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 Angels in the Waters
Regina Doman (Author)
Ben Hatke (Illustrator)
Sophia Institute Press
ISBN 9781928832812
This is an amazing story. Regina Doman did a tremendous job describing what life and experiences might be like in the womb. It is the story of a child growing in his mother’s womb. It is dark and he is swimming, and conversing with his guardian angel. As the space becomes more confined he becomes scared. It is a story about the beginning of life, about angels watching over us and about the bond between mother and child. It is really a wonderful book to share with your children. You can preview the book online here.
(First Published on Book Reviews and More.)
By SRMcEvoy on December 28th, 2009 | Category: Faith & Spirituality, Marriage, Reviews Our Fairy Tale Romance
How I Met A Princess in Disguise
and Convinced Her To Marry Me.
Andrew Schmiedicke
Chesterton Press
ISBN 9780981931890
This book is a wonderful story of hope, prayer and faith. It is the story of Andrew Schmiedicke and Regina Doman and their coming together with God in marriage. It is very well written, it is open, honest and transparent. Andrew shares his journey and his discernment process, as he tried to determine God’s plans for his life, marriage or the priesthood. It is a struggle and process that many Catholic men have gone through. Andrew captures the struggle and sense of disappointment many experience in trying to find God’s will and direction for their life. The book is moving and will stir emotions in the reader. The book begins with these words: “at 25 years of age I was already a lonely bachelor. After a number of failed relationships in high school, college and after college; after a number of journeys, adventures, and failed business and employment ventures; I found myself back in Michigan, looking for a job, and feeling … well…like a failure. And a bachelor.” But that is just the beginning, the once upon a time.
For those already married it will remind them of their own journey, for those not yet married or engaged it can serve as a guide in how to determine God’s will in their life. This is a great book as a journey both spiritual and relational. It also contains a collection of prayers at the end of the book, for those seeking
By Theophilus on November 18th, 2009 | Category: Faith & Spirituality, Reviews
Fr. Mark Burger is the pastor of St. John the Evangelist parish in West Chester, Ohio. He is also a renowned speaker and retreat leader. He appears annually at the Cincinnati Men’s Conference and always leaves us pondering whether we are truly listening to the voice of God that is always in our heads, even if we have hit the cerebral mute button.
Fr. Mark decided to publish a book, “Hearing God’s Voice.” We received advance notice of the book at this past Men’s Conference in March so I was looking forward to its release. He decided to self-publish it, which means some unfortunate publishing house missed out on the chance to sell people something that is going to actually enrich their souls and lead them closer to our heavenly Father.
The book is laid out as a daily meditation. Each day of the year carries a different sermon. Some are of the slap-you-across-the-face variety, while others reveal themselves to you slowly and profoundly as you mull the message over during the course of a day.
The important part of Fr. Mark’s insights is that he always tells a story. It’s not lecturing or postering-it’s just spinning a tale and then hitting home the point. It’s also ecumenical in scope. For me, it’s a great way to spend the five minutes before I walk out the door in the morning. I find myself reflecting on the story during my ride into work.
A good example is today’s reflection for November 18th. Fr. Mark tells the story of a friend who gave him a prayer to bring someone peace in troubled times. After relaying the prayer, Fr. Mark concludes by sharing
By SRMcEvoy on November 11th, 2009 | Category: Miscellaneous, ReviewsBack in the summer I realized I was 6 months from being 40 and in the worse hope of my life. I had gained some weight after being married 7 years ago, and gained more than 40lbs after a shoulder injury and 3 years off work with physio and surgery. Then a few months ago I was at the park with my kids. I saw some fathers struggling to keep up with their children, and while I was not there yet, I could see it would not be long before I would be in that shape.I did not want that to happen, for my kids and for my wife I made the decision to make some radical lifestyle changes. I decided to try P90X. I am now doing my second round of P90X+ and below is my concluding article on the three phase of my first round. I really believe that we are meant to achieve balance between body, mind and spirit. That when Jesus said that he came to make us whole, he cared about all of us, the physical, the mental and the spiritual. As such I am sharing my experience with P90X here with other Catholic Dad’s.
The 90 Days of P90X is really just the beginning.
Upon reaching the end of a journey, or achieving a goal, we often realize it is not in fact the end but really just the first step in a new journey. I started feeling that part way through P90X. At some point late in phase II or early in phase III, I stopped counting down the days until my 90 days were done and started
By Rob Kaiser on October 26th, 2009 | Category: ReviewsLet’s face it, most parish websites are pretty awful – and I don’t mean full of awe. A lot of it has to do with throwing up an online billboard or having created a site 5 to 10 years ago and not having updated it. Whatever the reason, a lot of our parish websites are in need of help.
So here are questions for you to help change the situation. Answer as many or few as you are able.
- What are some parish websites that did it right?
- How is your parish website? What does it do well? How could it be improved?
- What is required for a parish website to be considered “good”?
- What should a parish site definitely avoid?
- What has a parish site done that really made you say “Wow!” – good or bad?
Please don’t be shy – your answers could help parish website developers as they search the web for answers. So please leave a comment.
By Theophilus on October 20th, 2009 | Category: Faith & Spirituality, Reviews If you do nothing else productive today, read Ecclesia Semper Reformanda – The Church is Always in Need of Renewal. It is the first pastoral letter from Bishop Nickless of the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa. It’s only 14 pages long and is an easy read, but it contains so many “wow” moments that I kept reading passages again and again.
Bishop Nickless was ordained in 1973, so he was a newby when the Church was beginning to implement Vatican II and has a great perspective on the past forty years of the Church. In his pastoral letter, he discusses Vatican II and the good and the bad of its implementation. He discusses where it has led us and where we need to go from here. By the end of the letter, you will be fully aware of what is means to be Catholic and what you are called to do.
For me, the high point of the letter is where he talks about the Eucharist (starts at the bottom of page 5). I just wish a priest had said something like this to me twenty years ago.
The only thing better for this letter would be if it was signed by the head of every diocese in the Church.
By Theophilus on September 23rd, 2009 | Category: ReviewsLast weekend was an incredibly grace filled weekend of movies for me. As today is “Hump Day,” you may want to look at these DVDs as you turn your attention to what you are going to do this weekend.
A week ago Sunday, our homily was on William Wilberforce, a British legislator, who combated the slave trade at the turn of the 19th Century. I had read Amazing Grace, a book about his life and efforts, but I had never seen the movie. So, I stopped into Blockbuster last week and found it. While I walked out, I noticed the recent movie about Pope John Paul II, starring Jon Voight and Cary Elwes, so I picked that one up as well. While watching Amazing Grace on Friday night, we saw a preview for The Ultimate Gift, which looked promising. So on Saturday, I picked this movie up. We watched The Ultimate Gift on Saturday night; and I finished up my movie weekend by watching Pope John Paul II on Sunday.
So, in one weekend, I saw a movie (Amazing Grace) about a man who started an effort almost single-handedly that ended up transforming the world. It took him 20 years to do it but he succeeded in ending the slave trade and ultimately slavery in the British Empire – without a shot being fired.
Then I watched a surprisingly humorous movie (The Ultimate Gift) highlighting the gifts we are all given, most important of which may be forgiveness, redemption, and mercy. But we all know that the Ultimate Gift is love and this movie reminds us how multi-layered this gift is in our lives and how often we reject it. Watch the movie and find out for yourself.
Finally, I ended the weekend watching a movie (Pope John
A new resources has been added to the Resources page: E5 Men
Here is a bit about E5 Men from their site:
The e5 Man fasts for his bride to imitate Jesus as described by Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5 (for which e5 is named). Fasting is eating only bread and water.
Jesus made a bodily sacrifice on the cross for His Bride the Church to present her to God the Father “without spot or wrinkle.” (Eph 5:27) By fasting for our earthly bride and joining our sufferings to Christ’s we intercede for grace for our brides. At the same time our act of bodily love in union with Christ accelerates our own conversion.
By making this sacrifice for the women in our lives we live out the essence of the gospel through a very particular act of self denial. To lay down one’s body out of love for another is the central message of the gospel.
Register as an e5 Man. Click here.
If you have other resources you would like to suggest, please leave a comment.
By Rob Kaiser on August 24th, 2009 | Category: Masculinity, ReviewsThe The Art of Manliness is a website that frequently has information that Catholic Dads may want to review. It doesn’t claim to be Catholic, but it does speak to being a gentleman and provide practical advice about things men have known in previous generations but are not being taught now. Here is an excerpt from their latest article in the Relationship & Family section – I left out the best parts here so you will check it out there.
How to Apologize Like a Man
“I’m sorry.” Two simple words and yet two of the hardest to say. We easily utter them in response to trivial matters like accidentally jostling a stranger on the subway or giving the cashier the wrong change. Yet in important matters and to those who mean the most to us, we can find ourselves practically choking on the words. But the inability to apologize can critically wound all of our relationships, from home to work. Learning how to properly apologize is a necessary step in moving from boy to man.
By Aaron on August 2nd, 2009 | Category: Reviews
Here’s a great new initiative from the Knights of Columbus called Fathers for Good. While I am a “lapsed” Knight (meaning only that I’ve moved since the last time I attended and have not found a new council and paid new dues), I try to keep up on the programs the Knights put out. This one seems to be perfect for today’s society. We need good fathers. We need to support one another in being good fathers, and this is a way to give people the formation and support they need. This is a no-brainer for those on Catholic Dads. Check it out.
Cross-posted from Catholic Manhood.
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Angels in the Waters
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