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We're having a baby boy! It's surreal and wonderful seeing the baby on the ultrasound. He was much bigger (of course, which is a good thing) and his little head has grown a lot... he's going to be a good looking kid, that's for sure. One of the highlights of my life: seeing the little guy play with his foot on the ultrasound.
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Happy birthday to my big sister Kristy, who turned __ a week ago today! (age removed to protect the innocent)
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There were some college football games earlier this week, but Notre Dame opened their season with a nice win over Rice today. In Oregon, football season reignites the major rivalry between the Ducks and Beavers. Seriously, it's a big deal. Sure, you hear about college football being big in Texas, and the Midwest, etc. But it is here too, it's just big everywhere! I remember teaching a parish CCD class that was made up of 3rd and 4th graders. We did a coloring activity one night, having the kids trace an outline of their hand and color them. Yeah, out of the 6-8 kids in the class, at least two or three colored their handprint in Beavers or Ducks colors.
My son will be a Notre Dame fan and can just be amused when people go crazy with Ducks or Beavers fervor.
There were some college football games earlier this week, but Notre Dame opened their season with a nice win over Rice today. In Oregon, football season reignites the major rivalry between the Ducks and Beavers. Seriously, it's a big deal. Sure, you hear about college football being big in Texas, and the Midwest, etc. But it is here too, it's just big everywhere! I remember teaching a parish CCD class that was made up of 3rd and 4th graders. We did a coloring activity one night, having the kids trace an outline of their hand and color them. Yeah, out of the 6-8 kids in the class, at least two or three colored their handprint in Beavers or Ducks colors.
My son will be a Notre Dame fan and can just be amused when people go crazy with Ducks or Beavers fervor.
I'm still part of the CD of the month club with Lighthouse Catholic Media. I highly recommend it! At the very least, their website is worth checking out. There are talks from the most well-known Catholic evangelists as well as many other gems. To fill up the rest of my quick takes, I'll list some of my favorites.
First up: Scott Hahn's Abba or Allah? Ecumenical efforts can be confusing sometimes. In some cases, actual unity/reconciliation is possible with other Christian denominations. In other cases, like the dialogue with Islam, unity is utterly unrealistic. For the latter cases, dialogue seems to take a look at the things we do have in common, and working together on those fronts. Do you want an authentically Catholic take on the similarities/differences between Catholicism and Islam? Check out this talk.
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First up: Scott Hahn's Abba or Allah? Ecumenical efforts can be confusing sometimes. In some cases, actual unity/reconciliation is possible with other Christian denominations. In other cases, like the dialogue with Islam, unity is utterly unrealistic. For the latter cases, dialogue seems to take a look at the things we do have in common, and working together on those fronts. Do you want an authentically Catholic take on the similarities/differences between Catholicism and Islam? Check out this talk.
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Fr. Robert Barron has been getting more and more well-known over the last few years. In my humble opinion, it's well deserved. I really like his cultured & philosophical take on the Catholic faith. His Sunday sermons are reliably good, too. His talk, Who Do You Say That I Am?, asks of us the question that Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 16:15. Jesus claimed to be God, and the Church has taught that very tenet since her first breath.
I love a good conversion story, and John Pridmore's is a dramatic one: From Gangland to Promised Land. (Lighthouse also sells his book with that same title) I sometimes underestimate the power of God's grace, and stories like Pridmore's remind me. Imagine a thug in the London criminal underground converting to the Catholic faith. And then imagine that same guy becoming a missionary, speaking at schools, jails, and parish missions throughout the British Isles. A great listen!
P.S. I'd recommend reading his blog or liking his Facebook page. He sends out updates of his mission work and testimonials of his listeners who returned to the Lord. It's uplifting!
P.S. I'd recommend reading his blog or liking his Facebook page. He sends out updates of his mission work and testimonials of his listeners who returned to the Lord. It's uplifting!
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How about an apologetics tome within a conversion story, a la Rome Sweet Home? Both my wife and I have listed to Steve Ray's Born Again? Faith Alone? talk from Lighthouse multiple times. He's engaging and incredibly knowledgeable about the Catholic faith.
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
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