his stunning wife Melania.

But Trump has told friends he believes Obama is a "disaster." An advocate of a strong national security, he becomes livid when he talks about the decline of America compared with other countries like China.

“I look at the jobs numbers, and I see what’s going on in China, where it’s booming," Trump said on Fox News. "You know why it’s booming? Because they’re making all our products.They’re taking all our jobs. We are rebuilding China, and our country is going to hell.”

Read more on Newsmax.com: Trump Says He Will Run for President
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

____________________

Question is: Would you vote for him? I am not if I would. I would have to hear more of his views on things. Does he support abortion, gay marriage? Things that I find are important. From watching him on TV with "The Apprentice", I can not quite figure out where he stands. I do think he would be really good with the budget and stuff.

10 Exercises for Guys Over 40

2011-01-12T12:50:00.002-06:00

via foxnews.com

Thanks to Paul at Sober Catholic (http://www.sobercatholic.com/) for posting this on his twitter account. If these will give me results, I am all for trying them. The chin ups are the most difficult to do at this stage of my life. I must go and get a chin up bar for the doorway. I think I have everything else covered. I think I am going to actually start these at the end of the month, since everything else on my resolution list is actually being accomplished. Only with the grace of God is this possible.

A Word About 'Monastery Icons'

2011-01-12T11:15:00.002-06:00

http://www.monasteryicons.com

via orthodoxinfo.com

Please be aware of this site and do not buy anything from them.
________________________________

A Word About 'Monastery Icons'
by Fr. Anthony Nelson

The following comments concern a business called Monastery Icons (http://www.monasteryicons.com). This company offers "icons" and other religious content that has a veneer of Orthdooxy, but which in fact is associated with Hinduism. Their products are spirituallly dangerous, and so Fr. Anthony Nelson, a Priest in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, sent me these remarks.

The “Light of Christ Monastery” and the Convent of the Virgin Mary in Borrego Springs, CA., formerly the “Gnostic Orthodox” in Geneva, Nebraska (Holy Protection Gnostic Orthodox Monastery and the St. John of Kronstadt Gnostic Orthodox Convent) are “monastic communities” of self-styled monks and nuns. They began in Oklahoma City in the 70’s, when their current “Patriarch”—Abbot Bishop George Burke—showed up in town (newly run away in the dead of night from the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Monastery in Boston, where he had attached himself) calling himself “Swami” something-or-other (I can’t begin to spell it).

He had been raised Church of God-Anderson, near Bloomington, Illinois, gravitated to Chicago and loosely affiliated himself with Roman Catholicism. After a while he began attending the Levitt Street OCA Cathedral, and later the Synod Cathedral, where he got himself baptized by Bishop Seraphim. He then migrated to California, where he joined with Yogananda, and worked P.R. for him. Then he went to Boston to Holy Transfiguration Monastery “to learn Orthodox monasticism”—according to him. In Oklahoma City he started a Hindu community that grew to about nine monks and three nuns. One day, in the late 70’s, he announced to the brethren that they had “outgrown” the spiritual possibilities of Hinduism, and were going to become Christian. They then constituted themselves as the “Holy Protection Old Catholic Benedictine Monastery of the Primitive Observance.” The Swami got himself consecrated a bishop by the self-styled “Old Catholic” bishop at St. Hilarion’s Center in Austin, Texas (although he—the former “Swami”—stated categorically that it was unnecessary, because he had been a Roman Catholic bishop during the Middle Ages in a previous life!).

Many may remember this group as having been featured on various prime-time news shows (P.M. Magazine and Real People) in the late 70’s/early 80’s as constituting the volunteer Fire Department in the little town of Forest Park, Oklahoma, and also as raising ostriches on the grounds of their property. I remember seeing them on television one night while I was living at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in Pennsylvania in about 1980, and wondering just what kind of “order” or “religion” they were. Little did I dream that I would come into intimate contact with them only a year or two later when I was assigned to Oklahoma City by the Antiochian Archdiocese.

In about 1981 “Bishop George” decided that they had outgrown Old Catholicism, and they became “Holy Protection Orthodox Monastery.” They dressed as Orthodox monks and did the services impeccably well, as George had learned in Boston. Then, in 1985 or so, they remodeled their chapel again and became “Coptic”—serving their own version of the Liturgy of St. James and dressing in a form of Coptic monastic garb. They even succeeded in having Indian and Egyptian Coptic Christian clergy concelebrate with them, falsely claiming various kinds of non-Chalcedonian “Apostolic Succession”—claims which those Coptic Christians accepted without investigation.

I walked in on them one day and found them doing a curious service modeled after Hindu worship, in which they were offering fruit and flowers to the icons of Christ and the Theotokos in their chapel. The prayers were an interesting (although sacrilegious and blasphemous) blend of the Trisagion prayers and Hindu worship. During all of this, they maintained a second, secret chapel on the premises. Here they practiced magical evocation and demonolatry. I received into Orthodoxy several lay persons who were a part of their “secret Order”—coming from various Protestant backgrounds. These particular individuals finally began to wonder if they were really “Orthodox” and “Christian” when, on a trip to Texas with the monks, they saw the monks and nuns bow down before the idol in the Hare Krishna temple in Dallas, and Abbot Bishop George refused to bless the food served in the Krishna restaurant because “it was already blessed, having been offered to the idol.” These former members of their cult and one former monk brought to me all of their secret rituals,vestments, history, and associated blasphemous and really frightening materials. It took me well over a year of working with these individuals to get them over their fear of the psychic and spiritual retaliation with which the Abbot had threatened them if they ever revealed the group’s secrets. I still have these materials, and they would be laughable in their sophomoric secret-society silliness if they were not so seriously believed and practiced.

The group left Oklahoma under difficult circumstances in regard to legal problems concerning the estate of a novice (son of a powerful state politician) who died in India. All novices were required to make a pilgrimage to India to interview with, and receive the blessing of, one “Mother Anandamoy”—a Hindu holy woman—who must approve them for membership in the Community.

One of their former monks who had left the group and took a job in Oklahoma City (and personally continued their occult practices privately) once made the statement: “Orthodox Priests are like camels. They carry a cargo of immeasurable worth, with no comprehension of its value.” The Daily Oklahoman, the largest circulation newspaper in the state, once carried a color picture on the front page of one of it’s secondary sections depicting one of their “priests.” He was shown sitting at a table during a regional “Psychic Fair” doing a Tarot Card reading.

On another occasion, after I had learned their secrets and forbade my parishioners to have anything to do with them, Abbot George announced during one of his sermons that he, in a previous life, had been one of the Christian Martyrs who suffered under Diocletian, and I (Fr. Anthony) was the Roman who led him to his martyrdom. He also claims that, during a pilgrimage to visit Mother Anandamoy in India, he was killed in a car accident in New Delhi, but because his “work” here was incomplete, was immediately reincarnated in his body and survived.

“Patriarch George” of the “Gnostic Orthodox Church” admitted in an interview in the Omaha World Herald that his “Patriarchate” covered only 5 or 6 acres. By the way, why they chose Nebraska is a mystery: Abbot Bishop George announced, following a visit to Hawaii for an international peace conference in approximately 1985, that the Goddess of one of the volcanos appeared to him and promised to give him the island if he would relocate his community there.

Apparently that offer was not good enough because, after first relocating in Nebraska, today they are the “Light of Christ Monastery” in California. They claim to be the exclusive remnant of a spurious so-called “Western Orthodox Church” descended from, the Syrian Jacobite (Monophysite) Church of the East.

They have one “iconographer” there who paints all their pictures (please, not icons). All are “blessed” with one of their occult rituals before being shipped, and they support themselves to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars per year selling the demonic things. Many Roman Catholic bookstores sell them but, happily, most Orthodox sellers of religious items have discovered who and what they are and no longer do business with them.

Please don’t buy their pictures—they are spiritually very dangerous.

The Catholic Knight: FRAUD! As Many as HALF of all Sex-Abuse Claims Against Priests are False.

2011-01-11T12:42:00.001-06:00

The Catholic Knight: FRAUD! As Many as HALF of all Sex-Abuse Claims Aga...: "(NewsBusters) - In a stunning ten-page declaration recently submitted to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, veteran attorney Donald H. S..."

After Christmas theft, parish blessed with bright Epiphany of giving

2011-01-10T11:24:00.002-06:00

via thecatholictimes.com

What a great story of generosity. Having lived in this area for a couple of years, I am not one bit surprised about the outpouring of support. God Bless everyone who came to the aid, and may the Lord have mercy on the thieves who stole from this church.

Church Leaders Blast NYC Abortion Numbers

2011-01-08T16:29:00.001-06:00

via myfoxny.com

41% of pregnancies in NYC were aborted. Really? And even higher in the boroughs of New York. This is just too disturbing to wrap my thoughts around. All of these little lives lost because of selfishness mainly I would guess. There is never a good reason to abort a human being. Makes me want to cry.

'Mother,' 'Father' Changing to 'Parent One,' 'Parent Two' on Passport Applications

2011-01-07T15:51:00.002-06:00

via foxnews.com

Why does this not surprise me? We are bowing into the people that do not necessarily believe that a marriage is one man and one woman. Parent 1 and Parent 2? Part of the reason we are in a moral decay in this country, and unfortunately our government is going right along with it.

Is Kathy Griffin Going Too Far Targeting 16-Year Old Willow Palin?

2011-01-05T08:30:00.001-06:00

via foxnews.com

Yes she is, in my opinion. I do not care for Kathy Griffin. I do not find her funny, and her raunchy stand up comedy routines literally make me gag. There is something about a "lady" using all of those horrible words that give me the heebie jeebies. Now she wants to attack a 16 year girl that has done nothing but be a daughter of Sarah Palin. I will be praying for her.

The boos from the troops should have sent her a clear message. But of course the media gave her publicity over the incident, so why not continue right?

Gloria.tv: Cardinal Raymond Burke Interview

2011-01-04T13:53:00.002-06:00

via en.gloria.tv

An excellent interview with Cardinal Raymond Burke. In this interview, the good Cardinal talks about Abortion, communion in the hand, and other things.

The story behind the "Star Spangled Banner" our National Anthem

2011-01-03T09:00:00.001-06:00

via youtube.com

A great video about our Country and it's song.

God's beauty at the aquarium

2011-01-02T07:40:00.001-06:00

This video is from the world's largest aquarium located in Atlanta, GA. I want to go here! I have always liked aquariums, and this one looks spectacular. The beatury of everything that God created amazes me. I have never seen sea horses quite like the ones seen on the video, and I was quite fascinated by them. Even the jelly fish seemed to be beautifiul in this video. There is beauty in everything, and there is no doubt there is a lot of beauty in this video. Watch it full screen for the full effect.

The world's largest aquarium // ATL.GA from stillmotion on Vimeo.

New Year Resolutions

2011-01-01T15:30:00.003-06:00

I am not a big fan of New Year resolutions. It is because I am not normally able to keep them. I make them, and by the end of January I can hardly remember what I made a resolution on.

This year is going to be different though. I am in a closer walk with our Lord and his Blessed Mother than I was in the past. This is why I must stick with these resolutions.

I will go to daily Mass at least one time a week. This one should be easy, and I have thought that. But somehow, it just never happens. My church has even made it easier. They moved the times from 7:30 to 7:00, so it won't make me late to work. This has been like this for awhile, but I still haven't gone. This will change. I want to go more than once a week, but I want to make it obtainable for me.

I will go to Adoration once a week. Again, this one should have been easy in the past, but I never took advantage. We have a chapel at our church that is available 24/7 for adoration. I will get up earlier one day a week. Go to an hour of adoration, then to Mass. I can do my morning prayers while at adoration. I can do this.

I will continue to say my morning prayers. However, I do need to ensure that the night prayers get said. I am successful in this most nights, but need to make sure it is everynight.

I will read the entire bible this year. This one should be easy to, but for me it is difficult. I will succeed in this. I have downloaded a Catholic Bible in a year reading plan. I have time during my breaks and lunch time to do this. There will be no more excuses.

My last resolution is to say the rosary everyday. Again, I really have no excuse except to say laziness. I have actually been doing this for the last week, so I need to keep the momemtum going.

Of course, I want to get healthy and lose some weight. This has been a real struggle with me. I am hoping with the extra graces from my resolutions that I might actually be able to do it this year.Of course prayers to the Blessed Mother, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Ignatiius is really going to help. For me it does help that I keep track of everything that I eat and keep track of all my exercises. This is the only way I can do it. Of course, any prayers you might want to say for me would be appreciated.

Well, there they are. My resolutions are out there for the world to read if they cared to. I now have some accoutability, and I hope that people will call me out on it every once in awhile.

Lastly, I want to address something. I say that I am a practicing Catholic. People want to know why I put that. I am not a Catholic in the sense that VP Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are. I am pro-life, I go to church regularly, and follow church teachings. I do not deviate from the teachings of the Church. I am a Roman Catholic. I do not pick and choose what parts of Catholicism I like, and disregard the ones I don't agree with. I am 100% Catholic (or at least try to be). So this is what I mean.

Happy New Year everyone. What are some of your resolutions that you are making this year. Share with me and I will say prayers for you.

Ten Catholic Colleges That Promote Abortion | Blogs

2011-01-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

via ncregister.com

This article is from National Catholic Register. It is from 2009, but thought I would share anyways. Goes along with last post. I see that a lot of the same colleges that promote homosexuality also promote abortion. Let's focus more on the Catholic teaching and not the sports programs!

Hollywood Celebs Helped Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz in 2010

2010-12-31T12:44:00.001-06:00

via lifenews.com

This is just another reason we have SkyAngel TV and have cut the cords on the cable. Just knowing that some of these people support PP makes me sick. I used to like Criminal Intent, but since all of the major players on the show did a commercial for them and supporting taxpayers money to fund abortions, I will no longer watch this. BTW, we watch some shows online through the station's website. I don't watch Greys Anatomy or Private Practice, and I sure won't start. I am disappointed in the actress from the show Reba. I thought that show was funny. Won't be watching that anymore either.

My Recovery + My Motivation Blog

2010-12-31T08:57:00.002-06:00

via remotivate.wordpress.com

Everyone once in awhile, I stumble across a blog that I feel is worth sharing. This is one such blog. Three years ago John was given a less than 3% chance of survival after being in a hear on car wreck with his family. he spent a year in the hospitals, rehab, and nursing homes. His story will be told in Men's Fitness in March. If this isn't motivational writing, I don't know what is. John blogs about how he found the motivation to keep pushing.

Catholic Pick-up line song

2010-12-30T12:31:00.003-06:00

via youtube.com

A song from a yet unsigned artist David Casper. This is really good and you will really enjoy it.

Marytown on Justin.tv

2010-12-29T13:35:00.003-06:00

via justin.tv

I love Marytown! Watch what's going on there 24/7. You can watch Masses, Adoration, and the Liturgy of the Hours.

President at the Bat

2010-12-29T10:14:00.003-06:00

Viewers may better understand this clip if you knew the original poem upon which this is based - "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer - often considered one of baseball's greatest writings.

Promoting the Rosary

2010-12-29T10:01:00.002-06:00

Of the fifteen promises from Mary pertaining to devotion to the Rosary, the 12th Rosary promise is very inspirational.

12. To those who propagate my Rosary I promise aid in all their necessities.

If you teach others to love the Rosary and they develop a habit of praying it through your example and encouragement, Mary will ask her Son, Jesus to send you many graces that will help you think clearer and give you strength to do what is right, ultimately bringing much peace to your life.

This promise not only covers your spiritual necessities but also your physical needs, such as a roof over your head and food on your table.

Mary promises that God will reward you by supplying for your worldly needs.How inspiring is that? But as one can easily see, Mary will help us and provide for us as long as we do the Rosary. Number 9 and number 5 gives me so much hope: I will deliver promptly from purgatory souls devoted to my Rosary, and Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary will not perish.

Here are the other promises of Mary with regards to the Holy Rosary.

To all those who shall pray my Rosary devoutly, I promise my special protection and great graces.
Those who shall persevere in the recitation of my Rosary will receive some special grace.
The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, deliver from sin and dispel heresy.
The rosary will make virtue and good works flourish, and will obtain for souls the most abundant divine mercies. It will draw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary will not perish.
Whoever recites my Rosary devoutly reflecting on the mysteries, shall never be overwhelmed by misfortune. He will not experience the anger of God nor will he perish by an unprovided death. The sinner will be converted; the just will persevere in grace and merit eternal life.
Those truly devoted to my Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
Those who are faithful to recite my Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces and will share in the merits of the blessed.
I will deliver promptly from purgatory souls devoted to my Rosary.
True children of my Rosary will enjoy great glory in heaven.
What you shall ask through my Rosary you shall obtain.
To those who propagate my Rosary I promise aid in all their necessities.
I have obtained from my Son that all the members of the Rosary Confraternity shall have as their intercessors, in life and in death, the entire celestial court.
Those who recite my Rosary faithfully are my beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.
Devotion to my Rosary is a special sign of predestination.

I have to admit, I do not know the rosary well. This is something that I have just started to do more of. It is shameful I do realize that, but I am a totally differnt place right now with God and His Blessed Mother. I always told myself that I didn't have time. I say it now in the mornings a couple times a week after my morning prayers and readings. I have always loved saying the Rosary, but now it is having a great effect on me and our family. I now make the time. Working on getting the entire family involved, even if the kids can sit quietly through a decade it would be a great start. I have talked about this before. I have found a great time to do the rosary and whwere the Rosary would have a captive audience is while in the car. We pop in a CD that I burned with Greg and Jennifer Willits saying the Rosary and it is nice. We actually catch all of our kids saying parts of it. They complain, but they say the prayers with great confidence and gusto. That is pretty awesome!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-28T11:48:00.001-06:00

Christmas is "officially" over for many people. Luckily for some of us, the season is around for a few more days. It is sad that "Christmas" as many know is really over. There is no more Christmas music on the radios or in the stores. I find it kind of funny that you start hearing the music six weeks before the actual celebration, but soon as it is over, it all goes away.

The commercializm gets more and more so every year. The debate over happy holidays and Merry Christmas rages on. As if people didn't have anything better to do. Christmas was a very good this year. The festivities were high in the house, and we could feel it and see it when around others.

Advent for me was a great time for reflection and extra prayers. I started saying the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and my wife and I got consecrated to Mary through the MI on December 12th. There has been good things happening in this house, and for his I am truly blessed.

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

ENNEAGRAM

2010-12-22T09:12:00.003-06:00

I have been looking for a book about Men Spirituality. I found one that I thought would be really good. The book's title is On the Threshold of Transformation: Daily Meditations for Men and is written by Father Richard Rohr, a Franciscan Priest. Well, my local Catholic Book Store called me and said he would not recommend this book or it's author (he didn't carry the book, but could get it) because of Father Rohr "out there" and "left" teaching. One of the things Father Rohr is passionate about is the New Age art called Ennegram. You can read more about it here.

I also found another article from Catholic Culture here.

I very much appreciate this book seller letting me know about this author. It wasn't about making a few bucks, but it was about me as the customer. Thank you Ken. I will stay clear of this guy. BTW, the book store was Online Catholic Store and is located in Sparta, WI. It is in the Diocese of LaCrosse.

Wish I was here!

2010-12-20T12:24:00.003-06:00

To keep my mind off of the Winter, I thought I would think about this. Sounds good to me!

Walk with me by the water

2010-12-09T09:52:00.003-06:00

This is so touching....

I really think you will enjoy this, it is so........ It’s just hard to put into words.

A BEAUTIFUL MESSAGE ABOUT GROWING OLDER:

Crap ... I forgot what it was...

Our Lady of Good Help Apparitions Decree

2010-12-08T20:45:00.002-06:00

What has Mike been up to?

2010-12-08T15:05:00.000-06:00

Okay. It has been quite awhile since I have wrote anything. Life has seemed to coming at me fast. Had to give up some things in order to focus on more important things. I have been focusing on my prayer life. I have been ever since I got back from my retreat in early October. I now get up and do spiritual readings and prayers for 30 to 45 minutes. I am loving it, and do not feel complete unless I do so.
My wife and I are consecrating ourselves to the Blessed Mother on the 12 (Our Lady of Guadalupe) through the Militia Immaculata. So far it has been a great expierence, and I can definetly feel things getting stirred within me. My wife is also noticing changes within herself. I am go grateful for my wife in mentioning doing this. While preparing for the consecration, I have also started to do the Little Offfice of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is done around the times of the Liturgy of the Hours, but is more devoted to Mary. They are also shorter, so easier to do. I don't do every hours, but I try to do what I can throughout the day.
Yes, I want to be a Saint. St. Theresa the Little Flower says it is possible. By reading the book "39 new Saints You Should Know" I defintely know this is something that is obtainable. I know I have a long way to go, but I am going to do everything that I can to help me along to that goal. I think this is a goal that we should all try to acquire. Isn't this what we should do?
We are pretty much ready for Christmas. We finished most of the shopping last month. We are normally still shopping at the middle of December or a couple of days before Christmas. We have three Christmas Trees this year. I small artificial one that looks like we cut it down. That is in the family room and is decorated with colored lights and small wooden ornaments. We have a 7 foot fake tree in the living room. It is the "pretty tree" as my wife says. It has the pretty colored bulbs and a lot of ribbon. Then there is the tree in our dining room. It is a realy tree, about six feet tall. It is decorated with our family and homemade ornaments. There is a lot of green and red tinsel on it also. This is my favorite tree. We went to a tree farm and found it and cut it down. The kids and I had a ball picking it out. Of course the kids wanted the ones that would not fit in our house.
Our nativity scene is up and baby Jesus is somewhere else getting ready to be placed prominently on the Nativity set.We have been lighting our Advent wreath at dinner time.
Speaking of Christmas trees, we have been agonizing about if next year we should even get a tree until Christmas. Afterall, this is the season of Advent. I have been hearing a lot on Relevant Radio and EWTN about this. We have also been hearing about the Nativity scene and how that is not to be put up until Christmas eve also. I like this idea. I also like the idea of the three wise men travelling around one's house and finally settling in on the manger scene on Christmas eve. I like the idea of putting up a tree later, but not much fun for the children. They love Christmas, and if they could leave home and be an elf for Santa, they would not hesitiate to do so.
So, do you put up a tree before Christmas? How about your Nativity scene? I would like to hear about your traditions for this time of year. We decorate the house and get a tree right after thanksgiving. All will come down right before New Year's except the Nativity and the real tree. Both of those will stay up until the Epiphany.
All kids are doing well. The boy keeps getting ear infections. He spent the night of Thanksgiving in the hospital because he had another double ear infection and developed pneumonia. I believe it is his 10th ear infection since July. We are trying to get him in to get tubes in his ears. He is also going to get a chriopractor appointment because we hear that it does wonders for ear infections. I want to find our more about that.

Unitl later. Have a wonderful feast of the Immaculate Conception.

A festive feeling

2010-12-08T14:32:00.002-06:00

Me (sort of) feeling really festive!

I am sort of back

2010-10-21T07:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back. I didn't really go anywhere. It just seems like life is going really fast. I have been watching the elections closely, and it is going to be close in some places, and blowouts in others. It does look like we may just have a Republican majority, but we will see. Twelve more days to go. If the Republicans do get control, they better make use of the fact. It is not going to be easy for them. Obama has already said that they "MUST" work with him. Perhaps if you make policies that benefit everyone and makes sense, maybe they will work with you. Just a thought.

I have been working hard on doing morning prayers and meditations on the Spiritual Exercises every morning. If you do not have a copy of them, you should go out and get them. Amazon has a copy for about 8 bucks. Then attend a retreat that focuses on the Spiritual Exercises. It really will change your life. It has mine. I am seeing the changes within myself, and also the changes of the people around me because of those changes. I am happier, which helps everyone.

We are saying out nightly prayers with the kids on most nights. We did a Rosary in the car the other night, but it has been a couple of weeks since we did one. My wife and I still need to find more time to pray togehter, but I know that will come in time. She is going to go to a retreat like the one I did in March or May (I forget which one).

Both kids are are doing really well in school. They both like it very much. The youngest just turned two last week. He is talking up a storm. You can actually carry on conversations with him. He is also a big mimic and loves to copy what my wife or I say. She yelled "Mike" the other day to get me to come into the kitchen and help her with something, and Zach came running into the family room going "Mike! Mike!". She had him go and get me for dinner, and he came into the family room and pointed and saying eat. Ahhhh! I love this age.

That is it for now. I will be back on a more regular basis. I promise! Hope you all are doing well also. God Bless!

Retreat weekend

2010-10-05T09:06:00.019-05:00

My retreat is over and and I am quite sad. I wish I could have stayed another week instead of just a weekend. I went on a men's silent retreat at Marytown in Libertyville, Il. The retreat was given by a couple of priests of Miles Christi and was the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It was my first retreat ever, and one that I want to attend annually from here on out. It was so great to be in union with God. There was a lot of adoration and just time to be with God.

The retreat consisted of 10 talks of 45 minutes to one hour in length. Then this was followed by prayer and meditation. There was daily Mass, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, spiritual direction, confession and the Holy Rosary. There was ample time to visit the Marytown Chapel for Eucharistic adoration, and time to walk around the grounds saying a rosary or just appreciating everything beautiful that God created.

I didn't want to come home. Not because I didn't miss my family, but because I know I would not be able to give God my time for 48 hours like this again for awhile. I learned a lot while there. I was introduced to the Spiritual Exercises that Saint Iggy of Loyola wrote about. I bought the book, and will do a meditation every day based on the spiritual exercises. I was also introduced to the Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother) Rosary. Instead of praying the sorrowful mysteries, you meditate on the seven sorrows of our Blessed Mother Mary. It is done on a special rosary with seven sections for each sorrow and you only say seven Hail Mary's instead of the ten. Miles Christi religious order has special permission from the Vatican to do this rosary on Friday's, Saturday's, and on Tuesday's and to pray for the Pope's intentions by adding an Our Father, Hail Mary and a Glory Be to the end of the Rosary. Then the litany to the Blessed Mother can be said. Just a beautiful rosary. If you get deep enough into it, you will cry.

There were so many benefits. If you have never gone on a retreat before, you might want to consider it.

Facebook Allowing Pedophiles Group

2010-09-28T10:23:00.000-05:00

This is absolutely disgusting! Obviously Facebook doesn't care. They claim that it is self policing and that inappropriate content is removed. Do we really need just one complaint to shut down these groups?

The article from Fox News states:

The world’s largest pro-pedophilia advocacy group uses Facebook to connect with its members throughout the world; to find and exchange photos of children; to hone its members' predatory behavior; and to identify, target and reel in child victims, an investigation by FoxNews.com reveals.

“We take safety very seriously and have a strict policy against the posting of child exploitive content or content that supports child exploitive groups," a spokesman for Facebook told FoxNews.com in an e-mail. "Facebook is highly self-regulating, and users can and do report content that they find questionable or offensive. Our team of investigations professionals reviews these reports, removes content that violates our policies, and escalates to law enforcement as necessary.”

But, a search for “North American Man/Boy Love Association” on Facebook on Sept. 23 produced 87 different groups. Some appear to have been created as a joke, or in protest, but there are others that appear nefarious.

The page for “Greensburg group of the North American Man Boy Love Association,” in the category of “Common Interest-Philosophy,” features a photo of a child around 4 years old.

This just may be the reason I need to shut down my account. This is also why I don't believe in children having accounts that are under 16 years old. I know people that do allow their kids to have accounts that are young. Very dangerous. That should be a duh factor, but I guess not for some parents. Why is Facebook dragging their heels on removing the sites? They say they are working with authorities.

Read the rest of the report here!

The Day Without Women in Church

2010-09-27T11:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the "Sunday Without Women?" when outraged Catholic women all across the globe were supposed to boycott Mass in order to prove that the Church needs to change its mind on celibacy or ordination of women or any other issue they can be outraged about.

It all started with Jennifer Sleeman, a Catholic convert from Ireland, urging women to send a message to the Vatican that "women are tired of being treated as second-class citizens in the Church."

And then it went from there. All of these other groups that think women should be ordained, and priests should not be celibate and should be married. You know all of that nonsense. If you don't like what the Catholic Church is, and don't like it's teachings, then perhaps you are in the wrong church. Just a thought.

I do hope they decide to all get together and have a go to confession day since they committed a mortal sin by skipping church.

More prayers revisted

2010-09-24T09:50:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago I wrote about the family needing more prayers. I vowed to make it happen and was going to start that night by adding a decade of the Rosary to the time immediately following supper. It has now been two weeks. We were successful in doing this more than 60% of the time. I am proud of that. I know we can do better, but I am happy with the change so far. The times we were not able to do the Rosary were for the reasons I thought would probably stop us: dining out and too frazzled and kids need to go to bed NOW!

The good thing is that some nights we did two decades. One night we did three. Right afterward, we went around the table and told each other what we were grateful for during that day. I mixed it up and asked what we were sorry for. One night I decided to tell the kids a little something about my childhood and encouraged my wife to do the same. We all really enjoy the time.

The problem with my family is that we are not too structured. We should be more so. Since we home school, the kids stay up sometimes a little longer than others. We try to keep a routine, but it is hard at times. The kids are usually in bed by 8, but we miss that sometimes. When we do, it is an extra tired day for them. Hence the kids have to go to bed now thing.

If you prayed for us, thank you. Please keep doing so.

L.A.: $111M in Stimulus Saved Just 55 Jobs

2010-09-18T05:00:00.033-05:00

A lot of us said that this stimulus plan wasn't going to work. Of course, many people thought putting some money into the taxpayers's hand would be much better. Now a report from one of the largest cities in the United States have come out. It does not paint a pretty picture of the stimulus plan.

How can we only create 55 jobs out of 111 million dollars? Some jobs were created or saved at the expense of 1.5 million dollars. A couple of jobs for 4.4 million dollars.

The kicker is that the city blames Bureaucratic red tape and lack of tracking within departments as part of the problem. So does this mean that most other cities are the same way? I thinking the answer is yes, especially since the unemployment rate is essentially the same as it was when this fiasco was passed.

I resent this whole bill. I don't appreciate being forced into debt. I don't like the fact that my kids and probably grand kids will have to share in this burden to get this paid off.

As this billboard off a Minnesota highway asks, I just have to say "Yes. Yes I do!" Yes, he was not perfect. Yes, he spent a lot of money. But nothing of this magnitude. It will be interesting to see what other cities and states start coming up with. I would love to have a job for 1.5 million dollars. Too bad those workers didn't see anything close to this in pay. Sometimes I think it would have been much easier to put money in everyone's pocket and let us stimulate the economy. Heck, I only needed 70,000 dollars to pay off my house. I could really stimulate the economy if I didn't have to worry about a house payment. Is that a crazy idea, or does it make sense to you?

You can read the full story here.

Pope assassination plot stopped

2010-09-17T12:47:00.001-05:00

Oh dear Lord. Those extremists from Islam (you know the religion that promotes peace) are at it again.

Read full story here

Vatican Shocked at Britain's Hostile Reaction to Pope

2010-09-17T07:12:00.000-05:00

Well, this is one of the better articles I have read about the Pope's visit. This really gets down to it, and really explains what Pope Benedict is up against. This is extremely disturbing. Please pray for the Holy Pontiff. After reading this, you probably will be spending the next couple of days in prayer for him.

Vatican Shocked at Britain's Hostile Reaction to Pope
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 07:38 PM
By: John Laughland
...
The hostility that many British are voicing toward Pope Benedict XVI has shocked church officials in Rome as they prepare for the first formal state visit to Great Britain by a reigning pontiff.

The four-day papal visit, which begins Thursday, has prompted negative reactions by far exceeding anything the Pope has encountered when traveling even to non-Christian countries such as Turkey or Israel.

The protests have ranged from the mean-spirited and the tasteless to the vehemently ideological. Some even called for the Pope's arrest upon his arrival in Edinburgh, Scotland, where Queen Elizabeth II is to greet him.

At the bottom of the scale, the cost of the visit — an estimated 10 million pounds (about 15.4 million U.S. dollars) to British taxpayers — has generated repeated complaints, although such protests are never heard when other heads of state come to Britain.

More seriously, a controversy arose in April after the leak of a joke memo that a junior Foreign Office official had written suggesting that the Pope should bless a gay marriage and open an abortion clinic as part of his official program.

The government offered an apology to the Holy See, but the prank betrayed the sort of ignorant contempt that passes for cleverness in the corridors of power in Britain.

The National Secular Society, an atheist lobby group, has submitted to the government a petition against the papal tour and will demonstrate against the pontiff during the visit. The group's opinions are quoted widely and even promoted in the British press whenever the papal visit is discussed. The society’s protests against Islam, by contrast, seem limited to campaigning against the ritual slaughter of animals.

Worst of all have been the antics of those who say they want to put the Pope behind bars. Professor Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, the evolutionary scientist and militant atheist whose book “The God Delusion” sold millions, has stated that he would try to stage a citizen’s arrest of the Pope.

Together with human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC, Dawkins claims the Pope bears guilt for the child abuse scandal. A week before the papal visit, Robertson published a book arguing that Benedict should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity and explaining why he believes the Pope cannot claim sovereign immunity.

And on Monday, just days before the Pope’s plane was to touch down in Edinburgh, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was given an hour on prime-time television to attack the Pope, the visit, and Catholicism generally in the most simplistic and virulent terms.

Indeed, so bad-tempered has been the mood in Britain surrounding the visit that the British ambassador to the Holy See felt compelled to suggest in August that it is better for the Pope to generate hostility than indifference.

But why would there be such enmity in a Christian country when there was none from a Muslim or a Jewish one?

The fact that these attacks come from people who are already discredited has done nothing to stem their resonance. Tatchell attacks the Pope over the child abuse scandal, but he himself defended sexual relations between adults and children as young as 9 in a letter to The Guardian in 1997.

Robertson, meanwhile, was sacked from his post as president of the Special Court for Sierra Leone in 2004 because he refused to withdraw as judge in a case whose defendants he had proclaimed guilty in one of his books. But he continues to pose as an authority on the law and due process.

On the contrary, the outpouring of anti-Catholic feeling has put British Catholics so far on the defensive that many of them now think their opponents are perhaps at least partly right.

Britain has become one of the most virulently anti-Christian countries in the world. After a few decades in which the traditional anti-Catholic prejudices fell into abeyance, the basic anti-popish reflexes of an ancient Protestant nation have come back with a vengeance, spurred on by ideological attacks on the only Christian church that seems to stand for anything at all. The Anglicans, meanwhile, having been mired in their own internal problems for years.

Common to all these attacks is an obsession with sex and a refusal to see Christianity as anything but a “teaching,” a mere series of moral “thou shalt nots.”

One might not expect militant atheists to understand the notion of transcendence or divinity, but Britain’s widespread hostility to the largest religion in the world does not square with its trashy indulgence of all other movements, however marginal or inchoate, that choose to label themselves “spiritual.”

Britain has traveled further down the road of political correctness than even traditionally permissive European societies like those of the Netherlands or Scandinavia. At a time when the basic social conservatism of some of those countries is manifesting itself in various protest movements, especially against Muslim immigration, British politics and society is now well to the left of the already very left-wing Western European average.

Soon after David Cameron was elected to power, the new “Conservative” prime minister hosted a garden party at 10 Downing Street for the nation’s most prominent homosexuals. This kind of demonstrative support for gays is something not even the progressive Dutch have ever done, and certainly not something a right-wing politician would normally deem necessary.

The contrast also is striking with the United States, which is, like Britain, a country with a strong Protestant ethic, but unlike Britain, a country where religion plays a big role in public life.

Whereas a Florida pastor’s desire to burn the Koran is widely denounced as extremist, even in the United States itself, the prevailing mood in England regards virulent attacks on Catholicism in England as mainstream. The BBC treats opponents of the Pope as decent campaigners with a voice that deserves to be heard but derides opponents of a mosque at ground zero as redneck right-wingers and racists.

How times have changes since the pastoral visit of John Paul II in 1982, when the pontiff was received with generosity and good grace. The country Joseph Ratzinger will get to know this week has changed unrecognizably since then, and for the worse, to become little but an uncouth, boorish, and sex-obsessed Rude Britannia.

John Laughland, a British citizen, is studies director at the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation in Paris.

© Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Democratic voters casting Republican ballots

2010-09-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

Somehow I am not surprised by this. The Democrats are desperate and running scared. Don't they realize that the Republicans will win no matter how weak they are? Get out and there vote people.

Get the story right from Madison, WI

Why women don't like sending men to the shops

2010-09-13T12:25:00.000-05:00

Thank you to my friend Therese in Australia who posted this on her blog. I snagged it to share with you. This is long, but really funny.It would be a shame not to share this.

First day of CCD is under my belt

2010-09-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

So, the first day of teaching 6th grade CCD is over, and I have to say it was uneventful. It is a very good class with varying degrees of knowledge of the faith. I was really nervous about doing this because it had been six years since I had taught. When I taught previously, it was the third grade. There is a big difference from the two grades, some are obvious and some I had to think about more.

For third grades, you can use just about any type of supplemental curriculum and more than likely be okay. For sixth grade, you have to be careful. Some kids are more mature, and some are still being kids. You want to teach them, but you don't want to appera lame either or they won't respect you. This kind of stuff has been going through my head for the last three months since I agreed to teach the grade. The last couple of weeks, and have been sweating it. I know, but I many times will throw a lot of myself into things. I stayed up late last night trying to get my lesson down, and didn't sleep much because of it.

I finally just decided to concentrate on the Faith and Life Series, and making sure they learn what they need to. I introduced them to apologetics, and we did some trivia where they were forced to look up answers in their bibles. They learned a lot today, but we only have 50 hours or so in order to learn for the year. I am going to fill up this time. Next week, and have to introduce them to the Beatitudes because this is required knowledge for the grade, and does not get introduced until about this time. Also going to teach them about the Ignatian way to pray called Examen. I would like to explore this, and challenge them to at least try to do the Examen at least two times a week for a month. Then we will discuss it again.

I don't know, maybe I am throwing a lot at them. I look at it as introducing them to things that will hopefully get them on fire for the faith. I polled the class right before dismissal and asked how many carry a rosary with them. 4 out of the 9 said they have a rosary with them, 4 said they have a rosary, but not on them. One young man says he does not have a rosary and he said he didn't know how to say the rosary. I told him I would bring him one and said that I would teach him if he wanted to know. He said he would like that, and a smile came over his face. Yep, this is one of the reasons why being a catechist is such a great thing. I guess I had nothing to worry about after all.

How many of you reading this also teach CCD? How do you keep the kids interested and "on fire" for the faith? Please let me in on your secrets to being a great CCD teacher.

Go directly to a San Franciso jail if you need a condom

2010-09-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, this is correct. In prisons, having sex is illegal. But in San Francisco, the prison administrators are embracing it. They have been giving out condoms for the inmates since 1989, but recently just added more dispensers. These liberal idiots think that by doing this, it will cut down on disease. Who are they kidding? Here is the article from the San Francisco Chronicle:

Looking for a little action?

You might want to try the San Francisco County Jail's San Bruno lockup, where authorities have installed 16 condom machines for the jail's 750 prisoners.
The condom dispensers are the latest evolution in a safe-sex program that began in 1989, when health workers began distributing condoms to inmates as part of their counseling before they were released.

And although sex among inmates technically is illegal, the Sheriff's Department went ahead and installed the 16 machines anyway - one for each jailhouse pod - paid for by a pair of small grants from UCSF and a Southern California nonprofit.

"It may be controversial," Sheriff Michael Hennessey said, "but I think the larger health education message is important."

As for the chance that all those machines will actually promote jailhouse sex?
The sex already takes place, says Kate Monico Klein, who is directing the program for the city's Public Health Department. "If (providing condoms) saves one or two lives, it's worth it," she said.

So, the raping of prisoners will be better because it will be safe rape. Give me a break. So if you are in for more of blue collar crime, you better watch out and pray you are not in with a more hard core prisoner that is getting a little lonely.

Of course, this is where Pelosi hails from. I am sure she helped get this going sometime ago. And I am sure that the inmates will take the time to actually put them on, just so they will be safe. Sounds like grant money could have been used in a better way, but then again I am a conservative.

More prayers

2010-09-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

As I was reading a post from Catholic Dads this morning, an idea hit me. In the post, this guy named Tim talked about trying to get more prayer time in. His family puts a bowl in the middle of the dining room table and places their rosaries in it. Then before everyone is excused from the dinner table, they do a decade of the rosary.

What a wonderful way to add extra prayers into our lives. We always say prayers before meals, and most of the time say night time prayers. No, this does not always happen as we (my wife and I) just want the kids to go to bed and we don't want to prolong it. We have tried to do the rosary as a family, and I mean the entire Rosary, but we do it once, and it doesn't get prayed again for quite sometime. Sometimes it is just so hard because the kids are being kids and the attention spans are not even considered a span. Then it is the matter of feeling like we don't have time. Of course we have time. It is my job to make time. I need to work on that, and I know it. At least take the time with my wife to say prayers together. Again, something to work on. I am great with saying prayers on my own, but not with others. I am the head of the house (or at least my wife let's me think so). It is my responsibility.

So, by doing a decade before dinner is done is now something I am going to try and implement starting tonight. We are always together for dinner. My wife and I insist that everyone sits down at the table to eat. I will let you all know how this goes.

We are not a perfect family. Far from it. We have kids that sometimes we don't want to claim. My wife and I struggle with out own issues both as a couple and individually. However, my job is to get my wife and kids to heaven. I haven't been doing all I can do. This will allow us to grow spiritually together, but take a lot of the frustration away of trying to pray at the end of the day when everyone is frazzled and tired. Yep, this is a good thing.

The Adventures of a CUA Student: Explaining the New Translation, Part 1

2010-09-09T12:03:00.000-05:00

The Adventures of a CUA Student: Explaining the New Translation, Part 1

An excellent explanation of the new translation of the Roman Missal. . Thank you David!

Doctor under fire for multi-state abortion clinics

2010-09-09T10:19:00.000-05:00

*Gasp*. A doctor performing abortions that he is not licensed to do. Imagine that! As long as this government allows this to happen, many women are going to be injured while having a "legal" procedure.

Just recently, Brigham led a caravan of patients from his Voorhees abortion clinic to his facility in Elkton, Md. after one of the patients was critically injured during her surgery there. Brigham took the semiconscious, bleeding woman into the back of a rented car and drove her to a nearby hospital emergency room rather than call an ambulance.

In August, the Maryland Board of Physicians ordered the 54-year-old Brigham to stop performing abortions in the state -- where he has never been licensed to practice medicine. Police had raided Brigham's Elkton facility, from which they they removed 35 "late-term fetuses and fetal parts."

Maryland authorities seek missing medical records, and are looking into Brigham's habit of sending late-term patients across state lines after initiating their abortions in Maryland.
In July, the Pennsylvania Department of Health revoked Brigham's permission to own clinics in the state because he had repeatedly employed unlicensed caregivers. Brigham himself cannot perform medical procedures in Pennsylvania because of a confidential 1992 agreement in which he agreed to give up his license.

Additionally, Brigham's four New Jersey clinics cannot provide abortions after the first trimester (14 weeks of pregnancy) because they do not meet state safety requirements for such risky outpatient surgeries. Brigham has, for years performed the first phase of such abortions there. Medical personnel inserted absorbent rods that dilate the patient's cervix over a day or more, and sent them to a facility in another state for the surgery.

Maryland's action is just the latest woe for the doctor, whose medical license has been revoked, relinquished, or temporarily suspended in five states over the last 18 years.

Fetal parts? Late term fetus'? Should they really be saying the body of a baby, especially since it is a late term abortion? What possesses a woman to do a later term abortion, much less any abortion? PEOPLE, WAKE UP! No matter how you say it, abortion is murder. The pro choice people cry that if we don't have access to legal abortion, then women will go into back alleys and seek them out and probably die or get hurt because of them. Looks like they are getting hurt right there in a clinic. Why is this quack able to do this? Because nobody is checking because he is providing a service. This should be an outrage to the pro-lifers and the pro choice people. But you probably won't hear about it through the liberal media.

Progressive Church

2010-09-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is really funny!

US Cartoon of Mexican Flag Draws Ire

2010-09-06T05:00:00.002-05:00

In an article from AOL news, (Sept. 4) -- An American cartoonist's rendition of the Mexican flag is causing controversy south of the border, where Mexicans say it's offensive to taint their national symbol with images of drug violence.

Political cartoonist Daryl Cagle's drawing, which ran on the front page of several Mexican newspapers this week, shows what's normally a regal-looking eagle at the center of Mexico's flag riddled with bullets and bleeding. It's a reference to the drug wars that have riled Mexico and left more than 28,000 people dead there in less than four years.

"Editorial cartoonists look for readily recognizable metaphors and that's an obvious one for Mexico," Cagle told CNN.

But some Mexicans say they're offended by the cartoon. Like the American flag, Mexico's banner is a national symbol under which many soldiers and civilians have given their lives. They say Cagle overstepped his creative license in this case.

American political cartoonist Daryl Cagle's sketch of the Mexico flag is drawing outrage south of the border.

"It is a shame that a patriotic symbol like our flag, which is so beautiful to me, can be mocked by a stupid cartoonist," one angry reader complained to the Mexican newspaper El Universal. "I think there are many other ways to graphically protest what's happening in our country."

What this cartoon is trying to show is the violence to the south of our border. I can understand the upset, but I think this goes both ways. Mexico doesn't seem to have a problem with burning our flag, flying it upside down, putting Mexico's flag above it. All of these are a lot worse than a cartoon. I don't know, maybe it is just me. And I am sure there has been many cartoons depicting our flag in a non flattering way. Where is the outrage in that?

You can read the rest of the story - US Cartoon of Mexican Flag Draws Ire here

Why my kids don't watch the Disney Channel

2010-09-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

People act really surprised most of the time when my wife and I tell people that are kids don't watch The Disney Channel. *Gasp* But surely you are depriving your children of wholesome family goodness, you may be saying. In answering that, I must say "no. I am not derpriving my kids of the Disney Channel. I am saving them from it".
If you are letting your kids watch shows like Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and The Jonas Brothers, you might want to rethink it. Have you gone into a Walmart lately? Have you seen the Hannah Montana clothes that are marketed towards our girls? Some of this stuff is pretty disgusting. Short skirts and bikini underwear. Bikini! For young girls. No way! And let us not forget the real life Hannah herself Miley. She is only seventeen. She was living with a boyfriend in her paren't house when she was fifteen. Her boyfriend was twenty! She has been partying around town wearing no underwear. An how about that photo shoot and her "Can't be tamed" video? Some role model right? At least Miss Britney Spears waited until she was over eighteen to start mis behaving to this extent.
Wizards of Waverly Place. Cute show, but is it really much different from the Harry Potter movies? Witchcraft. Yeah, let's glamorize it. No wonder Wicca has grown in poplularity amont our youth.
So, this leads me to "The Jonas Brothers" show. Great guys. They live what they preach. I was okay with my kids watching this show, but then my wife made a really good point. The show takes place in high school. There is kissing, and a lot of focusing on members of the opposite sex. Do I really want my seven and five year old worrying about stuff like that. No. I want them to enjoy being little for as long as they can. No, I am not trying to be over protective, and I don't feel that allowing them to learn about "life" is too wrong (that is if these shows really depict actual teenagers lives).Don't our kids have a lot better things to worry about than dating? Hearing about kids doing so at 10, 11, or 12 disturbs me. Not for my kids, and that goes for the boy and both girls. When they are out of school, then I think they can deal with that. Until then, focus on studies and a sport or creative are of thier choosing

My Conversion Story - Part Three

2010-09-04T20:00:00.114-05:00

Read Part One or Part Two

Okay my dear reader. If you are back here reading this, then I am truly appreciative. I will now jump through the rest of the 80's. I joined the Navy in 1985 and found time to get married in 1988. It was a loveless marriage. I thought I was in love, but I was more in love with the idea of being in love. There was no God in her life either. She did not attend church. We got married in the Methodist church because I at least had a church. She thought she was going to get a lot of money out of me. She did. The marriage lasted less than eighteen months. It was a bad break up. Horrible. The only thing that was good about it was that we did NOT have children.

I enjoyed ten years in the Navy. For the most part, I did not really think about God. I prayed when I wanted something for selfish reasons. The drinking continued, and I would often drink and drive. I got stopped a couple of times. Unfortunately, they let me go because they were ex Navy. When I got out in 1995, I continued to drink. By this time, I was drinking to overcome my shortfalls in life. What I should have accomplished. Drinking to cope with the loneliness I was starting to feel. I had resigned myself to be alone with my dog and cat for the rest of my life. I was still not that into God, but I was starting to to pray more for meaningful things. I often thought of actually going to church. I considered myself a Methodist because "that is where I felt comfortable".

Then something wonderful happened. I befriended a woman at work. We would go out and have smokes together. That was not the wonderful part. Smoking is yuck to me now, but I really enjoyed those two packs of cowboy killers at the time. What was wonderful was that this woman would become my future mother in law. She asked me to come over the Christmas of 2000 for dinner and to meet her daughter. I told her I had other plans, but she was persistent.

I went to her house, ate a little and left. My wife and I barely talked. When I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I was worried that she didn't like me. Since when did I really start caring what people thought? A week passed, and my friend asked me what I thought. I said she seemed nice, and she said to call her. I did a couple of nights later and we talked on the phone for three hours. The next night, we talked for another three hours. Six months after we met we were engaged and married ten months after that. We probably would have gotten married even sooner, but it took nine months for my annulment to come through.We had a big Catholic wedding, but no mass because I was not Catholic. I had no desire to be Catholic either. I had heard things about them people, and I wanted nothing of it.

So when she asked me to go to church with her, I obliged. It was not like I had to go every Sunday. My wife at the time we met and early into our marriage, was not practicing. There were reasons that were deeply personal to her. I found that I kind of liked it, but still not a very big deal. It then became the time to start talking about the kids we would have. I agreed when we got married that I would raise the children Catholic. I was fine with that. One day my wife asked me what I believed as a Methodist. I could not answer her. I went to the internet and started searching. I came out all excited and announced to her that I would be a Lutheran. It was close to being Catholic, so less hard on the kids. She lost it! Could you really blame her? She told me in no uncertain terms that I was being hypocritical. Why was I looking at changing to Lutheran and I would not try the Catholic church. I went back to searching about what a Methodist believed. Every search I would put in would lead me to something about Catholicism. Most of it was good. The bad stuff would just confirm what I thought Catholicism was. There was no denying it. God was leading me to the Church.

I started going to church with my wife every week. For the first time in my 37 years I was actually going to church on a regular basis. It became the time to actually start the conversion process. We had a meeting with the priest, and he agreed to personally help me. I met with him twice a week for two months to go over the RCIA materials. He quizzed me and quizzed me on things. One day, he said I was ready. Now we had to wait until the Easter Vigil (which was still five months away). My wife talked to him, and because of the war pretty much just starting out over in Iraq, she really didn't want me to wait. He talked to Bishop Raymond Burke at the time, and he gave permission for me to be confirmed in January. So, on January 22nd of 2003, I joined the Church. I was baptized and confirmed in a small private ceremony with family and a few friends. It was a spiritual overload!

By telling my story, I want people to know that there is hope. There is strength in Jesus. The hope does not come with a presidential candidate. It is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My story may not seem to be to extreme, but I am here to say that I do understand. I understand what it is like to be a kid. I have learned how to not be a father. I learned how to be a better one. I have also learned how to be a better husband. Do I succeed in these? Sometimes I feel not often enough. But what I have learned is that anything is possible through Christ.

I no longer smoke. I stopped doing that eight days after getting married. I seldom drink now. I stopped that when my wife told me that I drink too much and she wish I wouldn't. I have a beer now and again. Probably average four to six over a nine month period. Had one beer two weeks ago and that was the first time since May.

I struggle with sin on a daily basis, but I do what I can. I do pray a couple times a day. I pray for others. I have a "prayer jar" that I put prayer requests in and say prayers for those intentions twice a day. I am far from being the best Catholic. I try hard to teach my kids what is right and wrong and to love the Lord. I want them to be excited for their faith. Something I did not have.

There was a lot of not so good times growing up. Thinking back now, I don't think I would change one thing. Those things have made me who I am today, good or bad. As St. Gregory of Nyssa said "May we never risk the life of our souls by being resentful or by bearing grudges". These are good words. It has been more difficult to reconcile with my mother however. She is now in a nursing home with Alzheimer's. I will never get the time back with her. I often wanted to be closer to her, but she was and still is not that kind of person. We are not close, and will never be. I can do now is love her and tell myself that she did the best she could. I will honor my mother and my father as God has instructed me to.

Thank you for reading this. Yes, the story was long, but something I felt I had to write about. There are chapters left out, but the important parts I think are there. If you have any questions about my story, please feel free to contact me. If you want to know more about the Catholic faith, contact me about that as well. God Bless!

Teen golfer disqualifies self, gives up medal

2010-09-04T19:27:00.000-05:00

A news source states:

Today, a classic "what would you do?" moment. Zach Nash is a 14-year-old Wisconsin kid who happens to be a fine golfer. So good, in fact, that he won a junior Wisconsin PGA tournament.
Problem was, he won it by violating -- albeit unintentionally -- one of golf's most straightforward rules. He had too many clubs in his bag. And the worst part? It was a total accident, discovered long after the fact.
Specifics: Nash's 77 won the boys' 13-14 division at the Milwaukee County Parks Tour Invitational, knocking off 31 other players. Afterward, Nash went to celebrate with one of his mentors, Chris Wood, head club pro at Rivermoor Golf Club. And that's where the troubles began.. More of the story is here

Kudos to young Mr. Nash. What A way to be an outstanding gentleman. Yes, he may have lost quite a bit with his honesty, but gained self respect, integrity, and much respect from society in general. I am a fan! God Bless you.

My Conversion Story - Part Two

2010-09-04T07:00:00.021-05:00

Read Part One
So where did we have the funeral you may be wondering? It is actually a very good question. We had the funeral at a Methodist church. My day ran a gas station/garage and Ed (the pastor) was a customer. They got to know each other, and my mom got to know Ed's wife. I knew one of his daughters from high school. She was two years older than me. So, when it was time to start making arrangements, Ed and his church was a logical choice.

A few months after his death, my mom started "church hopping". There really isn't a better word for it. She would go to this church for a month or so, then another one for a few weeks, and then move on to the next one. I went with her once to a church and they started speaking in tongues and there were snakes and stuff. Scared me to death! I had no idea what was going on. There was a lot of singing and people dropping to the floor, but I really didn't hear much about God from the pastor. I did hear many "Praise God" and "Praise Jesus" from the congregation. They were very welcoming to me as a newbie there, but I realized that was not for me. Nothing spoke to me, and I really didn't hear Him calling or speaking to me.

I also went to a couple of churches with friends. Not many, but a couple. I explored the Methodist church, a Baptist church, and a Catholic church. I liked the Methodist and the Baptist church. There was a lot of talking about God coming from the pastor, which I liked. The Catholic Church was very big, and everyone was so quiet. Being sixteen, it was a little overwhelming. Stand up, sit down, kneel down, bow here. I was trying to follow along and only got snickers from my friends. Them Catholics are not real sociable before or after church, I do remember thinking.
So, I went back to the Methodist church again with a friend of mine, and that was it for a couple of years. When I started going back there, I was 18.

My mom finally settled on a church, and she was sticking to the Methodist church. The one that Ed pastored at. She got remarried there, because she was a member and my step dad did not attend church. I went to church a couple of times with her, but never felt that I really needed to go. After all, why do I have to go? I know what is in my heart. God knows. I don't have to go. I am going to sleep in or work. Couldn't really be bothered with that thing called church.

Then one day when I was nineteen, I was preparing to join the military. On a whim, I went into the christian book store in town. I heard some music that was playing and really liked it. The more I listened, the more I heard the lyrics talking about Jesus and how to be happy. I don't remember exactly what the song was. I started talking to the lady behind the counter. She gave me some recommendations on cassettes that I would like. One of her recommendations was Petra. This was the album with the songs Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows and More Power to Ya on it. It was the album called " More Power to Ya". That cassette kind of started my whole conversion of heart, but it was still many years to come. More Power to Ya helped me to get through boot camp. The song would keep playing over and over in my head the entire ten weeks that I was there. Not sure if I could have made it without that song. Actually, I now know that I could have not made it.

Up to this point, for the last three years I had been working. I had my own place at seventeen. My mom found her boy friends much more important than me. She moved out to live with the man she was going to marry. It was okay though. I made over three bucks an hour and was able to rent a two bedroom town house, pay my insurance, pay for a car, and buy food. Those were the days, weren't they? I was also able to buy lots of beer. It was easy. The people I worked with would buy that for me. Before this time, my mom would buy it. As long as we were home, she would go and buy it for my friends and me. So, I kind of developed a drinking problem, and got busted for a DWI months before my 18th birthday. The bad part was I had two friends with me. I lost those friends because their parents refused to let them hang with me anymore. Word got around school, and I became the bad kid all of a sudden. Some people that I considered friends, would no longer come around. Parents were parents then, and I appreciate that now. At the time of course I did not.

Around the same time heavy drinking started, I started smoking pot. That was free from the adults I worked with. I started hanging around people that were older than me. Drinking and partying was so much fun. I didn't think about God much.
After boot camp, there was no need to play that song anymore. I was a big boy now.
Drinking continued because it was allowed on the base because of the close proximity to Mexico. Going down there was even more fun because hard liquor could be had. Three or four nights a week was taken up by partying. (to be continued - I told you this was going to be a long story)

Lady Gaga going to be able to marry gay couples

2010-09-03T10:30:00.003-05:00

Madonna is going to get jealous. No matter what she did, she didn't do this. Craziness will ensue.

According to a report in Entertainment Wise

Lady Gaga is in the process of becoming ordained as a minister as she wants to be able to perform gay marriage ceremonies for her fans.Since California's Proposition 8 legislation was thrown out, Gaga hopes to be ordained in the state in support of the decision to give everyone equal rights.Heat reports that the Bad Romance singer has taken an online course and is in the process of filling your the paperwork that will see her become a fully qualified minister.

I imagine there will be a lot of clamoring to get her to marry people. So much for that "Catholic" upbringing. Much like Madonna, once celebrity strikes, the Catholic faith seems to no longer matter. I personally don't see what the big deal is. She is over the top, her music is a little catch because of the beat, but the lyrics are usually not family friendly. She loves the attention, and this is obviously just another stunt. Heaven help us and save us from these people. Please!

I do have to mention that the URL says something about gaga being ordained a priest. Thank you Lord for her not actually trying to be one.

My Conversion Story - Part One

2010-09-03T05:00:00.013-05:00

As a request from one of my "followers" (Yay! I actually have followers. Makes me sound like some religious person or nut don't it?) Okay, I will then say as a request from one of my readers - Nanette, I will write about my conversion story right here on this blog. It is going to have to be in parts, because I think it is going to be a long story. Not sure if I could actually shorten it if you wanted to. I think the whole story needs to be there to see how it was, and where I am at today. So, if you are still reading this, you must be really interested to get through all of this up to this point. Well, since you insist on being so dang nosey and persistent about reading about it, here it goes! ;-)This is part one of three.

I grew up a poor sharecroppers son... Wait. That was NOT me! Where was I? Oh. I remember now.....I grew up an only child in Monterey, CA. We lived a few blocks from Cannery Row that John Steinbeck helped to make famous. I lived there until I was thirteen, and then I moved to Oregon State where I lived for seven years. From the time I was born until the time I was sixteen, I never once remember going to church. That was for other people my dad said, if he ever really commented about it at all. I had friends that went to church, and a good friend and neighbor was even Catholic. Didn't know much about God, but I knew He existed. I knew about Buddha also. Had a friend that was Chinese, and his house had the Buddha and an alter. I asked once what it was, and he told me. That was pretty much it. Never really remember discussing it anymore, and never really remember talking about church with anyone. I did ask what CCD was from my Catholic neighbor. She said something about sort of a Sunday school where you learn about church. She was only about five at the time, so pretty good response I think.

When we moved to Oregon, things were about the same. Didn't really meet anyone that went to church. Of course I knew what a church was, but I really have never gone into one. Really! That is no lie. I honestly can not remember ever going into a church for the first sixteen years of my life. Freaky isn't it? Now I look back at this and think about how weird that was. Do you think that it is weird dear reader? Maybe you don't, but I think it is wierd now. Not then of course. I didn't know any better. I knew that I believed in HIM, but i also knew (I knew. I was right on this I tell you!), that I did not have to go to church. I believed in my heart sort of. I knew He was there. As I got a little older, as in my teens, I started pseudo praying to help me get through school, and to get through tests, and to just not to feel so dang awkward. I even prayed to stop the thoughts of killing myself. I heard a voice once that told me to stick the stupid old rifle in my mouth and pull the trigger. I knew that was not God talking to me, but at the time I had no idea who or what that was. I just knew that I did not like life much, and thought it would be better that I was not around.

I didn't obsess with the thought of ending it all. Oh no. I thought about how miserable I was and how I hated everyone and how they hated me. Gee, I was that teenager that we read about.

Anyways, the first time I could remember ever going into a church was when I was sixteen and I had to because it was my dad's funeral. He died of brain cancer. Five months from diagnosis and he was gone. It is okay though. We were not close. He was a good example of how not to be a father. He liked to cut me down, and would like to throw me around a little too much. My mom, she let him. He abused her mentally. So, here I am. The first time in church ever. I am at my dad's funeral. That was the first time that I actually prayed and meant it. I prayed for strength and my mom. I do remember asking God to help us get through this and thanking Him for allowing my dad to be in peace. He suffered quite a bit over the months. He had a couple of strokes where he lost the ability to walk and the second one took away the ability to talk. On New Years Day he had a frontal lobe of the brain taken off and that is how they found that it was cancer. Chemo made him sick. The doc said it would not help much. Radiation was great and helped to shrink it, but soon as that stopped, it grew at an accelerated pace. The tumor was the size of a grapefruit when it was discovered.

So I prayed. I think something started happening to me at that point. (to be continued)

Part Two Here

Pawlenty orders state agencies to decline "discretionary" federal health care cash

2010-09-02T00:01:00.024-05:00

The article from The Star Tribune reads in part:
"Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty Tuesday ordered all state agencies to not to submit applications to any health care funding from the federal government related to the health care overhaul.
Any applications must be either required by law or approved by the governor’s office. …
“Obamacare is an intrusion by the federal government into personal health care matters and it’s an explosion of federal spending that does nothing to make health care more affordable,” Pawlenty said in a news release."
This is a great thing that the governor of Minnesota did. At least he is acting like a Republican in this case. He is not being bullied by Obama and Nancy or anybody else in this administration. There are some problems with Pawlenty in general, but he is acting in a responsible manner in this case.If you don't take the money, then the government does not own you. They don't have control over you or the state. I hope that other governors follow suit and just say "No!" as Nancy Reagan used to say.

First day of school and other things

2010-09-01T09:08:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that it is the first day of school already. What is even harder to believe is that my two oldest are now in first grade and kindergarten. People are correct when they say "Don't blink! They grow up when you do". I remember the day both were born. When the first one was born, I was so happy because I had a daughter. I always wanted a daughter first. We named her Abigail because it beans "Her Father's Delight" in Hebrew. Yes, I got a chance to name her. Luckily I picked a name that was suitable to my wife. She wanted a more old fashioned name, like Lilly. That name is pretty, but just didn't seem to fit in my eyes anyways.

The view from the hospital room was of the convent in LaCrosse. There is a video of me looking out the window and telling my daughter that this is where she was going to live when she grew up. Who would have known that at age she six she is talking about being a nun (or a doctor, or a dancer, or a mom). I watched the third episode of Survivor-Panama with her in the hospital (the one with Rupert). I am stil a fan of the show, she is not so much. But, I really don't want her watching that show anyways. Teaches them to lie and cheat to win. None of that with my kids. I want them to play fair, and not to lie. Maybe I should not be watching that show. Not exactly the most moral of shows to watch, even though it is probably better than some. There I go. I am trying to justify watching a show because it is a guilty pleasure.

The second child was born at a more difficult time in our lives. We were struggling financially. We lost our main source of income at the beginning of the year. We had to move to a new town. I was on the road a lot with the new job. It was stressful. Julia came out a little more high strung than Abby did. She cried a lot. She must have felt the tension from both of us. She was not a fan of me. I couldn't hold her to comfort her like I did the first one. It was one of those things. Now, she is a big daddy's girl I am happy to say.

So, now here we are five years after the second one was born and almost seven years since the first one. We are homeschooling through Seton home school this year. My wife is very excited about getting started. She is making a school bus cake for our kids and the neighbors who homeschool a couple of thier children. Making it a special day for all of them. Before I know it, both will be off to college. The youngest will not start school for another 4 years. He is only two right now, and because of when his birthday is, he won't start first grade until he is almost six. Just like his big sister did.

Thank you God for these little blessings called Abigail, Julia, and Zachariah. Please stop them from growing up so quickly. Would you be able to help me out with this o' Lord?

Blog Day 2010

2010-08-31T01:00:00.038-05:00

One of the goals of blog day is to bring about the awareness of blogs (Well, duh!). What I am supposed to do is to find five blogs that I find interesting and are different from my own. I was able to accomplish that, and had a lot of fun doing so. There are many, many blogs out there, and many that interest me. Unfortunately, I only could choose five (well, technically nothing would happen if I chose more, but this blog post would be very long if I did more than that). What I wanted to do is find some blogs that were actually being actively wrote in. Wanted a post in it that was not older than 30 days.

So, here are my five choices, with a little bit about each one. Enjoy!

1. Happy Snappy
This blog is about two friends. One lives in Finland and the other lives in Scotland. Every week each shows a glimpse into their lives through photographs on a previously chosen theme that is not discussed beforehand.
2. Life She Wrote
I liked this site because it has poetry, letters, and lots of movie reviews. I agreed with the assessment of a lot of them.
3.OMG! Yummy
This blog is about eating really yummy food. One of my favorite things. The author talks about yummy food in her own kitchen or in other peoples kitchens.
4.The Backside of Water
A blog about the various Disney Theme Parks. This is done mainly through pictures, but not always the typical pictures you would expect to see about Disney Theme Parks.
5. All Things Hendrick
This is a blog about one ordinary family from Texas who is now living in Haiti with their four children. It chronicles life in a third world country and how God helps them all cope with things. Great blog!

For more information on Blog Day, visit http://www.blogday.org

Back to work

2010-08-30T16:43:00.003-05:00

First day back after having pretty much two weeks off. Oh boy! This is my last long stretch off until next year. I do have some holidays off, and a couple of days off here and there that I had to use, but for anything significant, this was it. That is 9okay. For the most part I feel refreshed and ready to go. Of course that can all change by the end of the day. I am also sure by the end of the week I will be ready for the three day weekend as well.
However, as much as I love my job (and of course at times despise it), I am truly thankful for what God has blessed me with. I am doing what I like to do. It is something that I have been doing for 12 years now. So, when I complain about my job, I have to stop and pause and thank our Lord for the blessing of having a job. Many do not, and I know several people who do not have one. Thank you GOD! There. I said it again. Every night, I do give thanks for the blessings, and pray for blessing of others.

Favorite vacation picture

2010-08-28T01:05:00.000-05:00

My youngins at Wrightsville Beach

This is one of my most favorite pictures from vacation. For some reason, I really like this photo. I guess because it just shows them all getting along. Look how they are holding hands, like they actually love each other. LOL!

Hopefully this is a memory my kids will never forget: the day they saw the ocean for the first time. I know my wife will never forget this day. She had never seen the ocean either up to this point.

My wife couldn't stop commenting about how wonderful God was in creating all of that beauty. I would have to agree.

Clay Rosary Giveaway

2010-08-27T23:34:00.000-05:00

I just recently entered a contest for a free Clay Rosary. I encourage you all to enter the contest. For more info, please go to: http://catholicicing.blogspot.com/2010/08/clay-rosary-giveaway.html

God bless!

One of the most liberal TV shows has gotten more so

2010-08-25T01:16:00.001-05:00

The so called conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck of the liberal show "The View" said in an interview that she thinks abortion is killing a human but that doesn't mean it should be illegal. Yahoo reports this story:
"Hasselbeck, who campaigned with Sarah Palin in '08, insists that she's been misunderstood, saying in a recent interview that she regards President Barack Obama as an "incredibly cool guy" and parts company with conservative culture warriors on the charged issues of gay marriage and abortion rights. On the latter front, she says she's "torn"; she offers fairly unequivocal support on the controversial question of same-sex unions.
In an interview with Fancast's Adam Buckman, Hasselbeck insists she's not "ultra-ultra-conservative on every issue." "I actually support gay marriage," she says.

As for abortion, Hasselbeck confirms she believes that life begins at conception but also says she doesn't think the government should tell women what to do with their bodies. "I'm torn there in terms of supporting laws" for or against abortion, she says. "I always say I would rather a change in heart than a law."
Oh boy! Her "View" has definitely changed. She used to very pro life and seemed to be against gay marriage and for the one man and one woman philosophy of marriage.How things have changed! She definitely must have been on that show too long and talking with Whoppie and Joy way too much. She needs to start hanging out with the "Real" conservative co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy (who often fills in). I was never a huge fan of Hasselbeck (except when she was on Survivor - The Australian Outback), but I always admired her for sticking up for her conservative values. If you read this interview, you will realize that this woman is every bit as dangerous as the other liberal hosts on this show.

North Carolina

2010-08-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

Got back from school/vacation really early yesterday morning. It was a long trip, and we are all really glad to be home. Although we had a great time, the drive there was long, and even longer on the way back. It was hot and humid, which was actually nice compared to having the mosquitoes around these parts. At least you could go outside. We went to Wrightsville Beach on Thursday and The Mordecai House and Stagville Plantation on Friday on our way out of town. We didn't leave Durham until 4:00 PM. Although I couldn't have asked for better kids on the way there, they started to not get along so much while there. There was a lot of fighting and meltdowns on the way home. I think it took a lot out of us.The boy just decided he did not want to be in the car seat anymore. Can't really blame him. We tried to stop every two hours or so so everyone could stretch legs and such. We had plenty of drinks and snacks handy, and even movies. But, it proved to be too much for them still.

It was so cool to see my two oldest ask so many questions at the Fort Boonesboro, the Stagville Plantation and the Mordecai House.
There is so much history in that state. We took the time to try and make this a learning experiences since we are going to be home schooling this summer. Ask my oldest what the cowrie shell is and she will be able to tell you that. For the record, it is a shell that comes from West Africa. It was found in the enslaved quarters on plantations. It was used as jewelry, currency, and religious ceremonies. We bought her a necklace with one of them attached. She was also happy to discover that the American Girl Addy wore a necklace similar to hers and that the books were researched at that site.

Being at the coast and driving through some of the most beautiful states ever, I realized how wonderful God is. What beauty HE created. The Blue Ridge Mountains are amazing! Sometimes in our busy lives, we need to stop and think about everything the man upstairs has created. Take a break and appreciate the beauty around you. I appreciated the family God chose to give me while spending so much time in the car.

Unfortunately, we did not stop to see my mom's sister as originally planned. I would have liked to see her, but it wasn't in God's plan right now. We are thinking about inviting Aunt Rose out next summer. We can spend a lot more time with her. We will continue to talk with her via the phone, and learn as much as we can about my mom's family. This will help give the kids a little more sense of who there dad is and who there ya ya is.

Family Part 2

2010-08-16T08:00:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I wrote about my mom and early onset Alzheimer's. I also wrote about not knowing my side of the family. This is for many different reasons. Mainly because my mom and dad were not close to their family. When my dad passed, his side of the family decided not to keep in contact with us, even though we tried. I have only met one of my mom's sisters and that was in 1977. Her step day and step mom I saw last in 1982, and they have now passed. My mom just never kept in touch with them. Her Dad and step mom I met also in 1977. I was thirteen, and so many things were much more important than aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents. Sad to say, but as I look back on this this was the way it was. I always assumed that my mom kept in touch, and I would when she talked to them. She didn't.
So, imagine my surprise when my wife announced last Wednesday night that she was going to call my mom's sister in West Virginia. The one I last saw in 1977. My wife has been wanting to get more information about my family. My mom has told us stuff over the years, but the stories changed. Now she says she does not remember. We are on our way to North Carolina as I write this for some school for my job. Afterwards, vacation time which is going to include Norfolk/VA Beach, some old homes, Civil War battlefields and my aunt in West Virginia. My wife has made arrangements for us to stop and see her. I am nervous because it has been so long. I have a cousin that was four when I saw him last. He is now a grandfather and does not have a good relationship with his mom. I am hoping that he will decide to meet with me. I want to know how he grew up, and why he is not close with his mom. Maybe there are a lot of the same reasons as why my mom and myself are not close.
This will be great for my kids. They are excited for me because I am going to see an aunt and maybe a cousin, and they are going to meet a great aunt. They have never met anybody from my family except for "ya-ya". I have to admit that at first I was apprehensive. Now, I am quite looking forward to it. It will be nice to get in touch with some family. She may even have others come. I do know that a couple of my mom's brother's and sister's have died. A couple of alcohol related deaths, and a car accident. We will see how this goes. Please pray for me. That would greatly appreciated. Probably won't be seeing her until the 22nd. I will post a part three after the meeting.

Family Part 1

2010-08-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

My mother has early onset alzheimer's and is in a nursing home. We tried to take care of her at home for almost four years. It became increasingly more and more difficult. My wife was trying very hard to keep a routine, but with three small children this proved to be difficult. Mom started getting more and more confused and started to fall. She became a danger to herself and our kids. Giving her a shower and getting her dressed took way too much time. The house dynamic changed with everyone stressed out. We made the difficult decision to put her in a nursing home where she would have a routine, lots of things to do, and she would be safe.

Seven years ago we decided to move her near us. She was in Oregon and we were in Wisconsin. We got a call from her neighbor telling us about her behaviour. Mom's neighbor was pretty sure that she had Alzheimer's. We drove out, packed what we could into a van, and drove the 2000 miles back home. We already had a low income apartment set up for her that was half a mile from us. She lived on social security because she was not really able to work because of double knee replacements.

We though this would be great, and she would get to live back here and be near her grand child (my wife was pregnant with the first one then). It seemed to be okay, then we started hearing stories from people in town. Residents at the apartment started being pretty cold to us. My mom was telling people how we were trying to control her life and take her money and that she was only good for taking her money. That is all we wanted. We shrugged it off. Most people realized that she was not well. Still it bothered us. She made us sound abusive, which did hurt me I have to admit. My mom and I have never been close. Her friends and her animals always have been much more important. My wife thought by bringing her here, we would get a chance to get closer. I tried, but it was still the same old mom, but a little meaner. That goes with the condition that she has.

I lost my job and took another job, but it required us to move 120 miles away. We found a house, and found an apartment for my mom which was 1.5 miles away. We saw her even less. This apartment was locked to get in, and my mom instructed the lady that ran it not to give us a key. She stopped taking our calls. My second daughter was born in early August, and mom didn't see her until she was three months old. We happened to see her out walking with a friend and stopped. She was mad that we stopped, we could tell. When asked if she wanted to see her new granddaughter she said "Oh. That is right. You were pregnant". Same mom, but now with early onset Alzheimer's.

We saw her a little more after this, but not a lot. She still thought we were trying to control her. She came over for dinner more, but that is because she would lose her money and be broke by two weeks after her payday. We would go to the store with her and she would count her money and drop twenty dollar bills and not notice. Again, part of the disease. It was sad to see her like this. People would look at her and see a woman that was in her fifties. They don't know that she has alzheimer's because she is so young. We have had doctors tell us that she does not. Wish they would go and see her in the nursing home as she waits for her dog to come home from visiting the neighbors. I wish they could see her as she is hopeful that we could stay for dinner and she will cook something special for us. Wish they could see her as she struggles to remember her grandchildren's names. She is currently 62 years old/

It is hard for me because we have not had the best relationship. I have accepted the fact that we never will now. I have forgiven her for things. I do have a hard time forgetting things though. I won't get into details here. I pray to God to give me the graces to do so.

My dad passed away when I was sixteen. I have had no contact with his side of the family since that time. I have also had no contact with my mom's side of the family since around that time also. I met her sister in 1977, and have only had contact with her step dad. Last time I saw them was 1982. Weird. I have a lot of family around, but no idea where they are. Yes, my mom was not close to her family, and either was my dad. It is sad, because my kids are missing out on knowing who my side of the family is. It only bothers me because of that. It has been so long for me, that it doesn't really matter. I have the family that I need living with me, and my wife's side of the family. (to be continued tomorrow)

Anne Rice's departure from Christianity

2010-08-14T05:00:00.001-05:00

This is a great commentary on Anne's recent announcement - "A Church of sinners or a Church of one," from Whosoever Desires.

Disguises of Sin

2010-08-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

Friday the 13th

2010-08-13T12:18:00.000-05:00

You are not scared or apprehensive about Friday the 13th are you? Reports say that people get so nervous on this day that they won't make business deals, travel, or get married (who gets married on a Friday anyways?). Any who, it is estimated that 21 million people in the US are afraid of this day. Here are some events that have occurred on Friday the 13th. Pretty much just an average day to me.....

1. Oct. 13, 1307 – Officers of King Philip IV of France raided the homes of the Knights Templar, who were warrior monks during the Crusades, imprisoning several thousand men on charges of illegal activities. None of these charges were proven, but hundreds suffered excruciating torture intended to force confessions, and more than a hundred died, according to "Tales of the Knights Templar" (Warner Books, 1995).

2. Aug. 13, 1521– Conquistador Hernán Cortés captured Cuauhtémoc, the ruler of Tenochtitlán, claiming the city for Spain and marking the end of the Aztec Empire. Cortés appointed himself the new ruler and renamed it Mexico City, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

3. Nov. 13, 1789 - Benjamin Franklin wrote “Everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes,” according to U.S. government documents.

4. Sept. 13, 1940 – Five German bombs hit Buckingham Palace and destroyed the Palace Chapel, as part of Hitler's strategic "Blitz" bombing campaign, according to reports from U.K. newspaper The Guardian.

5. June 13, 1952 – A Swedish military DC-3 plane carrying a crew of eight disappeared over international water in the Baltic Sea. This became known as the "Catalina affair" because one of two Catalina rescue planes sent to search for the plane was attacked by Soviet forces. In 1991, the Soviet air force admitted that it had shot down the DC-3 as well, according to the BBC.

6. July 13, 1956 – The United States and Britain turned down Indian and Yugoslavian pleas to stop atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, according to The New York Times.

7. Nov. 13, 1970 – A huge South Asian storm killed an estimated 300,000 people in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and create floods that killed as many as 1 million in the Ganges delta.

8. June 13, 1986 – The Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, were born.

9. Jan. 13, 1989 – The "Friday the 13th virus" infected hundreds of IBM computers across Great Britain, wiping out program files and causing considerable anxiety at a time when large-scale computer viruses were a relatively new threat.

10. Oct. 13, 1989 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average underwent the second largest drop it had ever experienced at that time. Nicknamed the Friday-the-13th mini-crash, the DOW dropped 190.58 points that day. Today, that drop doesn't even make the top 10 list of largest drops.

11. March 13, 2009 – "SAW – The Ride" premiered at Thorpe Park amusement park in England, only to be temporarily shut down due to "minor teething problems" according to UK news reports.

12. Aug. 13, 1999 – The day would have been Alfred Hitchcock's 100th birthday.

13. Sept. 13, 2013 – The planned date of the thirteenth installment of the Friday the 13th horror film series, which revolves around hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees.

see the original post here: http://www.livescience.com/culture/13-strange-things-on-friday-the-13th-100812.html

Some of my thoughts on the above list:

Do we really need another Friday the 13th movie? I thought for sure there was a lot more of those movies than 12. I had to look up in the Internet Movie Database and check. Yep! There were only 12 movies. I think there is 11 too many honestly. Maybe 10. I will allow for part 2, but that is it. I why was there a remake? That was not a good movie, and found it quite offensive with all the language. Much more so than the first one.

The Olsen Twins were born in 1986. They seem so much older. I guess because Full House is on almost all the time on so many stations. We watched them grow up.

Happy Birthday to Mr. Hitchcock. You knew how to scare without blood, gore and bad language.

Why is there going to be another Friday the 13th movie? No, this is not a mistake. I am just amazed that a movie studio would even want to take a risk on something like this. Just imagine what kind of family movies the studios turned down to get this movie made. I don't understand. I know there are others out there that are with me on this one. Repeat after me: No more Friday the 13th movies!

Pro Life Video

2010-08-13T07:15:00.006-05:00

This video says so much in so little time. Wow! I just think of my children when I watch this and I just couldn't imagine them not here.

Bush's Tax cuts

2010-08-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

This scares me a lot:
At 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2011, the largest tax increase in American history could go into effect if Congress fails to act.
If Bush's tax cuts expire in 2010, the middle class will in fact be hit
with a massive tax increase. This in turn will weaken the economy and
kill job growth. As for the deficit, slower growth also means lower
revenues... and a bigger deficit.
This tax hike is HUGE! Simply by not making Bush's cuts permanent, taxes will
rise by a minimum of $2.8 trillion between now and 2018.
On average, 116 million taxpayers will see a jump of $1,800 in their annual
tax bill. Some 48 million married couples. The heart of the middle
class that Democrats say they want to help, will be slapped with an
average increase of $3,007. Even the elderly will take a hit, $2,181 on
average.

But surely, you say, the poor will be spared.
Sorry. As the White House has pointed out, a single parent with two kids making
just $30,000 a year will get $1,600 tacked on to his or her tax bill if
the Bush tax cuts are allowed to sunset in 2010.
So be aware of all those politicians that are claiming to be against letting these tax cuts expire, especially the "dumbocrats". Are they actually trying to do anything to stop them? They will let it be known that they are against it, then quietly let them expire and then tout that they were against it.
Tell congress to act now and STOP the LARGEST tax increase in American History!!!!

New Bishop

2010-08-10T14:43:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow my diocese will get a new leader. We will get our 10th bishop. This will be our third in seven years. Bishop Burke became the Archbishop of St. Louis in 2003 and then moved on to become the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, and will soon be a cardinal. Bishop Listecki took over as Bishop of La Crosse in 2004 and went on to become the Arch Bishop of Milwaukee earlier this year. Now we will be welcoming William P. Callahan. He is currently the Auxilliary Bishop of Milwaukee, WI.

What is the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura you ask? Well, I didn't really know either so i had to look it up. The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church. It oversees the administration of justice in the Church. Pretty impressive. I am excited to think that soon to be Cardinal Burke could someday become our Pope. Sends chills down my spine thinking about it. And I have met him. That would be really cool.

So, now we will be getting a new bishop. There is no doubt that he will be as good as the previous two. It seems that the Vatican is intent in putting good men in this position. The last two bishops of La Crosse have been very vocal regarding church doctrines and the politicians that go against them, especially on the abortion issue. I am praying that this new bishop does the same.

We need these great Bishops in this state. Madison is our state capital, and it is a highly liberal town. I have heard that Madison is the most liberal town east of Berkeley, CA. Ugghhh!

So, please pray today and tomorrow for Bishop Callahan. This installation Mass will be held in Lacrosse, WI at St. Joseph the Worker at 3 o'clock Eastern time. It will be live on EWTN and CatholicTV.

A calling?

2010-08-09T13:57:00.029-05:00

I was watching TV with the girls Saturday night. I look over and the oldest had her hands folded, and she was intently talking to herself. I asked her what she was doing, and she responded that she was talking to God.

This made my heart sing, and I new I must have been doing something correctly. She keeps saying that she wants to be a nun, but then she is not sure if that is what she wants to do because she would like to be a mommy also. We keep telling her to pray about it. God will let he know what her calling is.

Since she was two, and up to a year ago all she would talk about is being a doctor. Now it is a nun. I know people think that we are pressing her on this, and we are not. A is not afraid to tell people of her intentions of being a nun, and she also says that she has to pray about it. I have caught her before talking to God about being a nun. So sweet. She is only six and will be seven in October.

People have asked me what I would do if my daughter or daughters wanted to be a nun or my son wants to be a priest. I say then it is God's will, and I will support whatever decision they choose for their life. To me, I would not lose a daughter or son, I will gain graces for raising holy adults.

Investments

2010-08-09T11:10:00.005-05:00

I was reading the blog "Salvation Is an Adventure" and the post called A Wise Investment got me to thinking. In this particular post, Tim talked about how to invest in our life, time, and energy. Are we making decisions based on lust, pride, envy , or glutton? As he states "There is a very attractive short term gain to these decisions. They fulfill carnal desires and puff up our self-esteem. But, what is the long term gain from making decisions based on these sins? More often than not, there is none".
Christ is indeed advising us to choose those investments that have long term gain instead of a short term sense of pleasure and satisfaction. What investments should I be choosing? Faith is on the top of my list. I can always use more time with God. I don't pray as much as I should, even though I do try. I definitely need to spend quality time with Him. This I feels is sometimes difficult due to my schedule. There should be no excuses! What can I give up in order to make the quality time with our Lord happen?
I can get myself off of the computer. I love surfing sites to learn more about my faith. I have become a blog reader as of late, and now starting to blog myself. I am actually liking this blogging thing, which I thought I wouldn't. I was more into the micro blogging sites. Spending a little less time on the computer, will free myself up to spend more time with Him. I need to make an effort to go to adoration at least every week. There should be no excuses there. There is a PEA 30 miles away. My parish has a chapel with adoration 24 X 7 also available. Again, what is my excuse? Can't say that I don't do it because of amily issues. I can go when kids are in bed. My parish is only 1.5 miles away. Walking distance really. I think I am just lazy. Lazy at times with my faith. I am in the rut that I think so many get into. Well, it is time to stop.
So, are you lazy at times with your faith? What do you want to do differently? What investments are you willing to make?

I want one of these!

2010-08-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

Saw this on the net. I want to get me one of these. People, you have to get out and vote. There is no way around it. You have to. If you really want "change", then you have to get these people out that are currently in.

Blood sugars finally getting better

2010-08-09T07:15:00.001-05:00

After about a week of struggling with higher than normal blood sugars, they are finally getting back to what is normal for me. I must have had two bad sites, because it has been a almost a week.Each site is three days. The last one I took out was red and a little inflamed for a couple of days. I know sleep is an issue also. If I don't get enough, my BG will increase. I also have not been eating as good, so all of this contributes. I am just happy that things are going down. The higher I am, the crabbier I am. I just don't like being like that.

Text messaging

2010-08-08T13:15:00.005-05:00

I don't think I need to say too much on this.

Don't text and drive. PERIOD!

A sign of the times?

2010-08-08T11:00:00.002-05:00

This is funny, but seeming to become more and more true. It is sad that our society has gone so "gadetry". We can't live without our cell phones, our smart phones, our email, and text messaging. A vacation is not a vacation from work anymore. You can be reached 24/7 if you want to be, and a lot want to be. Work has become very important and the number one priority in many people's lives.

Sure, work is important. It pays the bills and the mortgage and puts food on the table. But when it always cuts into family time, there is a problem. Whatever happened to God first, family second, and work third. It seems that this was more true 20 years ago. We have gotten more and more away from God first. With these difficult economic times, it is no wonder that work has replaced God at the top. Families are also taking a back seat to work. But is it fair to blame the economic times for this shift? I don't think so. I think the shift started when people wanted more things. They wanted the boats, the campers, the vacation home, the huge house in the suburbs. In order to pay for all of this stuff, people had to work. Mom had to leave the home to pay for the stuff. The kids were put in too many activities. Keep them busy and they won't notice that mom and dad are not home. Okay, I went off on a tangent there. But do you agree with me?

Families communicate electronically way too much. How many of you reading this have actually sent an email to a spouse when it was just as easy to tell him or her in person? I know I have. It is sort of funny when this happens, but we should not allow ourselves to get into the trap.

Families don't sit down with one another for dinner any more Who has the time? I think we all have the time, it is just prioritizing the tasks that need to be done. This is one thing that I insist upon. I try to get everyone to sit down and eat. My two oldest which are 6 and 5 want to watch movies when it is dinner time, or watch Qubo or Sprout. Or most of the time they just want to get out and play. It is hard to get them to sit still, but I know they will appreciate it later on. There is more that I can do also. This is one way to start moving the family back up on the list. By moving the family higher on the list, you can't help but to starting putting God higher on the list. More family time, more prayer and devotion time. Sounds like a plan.

Now back to that pictures: My wife and I are tired by the end of the day, as many couples are. I am often mentally drained from my job as a support engineer, and she is tired from her job of taking care of the house and three kids, andexcactl homeschooling. She is really wiped out and wants a break. Can't blame her. Our son is almost two and is a handful at times. Them boys are much different than girls. Just wish I had the boy first when I was younger. Would be easier for me to chase him around.

What all of this means that we don't sit down and talk all the time like we should. We get up at different times in the morning, and that always seems to be the best time for us to talk. We as a family need to learn communications skills better. Although my wife and I are not exactly like the couple pictured in the cartoon, I do know some people like this. I don't think any of us can afford to put work first. God and family has to come in that order. It is just too serious not to. My job as a husband and father is to help get my wife and children to heaven.So knowing that is part of my vocation, I need to concentrate on that, and that goes for you other dads out there also.

So, are you one of the people in the cartoon? What are your plans to start moving God first and family second on the list?

Ratzinger is drinking a beer!

2010-08-08T01:06:00.001-05:00

Saw this on a friends site, and how to "snag" it from them.

Confession

2010-08-07T21:44:00.002-05:00

Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin, all hope consists in confession; in confession there is a chance for mercy. --St. Isidore of Seville

This is one of the reasons I love going to confession. I have to admit that I didn't go as regularly as I should. I am now making it a priority to go at least once a month, more if possible. I went to confession this afternoon. It was a great confession, one of the better ones. There is a substitute priest this week again as our regular parish priest is on a mission. There was quite a line, and there were "grumblings" that the priest was a little long winded. There were fifteen people behind me in line. This was really unusual to have this many people for confession. There is always a line on Saturday for confessions.

What I liked the most about this confession was that he did take the time to talk with you and to understand your sins. He offered insight as to why I may have committed my sins. For this, I was truly grateful. It helped me to understand some things, and how to better understand how to avoid theses sins in the future. I know that this kind of attention is not often feasible, due to the time constraints of confession times. Our parish offers it an hour before the Saturday mass, and after the Friday morning mass until all are heard. I have to say, I felt better than normal. God must have been working on me a lot, because I had a cleansing that I haven't had in awhile.

This brings to my mind why us Catholics would only want to go once a year. I feel fantastic every time I go. There is no better feeling than coming out of the confessional. I know if I don't go for awhile, I start getting extremely crabby and irritable. Exactly what the Devil wants me to be. Then I start trying to talk myself out of going to confession.

Folks, what is the best thing you like about confession? How often do you go? Let me know your thoughts.

As in the words of St. Francis de Sales: "Go to your confessor; open your heart to him; display to him all the recesses of your soul; take the advice that he will give you with the utmost humility and simplicity. For God, Who has an infinite love for obedience, frequently renders profitable the counsels we take from others, but especially from those who are the guides of our souls".

Home school

2010-08-07T12:59:00.001-05:00

We knew that we wanted to either home school, or to send our kids to a Catholic School when it came time to do so. Last year my oldest was going to start Kindergarten. My wife did not feel that she was ready to start homeschooling yet because the less than one year old was still sort of a handful and my wife thought she would not handle it. So, we sent A to the school in town. We were not necessarily impressed with the parish. It was in a Diocese that we were not used to. Lot os problems that the bishops have been trying to fix. We normally went to a parish 30 miles away that was in the La Crosse Diocese becasue most of them we felt were sound and you don't have the priests going against the bishop. The parish where the school was troublesome because the priest would say things against the bishop. especially on ways to vote and the new changes in the liturgy.

We sent out daughter there. We had a choice of either sending her full day or half day everyday. No price breaks. They only learned things for 20 minutes a day, the rest of spent on self discover and group play. We were disappointed in things that she was not learning. Her teacher of 22 years was not Catholic, and wasn't sure how they taught some of the prayers when asked. She would allow them to hold hands during the Our Father, and said this is what she be done. We instructed them to not allow A to do this, because this is not supposed to be the way it is.

We moved to another town in the Diocese of La Crosse at the end of December. We sent her to another school. Here, they actually concentrated on school, and play time was just a recess bread. Here she would go every other day for 4.5 hours a day. She learned so much, and would come home and tell us the prayers she learned. She learned so much more in one month there then she did at the old school for 3.5 months. I was impressed.

We started seeing a change in February. Even though she would come home from the old school and be stressed out because somebody was not playing with her and such, we started seeing a much more withdrawn child. She was starting to act out. Kids at this school (class of five) were making fun of her because she was taller and heavier than the rest. They were calling her names, which made her not want to go to school. We talked to the teachers, and they kind of blew it off. Subsequent talks kind of showed thier irritation with my daughter.

My daughter likes to talk. She is very compassionate, and very passionate regarding things. Sometimes she acts like a 13 year old, and this frustrated the teachers. Now keep in min, they only had to teach from 0815 to 1145 every other day. My daughter would also tell us that they were mean to her. At the graduation ceremony, the teachers made a big deal out of the two best students. They allowed them to read in front of everyone, letting the others just sit back. I felt bad for my daughter and the other three students. I felt really bad because my daughter was really looking forward to reading. She brought the book home, and she was practicing. They told her two days before that she would not be reading.

So, we made the decision pretty much right there that we would home school, or I should say my wife would. She prayed about it, and decided that she could do it. She started having summer school and found that she liked it and that the kids were actually learning. So, we are going to use the Seton curriculum for first grade and kindergarten. Next year, we are going to do an online Wisconsin public school, and do our own religion through that by supplementing with books from Seton and other schools. This is more as a means of saving money, since doctor bills is a big expense in our house.

We do get comments about our decision. "Oh, they need to be around other kids.". "Oh, why would you want to home school. They will become anti social" are just a few of the comments that we get. Our kids will be socialized. There best rieds live across the street. They are home schooled, along with some other kids around town. The ladies are going to form a group to get together and plan activities. They will be doing dance and maybe violin lessons. So, they will be socialized just fine.

A six year old should not have body issues. We teach her that God made her the way she is, and that there is nothing wrong with her. Her doctor is fine with the weight, because it is not horrible. I have sat with her for EWTN's show "Everything Girl". There was a great episode about body image. Theresa Tomeo talked about her battle with weight and how people made fun of her. She sated her real friends did not and that her family always loved her no matter what. We played that back a coupld of times,a nd talked about it. We got rid of satellite and went with Sky Angel. This way, things are lot more positive than they were before. My kids love it, but they are not so inclined to want to stay in and watch TV either. All of us get out more, except when there is an issue with bug, such as there has been the last few weeks.

So, this is why we are homeschooling. It is sad that five and six year old kids can be so mean. It is also wrong that a six year is worrying about dieting, because her "friends" told her she should. Sometimes she did not want to eat because she had to lose weight. Luckily, this has stopped over the summer, and she eats like a normal kid. She is always running around outside and playing with friends. We kind of have the old A back, although we don't know what to do about the sassyness (That is another post). We know that we can not protect our kids from everything, but as parents we have to try. We want to be able to build her self confidence up, so she will be comfortable with herself. We want her to know that her family loves her, and always will. Friends will come and go, but family is forever. God is the head of our houseful, and that He will never let her down.

So, do you home school? Why did you decide to home school or not home school. If you do home school, what kind of curriculum and support do you use. I want to hear from you. Thank you for taking the time to read this. God Bless.

The Birthday

2010-08-05T08:15:00.003-05:00

J's family birthday went really well. It was really nice to be able to take a half day vacation for it. J was really happy about it, and I got the biggest hug ever when she realized that I didn't have to go back to work. Another great thing about being a dad: getting and receiving big hugs from the kids.

She wanted to have spiral mac and cheese and hot dogs for her birthday meal. We always allow them to pick a special meal on their actual birthday. Last year A and J both picked spaghetti. The year before that J wanted to do buffet and A wanted roast beef. Had to chuckle with the choice. My wife made bratwursts for the adults. I have to admit though that Kraft spiral mac and cheese is way better than the regular mac and cheese. I am just saying...

The in laws came over and so did my wife's aunt. Three cousins came over too because their mom went into labor (false alarm) and grandma had them for a bit. It was a great visit with all of them. We got kind of lectured again about our decision to home school, but that is not something new and we dealt with it. This time people thought that what we were paying for the curriculum was outrageous for us doing all the work. More on the home school issue in the next post.

Happy Birthday to my middle daughter J! I love you so much, and I hope you had a great day.

Happy Birthday to J who is 5 today.

2010-08-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Z has a relapse of an ear infection. He had it about two weeks ago and they gave him a shot. Obviously the shot did not last as long. Definitely explains his mood yesterday. So now he is on a 10 day anti-biotic and he should be feeling better today. Just in time for J's family b-day party. She had one Sunday for her friends and cousins. Tonight is just with family. Her special dinner is spiral mac and cheese with hot dogs. Yummy! Every year we try to allow them a special dinner and this year this is what she wanted. Last year it was spaghetti. It so funny to see what they pick out. Last year the oldest wanted a roast for her birthday. I think the year before that it was spaghetti.

First Blog Post

2010-08-04T06:12:00.001-05:00

I have had this blog set up for quite awhile. I have been tweeking the front page and adding other people's blogs to my list. So far, I have not written in it. I am not sure why. I have been enjoying using the microblogging site Plurk. I am not a twitter fan really, but Plurk is quite a bit different. There are a lot of good people on there, and I have gotten a change to know them. They have inspired me to start writing.

Today, my middle child turns 5. It is hard to believe that she is five already. I have been thinking about this, and I am saddened. I am saddened because they really do grow up so fast. I am also sad, because I am starting to realize that I have missed some opportunites with my children. I will never get a chance to get those times back. Maybe this is a daddy thing, I am not sure. Whatever the reason, I am a little upset. Mainly with myself.

It is so easy to be tired after work. It is so easy to find other things to do. Sometimes I do forget the ones in my life that matter the most. I realize that I am not always being the father that God would want me to be. Where is our prayer time together? How about the Rosary? These things are sporadic. Nighttime prayers are a regular thing, but we don't always do them as a family. The Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet are very rare, but my kids love to do these devotions. What is wrong with me? Am I really that busy and tired. Tired yes, busy no. Part of being tired is my own fault. Some reasons are beyond my control. However, I need to start shaking this off and get to it. I need to enjoy my kids more.

I guess I am writing this to help with accountability. My wife has been wanting us to do the prayers more. She gets busy also, but I do know that she likes when I take charge and lead everyone in prayer. This is what a dad is supposed to do. It is part of my job to help get my wife and kids to heaven. I know this.

If you are reading this, how do you work in the quality time with your kids? What kind of things do you do? How do you go about praying as a family? I know that this sounds very simple, but it is something that I struggle with. I want to get better with this. Suggestions? Thank you in advance and God Bless