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"It hurts so much" read the headline on cnn.com yesterday as I stopped by to catch up on the latest news regarding the mass shooting in Orlando. And I think that pretty much sums it up for most of us.
The Transgender Dialogue: what are we even talking about?
The word transgender is everywhere these days, and I have to be honest. Most of the time when I see it or hear it, I feel like Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride going, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
The most important part of every movie is also the most ignored
I tend to think modern society would function a lot better if everyone's educational experience involved working on a film set. For a culture so deeply affected by movies, we tend to understand very little about what we're looking at when we see one. I admit, I didn't really know how to watch movies until I learned what it takes to create them.
Where we really lost ourselves (a response to the 'Lost America' article)
Last week, I was one of the many thousands who shared an article on social media by Kyle R. Reyes entitled Enjoy your transgender bathrooms. We just lost America. In it, Reyes highlights many of the problems we’re currently facing as a society, pointing out that we’re fearful and anxious, because perhaps we were wrong about one of our main assumptions. He writes:
Tattoo removal and the agony of free salvation
Several years ago, we were very much in a do what you feel phase in life when my husband, Josh, was feeling a half sleeve tattoo of three stars and a bunch of leaves blowing in the wind.
“What if you eventually want to get a job that you won’t be able to get because you’ll have visible tattoos?” I protested.
But he didn’t listen. And really, I didn’t protest all that much. He was really feeling it, ya know? That's really all that mattered.
How to be good and angry
I’m not generally in the habit of arguing with strangers on social media, but this was one of the few exceptions. This particular stranger was my friend’s brother, an embittered atheist taunting her in the comment section of a faith-oriented link she shared on her Facebook page. She was exhausted of him, and invited some of her friends to come to her aid.
On loving people we really don't like
The first time I met Rodillo*, I knew I couldn’t stand that guy. It was 2011, we’d been here at Fort Benning for less than a week as my husband, Josh, was taking his place within the ranks of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and we were attending our very first Ranger Ball (which is like prom for grown-ups).
"Amy" and why we need to stop worshiping each other
The first time I heard Rehab by Amy Winehouse, it seemed like an eerie cry for help masked in poppy rhythms that could make our heads bob along with the artist's confession of personal misery. Now that I’ve seen Amy, the 2016 Academy Award-winning documentary of the artist's life, Rehab is officially the saddest, most haunting song I’ve ever heard.
The one question to ask when considering the Catholic Church
When did church shopping become a real thing, anyway? Certainly it must be a recent phenomenon, and one I've been all too familiar with. As millennial Christians, we tend to search for our spiritual home much like the savvy consumers that we are trained to be.
To Know What Love Is (Want Me To Show You?)
I didn’t want to get all confrontational with this woman, and I tried to avoid it, but she just wouldn't take the hint. Over the years, she had sent me several Facebook friend requests, and I had declined every single one of them. We didn’t know each other at all, and by this point, I preferred it that way.
Why are we so obsessed with Making a Murderer?
There seems to be this fascinating dichotomy in our culture right now as we are disgusted with our level of violence, and at the same time, obsessed with it.
Most evenings, my husband Josh can be found in the kitchen doing dishes while listening to episodes of Serial on his iPhone. Then, later while I'm engrossed in writing, he’s plugged into his laptop next to me, watching episodes of Making a Murderer.
When having God on your side means losing the battle
I woke up this morning really feeling like I could use some encouragement. So, I turned to my iBreviary to see what the Word of the Lord has to say to the Church today. Surely I’d find it there, right?
Scandals, Sexuality, and the Monster at the Table (Off the Record Insights from a Catholic Priest)
I felt the series would be completely incomplete without a look into the world of Catholic priests from an insider’s perspective. It’s one thing to talk about priests, but if I were among those who felt I could not talk directly to them, I’m honestly not sure if I would have ever become Catholic.
Chewing on Christmas: A Toddler's First Encounters with Baby Jesus
Turns out the rumor is true. Christmastime really does get more fun when children are involved.
Perspective from a Boston Catholic who still loves and serves the Church
Kelly doesn't talk about the priest sex abuse scandal very often, because she’s not a huge fan of drudging up the past. But when I told her what I was working on, and asked her if she'd be willing to tell me about it, she graciously welcomed me into her home, and let me ask a bunch of questions over a cup of tea at her kitchen table.
I Knew About the Priest Sex Abuse Scandal, and I Became Catholic Anyway
The film is about journalists uncovering the notorious Boston Priest Sex Abuse Scandal. I am a Catholic convert with professional experience in both filmmaking and journalism. I felt very much at home.
How the Fight for 'Merry Christmas' Reveals Just How Confused We Really Are
As I started browsing this year's card selections, I found myself stuck at the first choice I needed to make. It's a tough one these days. The decision: Do I want to make a Christmas Card, or do I want to make a Holiday Card?
5 Things to Understand About Catholicism Before Pope Francis Gets Here
If you think children get excited when Santa Claus is coming to town, you should get a load of us Catholics anticipating Pope Francis' trip to the US. Certainly, there are little Catholic grannies everywhere just dusting off the good china, and considering taking the plastic covers off their couches, just in case.
5 Logical Reasons to Consider Natural Family Planning
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the art of recognizing these signs, and simply avoiding intercourse during the few number of days each cycle when an egg could be fertilized. Or! If you're trying to make a baby, it's the art of knowing the days on which to have all of the sex.
Life for a Child in the Library
It takes a moment’s worth of courage to stand on the side of the road, hold a sign and pray, but it takes an entire paradigm shift and lifestyle change to say that—when no one else will—we will help share in the responsibility for the very lives we are trying to save. We will help carry that load.