Professor PZ Myers

St. Peter Canisius Apostolate is calling for August to be Pray for PZ Myers Month. If you're unaware of the controversy, check it out here.

Random Coversation with a Friend...

Rick: "...and I said to myself, 'What the f***?' Uhh...pardon my French."

Me: "Sorry, I can't pardon your French. The word f*** is of Dutch origin, from the word fokken."

Rick: "You know, I like the way you think."

World Youth Day is half over! Insert frownie-face here!

I'm just now getting to the WYD websites. How exciting WYD is! I rejoice with the people who are able to be there live in person! For the rest of us, the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has a virtual pilgrimmage. DREADNOUGHT is covering the event, too, and has an article written by a DREADPilgrim. (I was going to link to that specific post, but the perma-link doesn't seem to be available.) My job on the graveyard shift is slightly advantageous regarding the radio coverage. While I cannot get good radio reception of the two Catholic AM Radio stations in my part of Michigan (Ave Maria and Michigan Catholic Radio), I can listen when I go out making deliveries to certain hospitals. I heard part of Cardinal Pell's opening homily and part of Pope Benedict's speech last night.

Another thing we who have the misfortune of not being at WYD can do is pray for many graces to be released to the world through this event. And let us pray for the pilgrims, and that the pilgrims, especially the Chinese pilgrims (see the Intentional Disciples blog entry for Thursday, July 17, 2008 - once more Perma-link isn't working*), will bring back a new sense of Christ to their local communities.

*I think this may have something to do with the filtering software I have on my computer.

What a busy week and a half!

Yes, my life has been busier than normal, but not because of work! My schedule has changed, and I now have an actual life! I now work Sunday through Thursday from 8:30pm to 5am, except for Monday. Monday's schedule is 10pm to 6:30am. "The midnight shift. Sounds horrible!" you might say, dear reader, but you would be wrong! I am enjoying this shift. It allows me to go to Mass every day! And when the fall semester starts, I can take morning classes at a local community college and still be able to go to Mass every day!

Now that I have a life, I actually have less time to blog and keep up with e-mail :-(

But I'll do my best to keep new things here, at least once a week.

Upcoming topics:

God's Team (a group of Evangelicals in the Detroit metro area from many different churches and para-church organizations who reac out to the Muslim population here).

The Arab-American festival held this past weekend (6/20-6/22).

My parents attending my COURAGE group with me.

A men's group I've joined at a local Evangelical church called Sexual Integrity.

My Muslim friend "Ali" (not his real name).

Another new blog...

Today, I'm adding another new blog to the blogroll. Adoro te Devote. I meant to do this months ago! It's a good blog, and most of you probably already visit it.

I've been featured!

A Catholic Mom in Hawaii has featured my second-to-last post on her blog (scroll down to #10)! Wow! I was just writing from my heart, and really thought that post was kind of cheesey. Well, I guess if God can speak through Balaam's ass... (for the full story of Balaam, read Numbers chapters 22, 23, and 24).

I don't know how many hits Catholic Mom gets, but I hope some of her readers start giving money to, spending time in prayer about, and maybe even going into missions! Imagine! If someone becomes involved in missions because of her encouragement, she will share the reward in heaven! (By the way, check out story # 7, too, about Father Damien.)

Many thanks to Catholic Mom for her interest in my blog and for helping to spread the word about the needs of the missions today.

I need your help/advice!

I'm interested in making my very own King James Bible, Catholic Edition (the King James text is in the public domain). Does anyone know of a good software program that will allow me to arrange the text in double columns with a center column cross-reference?

I'd like to "Justify" the text so the columns will look like they do in a regular double-column, center column cross-reference Bible. Inserting table into Microsoft Word allows me to do this, except for the last line I'm able to type into the row.

Anyone have any ideas?

On the USCCB website...

...I found a great document: To the Ends of the Earth. I love the opening sentence: "Jesus was a missionary." It reminds me of a quote from David Livingstone which I've always enjoyed: "God had an only Son, and He was a missionary..."

God is all about bringing the nations back into a relationship with Him.

Evangelicals are big on missions. What about you, dear Catholic reader?

There are one and a half billion Muslims in the world. Many have heard that Jesus was a prophet, but very few have ever heard that He is the Risen Savior. Will you go tell them?

What about the world's five hundred million Hindus believing in three hundred thirty million gods and goddesses? Who will tell them about the One God who is Jealous for their love? He wants them for Himself. Will you go tell them?

Catholic parents, will you teach your children about the 10/40 Window and how very few missionary efforts there are in that area of the world? Will you ask God to send your children as His ambassadors to the unreached peoples of the world? Will you consider whether or not God may be calling your entire family - you, your spouse, your infants, your teenagers - to live among a group of people who have never heard the Gospel? Will your family make this a matter of prayer?

Catholic singles, have you considered how your career might gain you access to countries which don't allow missionaries? Your life of character and integrity can be a powerful witness to your non-Christian co-workers.

The Gospel is free, but it takes money to send people to preach the Gospel. Please consider giving to Catholic missionary orders. Here are a few that are worthy:

Mariannehill Missionaries

PIME Missionaries

Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

LAMP Ministries

Miles Christi

Renewal Ministries

Contact some of these organizations. See if you can "adopt" a missionary. Write letters to him or her. Encourage your missionary. Pray for your missionary. Offer up your sufferings for your missionary. They need us.

O people, I plead with you, join in the Great Commission! Spread the Gospel by living a life of fathfulness and fidelity to Christ and His Church. Let your life witness to your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. But remember: your actions only convey so much. Speak to people about Christ, or they will think you're the great one, not He. Support missionaries by your giving. Support missionaries with your prayers. Give them words of encouragement. Let them know they're not forgotten. Let them know they have support in this battle. Have masses said for them. Pray for those among whom they work. Pray for darkened minds to be illumined. Pray for our priests, deacons, bishops, fellow parishioners, neighbors, co-workers, friends, families, strangers, acquaintances, and everyone, always, until "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."

And finally, to end, the Evangelical missionary organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM) has an excellent motto. Let us all make it our own:

"To know God and make Him known!"

The last few weeks...

...have been extremely difficult for me. I'm tired of my job; that is, I'm tired of all the overtime and the on-call status. A change in the situation may be on the way, however. My boss asked me if I'd be willing to work from 8pm to 4:30am Sunday through Thursday. If so, I'd never be on call, and I'd have Fridays and Saturdays off! Do you know what this means? Daily Mass! I think I'm going to agree to it. It'll give me the vestiges of a life again!

The Urinal Test

A few years ago, I found a basic HTML version of this test online. Now it comes complete with graphics (nothing inappropriate)! Women, it's a guy thing.

The Urinal Test link here.