Do you ever just want a moment?

Sometimes I just need a moment with God and in the middle of the day with so much going on, it is very hard to have that moment or to really be able to focus in that moment.

Audrey Assad, who just released her debut album, has an incredibly beautiful song called “Restless”, co-written by Matt Maher, that helps me enter into God’s presence in an instant. I thought I’d share this song with you in hopes that you might be able to pause and reflect on God’s love for even just a few minutes.

I encourage you to sit with this song for a few minutes and then take one to five minutes of silence, knowing that God’s is there loving you.

Unfortunately I can’t embed the video here, but you can find it through this link to YouTube:

Here is a link to a YouTube video of “Restless” with the lyrics.

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If you like what you hear, I encourage you to head on over to Amazon and purchase the entire album, which is full of beautiful songs to help you pray.

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8/3/10

The Power of Prayer

This past week, we witnessed the incredible power of prayer. Melanie Pritchard was incredibly close to death, but through the power of prayer she is heading home from the hospital today. This is incredible news. Through my estimation, counting all of the different ways that prayer requests went out and all of the different communities that pledged their prayers, I would venture to guess that tens of thousands of people prayed for Melanie. Prayer truly is powerful.

All we have to do is ask

The Gospel of Matthew says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

Indeed, our asking is all that is required in order for God to work. We just need to take our concerns to him, and pray fervently for his reply. Often times our prayer may not be answered in the way we desire, but it will be answered in deed. I’ve found that when it is not answered in the way I desire, God helps me to understand why and gives me peace about his will. It is when I don’t pray, or don’t ask that I can’t seem to understand why things aren’t working out.

God knows our needs

Often we feel as though we don’t know how to ask God, or what to even say. Many have exclaimed, “I don’t even know where to start.” We simply have to start where we are and put ourselves in the presence of his grace. It only takes a simple entry into prayer for God to hear our cry.

As St. Paul says,  “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.” *(Romans 8:26-27) – God knows our needs, he hears our cry. We simply have to go to him, don’t worry about what words to say, just tell him from the place you are. You can simply say “Lord, I don’t know where to start.” and “the one who searches hearts” will help you and will most certainly hear you.

So today, we “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for timely help” as one community praying in love for one another.

Please offer prayers this week for these requests:

I ask you to continue praying for Melanie’s recovery and for her family as they transition back home. Thanking God, but asking his continued mercy and grace in that situation. We also pray that many will help with the financial burden that they will bear due to medical bills.

From Beverly: Pray for Karen, diagnosed w/ cervical cancer & Jesse who is overladen with many troubles, & Sarah who is going thru a difficult time at work.

From Carmen: Please pray for all couples trying to conceive and for all addicts.

From Andrea: Please pray for Kathy, a woman of great courage who is fighting cancer alone and with no money or insurance.  She is dear to me.

From Dominick: Pray for Janelle who is in premature labor at 24 weeks. She is in the hospital. Docs were able to slow the labor and did a procedure to prolong it even longer.Let’s storm the heavens for another great family.

From Honour: Brian has contracted typhoid while serving as a Catholic Missionary serving in South America. While he is being treated. He is scheduled to come home in August if he is well enough to travel.

From Kathleen: Please pray for a special intention for my son.

From Steph: Please pray for all of us that are traveling to the Catholic New Media Conference this week.

From John: Prayers needed for the young man who tried unsuccessfully to help his girlfriend choose life. On Thursday I got a call from a young man whose girlfriend was being pressured into an abortion. Saturday her mother took the girl to the mill for an abortion. The young man is devastated. I found out this morning when I called him not having heard from him or her. Tragic.

Anonymous: please pray for a family in financial need both in the immediate, and the long term, they are really struggling with what to do.

Thank you for praying. Thank you for praying for Melanie – she was healed. Thank you for prayer for your brothers and sisters in this community. May God continue to draw us closer to into union with Him. May you be enfolded in the enduring love of Our Lord’s Sacred Heart.

In Christ,

Chris Faddis

If you have a prayer request you’d like to add, please post it in the comments below.

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Publisher’s Note: This post originally appeared on John’s blog which you can find here. He has graciously agreed to let me share it with you. It is a beautiful tribute to Melanie Pritchard and her incredible and miraculous recovery from a potentially fatal medical emergency. Doctor’s are calling it a “miracle they cannot begin to explain” and those of us in the praying world agree with Mark Hart who proclaimed “I can (explain it), it’s called the Divine Mercy of God.”

John J. Jakubczyk served as President of Arizona Right to Life, Arizona’s largest, oldest and strongest pro-life organization and has been active in the Pro-life movement for 35 years. Currently he sits on the board of AZRTL. He is an attorney in private practice, active in his church, married , the father of 11 children, and now a proud grandfather.

The Miracle that is Melanie

Those of us in the pro-life movement will speak about every human life being a miracle of God. We say it so many times that it is easy for the meaning of the words to become lost on us or even worse to take for granted the unique gift that is every human life and what God intends for that person should he or she seek to do His will.

Our energy and focus on stopping the killing that goes on all around us and our efforts to educate our friends, neighbors and fellow citizens can be draining and often frustrating. The infighting, the failure to treat people with respect, the sometimes deliberate attacks on well meaning efforts, will drive people away and tempt them to give up the fight.

A Crisis Unites Us

So when a crisis occurs that requires us to direct our attention toward that which is most important, it is amazing to see the hand of God at work.

Melanie Pritchard is a dynamic young woman whom I have had been privileged to work with for many years now. I watched how her passion for the right to life developed and how her enthusiasm for teaching young people to respect themselves, their lives and others infected her friends and students such that they became ambassadors for the pro-life message. I witnessed her love for Doug and how their beautiful relationship led to marriage and children. Watching her be mom was a kick. As I saw my own two daughters grow into examples of Christian women, so i saw Melanie become an example of what happens when we say yes to God.

So it was only too shocking when I received a call from Melanie’s mother, Sherry, telling me of the crisis of events and that Melanie was near death after the trauma during labor and delivery.

Pray.

That was all we could do. Pass the word for everyone to pray. And so we did. And so we all did. And by the grace and mercy of God. Our prayers were answered.

Doug, Melanie, and Baby Ella Pritchard

I saw Melanie this afternoon. She is awake, alert, making jokes, eating, sitting up and still in need of our prayers. Her heart is “tired” after all this trauma and needs to get stronger. Her surgery is still very painful. But her determination is inspiring. As the saying goes, she isn’t out of the woods yet. So please pray for her and Doug and the family. Pray for her parents Jim and Sherry and for Sherry’s parents who have serious health issues. Pray for the doctors and nurses who have been and are caring for her. Please give thanks to Almighty God for her life and those who were there to assist and treat her. And a special thanks to God for Melanie’s brother Larry, who was able to advise and act in ways to get her the advanced medical care she needed.

A Call to Prayer

But most important pray that throughout this nation we may once again value and cherish every human life as those of us who know Melanie cherish her. Think about those in your family and take a moment to reconcile any issues that are separating you from them. Forgive any grievances and ask forgiveness for any hurts you have caused along the way. Realize that God loves us through others and we in turn express the love of God when we love one another. In thanking God for His mercy in healing Melanie and bringing us all through this situation, let us use this moment to become better people; first in our homes, then in our schools, our churches, and at work. Let us recommit ourselves to defending innocent human life at all stages, at all times, in all situations. Let us be about the work that God has intended.

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SUPPORT NEEDED

Friends and Family have set up a website and Facebook page to support Doug and Melanie. Assumptions are that many of the costs of Melanie’s medical care and rehab will not be fully covered. Please check out their webpage and Facebook page and do what you can to support this incredible family. You may also sign up or this email list to receive updates on Melanie’s progress and find out how you can help. In addition Melanie’s recovery will take a long time, please continue to pray for her healing.

For another article that gives some more background to Melanie’s crisis and the incredible events that transpired, you can check out “Pray it Forward” over on Catholic.org

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Lisa Hendey of www.CatholicMom.com posted this great video from this morning’s closing Mass of the Theology of the Body Congress with Cardinal Justin Rigali of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was a poignant moment as the attendees closed in celebration of not only the Divine Liturgy, but in celebration of the renewal that is happening through this incredibly powerful work of John Paul II. Thanks for posting this Lisa! For more on the Theology of the Body Congress, check out this morning’s article here.

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Sign-up here to receive updates on Melanie’s progress plus learn specific ways you can pray for and support the Pritchard family. There is a long road ahead and there is still much need. Sign up here to stay connected.  (click here for more on Melanie)

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UPDATED AT 4:36pm (AZ Time) 8/2/10

Melanie Pritchard, Catholic speaker, Pro-Life Educator, Chastity speaker, and a true woman of God is in critical condition after giving birth to her second child. During labor there were complications and Melanie was rushed into an emergency C-section. During the C-section Melanie’s heart stopped beating. The baby was born and is doing great. But Melanie’s condition is very serious. She has now had surgery on her heart and while she is stable on machines, is not recovering well. They are now transporting her to the Mayo Clinic and putting her on specialized equipment.

Who is Melanie Pritchard?

Melanie would probably first tell you that she is Doug’s wife and a mother of two who seeks to be sure her children always know their incredible worth. But Melanie is also a powerful force for changing lives. She is a chastity speaker, a Pro-Life Educator and advocate, she is a game changer in the Church. She has created movements in Phoenix that have truly changed lives. She’s educated many young people in defending life and standing up for truth, she has trained other young people to teach Chastity and she is personally responsible for guiding many to live lives of Chastity and even to keep their children. On top of that she is an incredible friend to many which has been testified to by the outpouring of prayer that is being spread throughout Phoenix and across the country through Twitter and Facebook.

Melanie’s work with Arizona Right to Life, her creation of Refuge Clothing, and her many projects to educate and rally young people for Life and Chastity are truly legendary. She most recently founded Foundation for Life and Love in Phoenix to offer speakers and education programs on many topics related to Pro-Life and the Theology of the Body.

Where two or more are gathered in my name…

The outpouring of prayer and support has been incredible and awe-inspiring. Since 3pm EDT when I first learned of this there have been hundreds of Twitter and Facebook updates posted, and hundreds of responses of prayers offered. Two parishes in the Phoenix Diocese hosted prayer vigil’s for Melanie tonight and many more prayed from their homes. I also heard from Lisa Wheeler of the Maximus Group, that the Theology of the Body Congress paused to pray for Melanie tonight after Dr. Janet Smith’s talk during the main session. Yes, many are gathered in Jesus’ name on Melanie’s behalf!

I’m personally begging you to get on your knees and pray for Melanie and her family. Chastity Speaker and friend, Mary Beth Bonnacci, offered this suggestion today, “My friend Julie Alexander, also a passionate defender of life, came back from a should-have-been-fatal heart emergency, through the intercession of John Paul II. I’m going to start praying for his intercession!”

It is fitting that Melanie, who has been so inspired and guided by John Paul II’s teachings and writings would deserve his intercession and prayers. So I ask you to pray and continue praying, asking venerable John Paul the Great to pray for Melanie and to intercede on her behalf. I’m hoping and praying that this LivingGracefully community will come together in sincere prayer for this holy woman of God and for her wonderful husband Doug and their children. We are hoping and praying for a miracle and ultimately asking God’s grace in this situation.

“Let us confidently approach the throne of Grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” – Hebrews 4:16

Want continued updates on Melanie’s progress and to find out how you can help the family in this long road ahead? Click here to sign up for our “Praying for Melanie” email list.

UPDATES:

11:30 pm (Arizona Time) 7/28/10 – Kemi Ndolo (Bass player of the Matt Maher Band, and childhood friend of Melanie’s husband Doug) posted: “Just left the hospital, Melanie is doing better. Still needs lot’s and lot’s of prayers. Gabriella is gorgeous and healthy. Doug is staying strong and Positive.”

9:42 am (AZ Time) 7/29/10 - Mark Hart, Vice-President of LIFE TEEN and long time friend of Melanie’s posted to Twitter: “Melanie was stable through the night. She’s heading back into surgery soon. Keep the prayers coming, please!”

10:07 am (AZ Time) 7/29/10 – Word is that Melanie was weaned off of sedation this morning to see how “neurologically intact” she was and woke up and began reaching for Doug and crying. She was trying to get out of bed. Her lungs and heart have improved and she is now headed in for another surgery. – GOD IS GOOD! – Keep those prayers coming as she is not out of the water yet. This is the first major sign of improvement.

1pm (AZ Time) 7/29/10 – Brooke Burns, long time friend of Mel’s and collaborator at the Foundation for Life and Love with Melanie posted this great news on Facebook: “I just want to pass along some GREAT news regarding Melanie. She is out of surgery… and is in stable condition. This morning, she responded to Doug’s voice with tears and attempting to pull her tubes out…a real fighter She is now heavily sedated and as we know more we will pass on more. THANK YOU for your prayers…keep them coming. She and her family need them now…so don’t let up!”

I’ve also been told that she recognized her mother’s voice. Things are most definitely improving. Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and outpouring of love and support. It has been incredible to see the response from all over the country and world. – Chris

3pm (AZ Time) 7/29/10 – John J. Jakubczyk of Arizona Right to Life emailed this note to me today: “Just spoke with Melanie’s mom. Melanie recognized her and was alert. She is being weaned off of the medications that were helping her heart and lungs. She continues to need our prayers as there are some additional hurdles – BUT – all is looking so much better. THANK YOU all for your prayers. Our God is a mighty God. He reigns and His mercy endures forever. Give thanks to Our Lord for hearing our prayers and to Our Blessed Mother,all the angels and saints for their intercession. And special thumbs up to St. Anthony and St. Philomena.”

5PM (AZ TIME) 7/29/10 – Kemi Ndolo just posted this update to Facebook with a request for specific prayers: “Pray for a very exhausted husband and father, Doug. Melanie is at one hospital, Gabriella is at another Hospital and Brady is away from both parents for now. Doug is beyond physical and emotional exhaustion, but he’s staying strong for his family. A facebook page and website will be up soon where you can support them with cards, financially, and with prayers. Help spread the word.” - I’ll post a Facebook page link as soon as I have it. -CF

8pm (AZ time) 7/29/10 – Kemi Ndolo gave another wondeful update: “Melanie is of ventilators and talking. It’s a miracle but not a surprise because miracles can and do happen. Continue to pray for the Pritchards. There will be a website and a method to help financially off-set what will be some astounding medical bills. More on that tomorrow. Praise Him.”

8:24pm (AZ Time) 7/29/10 Publisher’s note: Please check back in the morning for updates on: what you can do to help the Pritchard’s, how you can send mail, and encouragement, plus the website and Facebook page that is being set up on their behalf. – cf

9:44pm (AZ Time) 7/29/10 Publisher’s Note: I’ve set up an email list for continued updates on Melanie’s progress and so you can be aware of ways you can help the family in this long road ahead. Sign-Up Here.

9am (AZ Time) 7/30/10 Kemi Ndolo posted this note to Facebook: “Melanie Pritchard has to be one of the strongest women I know…she has overcome an amniotic fluid embolism, DIC, lung failure and heart failure. The only tube left in her is an iV with saline drip. Incredible turnaround since two night’s ago. She will see her baby for the first time tomorrow morning!!! Continue to pray for Mel, Doug, and their precious children.”

11am (AZ Time) From Brooke Burns: “Chris, this is the website that you can post on your site to financially support Mel and Doug due to insurance not covering all of their costs and Mel will be in recovery for months.
It’s a paypal link that will go directly into Doug’s account. Please spread the word like wildfire.

The latest update on Mel is that she is with her baby Ella right now as we speak…UNBELIEVABLE! My sister and I saw her last night. She is coherent and recognized us and was able to say I love you. She is in a tremendous amount of pain and has a long, long road of recovery from here.”

Alright folks, let’s respond in generous support of this family through prayer and giving. Anything you can do will make a difference.  - Chris

3:30pm (AZ Time) 7/30/10 John Jakubzcyk sent this great news: “Latest on Melanie:( I feel like the “news” guy – FLASH – This just in) Melanie is alert, walked around her room today. She is much better. She saw her baby girl – probably the best medicine – and appreciates all the prayers and sacrifices being offered up. She is getting ready to be transferred out of ICU and to her own room. That will take place later today. Please continue the prayers for her recovery.”

3:30pm (AZ Time) 7/30/10 Mark Hart posted this incredible news to Facebook: “The doctors are calling Melanie Pritchard’s recovery a miracle that they “cannot begin to explain.” I can. It’s called the power of prayer. It’s called the Divine Mercy of God.”

5:00pm (AZ Time) 7/30/10 Kemi Ndolo Posted this picture to “Support Doug and Melanie”, the Facebook page that has been set up

Doug, Melanie, and Baby Ella Pritchard

4:36pm (AZ Time) 8/2/10 This update was just posted to “Support Doug and Melanie Pritchard” (the Facebook page set up for the Pritchards) “The good news continues to roll in. Melanie is going home far sooner than expected! Melanie is ALIVE by the grace and compassion of Our Lord, because of our pleas for a miracle. Matthew 7:7, ask and it shall be given unto you. Doug and the Family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, for spreading the word, for donations, for continued support, continued prayers and for the out pouring of Love.”

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Please continue to share this story and ask for prayers. If you use Twitter, please use the Hashtag #prayformelanie to help the news be spread more effectively. You can follow updates from twitter by clicking here.

**I will continue to post updates as I receive them online or through friends who have been keeping me posted.

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1. Lent Reading List

Catholic evangelist/speaker, Thomas Smith, twitter handle @gen215 posted a request for suggestions from Catholic Tweeters to give their Lent Reading suggestions this week and made a great little video giving those suggestions along with some of his own. I actually really liked the list and copied it to keep as suggestions for throughout the year. Reading a book during Lent is a great spiritual practice and a great way to make Lent the spiritual time it is meant to be. You can check the video out here on Thomas’ site: Spiritual Guidance for Lent – Thomas Smith. If it takes awhile to load, you can also get it at iTunes here.

2. My Lent Reading Picks

In the video mentioned above you will hear Thomas give my suggestions, but I might as well give them here as well. Angela and I have picked out two books to read this Lent. We are going to take turns reading both.
1. The Sadness of Christ – by St. Thomas Moore – This is a book that I have never read. Recently I picked it up and read the first few pages and just knew it was I needed for Lent. I’m very excited and even anxious to begin reading this classic.

2. GOD Alone Suffices – by Slawomir Biela – This book has a great deal of significance for myself and Angela. This is the book that got us through a very difficult time in our lives. It truly is one of the most honest and to the point books on God’s desire for us to rely on him alone.

3. Engaged Marriage and Free E-book for Couples!

I recently stumbled upon Dustin Reichmann’s blog for married couples, EngagedMarriage.com. The site is dedicated to encouraging couples to be “engaged” in their marriage every day. Dustin writes tips and suggestions for your married life. I was excited to find a blog by a self-proclaimed “normal guy” encouraging a healthy view of marriage. You should definitely check out his site. Also, this week Dustin and several other folks released a free E-Book called, “LovEveryday”. The 32 page book gives simple insights from several bloggers and authors. It is a quick read filled with some great reminders and tips. I’d encourage you to go download a free copy and share it with others.

4. Google Buzz

If you haven’t heard, Google has extended its obvious effort at world domination this week by launching “Buzz” a new social networking tool that works inline with Gmail. You can read my initial review of Buzz over at www.newmediaministry.com. There are definitely some positives, and some negatives and my initial thought is that Google has some work to do but they are definitely on the right track.

5. Daily Inspirational Text Messages for Lent

I posted yesterday a new service I’ll be offering through the site, “iGrace” which is a daily text message sent right to your phone. I will offer the service for Lent. You will receive a daily text message with a simple word of encouragement or reflection to help you stay focused on Christ this Lent. All you have to do to sign up is text ‘iGrace’ to 66398. You can also sign up online.

6. God’s Valentine’s Day Card

I’m looking for your ideas. What would a Valentine’s Day card from God to you look like? Leave a comment here on this post or email me with your ideas. I’ll post the best ideas on Valentine’s Day.

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Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. – Hebrews 4:16

Our first intention are for those affected by the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti.

• We of course pray for those who lost their lives, “Saints of God receive their souls, receive their souls and present them to God.”
• We also pray for those who are trapped or injured. We pray that as search efforts continue that anyone else who is still alive in the rubble will be found. We pray for the injured that they are well cared for and tended to and that in their suffering the might find some peace in the arms of Christ.
• In addition we must pray for the aid workers and relief agencies who are tirelessly working to rescue those who are trapped, to feed the hungry, to distribute food and water, to mend the wounds of the broken, to cloth and bath those who lost everything, to house the orphaned. May the grace of God be with these selfless people who no doubt will encounter pain that is too much for the human soul in the coming weeks.
• We also pray specifically for the orphaned in Haiti. There are thousands of them, and many orphanages were destroyed. We pray for their caretakers and for the kindness of others to help house, clothe, and feed them. We also pray that many homes would open their doors to these children who wish for family.

PRAYERS FROM READERS and FRIENDS:

• For Matt  -  we pray for his chronic back pain. Give him the strength he needs and help him through the pain. We also offer up prayer for a special intention.
• For Jolyn who requested prayers. May God’s grace surround her.
• My most heartbreaking prayer intention is for my fiancé whose parents have just seperated and are on the road to a divorce after 26+ years of marriage. They have produced three beautiful children, but somewhere amidst it all have forgotten to invite Our Father into the marriage. My Fiancé is about to do his Bar Exam and this has deeply affected him, and his concentration on his studies. I pray that he completes his studies well and that he passes. His mother has been unfaithful and I can sense his trust in women and wives have deeply diminished. I pray with all my heart that his mother can see the precious love and divine gift of marriage that God has granted her, and that her heart may turn contrite. I pray that God works a miracle in her and with the intercession of our most Holy Mother she can be guided back to her heartbroken husband. I pray for all marriages, that they remain sacred and blessed, including my parents marriage which has fallen apart due to infidelity by my father, will be made whole again and that the Lord whom with all things are possible will not look upon our sins, but instead will welcome us back into his kingdom and grace with open arms. I pray that God looks upon this intention with merciful eyes. – Anonymous

Continued prayers for past weeks intentions

• For the repose of the soul of Tony Hodo. – Renee V.
• Please pray for my dear sis-in-law who was just diagnosed with Breast Cancer – Healing Miracle for all. And my father is just now battling Leukemia – healing miracle – to give glory to God. Thank you. – Joan W.
• Please pray my husband, Robert Bravo, and his unit, they deploy to Afghanistan this week.  Also my friend’s husband Ryan Bennett he’s going too and their whole team of course and if its possible can you pray for Tiffany Smith, and her daughter Khloe ( 2 months old). Her husband died a few weeks ago in Afghanistan from an IED. – Lourdes B.
• We also pray for a reader who has had a hard time requesting prayer. She is a wife and mother of two children. She is struggling with feeling like she is not a good mother and wife. Also, and more pressing is that their family’s financial situation is dire and she is struggling with immense anxiety, worry, and fear. She requested prayer, “so I can find the strength to realize I am not alone, and for God to show me what he wants me to do.”
• I would also ask you to pray for a family who I have known for several years from a conference I spoke at regularly. They lost their father two years ago last week. We pray for their loss and their continued healing. May God continue to draw them close to him and may they come to know him as Father.
• We also lift up Ryan who is dying of brain cancer and his wife Lori. (From Roxanne)

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It’s time for my Hot Now – Weekly Picks. A weekly selection of what’s “hot and fresh” in the Catholic world. You’ll be happy to know that while I’m not sponsored by Krispy Kreme – (even though I’m using their logo) – I am enjoying a tasty Krispy Kreme Doughnut as I write this.

1. Great Book for Men

Last month I was blessed to get a preview copy of Be A Man! by Fr. Larry Richards. I have very much enjoyed this book and think this would make a great Valentine’s Day gift for your husband or just a great random gift for any man in your life. Fr. Richards writes with a simple approach, pulling no punches and tell us men exactly what we need to hear. Filled with testimony, challenge, and encouragement – this book is a great read for men of any age. I hope and pray that many men will get their hands on this book and start living as God calls them to live.

2. Catholic Artists Helping Haiti

-A collection of 15 Catholic music and visual artists have come together to produce a digital multimedia compilation titled AfterMass Sampler Platter: Haiti Relief, in an effort to contribute to the work of Catholic Relief Services in Haiti. The compilation includes 15 audio tracks from 13 artists spanning Jazz, Hip Hop, Acoustic and Rock genres, as well as two short videos from Catholic media production groups, Likable Art and Spirit Juice Studios.

The artists have all donated their content and in return AfterMass Records is asking for consumers to either make a donation for access to download the Sampler and/or pledge to pray for the people of Haiti and the relief workers there. 100% of the donations to the project will go to Catholic Relief Services specifically for the Haiti earthquake relief effort.

3. Among the Billion

Fr. Dwight Longenecker has written a beautiful post “Among the Billion” which will give you chills. He is writing about a moment in which he saw the reality of our faith and being a part of the mystical body of Christ – as well as among the billion Catholics in the world. It’s a great read.

Some days you simply see the reality and it is stunning. I was celebrating Mass with just a few people in our beautiful little daily Mass chapel when I held aloft the host and knew, just knew that the whole thing was true, not just true but deeply written in the deep genetic code of creation true.

You can read the rest of his post here.

4. “Finding Your Keys” Radio Show and Podcast

I was blessed to be invited by Joe McClane to be a guest on the “Finding Your Keys” Radio show (Radio Maria) and podcast this past Thursday night. You can listen online or download the podcast here. The guys dedicated the entire hour to talking about Haiti and the Fast for Haiti Campaign. It was great to share the story with them and talk about the power of prayer and fasting. I’m very grateful to them giving time to this important topic.

5. The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul -by Lisa Hendey

Catholic Blogger, website publisher, and Mom Lisa Hendey has just released her much anticipated guide for Catholic mother’s. I have yet to read it but plan to buy a copy for my wife soon. So far the reviews are extremely positive and it seems this book is exactly what many women are looking for. Husbands, this could be a great valentines gift for your bride!

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If you have ideas for next week’s list – email me at chris@livinggracefully.net

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We have a new Feature on LivingGracefully.net – it’s the “Hot Now Weekly Picks”. Each week I’ll pick five to ten hot items from other blogs, podcasts, and the news plus a few updates locally here at LivingGracefully. As of now they will go up on Saturday’s but I’m rethinking my posting schedule so that could change.  – See something “hot” that you think others should know about? – email it to chris@livinggracefully.net

Hot Now – Vol. 1

1. FastforHaiti

You are no doubt aware of the FastforHaiti Campaign that I started in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. It has taken on its own little life and is slowly but surely picking up steam. I’ve heard from several people who have participated and are continuing to participate. I’ve also heard of several groups who are organizing efforts. So far I’ve heard from a campus ministry in California who is trying to organize a fast with other groups from their campus. Let’s pray for them as they contact other organizations. I’ve heard from Lift Ministries in Boston that they encouraged attendees at their monthly worship night to join in. I’ve also heard from several youth ministers that their groups were participating. In addition it has been aired on the Catholic Foodie Podcast as well as on the Relevant Radio Network, I also got a little airtime on The Catholic Channel on the Sirius network, as well as mentions on the “Finding Your Keys” podcast. In addition to lots of blogs and websites, most notably being Faith and Family Live and The Conversion Diary.  It is exciting to see how God is working and how people are making this their own. I personally fasted again on Friday of this week two meals and it was some good reflection and prayer time. I offered this fast in particular for the orphans in Haiti. If you want more info you should check out www.fastforhaiti.com or read my post on this site here. I hope you’ll join the fast!

2. Catholic Foodie

As I mentioned I was on the Catholic Foodie podcast this past week and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve listened to the show two other times and it really is a fun, lighthearted, enjoyable, and informative show. Jeff does a great job. I definitely want to encourage you to check it out. You can go to the Catholic Foodie website or you can search for it on iTunes.

3. Catholic Moments and “Rocking the Cradle Catholic”

Lisa Hendy is the publisher of www.catholicmom.com and hosts the Catholic Moments podcast on CatholicExchange.com – this week she features an old aquaintance, columnist, author, and Catholic mom – Mary Moore. Mary has written the syndicated “Wholly Family” column for five years and recently published her first book Rocking the Cradle Catholic. You can listen to the podcast here or you can just go check out the book here.

4.  “Wanting Happiness” by Todd Lemieux – and he’s got a new Ebook coming out…

Todd Lemieux is a great man. He and I started out in youth ministry around the same time and I’ve enjoyed watching all the great projects he has been a part of. I consider him my brother in the blogging world and am in awe at the amount of writing he offers and the profound insight. He recently wrote a great post called, “Wanting Happiness” that I think just cuts right to the point of our desire for things versus our desire for God. You should definitely give it a read.

Todd also just announced that his “Sainthood Project” which is a 42 day journey to Sainthood is going to be available as purchase as an Ebook this coming Monday. Definitely get a copy and get a group study started! He offers you to copy it as many times as you’d like – but I say support the guy and buy as many copies as you can for friends and family.

5. Baseball Player Hangs Drops his Bat to Pursue the Priesthood!

I just found this as I was about to publish and had to add it in:

OAKLAND — Grant Desme entered the 2009 season with an injury-prone past. The A’s prized prospect exited the season with a head-turning presence, accompanied by a bat that produced 31 home runs and a speedy 6-foot-2 frame that stole 40 bases in Class A ball — making him the only player in Minor League Baseball to enjoy a 30-30 campaign.

An exceptional performance and MVP honors in the Arizona Fall League followed, so surely Desme was close to getting a call, most assumed — if not for a trip to The Show, then at least for an invitation to Spring Training.

Yet, Desme insists he’d already received the call long before his final at-bat in the fall came and went — the one that would take him to bigger and better places.

The call, Desme announced Friday, came in the form of priesthood in the Catholic church.

“Last year before the season started, I really had a strong feeling of a calling and a real strong desire to follow it,” the 23-year-old said. “I just fought it.”

Thus, Desme chose to play out the season as a test of sorts, “just hoping and praying about it.”

“As the year went on,” he said, “God blessed me. I had a better year than I could have imagined, but that reconfirmed my desire because I wasn’t at peace with where I was at. I love the game, but I aspire to higher things.

Read the rest of this story here.

6. Pope tells Priests: MAKE USE OF DIGITAL MEDIA – we say AMEN

As you may have seen about three weeks back I launched a new website with friends, Matt Brown and Nick Heller called www.newmediaministry.com – the mission: “to equip churches, ministries, and ministers to effectively evangelize in the new media age”. In three weeks time we have published around thirty articles with tools, tips, and resources to help anyone in ministry develop an effective presence online on the web and through social media. It has been a very exciting journey to share what I’ve learned over the years and some new ideas that I’m learning as I adapt to this new form of communication.

Just today Pope Benedict gave us his endorsement! Okay, not directly but he did tell a bunch of Priests and Bishops that they need to utilize digital media saying, “Using new communication technologies, priests can introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to discover the face of Christ.” Amen Papa!

You can learn more about www.NewMediaMinistry.com by going to the site here, and you can read more from the Pope here. Please spread the word and tell the Priests, Youth Ministers, Catholic Speakers, and other ministry leaders in your life to take a trip over to www.newmediaministry.com.

7. AbortionChangesYou.com

With all the attention given to the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the March of Life in DC. I thought I’d highlight a great outreach called www.AbortionChangesYou.com. The site, started by  Michaelene Fredenburg, who herself had an abortion at the age of 18, is aimed at helping women who have had an abortion and even those around them have a place to share their story and find help and healing. The site is filled with testimonies of people affected by abortion as well as resources and information on where to get help. There is also a book available on the site called, Changed which seeks to serve the same purpose and offer more insight and help. I think everyone concerned with abortion should visit this site to understand how to be compassionate to those suffering from the after effects. Visit www.AbortionChangesYou.com and if you know someone who needs help or to begin this process of healing – encourage them to visit the site as well. Below is some of Michaelene’s story:

When I became pregnant at 18, I had an abortion.

I was completely unprepared for the emotional fallout. I thought the abortion would erase the pregnancy. I thought I could move on with my life. I was wrong.

I experienced periods of intense anger followed by periods of profound sadness. When my feelings became too difficult to deal with, I reached out for help from a trained counselor.

With counseling and the help of supportive friends, I was able to enter into a healthy grieving process.

In addition to grieving the loss of my child, I slowly became aware of how my choice to abort had impacted my family. I was surprised and saddened that my parents, my sister, and even my living children struggled to deal with the loss of a family member through abortion Visit AbortionChangesYou.com for more.

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