Reflections on 2009 and the Future

As 2009 winds down, I am contemplating what to do with this blog in 2010. I feel like I made a lot of progress by changing the layout, increasing the number of overall posts for the year, and by adding a podcast feature. However, I have found that my time is more limited now than it was in the past. I have a full time job, a young baby to take care of, and several hobbies.

My new year's resolution is to increase my tithing at church, increase my charitable donations, and to be a better person. I know I can't quantify the last resolution, but I have several ideas in which I can improve myself as a person. Firstly, I am going to make a dedicated effort to pray daily and pray often. I plan on spending at least 15 minutes a day for 4 days a week in adoration. I plan on reading Magnificat every day as well as the dayly spiritual reflections with Saint Paul, a book I received for Christmas. I plan to pray the rosary weekly. In addition to prayer, I hope to become less selfish in both thought and action. I hope that my actions and my behavior reflect a life of service to God and to others. I will certainly fail to live up to this at times, but with God's grace maybe I will fail less often. Thirdly, I want to be a moral and spiritual leader in my family as well as in the community when possible. This blog is one way in which I've tried to accomplish this, but I also plan to continue my position on the Respect Life Committee. I also will try to display my faith in my interations with family, friends, coworkers and strangers.

So that is my goal for 2010. Will I live up to my high expectations? Probably not completely, but I intend to do my best to live up to these resolutions. What does this all mean for this blog? I'm not real sure. The readship of this blog has declined, probably in large part due to the fact that I haven't been updating it nearly as often the past couple months. The goal of this blog was to promote the values of Christianity in our lives today. If I fail to reach a wide audience, perhaps I should try to focus on another endeavor in hopes of accomplishing my original goal with this blog. I am open to all advice, comments or ideas you might have. I appreciate you. Thank you, God bless you, and my you have a very blessed 2010!

Podcast - Tiger Woods, Brian Kelly, and College Football

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The Manhattan Declaration

I signed the declaration and if you believe in the principals stated in the Manhattan Declaration, I encourage you to sign the petition also and to spread the word on to other people of like mind and good will. God bless you all this Advent season!

What is the Manhattan Declaration?
A Call of Christian Conscience

Read the Manhattan Declaration.
Manhattan Declaration

Sign the Manhattan Declaration

Live the Manhattan Declaration

Mary's Dream About Christmas

Thanks to Gus Lloyd for this audio and video.

National Adoption Day

As advocates for life, we should not limit our focus to the rights of the unborn. Several children are neglected by their parents and end up in foster care. Those children may stay in foster care for years and some never find a family and when they turn 18 they are all alone. The best environment for a child is in a good loving family - a family with a mother and father who love them. Research has continuously come out to confirm this well known fact. Many believe that adoption is a very expensive and difficult process and so they never seriously consider adoption. While there may be some obsticles, nothing worth doing or receiving comes without some challenges. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a public charity that my employer, Wendy's/Arby's Group, fully supports. The Dave Thomas Foundation is a public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the number of adoptions of children waiting in foster care. Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, himself was adopted and he was a champion for the cause for adoption his entire life. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a more afordable option than many other adoption options. If you'd like more information, please visit their website below. God bless!

Dave Thomas Foundation

Stupek Amendment A Pro-Life Victory?

Was the Stupek Amendmen a Pro-Life Victory or was it simply a political ploy to pass a bad health care bill? I tend to believe that although there certainly was some political games being played here, the inclusion of the Stupek amendment is indeed a Pro-Life victory and will in fact make the bill even more difficult to pass because of the radical far left leadership in this country. Hopefully the passage of the Stupek amendment is just the first of many victories in the spirtual battle for life. Hopefully this issue over abortion will divide the Democratic party, destory this bad health care bill, and reform a party that has strongly moved toward the culture of death. I say we should support the Stupek Amendment, not the current health care bill, and continue to fight against the culture of death on abortion, death penalty, euthanasia, “comprehensive sex education", war, etc. Life is not political; it is a gift from God. Health care reform is necessary but not at the expense of our faith, morals, and the life and well-being of our children and our children’s children. God bless!

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Planned Parenthood Director Quits After Change of Heart on Abortion

USCCB Grassroots Effort To Address Concerns in Health Care Reform

The Catholic Bishops have tried and tried to get the message out to politicians, but most politicians are turning a cold shoulder so the USCCB is turning to grassroots efforts to help raise awareness about the concerns Catholics have with the current health care reform proposals. I am so pleased to see the Catholic Bishops make such a strong committment and stand on this critical issue of health care. Please spread the word. God bless!

U.S. bishops launch grassroots effort to fight for Catholic concerns on health care