(Note: Just to answer a question … no, I don’t intend this to become solely a music or video blog; I’ll be posting these types of things as I find them and want to share.)

As I was listening to my “Uplifting Rock” station that I created on Pandora Radio, a song by Building 429 came on that I really got into.  The name of the song was “New Season” off their release, Iris to Iris.

The band described what prompted the song this way:

I was staring blankly at the TV while the day’s news was flying across the bottom of the screen. I remember thinking, this stuff isn’t made up, this is actually the state of our world today. Then I started thinking a little closer to home. Maybe I wasn’t so different from the people that I was gawking about on TV. The worst people on TV were only a few shades of grey away from me… and it really freaked me out. I realized that I had a history no one out there knew about. You know, a history in my mind that was pretty different from the censored version I show people with my actions. But the beauty of the Lord is that He has freed us from being slaves to our past… freedom comes when Jesus enters. Burdens that have hurt for so long, no longer sting. And even though we still fall, the simple act of reaching for Grace when everything says that it shouldn’t be extended is an exercise of faith that will stretch our doubts, making them so thin that they have no power. Blessings on your new season… may it begin today.

I ended up tracking down a YouTube that has the audio of the song …

Take a listen.

But as I read that post, I got the feeling that I was part of that “boring Catholic programming” …

One of the things that I’ve noticed over the last year or so that I’ve not been posting regularly is that Catholic presence in the mainstream society is basically nonexistent.  Taking the MSM (mainstream media, for those not in the “know”) as an example … with the exception of the Pope’s visit (and a few days on either side of it), you don’t find Catholicism in the news/media — unless you’re really looking for “Catholic stuff”.

I’m hoping to try to break out of that “boring” mold … or at least be less boring.

Also, I thought I’d taken a backup in the last month, but it appears that it was sometime in January or February, so things were only as current as the “Happy New Year” posting … so, I deleted some posts going back before then to the last one with some substance.

As I said in the “About” post, I’ve got some plans to change things up from what CatholicSphere has been in the past …

As things settle down with getting things in order here, my intent is to begin posting regularly again.

It’s also my intent to start up a blog for CatholicSource … and I’m looking to make that a “group blog”, so I’ll be looking to see who might be interested in contributing regularly to that blog — preferably people who don’t have a blog of their own already.

See you again soon!

Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.

Have a blessed, restful and happy Thanksgiving!

[tags]thanksgiving, God, faith, Jesus, Lord, Catholic, catholicsphere[/tags]

Parental Warning:
You may already know about this children’s movie coming out in December starring Nicole Kidman. It’s called “The Golden Compass”, and while it will be a watered down version, it is based on a series of children’s books about killing God (it’s anti-Narnia). Please follow this link and then pass it on. From what I understand, the hope is to get a lot of kids to see the movie - which won’t seem too bad - and then get the parents to buy the books for their kids for Christmas. The quotes from the author sum it all up. It’s very disturbing.

Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, has condemned the film, and has provided more information here:

“Atheism for kids. That is what Philip Pullman sells. It is his hope that ‘The Golden Compass,’ which stars Nicole Kidman and opens December 7, will entice parents to buy his trilogy as a Christmas gift. It is our hope that the film fails to meet box office expectations and that his books attract few buyers. We are doing much more than hoping—we are conducting a nationwide two-month protest of Pullman’s work and the film. To that end, we have prepared a booklet, ‘The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked,’ that tears the mask off the movie.

In another article protesting the film, Donohue states:

The second book of the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, is more overt in its hatred of Catholicism than the first book, and the third entry, The Amber Spyglass, is even more blatant.

The Catholic League wants Christians to boycott this movie precisely because it knows that the film is bait for the books: unsuspecting parents who take their children to see the movie may be impelled to buy the three books as a Christmas present. And no parent who wants to bring their children up in the faith will want any part of these books.

Parents are encouraged to not see this film, not get the books, and tell their friends and neighbors about this subtle sell of atheism and anti-religion to their kids.

[tags]golden compass, catholic, movies, atheism, catholic league, faith, God, religion, Christian[/tags]

In your darkest times, your toughest hours … God is fighting for you. The battle has been won.

I’m sorry that I haven’t been posting anything recently. I don’t know why but I’ve just not felt like writing anything “Catholic” lately — not to mention some busy-ness with other things.

That ever happen to anyone else?

I will say, though, that I happened across a forum that I used to frequent … a Catholic forum … where they were quite negative toward two visitors that were seeking God. From reading their comments, there didn’t appear to be any reason for the hostility. Because of that hostility, they didn’t feel comfortable asking questions there or learning more about the Catholic faith.

So, I invited them over to the CatholicSource or CatholicSphere forums on Delphi, feeling that it is our duty as a community to help each other in our walk with Christ. But, my offer was deleted and I was told that I shouldn’t try to lure their members away.

Yeah, cuz they would rather drive them away, right?!

But, I didn’t think this was a competition. Still they told me they didn’t want me “parking my car in their garage”.

One of the two people made it over to those forums. The other said that they no longer had any interest in Catholicism because of the rudeness of Catholics.

Perhaps!

I’ve got at least two posts in queue that I’m working on — not that its a lot of information or includes a ton of research or anything, just want to make sure my thoughts are clear.