Veggie Tales King George and the Ducky

     Some Bible stories are fairly easy to make simple and tame enough to teach children the morals and values they’re meant to convey. Sure, kids are going to be interested in hearing about Noah building a huge ark and getting all of the animals to come on board two by two, but how would you turn one of the Scripture stories that most resembles a soap opera involving conceit, deceit, lust, and murder into a kid-friendly, mother-approved lesson in compassion, the importance of being honest, and the consequences of selfishness?
     Only the crew at Veggie Tales would take on a challenge as great and requiring such creative genius as rewriting the story of King David, Bathsheba, and Uriah the Hittite so it could be used as an example for children of what happens when we allow selfishness, greed, and jealousy to guide our actions. The only aspect of the story as they tell it that has anything to do with soap opera is that the main characters take baths and sing.
     Instead of numerous wives, King George has a cabinet full of rubber duckies, yet he covets his neighbor’s ducky. Most kids have felt that way themselves. Regardless of how many toys they have, they’re most interested in what someone else is using and doesn’t want to share. I daresay the reasons for many of the fights in childhood are: not knowing or following the polite rules of engagement, having very strong feelings of entitlement, and not possessing much self-restraint. Actually, if we’re honest with ourselves, these are often some of the reasons why adults get into arguments.      If we focus on ourselves to the point of disregarding the effects our behavior will have on other people involved, then we are not living or loving as God would like. What better way to illustrate to kids what greed and self-centeredness look like than to have someone who seems to have everything take what little happiness and pleasure another person possesses by stealing his favorite and only bath toy. King George inevitably finds himself unhappy and in another unfavorable kind of hot water.
     This movie is like all other Veggie Tale productions in that it is a wonderful reminder of Biblical truths in family-friendly form. Wholesome entertainment for everyone can be hard to come by, but this crew has created another moral masterpiece filled with song, humor, and solid Scriptural principles. I highly recommend it!
     You can purchase this DVD here.

The Four Teresas

When I saw that a friend was reading The Four Teresas, I immediately asked if I could borrow it when he finished, not yet knowing it was available to review from Catholic Company. I’ve read several books about and/or by three of the Teresa’s covered in this book (St. Teresa of Avila, Blessed Mother Teresa, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux), so naturally I was interested in one that ties these three and a lesser-known St. Teresa Benedicta together.
    
Author Gina Loehr does an exceptional job covering the most significant aspects of these four women’s lives and their ministries.
This book would be a great introduction to these amazing women, or as it was for me, a well-done summary of longer works I’ve read about and by them over the years.
    
This is a wonderful study guide, with great questions for meditation and reflection, as well as practical suggestions for how we can become more like each of these holy women. There is a chapter devoted to each woman. Each of the four sections ends with two reflection questions and ten suggestions for how we can incorporate the tenets and devotions of each woman’s faith. These lists include short, manageable practices anyone can adopt, such as: “Look for God in nature” (pg. 22); “Go to confession monthly” (pg. 44); “Attend lectures on religious topics” (pg. 70); and “Spend time praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament” (pg. 103).
    
The lists of Ten More Ways to be More Like…are followed by Points of Consideration in which the author describes various aspects of each woman’s ministry and lifestyle then ends with a question that invites the reader to examine how well he or she lives out the virtue depicted. These questions would be great for a book club discussion, prayer group, or for personal reflection and/or spiritual journal writing.
    
I highly recommend this book to the neophyte dabbling for the first time in the lives of the saints as well as for the well-read cradle Catholic who is ready for specific steps for putting faith into action by imitating the holy women who have gone before us.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.
Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, pray for us.
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
Saint Mary Mother of God, pray for us
All you holy women, pray for us.

This review was written as part of the Catholic books reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Four Teresas.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What It Means, What It Takes to Be Enflamed by the Holy Spirit

Fire attracts people. The intensity of it sets a mood. Fire draws people closer together, gives off a comforting warmth, emits a glow, changes the appearance of things, and creates glimmers of light where darkness prevailed. 
     
In the Old Testament, fire symbolizes two aspects of God: presence and holiness. There are many stories about offerings and sacrifices of praise to the Lord, and many times these sacrifices were burned on the altar. Moses and the burning bush show how when God uses fire, it can purify and ignite without reducing something to ashes.
     
The story of Abraham and Isaac is a profound Old Testament example of what the Lord calls us to do. God instructed Abraham to give back to Him what he had wanted most and prayed for most fervently: a son. Why would the Lord ask this? God wanted proof Abraham was consumed with love for Him above everyone and everything else in his life, even his beloved son.
     
In the New Testament, the apostles are together on Pentecost at which time “…there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were filled with the holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:3-4).
     
In this instance, the Holy Spirit as symbolized by the flames which descended upon each one of them, gives them the courage, passion, and confirmation they needed to go out and spread the Good News. After locking themselves in an upper room, afraid of what would happen next, they experience the power of the Advocate Jesus said He would send to them, and they’re suddenly ready to go and carry out the task they were called to from the beginning.
     
If we give our lives over to God completely, He will set us on fire with His love. The more we “let go, and let God” by allowing ourselves to be consumed by Him, the brighter He shines in and through us.
     
We were lit from within when given the gift of faith. Offering our minds, bodies, and souls on the altar each day means we allow God to use us however He sees fit. If we only put some of who we are and what we have on the altar, the flame of our lives won’t be as big. The more we sacrifice on the altar, the bigger the flame. The bigger the flame, the more who will see and be drawn to it. It was God’s intent to shine as much as possible in and through the apostles. He also wants us to be beacons of light, bonfires of love, hearts on fire who, by allowing the Holy Spirit to move freely in and through us, glorify the Lord and draw others closer to Him.
     
Daily prayer, the Sacraments, reading Scripture, ongoing religious and spiritual formation, generously giving of who we are and what we have, and maintaining close relationships with other strong Catholics will fuel the fire of faith God has given us.
     
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit, Lord, and they shall be created. And thou shall renew the face of the earth.
     Let us pray, O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of your faithful; grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.”


Note to reader: This reflection originally appeared in the June 2010 edition of the Rooster Review in honor of all of the participants of the Cursillo Women's Weekend taking place June 24-27, 2010.

Text Messages with Deeper Meaning

     I was having a rough weekend when John, who has become a dear brother to Kevin and me, reached out via text messages to remind me of God’s love, His view of me, and how both remain the same regardless of how I’m feeling.
     While in a cloud of doubt and negativity, John texted me the following messages:
     don't believe the accuser. you are a beloved child of God    
     He will give you the strength to keep going    
          Remember that every hair on your head is numbered. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Heavenly Father's knowledge. u are worth much more than sparrows

    As the Father has loved me so I have loved you. -Our Lord Jesus
     Remember that even Mary said she was the Lord's lowly servant.
     Read psalm 139. He loves you so much. don't worry about accepting it but give Him what little you can. That will be enough. I promise. Say Jesus I trust in you
     Don't worry about your feelings. God sees your depth and at your depth you truly love Him.
     I knew John was right; it was the devil who was trying to convince me that God couldn’t possibly love me. The Lord knows everything about whom He has created. He knows each one of us, inside and out. That wasn’t hard for me to understand and accept, but the next Truths were harder for me to hold in my heart that day: God loves each one of us more than we can imagine. He knows us most intimately, and He loves us anyway.
     Many times in recent weeks, I’ve heard sermons which include the reminder that we are made in God’s image. I love that thought, in part, because I can’t completely wrap my head around the idea. I can’t imagine or explain God in all His glory, so the notion of being made in His image isn’t something I can quantify or entirely comprehend.
     Reading Psalm 139 has helped me go into a deeper level of contemplation and meditation about being made in God’s image. Each one of these phrases from the Psalm captures how intimately the Lord knows us: “You understand my thoughts from afar…with all my ways you are familiar…Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you know it all. Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach…You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.”
     Reflecting on these led me to the verse which the Lord wants us to do and believe: “I praise You, God, for I am fearfully, wonderfully made.” Our loving Father wants for us to know that He has created us in His image, loves us, and wants us to embrace and give Him praise for it.
     Here is a beautiful song by music missionary Danielle Rose which is based on Psalm 139:

     Lord, help us today and every day to glorify You by embracing the Truth that we are made in Your image, known by You intimately, and loved by You unconditionally. Amen.

Unlikely Spiritual Heroes

Unlikely Spiritual Heroes attracted me, in part, because I recognized the last four people of the eight Brennan R. Hill writes about in the book and have read autobiographical books by them which I really enjoyed. The journalistic writing, attention to detail, and the threads connecting each of these Catholic stalwarts of the faith made it a strong, powerful testimony to the different ways people are called to serve Christ and His people. Hill devotes a chapter to each of the following model Catholics: Jean Donovan, Helen Prejean, Dorothy Stang, Pedro Arrupe, Thomas Merton, Maximilian Kolbe, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, and Pope John Paul II.
    
The viewpoint and tone more closely resemble that of an aggressive, hardcore reporter than that of a biographer piecing together the softer versions of people’s lives already covered in other texts. I wasn’t prepared for what I encountered in these pages. This book isn’t for the faint of heart or the faint of stomach. Some of the descriptions are gruesome. I found myself grimacing when I read certain parts.      The extreme poverty, far-reaching government corruption, and effects of war are depicted quite vividly which serves to underline the awful conditions these men and women were up against. I was deeply disturbed by the graphic details used to describe the trials and tribulations these men and women suffered and/or the atrocities they witnessed.
    
For anyone who thinks that missionary work, prison ministry, serving the poor, or living out the call within a call that’s often part of consecrated religious life is for softies, this book should be mandatory reading. I agree completely that each of these men and women deserves the title hero. They not only battled the principalities of the dark, but often had to came up against those who wanted to do them physical harm for the work they were doing to protect and promote the dignity and sanctity of human life in all its forms.
    
I recommend this book, especially for those who want to know what life is like in the trenches for those fighting against evil, corruption, destruction, despair, illness, desolation, poverty, death, inequality, hatred, and violence.
    
This review was written as part of the Catholic books reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Unlikely Spiritual Heroes . I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Come Holy Spirit, Renew the Hearts of Your Faithful

This depiction of John the Baptist Baptising Jesus
 is one of four huge stained glass windows
 at St. Michael the Archangel Church
representing a scene from each of the Gospels.  

The Lord is so amazing in the many ways He works in and through people. I have been deeply moved by how strongly I have felt His presence in the many chapels, sanctuaries, churches of a wide variety of Christian traditions, and the one or two synagogues I’ve prayed in over the years.
   
In college, I went to a Pentecostal church with a friend and the woman in charge of Resident Life for first-year students. That was my first time being surrounded by people who were speaking in tongues, being slain in the Holy Spirit, running around the church, and moving their feet faster than is humanly possible without some serious dance training.

A woman wearing a bright orange outfit and matching hat was standing next to me praying. She asked if she could pray over me, and I said she could. Before I knew it I kept saying, “Thank You!” over and over again.

I had no intention of praying aloud, but it was as if I couldn’t help it. I kept saying thank You to God and had this profound sense of peace and joy wash over me. At one point, I have no idea what words came out of my mouth. All I know is that they weren’t in English, French, or any language I knew how to speak or could recognize.    

This woman guided me up to the altar where my friend was standing. I didn’t know if she was going to ask the pastor to baptize me, give me a blessing, or what. I was prepared to explain I’d already been Baptized and Confirmed, but I didn’t need to. I can’t remember exactly what the pastor said when he was speaking in English, and I had no idea then or now what he uttered when he was speaking in tongues, however, it’s still as clear as can be in my mind what I saw next.

My friend who had seen me come up began moving her feet faster than I have ever seen someone who isn’t a trained professional dancer. I knew it had to be the Holy Spirit, because this friend was rather introverted, didn’t tend to draw a lot of attention to herself, and there she was right in front of the altar and the entire congregation dancing up a storm.
   
That evening when I went to Mass I felt even closer and more in awe of the Lord’s gift to us of His Son in the most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.
   
Lord God Almighty, thank You for the many ways You have given us to glorify and praise You. Open us up to the promptings of Your love to heal division and brokenness, reconcile differences and bring about true peace which passes all understanding. Amen.