Time for a new youtube video! I absolutely love this lady! I read pretty much everything she writes, and I have to say I have never read anything that I disagree with her about. Being of the same mind, (although she is much more articulate) I daydream about moving to Texas and trying to convince her that we'd be great friends. haha Anyway, back to realville. I thought I was going to watch only a few minutes of this, but ended up watching all 52.

My New Favorite Band

If I had a facebook, I would "like this"! But since I don't, I can only put youtube videos on my blog.







These guys seem to have great chemistry! There is only a demo out now, but I can't wait to hear more!

What One Thing Would You Give Up

I've been following a group of bloggers who went to Bolivia a few weeks ago. The idea was for them to blog about their experience and hopefully find sponsors for children through the International Relief Organization World Vision. I have never sponsored children through this agency, but I know this is a great charity. The posts from Bolivia were really heart-breaking. The pictures made everything seem more real. Real children, living in real poverty, at this very moment. The same children are still there. You can read all the posts here.

One post in particular has had me thinking for a couple of weeks now. Elizabeth Ester wrote it after she came home. It's titled "Can you be a Christian AND drive a BMW? I can't. At least not anymore." I guess she used to drive one, but can't imagine having another one after her experience in Bolivia. This conversation is very interesting to me. We all have so much here in America compared to the Third World. How much should we be giving? That is putting it bluntly. I struggle with this a lot. Am I giving enough? Am I really sacrificing anything at all? I know there is a balance to this, I just have a hard time seeing where the balance should be. I know that God wants us to take care of ourselves, and that God gives us beauty and loves beauty. I don't think it is wrong for us to want to make our surroundings more beautiful because of this, but I do think in America there is a tendency for us to have excess and to waste... I think it's harder to see the need for sacrifice because of the abundance we see.

In the Catholic calender year there are certainly times to feast, but there are also times of fasting. During Lent Catholics give something up, something good, and offer it back to God. During Advent also, some type of preparation of prayer and fasting is encouraged. But these times are always followed by big fat feasts of Easter and Christmas! I know there is a balance in the Church calender year, the struggle is finding a balance in my finances! I wish I could have a charitable-spiritual financial advisor who could whip me out a print-out.

Today I saw this post from one of the bloggers: "What One Thing Would You Give Up?" The idea is to think of one or two things that add up to ten bucks that you might spend money on this week and instead, donate that money to the famine relief in the Horn of Africa. Small things like this are immediately do-able. No wrestling with the thoughts of need verses want and the precise definition between the two, and discerning the difference and so forth. I thought it was a good post!

"Brevity Is The Soul Of Wit"-- William Shakespeare

"I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born."-- Ronald Reagan

Really, what can you say after this?

It'll Work On You

In the introduction to this book I'm currently reading, Peter Kreeft tells this story: (Oh by the way, this is a quote. I am too lazy right now to do the quote inside the quote thing)

A student asked a famous Zen Buddist roshi (master) to teach
him the secret of Zen. He agreed and promised the student that if he obeyed everything the master told him to do, he would attain satori ("Enlightenment"). The student came to live with the master in his monastery. Everyday, the only command the master gave to the student was "Wash your dishes!" and the student dutifully obeyed. After a month, the student, impatient, asked the master when he would begin teaching him the secret of Zen. The master replied, "I have been teaching you every day, but you have not learned." "But master, all you have told me to do is to wash my dishes." "That is true, and if you had obeyed me, you would now be enlightened." "But I did obey you, master. I washed my dishes every day." "No, you did not. You never washed your dishes. You have never washed your dishes in your life." "But master, what did I do, then?" "You wobbled."

Deja Vu. I thought this was funny because lately I have been feeling this is my life! I so relate to this, even though I never wash dishes! And boy, do I wobble! But the other night I found this song. Put some stuff in a different perspective. Made me think about how God uses the ordinary to shape and mold souls into beauty if only we let Him. Made me remember that all the Saints learned this obedience simply by this type of letting and working. Not only can God use oceans or cars to accomplish this but ordinary life things that might not be so enjoyable... like washing dishes.

Padre Pio

Padre Pio, the cat.

There Be Dragons

It's been awhile since I've been excited for a movie to come out... Next Friday, May 6th!