Ziggy Stardust + SRV = An Awesome Near Miss (Music for Mondays)

I've always liked David Bowie, even when I couldn't stand to look at him at times. The Ziggy Stardust look was interesting, no? But man, Space Oddity is great, and so is Suffragette City, We Could Be Heroes, Jean Genie and lots, lots more. Bowie was looking for a new sound in the early 1980's and he stumbled upon a blues guitarist who caught his ear at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982. Stevie, needing to eat, signed on with Bowie and cut the album, though later he opted out of touring to promote it.

Pray For Anu Garg? You Betcha!

Remember me and my pal Anu Garg? We went around the block a few times. Well unlike all the other times I've posted about him and his A.Word.A.Day website, this time my hat is off to him. Maybe caught wind of today's readings.

Catholic Blogger Goes Missing In Action...

And there are several reasons why:

Reason #10. It's September 24th, which means it's only 5 weeks until Halloween! Time for my youngest to get outfitted for the event. Let me present Jango Fett, the father of Boba Fett. Bounty hunting: it's the growth family business of the future. Henchmen lackies of the world...UNITE!

A Modest Proposal: Treat Priests Like Officers, Not Like Corporate CEO's

"Soldier, shut up and soldier!"

That's one of my favorite lines from Robert Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers. You might remember that it was made into a campy, sci-fi cult movie back in the late 1990's.

Because This Makes Me Speechless

And to whom have ye likened me, or made me equal, saith the Holy One? Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these things: who bringeth out their host by number, and calleth them all by their names: by the greatness of his might, and strength, and power, not one of them was missing. (Isaiah 40:24-25)

The awesomeness of the above photograph cannot be denied. That's the latest shot taken by the Cassini probe to Saturn (and her moons). I just saw it on Yahoo! and had to share it with you.

Because the Church is Paradoxically Intolerant and Tolerant

This isn't the first post I've written on paradoxes of the Catholic faith, nor will it be the last. Remember the one on the Church being paradoxically consistent (and vice versa)? Or how about the one on the "Master of Paradoxes," St. John of the Cross? Like a bull through a china shop, I've again let the cat out of the bag with a title that says everything that I'm about to share with you on the modern "virtue" of tolerance.

For Your Holiday Friday Night at the Movies: Soul Surfer

Are you ready for Summer to be over and for the kids to head back to school? Well guess what. My kids have been back in school since 3 weeks ago. Ugh! But just like the kids who don't start school until after Labor Day, their consolation is a long weekend now.

The Fig Harvest Begins!

‎And Amos answered and said to Amasias:"I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet: but I am a herdsman plucking wild figs."

Ok, so they're cultivated in my case. Either way, here at Casa del Weathers, it's harvest time! The storm damaged baby tree (5 years old) came through in a big way. God is good!

For Thoughts from the Guide for Catechists, With a Little Help From My Friends

The next time the Easter Vigil rolls around, I will have been a Catholic 4 full years. But those of you who have followed my conversion story know that I sat in the pews with my wife, and later with my children, for close to 18 years, and that I started exploring the faith in earnest in the Fall of 2006.

Eventually, around the Summer of 2007, I read The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton's conversion story that was published in 1948. It turns out that 1948 is also the year that Lou Tseng-Tsiang published his Ways of Confucius and of Christ, and his friend John C. H. Wu published his From Confucianism to Catholicism a year later in 1949. More on this synchronicity shortly.

Because of a Marine in Charge of Justice and Peace

Originally published on February 10, 2010.

Before I was a Catholic, yet seriously considering  the idea of becoming one, my wife made a suggestion to me.  My daughter was preparing for her First Communion and while the children were being prepared, there was someone speaking to the parents in the parish hall in the interim.  My wife said he was a very good speaker and that I might enjoy what this person had to say. I was dubious, to say the least.

Recognizing Grace in a Manual Transmission

This past week, I've been on vacation. Actually, it's been a "stay-cation," with me working on little projects around the house. The repairs to our home after the hail damage (from the storms back in April) needed to be managed as well. And then there was my car.

Because of the Protestant Reformers Beliefs On Mary

Another Marian post as we are ten days from the Feast of the Assumption. This one was first published back in December of last year.

Back when I first joined YIMCatholic, I was going to write posts about my conversion. I hammered out seven posts in pretty rapid succession and then, I stopped writing them until recently.

Many of my posts now are simply my observations of the world which are colored through the lens of a convert to Catholicism. It would be difficult for them not to be. Other posts I've written are of the "look what I just found!" variety, and the "I want to share this with you" type. Call them the discovery posts if you will.

To Visit Provence Again, As A Catholic

It's the Feast of St. Martha, you know, "the Dragonslayer" today. Yes, you read that right. Father Steve of Word on Fire has a few words about that and they prompted me to dust this off and bring it to the top today. Enjoy!

I ate at a McDonald's in Avignon once. I like to see how Mickey D's adapts to local tastes abroad. My wife and I also walked around the streets briefly too, before we had to get back on the tour bus that was taking us from Nice to the Burgundy country. See, we rewarded ourselves with a European trip after we graduated from college. It was the Summer of 1993.

Would You Believe for the Fallible Facepalm?

So we were driving to Mass this past Sunday, like we've done every Sunday since forever. Listening to the radio, with the kids riding in the back, something prompted my wife and I to start naming off the Seven Sacraments.

To Renew My Inmost Being and Put on the New Man

Have you noticed how tough life is? It's hard enough to make it on your own, but try living the Christian life fully and the delusion that doing so is easy should have already crashed down upon you like a Summer thunder storm. That is, if you are giving it your all.

Thoughts on Obedience and Reading Maps without Guidance

Today, while make the rounds around the blogger neighborhood, I saw a great quote on a subject that is not near and dear to the heart of modern mankind: obedience. Deacon Greg Kandra shared the thoughts of a modern saint on the subject,

Because Christ is In Every Book of the Bible

Interestingly, I missed this video (below) last week when Deacon Greg Kandra ran it over at his place. Maybe there is a reason for that. You see, earlier this week some friends of mine got into a discussion regarding books of the Bible.

A Contrarian Way To Invest Like A Catholic

See what I discovered: God made man simple, but they get lost in their many thoughts. " -Ecclesiastes 7:29

Let Me Tell You About "Herding Dogs"

Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf 

Without a strong master, they are worthless. Destructive. Bored. Good for nothing but trouble. These descriptions, for those who have owned (or do own) herding dogs, would be the end of this post. Their experience with dogs like these would make the truth of these statements self-evident. Frank knows herding dogs.

A Reply to a Scold from a Priest Regarding the Corapi Kerfuffle

—Feast of the Holy Trinity  

I hadn't intended to write another word about John Corapi. In fact, I even closed off the comments in my recent post and left readers links to follow the story so I could just enjoy my Father's Day in peace. That was the plan, anyway.

But I received an e-mail this morning from a Catholic priest upset over my "Mr. Corpai Goes. I Stay" post. As you will find in the sidebar, I subscribe to the well known Welborn Protocol when it comes to correspondence. So here is the note in it's entirety followed by my reply.