Wildlife summer 2011

There has been a dry spell this spring. I guess it is bringing the animals in looking for water. I saw a doe in the front yard yesterday morning, and this morning I saw a wild turkey on the way to work. This evening I saw a squirrel and rabbits in the yard. I am tempted to put out food for them, but if I do that once, I have to do it from now on. Probably best not to start.

Four Myths about the Crusades

A good article. Good read. Four Myths about the Crusades

The list of 150 bloggers invited to attend in person the meeting at the Vatican

This is a hall of fame, can you imagine the honor of being invited to the Vatican. The list of 150 bloggers invited to attend in person the meeting at the Vatican

Life Cycles

Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser in his new blog "Rebjeff: A blog about Jewish Joy", http://www.rebjeff.com/1/post/2011/02/first-post.html, mentions that a congregation needs life cycle events for healthy growth. Not an exact quote. I think that Christians need to pay attention to this. I don't think that the protestant domination's quite grasp this concept. I do believe that Catholics in countries other than the United States understand it. I think that Catholics in the United States are complacent. No one is being martyred. Being a Catholic requires no hardship, it's kinda like a big social club. Shake hands during the sign of peace, but don't speak to each other outside of the church. Being a Roman Catholic is not being a member of a secret society. It never has been, it is a call for conversion, a turning away from sin, and to strive for holiness. It is time to draw a line in the sand, and to step forward, form communities, evangelize the places in your life, your workplace, your recreations, your shopping. Now, today, is the time to become active, to develop a Catholic culture that is worthy of admiration. Make being a Catholic the very fiber of your being. Start now, this instant.

Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic, A Review.

This morning I finished reading "Life Without Limits", (Inspiration for a Ridiculusly Good Life), written by Nick Nujicic. Life Without Limits is a very inspiring book. Nick was born with arms and legs, but not without attitude. Life Without Limits is about his life and how he overcame problems and issues in his life. Nick is now an evangelist, and a motivational speaker, he has given talks all over the world. Life Without Limits gave me a peek into Nick's life, and I was impressed. Life Without Limits is a great book, a Christian book, and I think a good book to give to new believers. Life Without Limits wold be a good book to be in anyone's personal library. I wish that when scripture was quoted, that the scripture reference had been included. Everyone has problems, everyone has to deal with their problems. You can deal with your problems in a negative way or in a positive way. There are realistic guidelines on how to be positive. Life Without Limits is an easy read, it took me only about three or four evenings after work to read it. When I rate a book, I am very conservative, I rated the book a "4". Other people would have probably given the book a "5". Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group, Blogging for Books, sent me a free copy of Life Without Limits to review.

Snow melt.

I woke up this morning to the sound of water dripping. I thought it was raining, but no, it was snow melting from the roof. The temperature is in the 40's. It is a cloudy day with fog this morning. Rain is predicted for this evening. I do not care if it rains as long as the road does not ice, pipes do not freeze, and the electic service in not inturpputed.

Book Review: Unearthing Your Ten Talents

Yesterday I finished reading "Unearthing Your Ten Talents: A Thomistic Guide to Spiritual Growth" written by Kevin Vost. This book requires more than one reading. The first time you read it is just to become familiar with it's contents. The second time you read it, get out your notepad, highlighters and colored pencils. I believe this book will be a constant reference for anyone interested in spiritual growth. It doesn't just explain the virtues. It gives them a more in depth meaning that I had not been aware of in the past. The virtues are not redefined, but their meanings are so much deeper than I had ever realized. Mr. Vost proceeds to define the virtues in a whole new way, and then breaks them down into their componets with explanations. It took me quite a while to read this book. I had to really exercise my mental muscles. Once I had read a chapter, I had to stop and think about what I had read, review what I had read, and decide how to apply what I had read to my spiritual growth. I found I had plenty of areas that needed reevaluating, even areas in my life that I had thought I had taken authority over. This book is an occasion of learning and growing. It will be in my backpack for quite a while, my copy will eventually be highlighted and underlined, with notes in the margins. Don't all good books end up this way? Sophia Intitute Press sent me a free copy of this book for me to review. Mr. Vost has also written a book on memory, I have a copy, I will dust it off, and read it. He has also written a book about physical fitness. Understand one thing, I am not an authority in knowledge and learning, I am simply an ignorant redneck hick that has been impressed by a good book.