tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13402139167898944022024-03-05T05:30:35.940-08:00For Catholic WomenAs Catholic women, our own personal journeys continue. It is one where the Catholic roots we were planted on can create a foundation we can and should embrace with passion. Together, let us learn to understand how our personal experiences are necessary for our spiritual growth. And let us have a deep desire that the message of Christ’s love will be imparted to every Catholic woman - young and old - today.Editor @ Parishworld.nethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11351018547370080019noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-13212680457825005782016-08-22T03:25:00.000-07:002016-08-22T03:25:35.170-07:00FREE: 365 Day Catholic Devotional<div abp="1372" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="1373" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq-RBkV5sfmHQeRsm3VS_UnZo7mlsizGjeoDXMAVaJT52kNQ-wzMhQDgeV-XLlbM3gWtBEH50txs_HADLmN6tgHmWunq7JirwLcD1pTQDEBW3QM5RBkxC3Ctpf7PTUFp2kaOKH-mYTojh/s1600/Tending+the+Temple+cover+for+Kindle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1374" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq-RBkV5sfmHQeRsm3VS_UnZo7mlsizGjeoDXMAVaJT52kNQ-wzMhQDgeV-XLlbM3gWtBEH50txs_HADLmN6tgHmWunq7JirwLcD1pTQDEBW3QM5RBkxC3Ctpf7PTUFp2kaOKH-mYTojh/s200/Tending+the+Temple+cover+for+Kindle.JPG" width="120" /></a></div>
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When Kevin Vost, Peggy Bowes and Shane Kapler got together to compose a Catholic devotional, the market was already flooded! But these three Catholics are known for their unique blend of Catholic health and wellness for mind AND body; soul AND spirit.</div>
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As a guest on EWTN's Journey Home, Peggy Bowes had one of the most watched episodes. Likewise, Vost has shared his story on air and in print. Kapler, whose knowledge in the Jewish faith as the foundation of the Catholic faith, brought a unique perspective as well.</div>
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Thus, <a abp="1380" href="https://www.amazon.com/Tending-Temple-spiritual-physical-devotions-ebook/dp/B005I570VY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471860898&sr=8-1&keywords=vost+tending+the+temple#nav-subnav">Tending the Temple</a> was born. A popular Catholic devotional, <a abp="1381" href="https://www.amazon.com/Tending-Temple-spiritual-physical-devotions-ebook/dp/B005I570VY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471860898&sr=8-1&keywords=vost+tending+the+temple#nav-subnav">Tending the Temple</a> really covers it all in succinct daily entries that offer something for mind, body, soul and spirit.</div>
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For a limited time, <a abp="1384" href="https://www.amazon.com/Tending-Temple-spiritual-physical-devotions-ebook/dp/B005I570VY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471860898&sr=8-1&keywords=vost+tending+the+temple#nav-subnav">Tending the Temple is free on Amazon</a>. Take advantage and enjoy!</div>
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And may God bless you with health of mind, body, soul and spirit.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-36267812357742992362016-06-28T05:34:00.000-07:002016-06-28T05:34:00.894-07:00The Best Catholic Books You Haven't Read...Or Colored!<div abp="188" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="189" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-pdOS2ScXhC0Dhz7AhWaoYh7_GINTdCerwFS8YqlB7dpJp5YQDgxX9XZIhqnjDDsLHPvNlQ4EQ5iRHdXiPHbG4f-g29K_KCqza5O-lafD-44dbLyrk3QRohmKO5N8xTVO628Ai8eI2UH/s1600/front-cvr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="190" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-pdOS2ScXhC0Dhz7AhWaoYh7_GINTdCerwFS8YqlB7dpJp5YQDgxX9XZIhqnjDDsLHPvNlQ4EQ5iRHdXiPHbG4f-g29K_KCqza5O-lafD-44dbLyrk3QRohmKO5N8xTVO628Ai8eI2UH/s200/front-cvr.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>
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Lots of adults are returning to their childhood roots and have taken up coloring. It is soothing, it is even healing. <a abp="338" href="https://www.amazon.com/Stations-Cross-Adult-Coloring-Book/dp/1936453347/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467116768&sr=8-1&keywords=mulderink+coloring">Stations of the Cross: An Adult Coloring Book</a> brings it all together: beautiful renderings by Fr. KyNam are accompanied by Scripture and prayers written by Kathryn Mulerink OCDS. </div>
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Speaking of healing...Dr. Helen Scieszka's mission is healing. The hurts she heals aren't the ones we see--or often even know exist. They are the emotional wounds that haunt us. The wounds that we push deep down and do our best to ignore. Yet, despite our best efforts, they really do affect us on a daily basis. Like a broken leg left untended, our emotional wounds cause us to limp through life. </div>
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But that doesn't have to be the case and Dr. Helen has gathered up her experience in her practice and put pen to paper to offer a trilogy that, deep within the pages, offers hope and healing to all of us.</div>
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<a abp="395" href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-Girl-Lost-Found/dp/1936453304/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467116253&sr=8-1&keywords=helen+little+girl+lost">The Little Girl Lost, Little Girl Found trilogy</a> is meant to be a piece of the slow, gentle, loving healing that so many of us need.</div>
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Or maybe you are an Alpha male looking for ways to reclaim your masculinity within the Catholic faith. The two aren't mutually exclusive and <a abp="452" href="https://www.amazon.com/Man-Up-Becoming-Catholic-Renaissance-ebook/dp/B00JAQ7OH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467117069&sr=8-1&keywords=zimmerer+man+up#nav-subnav">Jared Zimmerer's Man Up!</a> shows us that in his critically acclaimed book which has been featured on EWTN.</div>
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For more excellent Catholic books from devotionals to award-winning fiction, visit <a abp="139" href="http://www.bezalelbooks.com/">www.BezalelBooks.com</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-53226825065977645942016-04-07T02:30:00.003-07:002016-04-07T02:30:50.775-07:00God's Recklessness<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There are a lot of words we use to describe God and his mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">God is generous and kind. His mercy is endless, boundless and limitless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We use words like faithful, agape and constant when we think of his love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One word that has never, ever come to my mind (and maybe not yours either) when I think of God is "reckless." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So Fr. B. had my attention this past Sunday--Divine Mercy Sunday--when he spoke of God as being reckless. I mean he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> had my attention. I tend to love homilies as they sort of wash over me and refresh my spirit, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">God is reckless in his mercy? </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yep, that's what Fr. B. said: God is reckless in his mercy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I absolutely loved where Fr. went with this idea of God's recklessness. It made sense to me. It captured my imagination as I thought of my great God being so reckless in his mercy that he gives it to me unabashedly, recklessly. After all, I can do anything with it. I can accept it. I can reject it. I can toy with it, even. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Reckless. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">God's reckless mercy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I like it. He's not thinking about the consequences of his actions when he showers me with mercy. He hasn't wait until I'm well-prepared to receive his mercy. There are no strings attached. Just willy-nilly, God offers me mercy. Undeserved, unearned. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Reckless. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It occurs to me rather quickly that God asks me to be reckless too. Reckless in offering love and kindness and mercy and forgiveness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Today maybe God is asking us all to be a little reckless!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-44273379450391972592016-04-07T02:30:00.001-07:002016-04-07T02:30:04.264-07:00Man Up! on EWTN this week<span abp="187" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><div abp="255" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span abp="187" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a abp="256" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglb-FF1TXbZDYFLVzMRCwio8PlO53hiw-s5A1sKd3J7FgeXu0RtedcSdjGVA1oDnDpZBTlVyRu2VACRhzR9EN_BKih0Ydkc6fdu5FW5Cg5mKEGhEJ0IWIKi21AmNy7SP9KbMPsrIqTImgz/s1600/Final+Front+Cover+Man+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="257" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglb-FF1TXbZDYFLVzMRCwio8PlO53hiw-s5A1sKd3J7FgeXu0RtedcSdjGVA1oDnDpZBTlVyRu2VACRhzR9EN_BKih0Ydkc6fdu5FW5Cg5mKEGhEJ0IWIKi21AmNy7SP9KbMPsrIqTImgz/s200/Final+Front+Cover+Man+Up.jpg" width="136" /></a></span></div>
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<span abp="189" style="font-family: "georgia";">Jared Zimmerer, author of Ten Commandments of Lifting Weights and <a abp="516" href="http://www.amazon.com/Man-Becoming-New-Catholic-Renaissance/dp/1936453169/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1460021131&sr=8-2&keywords=jared+zimmerer">Man Up! Becoming The New Catholic Renaissance Man</a> is currently on <a abp="460" href="http://www.womenofgrace.com/en-us/media/tv/details.aspx?id=1296">EWTN's Women of Grace television series with Johnnette Benkovic in a 5-part series about Catholic men</a>. </span></div>
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<a abp="628" href="http://www.amazon.com/Man-Becoming-New-Catholic-Renaissance/dp/1936453169/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1460021131&sr=8-2&keywords=jared+zimmerer">Man Up! Becoming The New Catholic Renaissance Man</a> received honorable mention in the 2015 Catholic Press Awards for Gender Issues and speaks well to the dilemma facing men in general today. The ideas of heroism, virtuous living, and recognizing and honoring what masculinity truly is are central to Jared's work. </div>
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Jared himself has wide appeal as both a man of intellect and a man of physical strength. He builds his body as well as his spirit and in that way walks the talk quite well. Contributors to <a abp="572" href="http://www.amazon.com/Man-Becoming-New-Catholic-Renaissance/dp/1936453169/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1460021131&sr=8-2&keywords=jared+zimmerer">Man Up!</a> include Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Kevin Lowry, Kevin Vost and other great voices for our times. The foreword is offered by Fr. Dwight Longenecker. </div>
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<a abp="404" href="http://www.womenofgrace.com/en-us/media/tv/details.aspx?id=1296">The Women of Grace episodes</a> are available to watch online if you aren't able to catch them on EWTN. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-14387733166661907822015-08-22T02:19:00.002-07:002015-08-22T02:19:27.434-07:00The Rosary Workout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8weYAAwEaSavUKjPnkJCOP2sHKxFHEdcc1BmSXiWw5SJ46iVNOLcVf6Lygyh-pXxnNpNAobsCAHG-gP-Ray2vQ_PnztKDk0awrPcyR9hThz4GJ84KGsYz29uzvMq3jzcdH5E6UxNFuusg/s1600/Cover+art+for+Rosary+Workout.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8weYAAwEaSavUKjPnkJCOP2sHKxFHEdcc1BmSXiWw5SJ46iVNOLcVf6Lygyh-pXxnNpNAobsCAHG-gP-Ray2vQ_PnztKDk0awrPcyR9hThz4GJ84KGsYz29uzvMq3jzcdH5E6UxNFuusg/s320/Cover+art+for+Rosary+Workout.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">An inspiring, eye-opening interview with Peggy Bowes, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rosary-Workout-Peggy-Bowes/dp/0982338864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440234867&sr=8-1&keywords=rosary+workout+bowes"><i>The Rosary Workout,</i></a> on Catholic health and wellness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">(What would you say is the most important benefit to exercise? The “Catholic” answer may surprise you!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Give us a bit of background about yourself and your experience in the world of health and wellness.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">First and foremost, I define myself as a devout Catholic wife and mother. My primary goal in life is to get to heaven and to help as many people as I can to do the same.<span style="color: #00b0f0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">My career as a health and wellness specialist began while I was in the Air Force. I proudly served my country as an instructor pilot, but I became pregnant with my son and was no longer able to fly. I was reassigned to the Health and Wellness Center due to my experience as an aerobics instructor and personal trainer, and I truly enjoyed counseling Air Force members and their families and inspiring them to live a healthier lifestyle. I was blessed to be able to separate from the Air Force to stay home with my children. When they started school, I established a business administering metabolic and athletic performance (VO2) testing, with an emphasis on weight loss counseling and exercise program design.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">I was inspired to combine my passion for exercise with my devotion to the Rosary by creating a unique exercise program called <i>The Rosary Workout.</i>Through this book and my other writings, I hope to lead more people to heaven and to help them enjoy a healthy lifestyle so as to best carry out their earthly vocations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Explain your own philosophy and approach to health and wellness.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">I believe that the best way to live a healthy lifestyle is to incorporate healthy habits, one at a time, until they become second nature. Too often people make the mistake of trying to make dramatic changes and then become discouraged when they fail to meet unrealistic expectations. Instead, focus on creating one new habit every month or so. Here are a few ideas: If you don’t exercise, start with just 10 minutes, twice a week. Do you drink a lot of soda? Substitute water as often as possible. Are you trying to eat more fruits and vegetables? Make it a goal to add one more serving each day. If you’re always tired, set a timer to ensure you get to bed 15 minutes early each night. By making small changes, one at a time, you will set yourself up for success in the long run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">What would you say is the most important aspect of health and wellness?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Definitely commitment.I have counseled so many people who want to live a healthier lifestyle but expect it to happen magically, without any effort on their part. You have to first decide that you are ready to make these changes, then you must set specific goals, create a plan to meet them, and take action. If you state your goal as “I want to get in shape and lose weight,” then you have not quantified your expectations, and it will be difficult to meet them. A better goal would be “I want to lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks by exercising 3 days a week for 20 minutes and keeping a journal to track my daily food intake.” This type of goal sets you up to succeed because you have a time frame, a concrete goal, and tools to meet it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">What do you see as the most significant benefit of exercise?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">It’s hard to choose just one benefit! Exercise is the closest thing we have to a “magic pill.” It builds and m healthy muscles, bones, and joints. It decreases </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">anxiety and depression and improves psychological well-being. Regular exercise enhances work, recreation, and sport performance and improves the quality of sleep. It reduces triglyceride levels (fat in the blood) and increases HDL levels (good cholesterol). </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Exercise is powerful preventative medicine. It reduces the risks of and helps </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, and Type 2 diabetes to name a few.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">That said, I think that the most significant benefit of exercise is that it helps a person to best carry out his or her vocation, whether it be wife and mother, priest or religious, business executive or custodian. If you take the time and effort to exercise, you will be rewarded with more energy and enthusiasm to meet the demands of your daily life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">I think the biggest complaint that I hear is not having enough time to exercise. Yet most people take time to watch TV, check Facebook, surf the web, shop and engage in other pursuits that could easily be limited or avoided, at least occasionally. Exercise does not have to be a long, drawn out process. Anyone can put on a comfortable pair of shoes and walk for 10-15 minutes without having to purchase special equipment, drive to a gym, or arrange for child care. If you have children, take them with you! Certainly most people can find 10-15 minutes for exercise just 3-4 days a week. Keep a journal of how you spend your time for a week, and I bet you will be able to find several places where you can convert unproductive time into time for exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">The same time crunch problem prevents most people from eating a healthy diet. It seems easier to grab a pizza or go through the drive-through, but those types of foods actually sap energy and contribute to weight gain. Instead, use some down time to research recipes that are easy to put together and use ingredients you can keep on hand. I call these recipes my “911 dinners” because they are simple and usually involve just a can opener or frozen vegetables, enabling me to cook a healthy meal in the same time it would take to wait for a pizza. Also, a crock pot or slow cooker and a few good recipes can ensure that you come home to a healthy meal at the end of a busy day. I find time on the weekend to plan a week’s worth of meals and shop for the ingredients. This ends up saving me time in the long run, and my family can look forward to spending our evenings eating a healthy meal and connecting at the end of a busy day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">What have been some of your own obstacles in your personal goals towards health and wellness?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Oh, I do get lazy now and then and decide I’d rather sit on the couch and eat ice cream than go for a run. I definitely have a sweet tooth! I fall into the same traps as everyone else when it comes to finding time to exercise and eat healthy foods. What gets me back on track is that I truly miss exercising and find that my body just doesn’t feel right when I skip my workouts. My muscles ache, my energy level drops, and I don’t sleep as well. This motivates me to make the effort to fit exercise back in my schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">My husband and I joke about having a “veggie low light” that comes on when we have been indulging too much in unhealthy food choices. Even my children will complain if we’re on vacation and have been eating out too much. They once asked me, “Can we just go home so you can make some oatmeal and stir fry with lots of vegetables?” A lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle certainly involves a few detours, but you will find that you truly miss the benefits of your efforts and will take the time to re-establish your healthy habits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">7.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">What have been some of your biggest personal achievements in your own exercise program?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">I admit that I’m proud of my participation in triathlons, adventure races, circus performances, etc., as well as my sense of adventure in trying new sports and activities.Yet I receive the most satisfaction from the fact that my teenage son and daughter both exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet and understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle. I am glad that my husband and I took the time and effort to educate our children and to provide positive role models for healthy living.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">8.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">What sort of dreams do you have for the Catholic health and wellness arena?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">I am really excited that more Catholics are writing about the combination of prayer and exercise. Dr. Kevin Vost is a dear friend and author of a great book on combining virtue and weight training called <i>Fit For Eternal Life</i>. In fact, Dr. Vost and I, along with Shane Kapler, wrote a unique devotional combining saint biographies and daily exercises to grow “fit in faith” in a book called <i>Tending the Temple</i>. Another informative book on this topic is <i>Ten Commandments of Lifting Weights</i> by Jared Zimmer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">I would love to see retreats and seminars focused on helping Catholics care for their “Temples of the Holy Spirit” through regular exercise in a way that emphasizes that our bodies are gifts from God that require an effort on our part to maintain. Taking time to care for the body God gave you is not selfish or vain unless taken to an extreme. Unfortunately, many Catholics avoid exercise because of the way it is sexualized and promoted in the media. Additionally, some Catholics seek out New Age exercises like yoga and Tai Chi, which focus on self and emptying the mind. My dream is for Catholics to learn to use the rhythm of exercise to help fill their minds with Truth by meditating on the Gospels. We can then <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>be better equipped to carry out our vocations on earth with fit and healthy bodies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">9.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">If there was one piece of advice you would give, what would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">Don’t be so hard on yourself! I have seen many otherwise confident and self-assured adults break down in tears over their perceived failures in maintaining an exercise routine or healthy diet. Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say. Instead, focus on your success and keep a journal to discover what helps you to stay on track as well as what takes you off course. Don’t forget to harness the power of prayer. There are a number of athletic saints to serve as patrons and intercessors such as St. Gianna, St. Teresa of the Andes, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, and Pope Blessed John Paul II. Ask them to help and inspire you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">10.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">How can you be contacted for speaking events and presentations on Catholic health and wellness?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">I can also be contacted through my email, </span><a href="mailto:peggybowes@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">peggybowes@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">. I always enjoy meeting new people and inspiring others to share my passion for combining fitness and faith. The Rosary Workout is available in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rosary-Workout-Peggy-Bowes-ebook/dp/B007Z3QV80/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1440234867&sr=8-1">Kindle</a> and in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rosary-Workout-Peggy-Bowes/dp/0982338864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440234867&sr=8-1&keywords=rosary+workout+bowes">Paperback</a> and really can be used as a personal exercise program or one to do with a few friends!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13pt;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rp94E6dwnM">Peggy on Marcus Grodi's Journey Home</a>)</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-21885498324712781562015-08-05T02:29:00.000-07:002015-08-05T02:29:00.964-07:00Women's Study with all the Pieces<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu31wL5F6r2kVuZ2pJgcs0Wvy0QoeUqxGJgt_A5gkxSoAlAmqtrvXtL0-QQV9yM4zSwbEaH4Tu_ZuyzTqfcO_WKYxxi5QR6rbAbphqzTSED2gE5QbhBi8v9N82-bkSxpcSz13whSQqr5d/s1600/Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu31wL5F6r2kVuZ2pJgcs0Wvy0QoeUqxGJgt_A5gkxSoAlAmqtrvXtL0-QQV9yM4zSwbEaH4Tu_ZuyzTqfcO_WKYxxi5QR6rbAbphqzTSED2gE5QbhBi8v9N82-bkSxpcSz13whSQqr5d/s200/Journal.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
Looking for a woman's study for your small (or large) group but not sure where to start?<br />
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What I've learned over the years of conducting bible and women's studies has been gathered into the women's study <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Up-Gods-Gifts-Women/dp/1616364335/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438766203&sr=8-1&keywords=gods+ten+gifts+for+women+tomeo">Wrapped Up: God's Ten Gifts for Women. </a><br />
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Whether you are new to women's studies or well-versed, you will enjoy the Servant Books publication of W<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Up-Gods-Gifts-Women/dp/1616364335/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438766203&sr=8-1&keywords=gods+ten+gifts+for+women+tomeo">rapped Up: God's Ten Gifts for Women</a>. It has all the pieces that make it an ideal choice.<br />
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There is the book itself which explores the ten gifts God gives every woman. These include such things as living a sacramental life, forgiveness and accepting God's love. Other important gifts that women are encouraged to explore include the gift of self and sisters in faith. Each chapter is explored from an Old Testament perspective and a New Testament perspective. (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Up-Gods-Gifts-Women-ebook/dp/B009KBL6TY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1438766203&sr=8-1">The book is also available on Kindle.)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Up-Companion-Journal-Gifts/dp/1616364882/ref=pd_bxgy_14_text_y">The accompanying journal </a>gives general instructions on running a study (small or large) and encourages every woman to explore the gifts in-depth.<br />
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What makes this a particularly enjoyable study is that there is also an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Up-Gods-Gifts-Women/dp/161636470X/ref=tmm_abk_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1438766203&sr=8-1">audio component</a> where you can hear each author (Teresa Tomeo and myself) read her chapter. A nice way to use this is play the audio for the group and then let the Spirit move the conversation that surely follows.<br />
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As August winds into September and you or your friends begin looking for the perfect woman's study, I am sure you will find <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Up-Gods-Gifts-Women/dp/1616364335/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438766203&sr=8-1&keywords=gods+ten+gifts+for+women+tomeo">Wrapped Up: God's Ten Gifts for Women</a> to be the perfect answer.<br />
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God bless you on your journey.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-52207251497336940852015-07-06T02:35:00.001-07:002015-07-06T02:35:38.251-07:00Time Travelling Priest Now On Kindle And Nook!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">T<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Father-Capranica-Mysteries-Stories-Supernatural/dp/1936453312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435165550&sr=8-1&keywords=driscoll+capranica&pebp=1435165553993&perid=1PH5S5ETDP6BM9523XDN">he Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange and Supernatural </a>by Fr. Mike Driscoll is now available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Father-Capranica-Mysteries-Stories-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00ZD6UAII/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1435165550">Kindle</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/capranica-driscoll?keyword=capranica+driscoll&store=nookstore">Nook</a>. Driscoll's fiction book is an excellent accompaniment to his non-fiction book Demons, Deliverance and Discernment. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-76396316175880448682015-06-11T01:28:00.001-07:002015-06-11T01:28:32.579-07:00A Time-Travelling Priest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCzPgMPbb3hK1KTPcEAocboeVn9pFSJXsDsevhs8lg_4GqzJ4OMAtGkFOrh0SgyHFYJ8n5F8bwgzQmKUOQnyzHbKslsUlvT4Ou-rrRNU4g-rUzkFvvrNb2Z8fHZ4l_n0cxzlk54t2RbAH/s1600/Fr++Mike+Driscoll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCzPgMPbb3hK1KTPcEAocboeVn9pFSJXsDsevhs8lg_4GqzJ4OMAtGkFOrh0SgyHFYJ8n5F8bwgzQmKUOQnyzHbKslsUlvT4Ou-rrRNU4g-rUzkFvvrNb2Z8fHZ4l_n0cxzlk54t2RbAH/s200/Fr++Mike+Driscoll.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
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Who better to write about a time-travelling priest than a priest?</div>
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And who better to write about the strange and supernatural than a priest whose doctoral dissertation was entitled<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> <i>How Catholic exorcists distinguish between demon possession and mental disorders</i>?</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Father-Capranica-Mysteries-Stories-Supernatural/dp/1936453312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433959672&sr=8-1&keywords=capranica+driscoll&pebp=1433959674504&perid=5BDE9961E4004157A1E0">The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange andSupernatural</a> by Father Mike Driscoll is the newest title at Bezalel Books—and one we are quite excited to offer! Always looking for a great fiction book that can also educate, Driscoll’s book hits the mark on all fronts. It engages, entertains and educates.</div>
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Even if you aren’t drawn to the strange and supernatural—but especially is you are—Driscoll deftly weaves these elements into 10 short stories that will draw you in to learn more, all the while resolving the strange and supernatural in a faith-based and satisfying way.</div>
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The Father Capranica Mysteries is a great read and we’re honored to offer it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Father-Capranica-Mysteries-Stories-Supernatural/dp/1936453312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433959672&sr=8-1&keywords=capranica+driscoll&pebp=1433959674504&perid=5BDE9961E4004157A1E0">paperback</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Father-Capranica-Mysteries-Stories-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00ZD6UAII/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1433959181&sr=8-9&keywords=cheryl+dickow&pebp=1433959196349&perid=8CEDC5C59E764263A9E2">e-book</a> format.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-18562730781892235442015-05-28T01:38:00.002-07:002015-05-28T01:38:43.232-07:00Stories of the Strange and Supernatural <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83dsNH5rwP8Poi9ugOWCsSZO82ZUNWkwo6hLQgOY41vMSxICoQWXfZ2y7Gb9kMNtDG7PTV_mXvOJsOg8wBrvPKMT5N4w-E3UJB6PJo8Gfd4AhsuByBA98s1HMALXLM5ioC7g1uZWrsxDn/s1600/Front+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83dsNH5rwP8Poi9ugOWCsSZO82ZUNWkwo6hLQgOY41vMSxICoQWXfZ2y7Gb9kMNtDG7PTV_mXvOJsOg8wBrvPKMT5N4w-E3UJB6PJo8Gfd4AhsuByBA98s1HMALXLM5ioC7g1uZWrsxDn/s320/Front+Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Fr. Mike Driscoll's new fiction book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Father-Capranica-Mysteries-Stories-Supernatural/dp/1936453312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432801750&sr=8-1&keywords=fr+capranica+mysteries+driscoll">The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange and Supernatural</a></i> is now available. Delving into his dissertation on Catholic exorcism, Driscoll's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Father-Capranica-Mysteries-Stories-Supernatural/dp/1936453312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432801750&sr=8-1&keywords=fr+capranica+mysteries+driscoll">Father Capranica Mysteries </a>is sure to please fans and those curious about the "strange and supernatural." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Fr. Mike Driscoll is a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, IL. He was ordained in 1992; has been pastor of several parishes; and is currently serving as chaplain of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Ottawa, IL. He has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in Moral Theology from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">His doctoral dissertation is entitled “How Catholic exorcists distinguish between demon possession and mental disorders.” His non-fiction book on the subject of spirit possession, Demons, Deliverance, and Discernment, is published by Catholic Answers.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-45301217570627094232014-11-17T02:29:00.001-08:002014-11-17T02:29:03.281-08:00Don't Let This Upcoming Advent Slip Through Your Fingers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0FE4pCdbBVwAEDrqil4P2GuqGBoLcnoguCyp_giminhBxIYDLyJWUNJdRZIWTEwDVGJbMlVQt5-HC-zH4JaDTKF11v8QLUnA5xVuKXlvJk2XyuC3zFc8xl0DUP0DJ1ReUH9KUzNSA4uA/s1600/Bouguereau_Madonna_Child_Jesus_John_Baptist_II_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0FE4pCdbBVwAEDrqil4P2GuqGBoLcnoguCyp_giminhBxIYDLyJWUNJdRZIWTEwDVGJbMlVQt5-HC-zH4JaDTKF11v8QLUnA5xVuKXlvJk2XyuC3zFc8xl0DUP0DJ1ReUH9KUzNSA4uA/s1600/Bouguereau_Madonna_Child_Jesus_John_Baptist_II_detail.jpg" height="320" width="254" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Did you ever notice that the Advent season seems to come and go in the blink of an eye? All of a sudden you find yourself at Christmas Mass wondering how your time to prepare for Christ so easily slipped through your fingers.<br /><br />Darn! You had promised yourself that <i>this</i> Advent would be different. You wouldn’t be caught by surprise, <i>yet again</i>! You bought Advent prayer books and an Advent wreath kit. You had great intentions to make this Advent season very different from last.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">However, that doesn’t have to be the case. You can make the conscious choice—right here, right now—to stop in your busy tracks and embrace the coming season of Advent; and its purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Advent is a season of preparing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you have ever entertained guests, or even made the slightest effort to get ready for any company, you will see how those experiences lend themselves well to your own groundwork this Advent to invite Christ to dwell within your heart—and thus truly be ready for His second coming.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bezalelbooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/dont-let-this-upcoming-advent-slip-by.html">read more here</a></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-49926656107285665942014-11-06T02:44:00.002-08:002014-11-06T02:44:26.486-08:00What Angels Are...And Are Not<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ8xakVBoY0QpxDZeDosdZ1M2jMKsO6AcSr-oXVv8LXS8JkcgxGH8aIxHbjhWXNfDwp_7QT_elvES3bjVjmPfxFDycUhyphenhyphenFuCGKMvcjc77idd-kE8p-pvYyKnrv61iLavQK2d6-2T0UJLA/s1600/gabriel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ8xakVBoY0QpxDZeDosdZ1M2jMKsO6AcSr-oXVv8LXS8JkcgxGH8aIxHbjhWXNfDwp_7QT_elvES3bjVjmPfxFDycUhyphenhyphenFuCGKMvcjc77idd-kE8p-pvYyKnrv61iLavQK2d6-2T0UJLA/s1600/gabriel.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There isn’t anyone among us who hasn’t enjoyed a Christmas movie wherein an angel earns his or her wings. We love to hear the bell jingle because at that moment we know that heaven’s angel population has increased by one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As much as those movies endear themselves to us, the fact is, the angel population neither increases nor decreases over time. But it does make those of us interested in angels sit up and take notice—and want to learn more about these heavenly creatures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What are they?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who are they?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why are they?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Angels are spirits created by God (Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:14).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They are the invisible created things that have a hierarchy. These invisible created things are spirits meant to serve those who are to inherit salvation—fallen man who now freely chooses Christ. This establishes our relationship with angels in that they are to help us in ways that we may not fully know or understand; however, we shouldn’t be trying to discover how to boss them around or manipulate them! They are meant to help us usher our souls into an eternity with God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bezalelbooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-angels-areand-are-not.html">read more here</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-16615639449297206962014-11-03T03:04:00.000-08:002014-11-03T03:04:03.347-08:00Preparing Kids to Become Responsible Citizens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauBq3Lx1QWgtVhZa-mKlgMOdn2azuuah2xR-KFd2QDF6RyA87VK9soDUwIRzd5Iiv1-s4eKMYnIYbUDBomqdsCGv-f2AgZ5l8N7SGgXjpKJ4_DCS-2yvb2ag_YoBQyVf8l_f7cz6en3L1/s1600/vote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauBq3Lx1QWgtVhZa-mKlgMOdn2azuuah2xR-KFd2QDF6RyA87VK9soDUwIRzd5Iiv1-s4eKMYnIYbUDBomqdsCGv-f2AgZ5l8N7SGgXjpKJ4_DCS-2yvb2ag_YoBQyVf8l_f7cz6en3L1/s1600/vote.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.5pt;">The following copyrighted excerpt is reprinted with permission from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Things-Guy-Becoming-Matters/dp/0982122268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414838986&sr=8-1&keywords=all+things+guy+dickow">All Things Guy: A Guide to Becoming a Man that Matters</a> written for Catholic boys aged 9-14:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Constantia, serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 14pt;">"Along with patriotism, there is citizenship. You are a citizen of a country. This is what makes you American, Mexican, or French for example. There are a lot of rights and responsibilities that come with citizenship in a country. In many instances, people have died to help obtain the rights and freedoms everyone enjoys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.5pt;">"This is why gratitude to those who are in your history—and obviously knowing about them—is important. Just like there are Catholics who have gone before you in your faith history, so there are county-men who have gone before you in your nation’s history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.5pt;">"However, first and foremost your citizenship is in Heaven. You have a place there because you were baptized. This is your calling—your destiny. Granted, you're not there yet. You have some work to do in order to get there. It began with your baptism and continues each day that you do your best to live for Jesus. Always remember that you have to know, love and serve God before you can become a citizen of Heaven for good! But you can do it if you persevere in this life on earth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Constantia, serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 14pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Constantia, serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 14pt;">"Think about it: in order to be a good citizen here on earth you have responsibilities. As you grow up and become a man, it's important that you learn about your country and what goes on in it. That’ll be part history and part current events. You need to know what happened before—so mistakes don’t have to be made over and over again—and what’s happening now."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Constantia, serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 14pt;"><a href="http://bezalelbooks.com/">www.BezalelBooks.com </a></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-59721090104294526462014-10-10T04:30:00.002-07:002014-10-10T04:30:27.508-07:00A Woman of Faith Ages Gracefully, Right?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGA7QESf5dv2w1ENoP6uGo__T09Kz6LJ4ULJG2paiS9zp4OzTTMqZ2tEzqFYqbD-YuDessIW9BWIaD0-oncQZzxgYkw_ZZKC0YZYH_zxC0-CeaiU6Ukt3gou45wsH7yKF7x2gCxfyTUh-/s1600/Mellefrenchy+Dreamstime.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGA7QESf5dv2w1ENoP6uGo__T09Kz6LJ4ULJG2paiS9zp4OzTTMqZ2tEzqFYqbD-YuDessIW9BWIaD0-oncQZzxgYkw_ZZKC0YZYH_zxC0-CeaiU6Ukt3gou45wsH7yKF7x2gCxfyTUh-/s1600/Mellefrenchy+Dreamstime.com.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">You’ve discovered what it truly means to be “young at heart.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The wrinkles around your mouth and the pouchy jowls have no effect on you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">You see the varicose veins in your legs and feet as a sign of victory—having carried children and lifted the loads of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">You are able to make fun of your bat wings and still wear sleeveless shirts in the summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">That’s what it means to grow old gracefully; it is a sign of maturity of spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Something we attain while we nurture others and as we, ourselves, learn and grow from life’s experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Yeah, not so much…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">My own struggle with getting older has been a quiet one—but a real one. And I don’t get that. As a woman of faith my struggles against aging make me question my faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Shouldn’t I be sort of excited to be on the dark side of 50? Isn’t one step closer to eternity a bigger milestone than the number 60 that looms in the not-too-distant future? Nope. Not at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">So it makes me wonder: What’s up with that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">I went to a Neil Diamond concert a few years ago and all I could think was: </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">What are all these old people doing here?</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Don't get me wrong: I am glad to be alive and yet the reality of facing aging is still very real.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">And I get that some people who are in their 70s think I’m still a babe in the woods; but the fact is, I can’t even call myself “middle aged” unless I can honestly say I think I will live to be around 112 “ish.” Probably not going to happen regardless of how Suzanne Somers spins aging—but I do like her spunk and am very tempted to order her electric-zapping facial contraption (has anyone tried it?).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">In the meantime, I ponder this surprising dilemma more and more and look in the mirror less and less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I’m trying to find the balance between my faith and digging in my heels against time as it flies by—although I do like the idea of the gusts of time pulling back the skin of my face and giving me a more youthful look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Maybe it is a win-win after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.bezalelbooks.com/">www.BezalelBooks.com</a><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">(picture: </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">© Mellefrenchy | Dreamstime.com</span>)</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span></span></h3>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-88216133534143843362014-09-30T02:01:00.002-07:002014-09-30T02:01:50.500-07:00Back By Popular Demand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p2iNXdmyeEAAsR4sSXwR9XukoIYrz7B8RyHkl9HfqGsOf2EA-YmOds790E0K7TKOzy_k_KllLHQHVSnn4cqP3DUmS6c7oxbZmSizlcK8Ub605vFwqQRPuIhE9iuyKhl-EvRK7w7_Pb6x/s1600/2nd+DDFT+COVER+FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p2iNXdmyeEAAsR4sSXwR9XukoIYrz7B8RyHkl9HfqGsOf2EA-YmOds790E0K7TKOzy_k_KllLHQHVSnn4cqP3DUmS6c7oxbZmSizlcK8Ub605vFwqQRPuIhE9iuyKhl-EvRK7w7_Pb6x/s1600/2nd+DDFT+COVER+FINAL.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">"Innovative, insightful, practical, and inspiring! A great gift for teens." +Ronald P. Herzog Diocesan Bishop of Alexandria, Louisiana </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">"If the first few moments of the day set the tone and mood for the rest of the day, then Catherine Brown's words will fill you with energy, optimism, and joy. This work will make you excited to be alive and inspire you to move through the day with greater confidence. A must for anyone who desires to make a difference and live each day to the fullest." B. David Brooks, Pastor Calvary Baptist Church, Alexandria, Louisiana </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">"Putting teens in touch with our God is a remarkable work today! I believe Daily Direction for Teenz is an opportunity for such moments to happen." Sr. Ann Lacour, MSC, Superintendent of Catholic Schools Diocese of Alexandria </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Direction-Teenz-Catherine-Brown/dp/0980048354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412067317&sr=8-1&keywords=daily+direction+for+teenz+brown">Daily Direction for Teenz</a> is back by popular demand so if you are looking for a fun daily devotional for your teen or tween, you won't want to miss this one!</span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-10673404783023185122014-09-27T03:54:00.002-07:002014-09-27T03:54:58.514-07:00Could That Best-Seller be Bad for Your Health?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJwMUtw0jZCN41x4BnN-oVCUI45QjBLcCMyG8rlTk-r2YD3EGL1WHqhleQyuyV_IYpfFxlM36wkgf2c_uB1jTYxM-8Gk22mijstO9xrXY8sc6PTVjD8XHh64rSzC1oXaytsqjqqOxQeZw/s1600/This+is+the+Day+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJwMUtw0jZCN41x4BnN-oVCUI45QjBLcCMyG8rlTk-r2YD3EGL1WHqhleQyuyV_IYpfFxlM36wkgf2c_uB1jTYxM-8Gk22mijstO9xrXY8sc6PTVjD8XHh64rSzC1oXaytsqjqqOxQeZw/s1600/This+is+the+Day+photo.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">There’s growing evidence to support the idea that fiction books can be good or bad for you. It’s a drum I’ve been beating on for a very long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I begin supporting my own belief about this by going directly to Scripture: Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Books, after all, cause us to think of things. Whatever fills the pages ultimately fills our mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">But this doesn’t mean that books ought to be boring. I’m not interested in reading boring books—or publishing them either!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">This directive in Scripture shouldn’t translate into fiction books that don’t capture our interest and don't take us on an adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I was invited on Catholic television where I was asked to talk about the newest trend in YA fiction (young adult fiction): the fastest growing audience of YA books is adults! This is because adults love the adventure, characters and even intrigue found in a cleverly crafted YA book—and they like the way they feel when they are done reading it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">So I wasn’t surprised when I recently read in the book <i>Hildegard of Bingen’s Medicine</i> that “It is detrimental for the nerves if persons are always reading new thrillers, or the newest bestsellers.” It goes on to say how the nerves can, however, benefit from reading excellent books and even recommends re-reading them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I immediately thought of a few amazing fiction books that I had planned on re-reading this fall and now feel even more excited about doing so:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Green-Coat-Tale-Years/dp/0979225876/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1411814612&sr=8-1">The Green Coat byRosemary McDunn</a>. Love this book!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gate-Nancy-Carabio-Belanger/dp/1935356356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411814640&sr=8-1&keywords=the+gate+belanger">The Gate by NancyCarabio Belanger</a>. Easily a classic!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Grace-Laura-Pearl/dp/1936453118/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411814671&sr=8-1&keywords=finding+grace+pearl"> </a></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Grace-Laura-Pearl/dp/1936453118/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411814671&sr=8-1&keywords=finding+grace+pearl">Finding Grace byLaura Pearl.</a> I plan on joining her 2015 online book club for the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Of course, these are also the reasons that we ought to immerse our tweens and teens in great fiction as well—and these books are a perfect start!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-55448300803469846242014-08-18T02:08:00.002-07:002014-08-18T02:08:39.078-07:00In-Law Problems? There is a Patron Saint for That!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FuXuSffm0hFz-9QnaQLugv1V8oPUgvnPGYkoBtmPNCVHBuBPkMF-zVZhmajaHtJWzFRlHsDi37tjC7DX_YV31Xur0zo3QkWBS4yqpJnQlKUuC3sCpwJzhvXSs_0LB414MjFr-lC52uEw/s1600/TTT+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FuXuSffm0hFz-9QnaQLugv1V8oPUgvnPGYkoBtmPNCVHBuBPkMF-zVZhmajaHtJWzFRlHsDi37tjC7DX_YV31Xur0zo3QkWBS4yqpJnQlKUuC3sCpwJzhvXSs_0LB414MjFr-lC52uEw/s1600/TTT+front+cover.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Very few people know about St. Jane Valois. She was a deformed and sickly young daughter of King Louis XI of France. The Catholic Church has given her February 4<sup>th</sup> as a feast day and many turn to her intercession when in a difficult, loveless marriage for she was in an arranged marriage that was without love and still she prayed for her husband for decades.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">She is just one of the many interesting saints in the Catholic Church.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">The following excerpts are taken, with permission, from the daily devotional </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tending-Temple-Spiritual-Physical-Devotions/dp/1936453002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395845463&sr=8-1&keywords=tending+the+temple"><i><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Tending the Temple</span></i></a><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"> by Kevin Vost, Peggy Bowes, and Shane Kapler. Kevin, Peggy and Shane are regular guests on such popular shows as Sonrise Morning Show on EWTN among others where they talk about health and fitness, Catholic style.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://bezalelbooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/in-law-problems-there-is-patron-saint.html">read full article here</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-33275330120370443362014-08-07T02:34:00.001-07:002014-08-07T02:34:20.832-07:00Root Canals and Other Miracles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jCB4PvOi5ZkM-ehjWMVRrwObql8s1VGOAYp3jnXUsdCmZePcf2LvhsQEnFB6ic_mCN8CmRR_nxXm34HcAI84-mcd-p6KbRTP3SPozXwG-MtkGtVSvBoMsHaP_fa24zRpKuNlsD_2ZaFi/s1600/dreamstime_m_13250246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jCB4PvOi5ZkM-ehjWMVRrwObql8s1VGOAYp3jnXUsdCmZePcf2LvhsQEnFB6ic_mCN8CmRR_nxXm34HcAI84-mcd-p6KbRTP3SPozXwG-MtkGtVSvBoMsHaP_fa24zRpKuNlsD_2ZaFi/s1600/dreamstime_m_13250246.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I so did not want a root canal and although I couldn't chew on the right side of my mouth for more than 6 months, I still patiently prayed for my miracle healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">After all, I kept telling myself, “I am healed by the stripes of Christ.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Am I right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I’ve prayed for healing a lot over the past decade as I’ve suffered from chronic conditions that have often left me lying in bed for extended periods of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So it seemed like a miracle healing to avoid a root canal was a no-brainer. It wouldn’t take too much of God’s time and so would be a win-win for him and I. But no miracle healing arrived. In fact, quite to the contrary, my tooth got worse (go figure!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I prayed for the intercession of St. Alena (toothaches are her specialty) and took homeopathic remedies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Still nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Finally I couldn’t put it off any longer and scheduled the dreaded root canal appointment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">That’s when my pleading changed; my definition of a miracle evolved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I began to see that the fact that I could go get a root canal that would be—essentially—pain free was a miracle! Sure the roof-of-the-mouth shot hurt and the 2 ½ hour procedure was a bit exhausting and the throbbing after-root-canal procedure pain was there…but the fact remained that the root canal was a success and the pain wasn’t anything like, let’s say, having a tooth extracted a century ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Miracles abound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I began to thank God for the miracle of being able to have a root canal. Crazy, right? Yes and no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It occurred to me that we live our lives knee-deep in miracles—things we definitely take for granted can be moved in our minds from “expectations” to the “miraculous” and thus make us more grateful throughout our day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And what I see as a miracle is probably way different than what you see as a miracle and that’s why we don’t really need to share them with each other; rather, the miracles we choose to see can be kept between ourselves and God and simply raise our spirits to him as they are filled with gratitude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Who would have thought that a root canal was a miracle and an answer to prayer! Not me, that’s for sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #272a2d;">Picture: ID 13250246 ©<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/jaeeho_info" itemprop="author" style="max-width: 60px; outline: 0px;" title="Jaeeho"><span style="color: #246eac; text-decoration: none;">Jaeeho</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #272a2d;"> </span><span style="color: #272a2d;">| Dreamstime.com</span></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-22983087049850845862014-08-01T12:51:00.002-07:002014-08-01T12:51:26.581-07:00The Fourteen Holy HelpersAugust 8th is the Feast Day for The Fourteen Holy Helpers. It is a great time to call upon this powerhouse of heavenly help! You may know some of the line-up but some may be new to you.<br />
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Together they work wonders!<br />
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<a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Catholic/Powerhouse-of-Heavenly-Intercession.aspx">Read more about these saints.</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-73767264315445492102014-08-01T03:27:00.002-07:002014-08-01T03:27:59.924-07:00Man Up! Fans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjKO0hpcD0joGeF2XZ0p_f-SoY88Ihdo1kFfvHp4K3AVns4cScckqptcKECXyd-ahTKXFjgUW0CR9jsqF6sumUASEVE3wJV_Cwip4k37mdHl3F5dZnbctuG7fooFhAK3i-IzdABycEyY3/s1600/ebook+Cover+Ten+Commandments+Lifting+Weights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjKO0hpcD0joGeF2XZ0p_f-SoY88Ihdo1kFfvHp4K3AVns4cScckqptcKECXyd-ahTKXFjgUW0CR9jsqF6sumUASEVE3wJV_Cwip4k37mdHl3F5dZnbctuG7fooFhAK3i-IzdABycEyY3/s1600/ebook+Cover+Ten+Commandments+Lifting+Weights.JPG" height="320" width="203" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Fans of Jared Zimmerer's popular<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Man-Becoming-New-Catholic-Renaissance/dp/1936453169/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406888639&sr=8-2&keywords=zimmerer+jared"> Man Up! Becoming the New Catholic Renaissance Man</a> will be delighted to know that Jared's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Commandments-Lifting-Weights-ebook/dp/B007CYCP3M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1406888297&sr=1-1">Ten Commandments of Lifting Weights i</a>s now $2.99 on Kindle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Catholic blogger and speaker Brandon Vogt endorsed Man Up! and recently connected with Jared in a fun interview about <a href="http://brandonvogt.com/strength-for-the-kingdom/">Jared's "Strength for the Kingdom" ministry</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-47728639342894671492014-07-14T03:57:00.001-07:002014-07-14T03:57:50.456-07:00Why Would I Not Let Go?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtUndenwFg1KIKscaLz3R6apLeIeWLih1LINOzZyt7U4OgW5he-lOHKQNUQ4ZxYLgETpavQayFR3Lp6xR6iIWazEQW-voI1L1YgV9Shjh4nKwunDIxWP3OZFERwtyvOMIVTYa45fTiYTW/s1600/dove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtUndenwFg1KIKscaLz3R6apLeIeWLih1LINOzZyt7U4OgW5he-lOHKQNUQ4ZxYLgETpavQayFR3Lp6xR6iIWazEQW-voI1L1YgV9Shjh4nKwunDIxWP3OZFERwtyvOMIVTYa45fTiYTW/s1600/dove.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">In my exhaustion, I choose to completely <b><i>let go and let God</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">In purposeful trust, I choose to finally <b><i>let go and let God</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">In the gift of faith, I excitedly <b><i>let go and let God</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">I choose to see and believe that God is for me—and if God is for me, who can be against me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">I choose to understand and know that God is my friend—and if God is my friend, who can be my enemy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">I choose to eagerly accept that God has a plan for my life—and if God has a plan for my life, <b><i>why would I not let go and let God?</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cheryl Dickow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.bezalelbooks.com/">www.BezalelBooks.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Picture: ©<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/teolinka_info" itemprop="author" style="max-width: 60px; outline: 0px;" title="Luiba Tandit (Teolinka)"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Luiba Tandit</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 8pt;">| Dreamstime.com</span></span><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-92183472942709253632014-06-25T05:10:00.002-07:002014-06-25T05:10:34.992-07:00Pope Excommunicates Mafioso<div style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 2px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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Excommunication.</div>
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In a statement made on June 21st, Pope Francis issued strong words for people who choose to make a conscious decision to follow the ways of money, sin, and exploitation. The Pope is specifically quoted as saying, “Those who follow the path of evil, like the Mafiosi do, are not in communion with God; they are excommunicated!”</div>
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The Pope was speaking to tens of thousands of people in the southern region of Calabria when he issued what is the most severe ecclesiastical penalty within the Catholic Church: excommunication.</div>
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But what exactly does it mean to be excommunicated?</div>
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And how is it enforced?</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Read more <a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Articles/Pope-Excommunicates-Mafia.aspx#"> here</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-59234566435833430712014-06-10T05:24:00.000-07:002014-06-10T05:24:05.625-07:00All Things Girl Just .99 on Kindle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPB5iyLEHE10asPlCc5n3QTv2mFHEubOq323Cmm7GEr970olzEaBYGCUIJZazgK79j9cc75i7hFBdnIuAfFYsc7UE6-77uWjTcD1_UufbeAMNH4R455zd-ZPqdJqmNPG7A9dlOKFxBDIM/s1600/Truth+for+Teens+front+cover+for+promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPB5iyLEHE10asPlCc5n3QTv2mFHEubOq323Cmm7GEr970olzEaBYGCUIJZazgK79j9cc75i7hFBdnIuAfFYsc7UE6-77uWjTcD1_UufbeAMNH4R455zd-ZPqdJqmNPG7A9dlOKFxBDIM/s1600/Truth+for+Teens+front+cover+for+promo.jpg" height="320" width="221" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">School's out and it is time for sun and fun! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We're excited at Bezalel Books to offer <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IKO5FQW/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0107XR5W9TTGEXFBC6F5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846">All Things Girl: Truth for Teen</a>s--one of our most popular teen books--at an amazing price of .99 on Kindle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As one Amazon reviewer wrote: All Things Girl is jam-packed with Catholic girl awesomeness and we think you will agree!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Contributors include best-selling author <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rosary-Workout-Peggy-Bowes-ebook/dp/B007Z3QV80/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1402402974&sr=1-3&keywords=peggy+bowes">Peggy Bowe</a>s and the effervescent Heather Renshaw. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So for this week only we are offering "Catholic girl awesomeness" for the special Catholic teen in your life!</span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-54992224586923609252014-04-05T05:03:00.002-07:002014-04-05T05:03:30.409-07:00The Company We Keep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTRHJA-BZgPyRwo7hCBVFALGmCUIcsytqT9rjR1c68O5oxfUJvJ_LiJJO5r-kidWiHgRXuTrJtwFS7vhRnvsXkzkl08F-5yMlpXNd7Ua8x1HPbHZFrh_h2J4osz3zczIDr5mtqbnULKVh/s1600/cover+with+seal+for+author.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTRHJA-BZgPyRwo7hCBVFALGmCUIcsytqT9rjR1c68O5oxfUJvJ_LiJJO5r-kidWiHgRXuTrJtwFS7vhRnvsXkzkl08F-5yMlpXNd7Ua8x1HPbHZFrh_h2J4osz3zczIDr5mtqbnULKVh/s1600/cover+with+seal+for+author.jpg" height="320" width="261" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">If we are known by the company we keep, then hats off to one of my favorite authors--Laura Pearl--for the company she is keeping on Amazon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Check it out:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Customers who bought <em>Finding Grace</em> by Laura Pearl also bought <em>The Ear of the Heart</em> by Mother Dolores Hart; <em>Come My Beloved</em> by Ellen Gable Hrkach; <em>Past Suspic</em>ion by Therese Heckenkamp; and <em>Frozen Footprints</em> also by Therese Heckenkamp (which I am currently reading and loving!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Congratulations, Laura!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">check out Laura's blog at: <a href="http://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/">http://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">or follow Laura on Twitter @Finding_Grace_</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span> <span>Page <span class="page-number">1 </span> of <span class="num-pages">1 </span> <span class="start-over" style="display: none;"><span class="a-text-separator"></span><a class="start-over-link" href="http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Womens-Inspirational-Christian-Fiction-ebook/dp/B008VGY2CM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1396698360#">Start over</a></span></span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-53984044829537728302014-04-01T04:19:00.000-07:002014-04-01T04:19:01.183-07:00Hang New Curtains this Lent!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Did you ever notice that the Lenten season seems to come and go in the blink of an eye? All of a sudden you find yourself at Easter Mass wondering how time so easily slipped through your fingers. Darn! You had promised yourself that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> Lent would be different. You wouldn’t be caught by surprise, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">yet again</i>! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But already you can feel it happening again; you are not experiencing Lent the way you wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, that doesn’t have to be the case. You can make the conscious choice—right here, right now—to stop in your busy tracks and embrace the Lenten season. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lent is a season of preparing for the resurrection of Christ—to be ready to live in that resurrection <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Prepare room so that he may dwell in your heart</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">: Your heart is where Christ wishes to dwell and where his resurrection can be most noticeably felt. Lent is the perfect time to make room in it for His presence. If your heart is filled with unforgiveness, it has no room for Christ. This Lent do an honest, even painful Examination of Conscience wherein you ask your Heavenly Father to reveal to you any unforgiveness that exists in your heart. Remember that as God has forgiven you, you are also asked to forgive others. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Clean out the cobwebs</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">: After an Examination of Conscience where you ask God to reveal any unforgiveness that you are holding, it is important to clean out the vestiges of cobwebs that may still be lurking in the dark corners of your heart. A beautiful time to do this is during a Stations of the Cross service. As you move through the Stations of the Cross and participate in the responses, you will find the cobwebs being dusted away and preparing you for the resurrection.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hang new curtains</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">: The room of your heart is now ready: unforgiveness and cobwebs have been cleared out. Now it is time to hang new curtains! Many of us fall into a rut in our daily lives and forget how to live in joy. You are preparing for Christ’s resurrection and that ought to bring great happiness! So throw out the old curtains of fear and despair and exhaustion and hang new curtains of joy and praise for the resurrection. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Get out the fine china and set the table</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">: Company is here! We aren’t doubtfully thinking that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">maybe</i> He’s been resurrected. We are certain in our belief of His resurrection and every cell in our body joyfully shouts, “He lives!” This is the time we get the fine china out of the cupboard to celebrate the resurrection. Our fine china goes so well with our new curtains!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Open the front door</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">: Whenever we have company in our home, after all the preparation is complete, we open our front door and wait expectantly, excitedly on our couch. We can’t wait to visit with our company. The same is applicable now: let’s rejoice in the resurrected Lord and celebrate by the way we live and love.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cheryl Dickow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.bezalelbooks.com/">www.BezalelBooks.com</a></span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1340213916789894402.post-36962311566124969102014-03-31T13:03:00.000-07:002014-03-31T13:04:36.153-07:00All Things Girl: Truth for Teens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUaKrdkjKXnswwwmMHsD-whiS8C6NdYsmzcvipzWHJRbTRdZ9FhQ5_wWjdRar0mem4ct3bo4wJRaSng9JS4EiblzNLLD7Vo2tpHHHCL8AEJp8LhnBbR1AsVlpThRFzq_qtwNf4zrHb2Ur/s1600/Truth+for+Teens+front+cover+for+promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUaKrdkjKXnswwwmMHsD-whiS8C6NdYsmzcvipzWHJRbTRdZ9FhQ5_wWjdRar0mem4ct3bo4wJRaSng9JS4EiblzNLLD7Vo2tpHHHCL8AEJp8LhnBbR1AsVlpThRFzq_qtwNf4zrHb2Ur/s1600/Truth+for+Teens+front+cover+for+promo.jpg" height="200" width="138" /></a></div>
Heather Renshaw, the contributor for the chapter on vocations and motherhood in the new 2014 release of All Things Girl: Truth for Teens invites you to connect with her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.<br />
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Come and join the fun!<br />
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<span style="font-family: ".HelveticaNeueUI"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Here is the FB page: </span><u5:p></u5:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".HelveticaNeueUI"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AllThingsGirlTruthForTeens?ref=hl"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/AllThingsGirlTruthForTeens?ref=hl</span></a></span><u5:p></u5:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".HelveticaNeueUI"; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Twitter feed:</span><u5:p></u5:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".HelveticaNeueUI"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/ATGTruth4Teens"><span style="color: blue;">www.Twitter.com/ATGTruth4Teens</span></a></span><u5:p></u5:p></div>
<span style="font-family: ".HelveticaNeueUI"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0