Women's Study with all the Pieces

Looking for a woman's study for your small (or large) group but not sure where to start?

What I've learned over the years of conducting bible and women's studies has been gathered into the women's study Wrapped Up: God's Ten Gifts for Women. 

Whether you are new to women's studies or well-versed, you will enjoy the Servant Books publication of Wrapped Up: God's Ten Gifts for Women. It has all the pieces that make it an ideal choice.

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. (The book is also available on Kindle.)

The accompanying journal gives general instructions on running a study (small or large) and encourages every woman to explore the gifts in-depth.

What makes this a particularly enjoyable study is that there is also an audio component 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.

As August winds into September and you or your friends begin looking for the perfect woman's study, I am sure you will find Wrapped Up: God's Ten Gifts for Women to be the perfect answer.

God bless you on your journey.

Time Travelling Priest Now On Kindle And Nook!

The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange and Supernatural by Fr. Mike Driscoll is now available on Kindle and Nook. Driscoll's fiction book is an excellent accompaniment to his non-fiction book Demons, Deliverance and Discernment. 

A Time-Travelling Priest

Who better to write about a time-travelling priest than a priest?

And who better to write about the strange and supernatural than a priest whose doctoral dissertation was entitled How Catholic exorcists distinguish between demon possession and mental disorders?

The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange andSupernatural 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.

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.

The Father Capranica Mysteries is a great read and we’re honored to offer it in paperback and e-book format.

Stories of the Strange and Supernatural

Fr. Mike Driscoll's new fiction book The Father Capranica Mysteries: Stories of the Strange and Supernatural is now available. Delving into his dissertation on Catholic exorcism, Driscoll's Father Capranica Mysteries is sure to please fans and those curious about the "strange and supernatural." 

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.  

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.

Don't Let This Upcoming Advent Slip Through Your Fingers!

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.

Darn! You had promised yourself that this Advent would be different. You wouldn’t be caught by surprise, yet again! You bought Advent prayer books and an Advent wreath kit. You had great intentions to make this Advent season very different from last.

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.

Advent is a season of preparing.

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.

read more here

What Angels Are...And Are Not

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.

Wrong.

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.

What are they?

Who are they?

Why are they?

Angels are spirits created by God (Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:14).

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.

read more here

Preparing Kids to Become Responsible Citizens

The following copyrighted excerpt is reprinted with permission from All Things Guy: A Guide to Becoming a Man that Matters written for Catholic boys aged 9-14:

"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.

"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.

"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. 

"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."

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