Start Defending God!

  “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Those are the iconic words from the 1976 film Network.  In an impassioned diatribe, a TV anchor galvanized the nation, convincing his viewers to shout out of their windows "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" 

I am waiting for God to open up a window in the sky and to shout those words down to us.  Until then, the time for backlash is long overdue. We must start speaking up.

A Doctor and A Catholic by Laura Archuleta

Dr. Laura Archuleta

Dr. Laura Archuleta struggled with balancing her faith with a medical career until she saw the light. This story is excerpted from the Amazing Grace for Families.

There never was a time in my medical career when “the birth control question” did not hang over my head. I often wondered how my Catholic faith should impact my medial practice.  Was it okay to give “the pill” to other women, as long as I did not use it myself? The answers did not come easily.

A Winning Team: Pope Francis and Our Lady

By Nellie Edwards, paintedfaith.net

What is the one thing that Pope Francis is rarely without? Hint: He always brings it with him and is seen wearing it in the majority of his pictures.

Give up?  It’s his smile.  In most of his pictures, he is smiling.  How comforting is that?  Pope Francis has the weight of the world on his shoulders as the Vicar of Christ on Earth.  He is very well aware of the state of the world, and yet, he smiles most of the time. 

Fantasy Island Meets North Dakota

          "Da plane! Da plane!” Tattoo from the television series Fantasy Island would yell, running up the bell tower to ring the bell, thereby announcing the arrival of a new set of guests at the beginning of each episode. 

On June 13, from our front lawn, my husband Mark announced the arrival of da plane!  It was Air Force One flying over our house in Bismarck, ND with President Obama on board.  He landed at the Bismarck airport and helicoptered out to Cannon Ball, to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. It was his first visit to a reservation during his presidency.  The theme of his visit?  Fantasy Island.  Officially, it was the welfare of the Native American children, but I don’t buy in to other people’s fantasy. 

Living the Beatitudes for Parents

 Giving life to a child touches a parent’s heart and leads to the Divine as reflected in the Beatitudes (Matt 5: 1-5)  “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them, saying:

Religion ≠ Magic; Jesus ≠ Illusionist

Dear Atheist,

There’s nothing like a good magic show, huh?  Harry Houdini, the all-time great illusionist, knew this.  David Copperfield is right behind him in the theater of trickery as the highest paid magician in all of history. What you see is not always what you get, right?  But what you fail to see with religion is that what you get is not only what you see.

Divorce Parties: Beyond Stupid

     Even though my thoughts are like a puff of smoke in the Dust Bowl, I want to suggest that divorce parties are beyond stupid. They reveal shallowness, narcissism, and spiritual darkness.  

     Celebrating divorce, or “uncoupling,” is the latest trend in parties.  Divorce parties are also big business for party planners and novelty companies, even outdoing pet birthday parties.  Yeah, it’s just that big.

The Devil’s Surprise: Mary’s Heel

 

Mother of Life by Nellie 

 “God sure is clever,” my friend, Nellie Edwards and I often say to one another.  It is understood between us as an understatement of God’s often subtle and surprising ways.

I imagine that Satan has been surprised a few times by God’s cleverness.  The devil chose Hell rather than to humble himself.  How ironic that God saved us through his own humility.  

“Two Gifts: A Baby and a Miracle” by Maureen Merritt Bergman

                                                 

Mo and Alan with Victor

         Thirteen years ago, Mo Bergman rejected a doctor's suggestion to abort her baby because of physical abnormalities. Instead, she turned to God and the situation changed dramatically.  She is turning to God again and asking for healing for her son.  Here is her story excerpted from Amazing Grace for Families with an update on their current challenge.

     I was so excited at the possibility of being pregnant that I bought and used three over-the-counter pregnancy kits. I just could not wait and kept taking the test before the minimum waiting time.   When the results finally confirmed what I had suspected, I ran into the living room to tell my husband, Alan.  We hugged and cried tears of joy.

A Mother’s Perspective on the Fate of her Daughter’s Murderer

       Clayton Lockett’s disturbingly botched execution in Oklahoma a few weeks ago has re-ignited the debate over capital punishment.  Vicki Schieber had a successful career in finance and two beautiful children.  She had always been against capital punishment. Such an opinion is easy, however, when you don’t have skin in the game. But then her daughter was murdered and it became painfully personal.

No More Porn, No More Contraception, No More Fear

Chad Judice had a good thing going: a beautiful wife and a teaching job that he loved at a Catholic school seemed to complete his life.  The idea of fatherhood seemed too much.  So when his wife became pregnant with their first son, it scared him.  She was thrilled; he was not.  Why mess with a good thing? 

But what could he do except to put on the happy face of an expectant father.  He relieved his stress by being critical and irritable to his wife.  Then, there was the pornography.  It’s not a big deal, he told himself.  I’m only human.