SQPN: Catholic New Media Conference 2011

As I write this, Lisa is winging her way towards Kansas City for the 2011 Catholic New Media Conference. Of course, by the time I post this, she will have landed. I won’t be attending with her this year, for obvious reasons, but I’m participating in spirit, as well as Twitter, UStream, Skype, and any number of other social media avenues.

When Lisa and I started blogging two and half years ago, we struggled to define our sense of direction, our voice. She is the one who discovered the SQPN Catholic New Media Conference and enthusiastically talked me (and our mother) into attending with her. Though we started blogging in February 2009, the CNMC always feels like our true anniversary, since it was our experience at the 2009 San Antonio CNMC that really inspired us and guided our writing in a firm direction.

Over the past two years, we have strengthened our voice and our faith through the growing relationships with inspirational people we’ve met and come to know from our involvement with SQPN and the CNMC. People like Lisa Hendey-the Catholic Mom, Jeff Young-the Catholic Foodie, Matt Warner, Sarah Reinhard, Maria Johnson, and so many more. These people, this connection, has helped to guide us over the past two and a half years of writing, and in the process encouraged us to grow and develop a new knowledge and appreciation of our beautiful shared faith. The CNMC experience teaches us how to embrace each other, our faith, new ideas. It has opened doors and revealed new opportunities.

This year’s CNMC offers an expanded format that begins with a long half-day of Catholic Media Guild Workshops and a full Saturday of sessions and keynote speakers aimed at expanding our role of bringing the fullness of truth through the new media world. In addition, we gather for fellowship over meals, sharing Mass, special prayer time and adoration, and just coming together in communion with Christ and one another.

If you’d like to see what it’s all about, check out the CNMC schedule, follow #cnmc11 on Twitter, and watch for opportunities to listen in via the UStream channel. Keep those attending and those watching from home (like me) in your prayers, that we may feel the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding us.

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20 (NAB) 

Thinking About Mary

I woke up in the middle of the night convinced that Jesus must have been a preemie.

Or that Mary did not carry him for the full forty weeks we define pregnancy.

I know the Bible is big on the number forty, but it's impossible for me to imagine Mary willingly setting off on a four-day cross-country journey to Bethlehem riding on a donkey during the last two weeks of the traditional forty weeks of pregnancy.

How did she do it? Did she have any hesitation preparing for this journey when she was so swollen with child? How much did her hips and lower back ache during the ride. How did she get any rest sleeping on the ground? What did Joseph do to make her more comfortable? Did he have to help her up from the ground every morning? How large was she? Was she irritable or calm and serene with a holiness bestowed by God for this purpose?

It occurs to me that all my ideas come from the traditionally told version of the Nativity Story, that implies she was “great with child” laboring as they entered the city, and delivering the very night of their arrival. However, we don’t actually know how pregnant Mary really was when she made the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The Gospel of Luke only says,

“And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (NAB Luke 2:4-7)

Is it possible that Mary and Joseph traveled and arrived in Bethlehem weeks earlier, when she might have been less uncomfortable? Maybe they were in Bethlehem for the census and delayed their journey home because she was too close to delivering to travel.

My own final weeks of pregnancy are passing slowly, one day at a time, one night at a time. I realize that when I focus too much on my own discomfort and irritability, I’m disconnecting myself from God. Yet this is the time when I should be prayerfully drawing closer to Him. When I don’t, I find myself lying awake in the middle of the night with my head full of thoughts. Often, these thoughts gravitate towards Mary, wondering how she dealt her final weeks, awaiting the delivery of our savior, Jesus.

Hail Mary, full of Grace, grant me the sereneness and inner peace that carried you through your own anticipation of birth. Guide me to fully embrace these last days before bringing forth my own son.

The Mass is What Catholics Do

“The Mass is What Catholics Do.”  These first words of the book, The Mass: The Glory, The Mystery, The Tradition” by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina remind us that celebrating the Mass is the source and summit of the Catholic faith and the most recognizable element of that faith.  But how deeply do we understand the history and reasons behind the individual parts, actions and words of the Mass? 

Cardinal Wuerl and Mike Aquilina in this new book magnificently illustrate the innate beauty behind the Mass by breaking it down into various pieces to explain each section in glorious detail.

“When the Church celebrates the Mass, she commemorates Christ’s Passover and it is made present: the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever present.  The Church calls us not jut to a commemoration of long-ago events, as great as that might be, but also to enter the mystery itself- today. We are not bystanders, but participants.”

The first part of the book connects the actions, prayers and liturgies in our modern mass to the mass as celebrated almost 2,000 years ago by the first Christians.  We are reminded in a very direct way that Christ instructed at the Last Supper to “do this in remembrance of me,” and so we continue to “do this” as faithful Catholics in a modern age. 

The authors continue throughout the first section of the book to walk the reader through the mechanics of the mass; how we prepare ourselves, the parts of the mass, the roles of participants, the sacramentals used in the mass and even the distinct areas and furnishings of the physical church.  This section of the book explained and defined many attributes of the mass or the church that I routinely see, but never fully understood its function or even its name. 

The second section of the book explores details and explanations of the mass that even many Catholics might not know.  Through our personal experience, events and actions within the mass seem familiar or common. The authors describe how each action, each prayer and even the very words we use are designed to draw us into real communion with Christ, so that our participation takes on a new importance in our experience.

If you think attending Mass has become too routine, pick up this excellent, informative book to provide a fresh look at the most familiar type of Catholic worship from both a priest and layperson perspective.  By providing a deeper understanding of the parts and whole of the mass, you will be inspired to view the Mass in a more reverent and passionate way, leading it to become a more necessary desire in your Catholic life.

Nine Months and Nesting

Many pregnancy information websites and books suggest the nesting instinct is a sure sign of impending labor. While not all women experience the nesting instinct, it’s typically described as a sudden distinctive urge to clean, tidy, and organize in preparation for baby’s arrival.

I’m nine months pregnant.

My house is a mess.

Where is my nesting instinct?

My daughters might say I’ve been a bit more insistent that they keep their rooms picked up and the clutter under control. However, pointing out shoes left in odd places, wet towels on the bathroom floor, or dirty clothes dropped three feet from the hamper isn’t something new. And trying to keep up with the inundation of 14,000 pieces of paper sent home from two different schools is an annual event.

So where is my nesting instinct? Why hasn’t it happened yet?

August proved to be quite a stressful month for me at the office, with numerous important projects piled up one after another, overlapping each other with exhibits, receptions, presentations, and an unexpected oral history opportunity thrown into the mix. All of this took place within seven working days, and scheduling the preparation for them in the three weeks prior proved daunting.

Did that count as my nesting?

I doubted it. I usually thrive on that type of adrenaline-inducing panic, even when I’m not pregnant. I don’t schedule it on purpose, but when it happens I kick it into high gear and somehow it all turns out okay.

Last night I was resting on the couch, hand piecing a bit of the baby’s quilt, wondering why I had no interest in cleaning the bathroom or organizing the medicine cabinet. My husband sat down beside me and asked me what I’m doing at the office all day, now that these big projects are over.

And it occurred to me, as I described my September “to-do” list, that my nesting instinct is taking place at the office and not at home. I’m bustling through a lengthy stack of little things that must be done before I take maternity leave. Tying up loose ends. Weeding out overstuffed files. Creating long notes for my assistant, so she knows what to do if someone calls about this or that while I’m on maternity leave. Answering correspondence. Dotting i’s and crossing t’s. Getting all my ducks in a row.

So yes, it appears that I do have a nesting instinct. By settling up my accounts at the office, I’ll be able to better focus on enjoying the time I’ll have at home with my newborn.

We Are... Catholic

A friend sent me the link to the most amazing Catholic video on YouTube.



Thank you to Defend Us in Battle for inspiring Catholics with a powerful visual of our Faith.

The Promised Joy

Nine months ago I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant.

I don’t remember much about my first pregnancy, 12 years ago. As the oldest daughter, I was the first to be pregnant, so I received a lot of attention; felt a lot of pressure to do things a certain way, and all of it was a new experience. At the end, I had a brand new beautiful daughter and (despite reading all the books) absolutely no idea what I should be doing. There is nothing quite like the hands-on challenge of learning how to be a new parent.

Eight weeks into my second pregnancy, my mother-in-law died very unexpectedly. There was nothing about that pregnancy that I enjoyed. My husband, my family, was turned upside down with grief, anger, frustration, sorrow. We were both just a few months into new jobs, and in the last two months before delivery I became very ill. Even now, nine years later, the basic emotions that stand out from those eight months are crushing depression and frustration. However, in the very second that our second daughter arrived, I received the most overwhelming joy and peace I’ve ever known. Her birth, after those terrible months, brought a brilliant radiance into our lives.

Finding out I was unexpectedly pregnant again at forty was a challenge. Even though I knew the end of this journey will bring a new sense of joy, I had to allow myself time to wistfully look at the path we were traveling and looked forward to, now being closed off. Anytime you’re forced into a life detour, there’s an adjustment period necessary to get your bearings, make a plan, and look ahead. I found myself focusing on these ideas during prayer time.

God knows what He is doing.

God knows the path He wants me on.

God’s will be done, not mine.

Very early in my pregnancy, I gave Him this baby, this pregnancy. The past eight months have not been without sorrow and emotional moments, but because I’ve surrendered myself to God’s will I’ve handled it differently.

Since my last pregnancy created so many unpleasant memories, I’ve really tried to discover and focus on little moments to appreciate and enjoy the miracle of life growing inside me. Despite the growing uncomfortableness that comes in the last three weeks, I can actually look back over the past eight months with few regrets.

A friend who became pregnant about a month before me delivered last week. Seeing the photos of her newborn made my own impending delivery suddenly very, very real. It’s hard to believe that in a few short weeks I will be cradling my own newborn. For the first time in my pregnancy I actually felt a moment of real excitement, a glimpse of that promised joy.

How to Choose? Evaluating GOP Presidential Candidates

With 14 months to go before the next Presidential election, the media and pundits are in a frenzy, anxiously attempting to choose President Obama’s opponent. Republican Presidential candidate debates may be found on TV once a week, while social media is abuzz with supporters and detractors of every candidate and issue.

At this point in the political process, five months before the first primary election, I welcome the media attention on all Presidential candidates. Many argue the media failed in this regard toward then-freshman Senator Obama in 2008.  Journalists Tom Brokaw and Charlie Rose discussed how they still did not know much about Obama or his beliefs just days before the 2008 election.  This lack of information should be unacceptable to us as voters.  Since our Presidential campaign season lasts well over a year, we should know where each candidate stands on every important issue before ever casting a single vote.

It is our job, as voters, to understand and know our candidates as well as possible before walking into the voting booth. Gov. Perry, Gov. Romney, Rep. Bachmann, and all GOP candidates probably welcome the scrutiny because withstanding it will prove each of them to be a worthy competitor and candidate in the general election against President Obama. Voters need to be able to discern who they are voting for, particularly how that person expects to lead our nation if elected. 

How to Discern the Candidates

 We need to be responsible in evaluating our own beliefs, ideology, values and morals, develop positions on pertinent issues, and prioritize which issues are most important toward earning our vote. Then we will be able to closely examine the truth about each candidate in relation to our top tier issues. Where does each of them stand, both on their record and in stated campaign promises. What do they believe?  How does a candidate’s stance on big issues align with our own?  No one candidate is going to be “perfect,” or vote “perfectly” on all my issues or values. If perfect candidates existed, and everyone agreed what “perfect” meant, there would be no need for politics or elections. So, we must know which issues are most important to each of us, individually, in what will influence our decisions for support and vote.  This is an individual evaluation, decision and choice. 

An important part of evaluating a candidate is to look beyond what the media or political pundits say about a candidate. We cannot just take their word for it, but must watch and listen to the candidate for ourselves. This is why it’s important to seek out articles and other items written by the individual, before they were a candidate, go through their past record of leadership, or speak to someone who lived in their state or district while they were in office. 

Texas Governor

In the case of Governor Perry, Shelly and I have the benefit of having lived in this state where he has been Governor for the last eleven years. I don’t need the media or pundits to tell me how he governs or how to interpret his governance.  Watching him on debates or in interviews, I recognize decisions he’s made throughout his term that I agreed or disagreed with. Now, I must decide how his total leadership as Governor, and potential leadership as President, fits in line with my top tier issues. Are his deficits, in my opinion, enough to outweigh all the things I agree with him on? 

As Governor, Perry impressed me more and more over the last several years. He stood strong in his beliefs of fiscal responsibility, limited government regulations, American exceptionalism, and strong pro-life convictions. His Presidential announcement speech given in South Carolina spelled out many of the values, priorities and core beliefs he followed in governing the state of Texas.  Read it for yourself to get an introduction into Rick Perry’s vision for America and a glimpse into his core beliefs.  

The next step is to see where Governor Perry places on my issues list when I line him up against the other candidates. There are things I like, if not love, about each Republican candidate.  But, since I do not know the other candidates as well as Governor Perry, it is an ongoing process to examine each of them, look at their records and listen to their words to see how they measure against my own top tier issues.

Thankfully, we still have many months to evaluate each of the candidates for ourselves before we walk into a voting booth. In the meantime, I will take the time to examine each candidate’s beliefs, principles and integrity as it aligns with my core beliefs and priority voting issues.  As I find candidates whom I believe may be a strong leader for our great nation, I will offer them my support to help them stay in the race until election time.

9-11 What Will YOU Do?

Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of the terrible attacks on our country that changed us forever.

In 2009, Lisa and I contributed to Project 2996, writing about Joseph Navas. Last year, Lisa wrote about the emotion of 9-11, while I shared what I was doing that morning. Our father even contributed a guest post stating what all Americans must remember.

This past weekend I noticed posters in the mall calling for a 9-11 Tribute with images showing people pledging to do one thing in memory of 9-11.

As our country prepares to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9-11 this Sunday, I’ve been remembering the emotion of that day. How I felt swept up in a ferocious anger and desire to do something, anything to say we will not give in to this attack.

Ten years later, I still remember that emotion and feel that desire.

Ten years later, how will we honor the victims. Honor the heroes.

What will you do?

Go to Adoration.
Pray the Rosary.
Give blood.
Spend time with your family.
Pray for our national leaders.

We can use this emotion to give back to our community, our families.

To find that one thing that captures our tenacity.

Our national spirit.

Our will to live without fear.

I will….

Looking for Leadership on Civility

In the days that followed the tragic shooting deaths in Tucson, President Obama delivered what may be remembered as one of his more powerful speeches, a direct appeal for the nation to “sharpen our instincts for empathy.” He continued, “At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized… it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.”

“I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us.”

As we look ahead towards the impending 2012 national election season, a time when we expect heated passionate discussions, we realize that when you support one party’s approach to solving our national problems over another, it’s easy to get caught up in the rhetoric and energy.

However, this Labor Day weekend we heard a marked increase in very disturbing language coming from national leaders, including the Vice President of the United States.

Whether you consider yourself sympathetic to Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, or even part of the ever-growing Tea Party, whose membership base varies from state to state, county to county, I pose the question whether the messages heard this weekend are ever considered appropriate.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden

In Cincinnati, our elected Vice President, who is supposed to represent all Americans, told a crowd of AFL-CIO union workers, “We’ve been through a lot of fights, but this is a different kind of fight…. You are the only folks keeping the barbarians from the gates. You are the only non-governmental power. The only one that has the power and the capacity to stop the onslaught.”

It may be difficult for those of us from states where big-union isn’t a big deal to understand the exact relationships between government and unions, but should the vice-president of the United States refer to those who believe in a different approach to our problems, be using this kind of language on a national holiday in an effort to incite a group of potential voters?

It gets worse.

Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa

International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ president Jimmy Hoffa appeared at Detroit’s Labor Day Event at the GM Plant Parking Lot in a program that included President Obama. Hoffa constantly referred to a “war on workers” by the Tea Party.

“And you know there is only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. … they’ve got a war with us and there is only going to be one winner. … President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march… When he sees what we are doing here, he will be inspired, but he needs help. And you know what? Everybody here has got a vote. If we go back, we keep the eye on the prize, let’s take these sons-of-b***ches out and give America back to America where we belong.”

The official White House response, delivered this morning by White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, is that President Obama will not “serve as the speech police for the Democratic Party.” So we look toward the DNC Chair, US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She has no official response, refusing to address Mr. Hoffa’s call for violence. Instead, she merely reiterates the DNC prepared talking points about, “working together and focus on creating jobs.”

U.S. Representative Maxine Waters

Let’s also not forget that just two weeks ago, Rep. Maxine Waters spoke to a community summit of her Los Angeles constituents, in which she boldly stated “I’m not afraid of anybody, this is a tough game. You can’t be intimidated. You can’t be frightened. And as far as I’m concerned, the ‘tea party’ can go straight to Hell.”

It's unfortunate how quickly people forget the President's sage words offered just nine months ago. We turn to him for leadership, a strong response to his own party, reminding his supporters about the need for true civility. This is his opportunity to lead the nation, both in actions and words, towards real discussion and compromise, not name-calling, rhetoric, accusations, or even silent acquiescence.

Tonight the GOP primary candidates will debate in order to distinguish themselves to their base of voters. Each desires the opportunity to represent the party in the national election for President. Meanwhile, the President prepares his own call for legislation, laying the foundation for his own re-election campaign.

We know that both sides will differ in how they approach our national problems, but I wonder whether we as a nation can survive the verbal barrage.

Texas is Burning

Over the last two weeks, the national media provided intense coverage of Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and the surprise East Coast Earthquake, but only today seemed to notice that Texas is burning.  Given the gravity of the destruction occurring in the Lone Star State, it's surprising to note that this news seems to be only a blip in the news cycle. 

The entire state of Texas is experiencing the worst drought in more than 50 years with over 80% of the state considered "extreme drought conditions."  This map from The Drought Monitor at University Nebraska-Lincoln puts it in perspective.

As a result of the drought, there have been a record number of wildfires since the start of wildfire season last December.  During this time, Texas has lost more than 3.6 million acres to wildfires, roughly the size of Connecticut, with damage estimates upwards of $15 Billion.  

Although we have been burning for months, the exceptionally strong winds from TS Lee this weekend fanned the flames, spreading fire quickly and making new fires difficult to contain.  

During this Labor Day holiday weekend, more than 60 new wildfires started on Sunday alone.  On the west side of Austin a heavily populated neighborhood, Steiner Ranch, was engulfed by fire, forcing evacuations.  It is still burning today. Leander and Pflugerville, suburbs of Austin are also threatened by massive wildfires that are not fully contained.

Several fires on the east side of Austin near Bastrop began to burn out of control over the weekend. One of these forced our family members to evacuate the family ranch several miles away on Sunday.   The fires in Bastrop have grown into monsters and even today are still forcing evacuations and threatening lives and homes. It is being reported that over 30,000 acres and more than 600 homes are destroyed as the Bastrop fires stretched over 16 miles in the last two days, and more than two thirds of Bastrop State Park, home to several endangered species has now been consumed.  

Fire Map from Weather Underground

Texas wildfires are not limited to the Austin area, but may be found throughout the central and east side of the state.  Areas in and near Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are also threatened by raging wildfires.  Monday afternoon, a new fire burned 1,600 acres, forcing the evacuation of 8,000 residents in Magnolia, a rural suburb northwest of Houston.  Firefighters struggled to control the spread early Tuesday morning.

Pictures from the Texas wildfires this weekend express the seriousness of the situation.

Governor Perry left the campaign trail in South Carolina Monday to return to deal with the fire situation in Texas.  It is shocking that a number of people are criticizing him for putting his job as Governor ahead of a political campaign for President.  Even though our state has been threatened with wildfires for months, the intensity and danger to so many residents from the fires this weekend makes it  incredibly appropriate for him to leave the campaign trail and come home when he did.  The proper place for a Governor in a time of natural disaster is in the state he was elected to lead.  

Cooler temperatures and calmer wind conditions this morning should aid the firefighters in their dire mission to save land, homes and lives; however, the only thing that can truly stop Texas from burning at this point is rain.  

Please join us in praying for the safety of those in the path of the fires, the firefighters, all first responders, and rain.  

Football, Family, & Fun!

It doesn’t matter if your favorite is high school, college ball, or the good ol’ NFL. Whether you’ve been salivating over the upcoming season waiting for your favorite teams or you’re cross-eyed from reviewing your fantasy draft lineup, take a break this Saturday night to catch a different kind of play.

Make plans with the whole family this Saturday night to enjoy the movie “Game Time: Tackling the Past” on NBC at 8/7 central.

At the brink of ultimate fame and glory, pro football star Jake Walker’s life and career is interrupted when a family emergency recalls him to a hometown and family that he has spent fifteen years avoiding. As he struggles with the hurt and misunderstanding of the past, he receives the crushing news that he has been cut from the team. With his life, career, and future over, Jake must unwillingly start over and reconnect with himself, his family, and his community.

After watching the other Family Movie Night productions sponsored by Walmart and P&G, we know this will be a down-to-earth, uplifting movie designed to touch our emotions and leave us thinking about the direction we follow in our own lives. These movies are designed to get families talking. An extra added bonus is you don’t need to grab for the remote to silence inappropriate commercials in between.

What I expect from this movie can be summed up in this one quote from the trailer; “It’s not about how talented you are, it’s about how you use the gifts you’re given.”

How you use the gifts you’ve been given.





Kick back with the family this Saturday night and get ready for some football.