Every day, unwanted babies were abandoned on the streets of Seoul, South Korea. In order to save these childrens’ lives, a pastor and his congregation created a drop box where babies could be left safely, then cared for by volunteers. Now, college student Brian Ivie has created a documentary about this movement called “The Drop Box.” Watch the trailer below. “The Drop Box” – Documentary PROMO from Brian Ivie on Vimeo. H/T Barbara Nicolosi Read more
Chances are you’d be furious if a car came crashing through your house because the driver forgot to set the emergency brake. For Tom Peterson – founder of the evangelization ministry “Catholics Come Home” and author of a new book with the same title – that wasn’t just a hypothetical situation, but a lived experience. Some friends were staying at his family’s summer home in Flagstaff, Arizona, when he received a call that a car had crashed through the front... Read more
Bob Dotson, who does “American Story” segments for NBC’s Today Show, recently spent some time with Dan and Susie Kellogg, the homeschooling parents of 12 kids who got rid of their home and car payments in order to embrace an educational adventure that would also bring their family closer together. Very close, in fact, because they’re traveling across the country in an RV. Here’s their story: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Read more
Since it’s Valentine’s Day – and the second day of Lent – today’s post combines the best of both worlds with insights from other writers. Last week I shared some advice for single people on Valentine’s Day, so today the focus is on couples. First, fellow Patheos blogger Pat Gohn offers an idea for the man who STILL hasn’t gotten his wife or girlfriend a Valentine’s gift: a genuine, from-the-heart love letter. For Valentine’s Day, or really, for any special... Read more
The following is an entry from The Christophers’ “Three Minutes a Day” book: The inspirational newsletter Apple Seeds shared the following reflection from EWTN.com about what to give up for Lent this year: “Give up complaining—focus on gratitude. “Give up pessimism—become an optimist. “Give up harsh judgments—think kindly thoughts. “Give up worry—trust Divine Providence. “Give up discouragement—be full of hope. “Give up bitterness—turn to forgiveness. “Give up hatred—return good for evil. “Give up anger—be more patient. “Give up pettiness—become mature.... Read more
In George Lucas’ first-ever “Star Wars” film, “Episode IV: A New Hope,” there’s a compelling scene late in the movie where Luke, Han, Chewie, Leia, C-3PO, and R2D2 escape from the Death Star in the Millennium Falcon. Their speedy exit is impeded by the Empire’s TIE fighters shooting at them, so Luke and Han rush to the Falcon’s gun turrets to fight back. Luke is a farm boy from Tatooine who’s always dreamed of fighting in a war, but this... Read more
Like most people, I was taken by surprise this morning when word of Pope Benedict’s resignation at the end of February was announced, seemingly for health reasons. I can only admire the work our German Shepherd has done over the past eight years, especially in light of the fact that he’d hoped to retire to a quiet life prior to being elevated to the papacy. He put the needs of the Church ahead of his own and deserves our thanks... Read more
If the approach of Valentine’s Day finds you single and depressed, check out Monica Gabriel’s post at the Verily magazine blog which offers five pieces of advice to help you survive the parade of people who will be making gooey eyes at each other on February 14 – and also includes the brilliantly-imagined sentence, “Bitterness only makes a person happy when it comes in the form of baking chocolate.” As a young single woman, the approach of Valentine’s Day usually... Read more
When he was a fourth grader at Holy Cross Grammar School in Springfield, Massachusetts, Matt Weber noticed that a picture of Francis of Assisi depicted the revered saint with holes in his hands, feet and side. His religion teacher explained that St. Francis bore the stigmata, the wounds of Christ. “How do you get the stigmata?” Matt asked. “You have to be a good Catholic,” the teacher responded. As Matt recalled to me on Christopher Closeup, “I thought, ‘So if... Read more
Many of you have seen the Christopher Award-winning movie “The Blind Side,” which told the story of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy (played by Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock) adopting homeless teen, Michael Oher, supporting him and his education, and helping to launch his football career with the Baltimore Ravens. It was a happy ending by both Hollywood and real-life standards. That ending got even happier this past Sunday when the Ravens won the Super Bowl with a little help... Read more
Christopher Closeup
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