Lent, Grace, Virtue, and Pelagianism: God's role in making us happy and holy.

Back to Tebow, just for a moment. Tebowing on the sidelines and preaching in front of the cameras, some seem to think every ball to leave his hand is divinely guided - nothing short of a miracle.

But is the football really some divine remote-control hovercraft, Tebow really a kind of divine puppet?

The expense is reckoned, the enterprise is begun; it is of God; it cannot be withstood.

Edmund Campion was a man on fire! He couldn't be stopped. As a Jesuit and a missionary, he was a man convinced of who called him, who he was, and the task at hand. Nothing was going to get in his way! 

"And touching our Society, be it known to you that we have made a league—all the Jesuits in the world, whose succession and multitude must overreach all the practice of England—cheerfully to carry the cross you shall lay upon us, and never to despair your recovery, while we have a man left to enjoy your Tyburn, or to be racked with your torments, or consumed with your prisons. The expense is reckoned, the enterprise is begun; it is of God; it cannot be withstood. So the faith was planted: So it must be restored."

This reminds me of the Gospel Quote:

Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ -- can hardships or distress, or persecution, or lack of food and clothing, or threats or violence;  as scripture says: For your sake we are being massacred all day long, treated as sheep to be slaughtered?

Rm 8:35-37

What about us? What's our mission? Are we convinced?

As a side note, please comment if you have any suggestions on the logo.

Michael Murphy and the Ultimate Sacrifice: A Navy Seal on a Mission.

Read Lone Survivor? The harrowing story of a Navy Seal team on a special mission takes Marcus Luttrell to the brink of death. His comrades, however, never made it to tell the story.
 
After long months of preparation and elite training, they thought they were ready for anything.

On June 27, 2005, Lieutenant Michael Murphy was called to make the ultimate sacrifice. As part of the four-man SEAL team that infiltrated deep into the Afghan mountains in Operation Redwing, he made a phone call that would cost him his life to give his comrades a chance of rescue.

From the citation

Ignoring his own wounds and demonstrating exceptional composure, Lieutenant Murphy continued to lead and encourage his men. When the primary communicator fell mortally wounded, Lieutenant Murphy repeatedly attempted to call for assistance for his beleaguered teammates.

Realizing the impossibility of communicating in the extreme terrain, and in the face of almost certain death, he fought his way into open terrain to gain a better position to transmit a call. This deliberate, heroic act deprived him of cover, exposing him to direct enemy fire. Finally achieving contact with his headquarters, Lieutenant Murphy maintained his exposed position while he provided his location and requested immediate support for his team.

For more information.

Tebowing or Zaching - what to do, and why to do it.

Thousands have taken a knee recently - seriously or in jest. Not everyone likes the gesture or the man, but it stands for something. Tim Tebow has become a national, I dare to say, global figure of hope that faith cannot not only be reconciled with success but is a necessary element.

Recently, an eighteen year old freshman at the University of Maryland, Zach Leder patented another gesture. Zaching has swept the country in an outpouring of support.

Silence: iNoise and the battle for our soul. 4 Simple Steps.

Reading this on the computer? On the iPhone? You only sat down for a moment, but someone already Tweeted you. Now, a FaceBook friend request - accept or decline? But here's a blog post from some seminarian in Rome. Sounds like the phone, and out comes the earbud. Back to FaceBook, and wow, that’s a great picture…

STOP! We need a brick wall to stop our mental freight train.

Our world is full of frenzy, distraction, and gratification. Every day more Tweets, IM's, texts, FaceBooks (don’t know if that works in the plural), and calls flood into our heads.

Silence! “Why?” you ask.

Anthony Robles: What it really takes to win!

Some of dream of being National Sport Champs, but most of us never made it despite the fact that we have two arms and two legs. Anthony Robles has one leg, and he made.

In high school, he won two State Titles and was took fourth and seventh place in the past two seasons at Arizona State. But this year he finally took the NCAA title in the 125 pound class.

Will he continue? Yes, he will the battle's not over. But now instead of on the mat, he will be at the microphone as a motivational speaker for young people. "I want to help those kids rise out of nothing and achieve their goals, especially in wrestling. So I'll definitely be around."

How to pray II: Okay, I'm kneeling, now what?

Got a little long winded on prayer last week - sorry. It's like an oral exam when the teacher asks an unexpected question. We may not have a great answer, but we go on and on to show you know something

This time, I'll keep this short - three questions on prayer and three answers. (1) It's not that easy, any suggestions? (2) Okay, I'm kneeling (sitting or standing for that matter), now what? And (3) Where can I read more about this?

A Hero's Defense of the Faith - Edmund Campion's Ten Reasons

Edmund Campion came to England a fugitive but an apostle determined to preach the truth. His first writing upon arriving from Rome was his Brag, but The Ten Reasons were his last and most deliberate defense of his heroic mission to England and to his faith. The conclusion of that work. What fire!

Gold, glory, pleasures, lusts. Despise them. What are they but bowels of earth, high-sounding air, a banquet of worms, fair dunghills. Scorn them. Christ is rich, who will maintain you: He is a King, who will provide you: He is a sumptuous entertainer, who will feast you; He is beautiful, who will give in abundance all that can make you happy. Enrol yourselves in His service, that with Him you may gain triumphs, and show yourselves men truly most learned, truly most illustrious. Farewell.

Campion, the Priest

Campion, the Hero

Great Quote from the Brag

Lessons from the Cockpit: Flying and writing to give us a new perspective on life.

I'm new to blogging. Finding a new blog and thus, blogger is like uncovering hidden treasure. New perspective, experience, difference, and similarity. Things we agree on and things we don't! But all with a lot of insight to teach us. 

Christopher Laney and www.lessonsfromthecockpit.com
offer new insights on flying and life. See what he has to say.

Feb. 3, National Holiday? Four Soldiers and Men of God and their Ultimate Sacrifice.

I just missed a National Holiday. February 3rd came and went just like any other day despite the unanimous resolution of the American Congress in 1988.

Feb. 3, 1943, when one of the most remarkable and inspiring acts of heroism in the history of warfare took place during World War II. It is a day to honor the heroism of the Four Chaplains, who selflessly gave their lives “that others may live.”

NFL Super Bowl vs. Pro Bowl - a difference? We play like we live and we live like we play!

The Pro Bowl seems less and less a sporting event - at worst, a farce and at best, a full payed Hawaiian vacation for fan favorites. 

But football and sports in any shape continue to fascinate millions - why? There is some competitive element deep down in man that has to battle it out on the field. He has to prove his mettle to himself and others.

How to pray: FaceBook, Twitter, What it isn't, and 6 Steps to Communicating with God.

We're constantly communicating with people. We prove that man is a social animal with the thousand different gadgets to talk and chat. We have computers, FaceBook, SKYPE, instant messengers, cell phones, IPads, and just about anything else possible to stay in touch.

But are we in touch with God? He's the most important person in our life, considering that he created, redeemed, and keeps us alive. Yet numerous excuses jump to mind - I don't have time; I don't know how.

He's not on FaceBook. He doesn't have email. We don't know his cell number. So how can we stay in touch with him?

Prayer! A whole lot could be said on the subject, but let's start with the basics of how to start a conversation with God.

Mike Monsoor, a Navy Seal - the training, discipline, dedication, and love it takes to be a hero!

What sets the Navy Seals apart? We often have a kind of a strange fascination with this elite group. Maybe it's the training, the brotherhood created, or maybe it's the mental and physical toughness. But above all, it's the men!

Michael Monsoor is one of those men! 

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