Thursday, June 26th, 2014 | By Lisa Schmidt 
“Dusting is important for saving the world.”
~ Leila Lawler & Elizabeth Foss
Dusting?
Dusting.
That was the quote from the Chapter 3 Summer in the Little Oratory podcast that most caught my attention. And it also brought back to mind a story filed away in my to-blog-about-one-day folder. Finally, a reason to talk about DUSTING! The story goes a little like this…
One Saturday morning a few weeks back I headed across town to Des Moines’ Southside and attended morning Mass and confession at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. St. Anthony’s is a 100+ year-old parish, initially founded in 1906 to serve the ever-growing influx of Italian immigrants in the south-side of Des Moines. . . . → Read More: The Vocation of Dusting (+ a birthday giveaway!)
Sunday, June 8th, 2014 | By Joel and Lisa Schmidt 
How would you answer this question …
Outline a marriage preparation program for your parish. Explain what components you would like to include and why.
Joel had to answer this very question for his sacramental theology course, and we thought it made good blog post material, too. It’s the topic of our latest column at Catholic Stand.
And {cough, cough}, for the record, Joel received a perfect score on his answer. Was the professor too gracious or just right in his assessment? Head on over and grade it! And then let us know what components you think are essential for a parish marriage preparatory program.
. . . → Read More: What Every Catholic Marriage Prep Program Ought to Include
Thursday, June 5th, 2014 | By Lisa Schmidt 
Joel and I were recently reviewing stats from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2013-14 study of permanent deacons. Take a guess — what’s the average age of deacons in the United States of America? How many are in their 40s like Joel? I won’t spill the beans here, but if you’re curious, head on over to my latest post at CatholicMom.com where I’ve provided a snapshot of the age demographics. I also reflect a bit on how we’ve even gotten through this journey with small kiddos at home.
Looking back, God’s brought people, “framily” as I call them, into our lives throughout the entire formation process. When God asks you to . . . → Read More: “Framily” Ties
Saturday, May 24th, 2014 | By Lisa Schmidt 
Some political issues remain simply political until they visibly impact the lives of those around us. Then suddenly we recognize them as issues of human dignity. My latest column for CatholicMom, a “World View Wednesday” post, revisits one such situation: immigration reform. Truth be told, immigration reform was once just a bunch of talking points that affected a group of people. But then something happened to shake that up. Immigration reform became no longer just about “those people,” but rather, a topic that deeply affected people I knew — fellow parishioners and community members. . . . → Read More: Welcoming the Immigrant Among Us
Wednesday, May 7th, 2014 | By Joel Schmidt 
A few years ago, Lisa and I went to the 2011 Catholic New Media Celebration in Kansas City. During the conference, a number of us went out to dinner together one evening. Purely by chance, Devin Rose and I ended up sitting next to each other. Upon discovering that we were both converts, we shared our conversion stories and generally chatted each other’s ears off. He mentioned that he had written a self-published apologetics book, which had caught the attention of Catholic Answers. Devin’s book, The Protestant’s Dilemma, is finally available. . . . → Read More: Take 5 with Devin Rose
Saturday, April 26th, 2014 | By Joel Schmidt 
Joel helps us prepare for this Sunday’s Liturgy of the Word with a reflection on the Mass readings. . . . → Read More: Mass Forward: A Reflection on Sunday’s Mass Readings
Thursday, February 27th, 2014 | By Lisa Schmidt 
Back on September 23, the feast of St. Padre Pio, I issued a “worry list” challenge and invited readers to join along. The challenge consisted of writing out a worry list. I came up with five big things that were, so to speak, keeping me awake at night. I placed that worry list in the back of my Bible, a symbol for placing my worries in God’s hands. I marked my calendar three months forward, December 23, with a note to check back on my worry list. I also promised to check back here. I did indeed check back on my worry list on December 23. But I did not check back here. Please allow me to close the loop here and now. . . . → Read More: Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry (Part 2)
Monday, February 24th, 2014 | By Lisa Schmidt 
My social media feeds blew up several days ago with friends near and far sharing their disgust over words an Iowa lawmaker spoke on the floor of the Iowa House. The lawmaker at the center of the kerfuffle is Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell who stands in opposition to a bill here in Iowa banning telemed or webcam abortions. In response, many prolife media outlets naturally issued stories with headlines reading, “Lawmaker says crying baby is reason for abortion!” Or, “Democrat Legislator: A Colic, Crying Baby is a Good Reason for an Abortion.” And while I agree they were right to call out Wessel-Kroeschell on the colic comment, it was another word that caught my attention. What was that word? Limits. . . . → Read More: What “I Know My Limits” Really Means
Tuesday, February 4th, 2014 | By Lisa Schmidt 
“Christians who are afraid to build bridges and prefer to build walls are Christians who are not sure of their faith, not sure of Jesus Christ,” Pope Francis. Bridge building can be hazardous, huh? Just take a look at what happened to the peace doves Pope Francis released while, ironically, praying for peace in the Ukraine where violent protests have raged since late November. The moment provided a bit of inspiration for my latest piece at CatholicMom.com. . . . → Read More: Even Papa’s Peace Doves Get Pecked Sometimes
Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 | By Lisa Schmidt 
A couple of weeks ago I received a beautiful Christmas card in the mail. Its loveliness was outmatched only by the thoughtful handwritten two-page plus letter found inside. It read, in part, “This year I’ve vowed to send a handwritten note to special people in my life to let them know how I feel about them. Of course, it’s all good stuff!” (Whew. Exhale. Safe to proceed on…) The letter continued with my friend sharing heartwarming thoughts about our friendship and shared experiences.
Receiving that letter was the bright spot of my week, a week where I vowed to spend less time online. I’ve learned that, at times, I lean a . . . → Read More: The Lost Art of a Handwritten Note
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Meet Joel and Lisa  We are Joel and Lisa Schmidt. One of us is a cradle Catholic; the other is a convert. To find out which of us is which, read more about us…
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