Strengthening the Mr. and Mrs. Once You’re Dad and Mom

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Marriage-Sacrament-Rings

We were scheduled to lead a young couples event at a parish in eastern Iowa today. We’ve been defeated by the weather once again this winter and were not able to travel due to the snow. But all is not lost. We share with you, dear readers, a portion of our presentation titled “Strengthening the Mr. and Mrs. Once You’re Dad and Mom: The Beatitudes of Healthy Marriages.” Please keep in mind a few things as you read: The target audience is young married couples with one or more little ones at … [Read more...]

Pray, Work, Rest and Play: God Bless This Ordinary Time

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Benedict and JoseMaria Escriva

The Church, like families, has Ordinary Time, and in many ways, it's those ordinary times that are most important for families.  I snapped the above photo on Sunday, January 12, the same morning the Church celebrated the Baptism of the Lord. It was also the first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Here in central Iowa, we were treated to some spectacular sunrises those first days of Ordinary Time. Brilliant color combinations of red, orange, yellow, purple, green, and blue that only the Master Artist … [Read more...]

Prayers for Joel, please. Donald says, “It’s HUGE!”

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donald-trump-and-hedge-fund-manager-marc-lasry-will-launch-an-online-gambling-venture-once-its-legalized

We recently signed on with CMG Booking's speaker circuit thinking, Who'll ever hire us?! Less than a week later, Joel was requested to speak for the Legatus chapter of the Quad Cities (Iowa/Illinois). That talk is tonight and its theme is, drum roll, please: The bioethical dilemmas for Catholics under the new healthcare laws (i.e., Obamacare).  Whoa. Talk about an insanely complex topic. Or as Donald Trump would said, "It's HUGE!" Let me take this moment here on our digital plot of land … [Read more...]

Will It Play in Peoria?

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Friendship Wordle

Ever hear this one? "Have you ever played Peoria?" "Peoria? Oh, yes --- I spent four years there one night!" I'm here all night, folks. No, really, I'm actually here, all night, in Peoria!   Tonight I'm "playing" Peoria and giving a talk with Sister Helena Burns on Authentic Friendships in a Social Media Age to the "First Saturday" group at St. Philomena Catholic Church. We will uncover the role of friendships in our lives, particularly how friendships play into our innate needs to be … [Read more...]

7 Quick Takes

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who-me

A bunch of miscellany and stuff just too impossible to categorize courtesy Das Schmidt Haus! --- 1 --- Ready to hear something cool? As in Cool with a capital C? So yeah. I've been tapped to speak with Sr. Helena Burns in Peoria on Saturday, February 2, 2013. {insert a Wayne's World: I'M NOT WORTHY! I’M NOT WORTHY! impression here} HOT DIGGITY! The talk is being organized by the First Saturday Women's Group out of Peoria, and Sr. Helena and I will be chatting about forming authentic … [Read more...]