ICONS Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Fergal of Claddagh)
I had the privilege to pray for Katie.A at http://andersonponesse.blogspot.com/during lent. He is risen. Alleluia !
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Book sneeze
Lenten Prayer Buddies
Posted by Katarina on April 14, 2012
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/lenten-prayer-buddies/
I’m yours — the Script
Posted by Katarina on February 7, 2012
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/im-yours-the-script/
Hobbies
Posted by Katarina on December 23, 2011
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/hobbies/
For the nerd in me
Posted by Katarina on November 8, 2011
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/for-the-nerd-in-me/
Free books for Bibliophiles
Image via Wikipedia
If like myself you spend most of your free time reading books , you will be grateful for this online resources for free books
1. Project Gutenberg : Lots of public domain books . If you are outside the US , you need to verify if the copyright for the book you are interested in has expired in your country
2. Ink Mesh – This is actually an ebooks search engine that looks through a potpourri of resources to collect free ebooks
3. Librovox – Audiobooks in the public domain . If you prefer your books in audio format this is my number one goto resource.
4.Manybooks.net – Another really good source of free ebooks
Posted by Katarina on October 13, 2011
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/free-books-for-bibliophiles/
What I learnt from Steve Jobs
I did not know Steve Jobs .
I do not own any apple products .
Why did I feel like I had been slapped across the face when I learnt of his death ? Because I listened to his 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech and I felt ALIVE ! Here is what stuck with me .
1. You are going to die . Make your life count .
Our University chaplain used to say as long as you are borne , you were old enough to die.In Jobs words that knowledge should free you from the fallacy of worrying what other people think of you or what you are doing .
2. You know what you were borne to do – stop looking outwards for a purpose
Everyone innately knows what they want to do. What makes them feel alive. Find a way to make it happen.
3. Life is short . Stop doing things that don’t matter
Jobs asked himself daily if what he was doing was what he would have wanted to do at the end of his life and if the answer was no too many days in a row – he knew that he needed to change something
Image by Getty Images via @day life
Rest In Peace Steve Jobs
Posted by Katarina on October 6, 2011
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/what-i-learnt-from-steve-jobs/
Cure for the Common Life Max Lucado
Living in your sweet spot (My first book sneeze book review )
The basic message of this inspirational book is that there is every human being has a “sweet spot” . A place of operation where our best talents and service to God and his people are accomplished simultaneously and living in this spot is the Cure for the Common Life.
Max Lucado systematically proposes a few steps anyone can take to identify their “sweet spot”. They are paying attention to what work makes you feel alive , reading your life backwards ( what things have you always enjoyed since you were a child ) , studying your story and identifying work you could do even if you were paid nothing .
While the basic premise of the book is not new, I found a lot of the supporting stories in this book fascinating. I especially felt challenged when I got to Dave the alcoholic’s story . Dave the drug user , divorcee and convict. After spending four decades in this mess , he heard about children in Central America , flew there , started finding homes with no fathers and no plumbing and installing sinks and toilets and loving the kids .
The author presents his work in an easy appealing manner with significant biblical reference . This book makes great Sunday reading . I would recommend it for anyone who is questioning whether they are accomplishing God’s purpose for their life or anyone who is looking for a Christian book that is an easy read .
PS: I got a reviewer’s copy of this book in exchange for this review from booksneeze.com . You can find it here
Posted by Katarina on September 25, 2011
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/cure-for-the-common-life-max-lucado/
Pondering
Making Poor People Pray http://bit.ly/olGCiB
What do you do when you dont know what to do
In Seeking Wisdom, Find Someone Who Has Suffered
Posted by Katarina on August 24, 2011
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/pondering/
3 ways to be more charitable about NFP
Image by doug88888 via Flickr
We could all stand to be KINDER when we are discussing Natural Family Planning . There seems to be something about NFP that just riles up people . Consider these posts.
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Five ways I don’t love NFP http://bit.ly/qvoQ1E ( 275 comments)
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Why doesn’t the church just make a list ? http://bit.ly/nISuCd (346 comments )
A lot of these comments contain accusations and counter accusations of having a “contraceptive mentality” , not trusting God or not prudently spacing children . It is disheartening to read because many of these comments are written by Catholics . In lieu of this I beg that we consider the following when discussing NFP :-
1. Empathize : Lets all start assuming that most people who use NFP do so with the best of intentions and unless you are their spiritual advisor you have no place telling them they are using it with a contraceptive mentality . Try and walk in their shoes . Stricken by crushing debt , unstable job situations or a spouse whose health is failing .
2. Recall that we have different crosses : Recognize that NFP users have different crosses . Some have 60 day cycles and are only confortable using Phase III . Some couples have text book cycles but cannot conceive . Others are super fertile . Our NFP discussions should allow all the various groups to express their joys and sorrows .
3. Don’t be like Marie Antoinette : I have read discussions where suggestions are bandied about that if one form of NFP is not being satisfactory another should be investigated without the cost implications being taken into account . Yes Marquette may be best for ladies in postpartum transition and Creighton good for ladies with unexplained infertility but it doesn’t mean the couple can afford it. Let us try to offer workable solutions.
What would you add ?
Posted by Katarina on August 2, 2011
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/3-ways-to-be-more-charitable-about-nfp/
The New No- pill , No risk birth control
Gems on Abstinence from Nona Aguilar’s wonderful book
1. Couples sometimes go through five stages when learning to cope with abstinence : Denial, anger , bargaining , depression & acceptance . Yes the very same steps people take to process loss or grief . However , the husband and wife often go through the stages at differing paces and may occasionally skip one of them.
2. She also cites studies carried out by Dr. Max Levin which indicated that in marriages where the abstinence ( am assuming the average amount of abstinence about 12 days per cycle ) was a burden there were almost always other hidden problems in the marriage . A husband for example who could not stand his wife considered sex a gift to himself for having to put up with her so abstinence was unbearable to him.
3. Abstinence could reveal the level of disequilibrium in the marriage . In some cases abstinence revealed severe disequilibrium : the wife was left to take care of the charts and shoulders responsibility for the couple’s fertility and in cases minor disequilibrium for example a wife who was not sure about her fertile & non fertile days would make her husband uneasy but not enough to cause any major upheaval.
4. Women felt secure in their relationships when their husbands were willing to abstain . This is because from the studies done women had sex for two reasons : to demonstrate love and to keep their husbands from walking away . What is interesting about this fact is that women did not want to divulge the second reason .
Initially I wanted to do a complete review of Nona Aguilar’s book then I dicovered that while the science was essentially the same as that in all other NFP books , I had never found a book with such a comprehensive coverage of abstinence ( all backed by scientific study )
And am not done with the book yet !
Posted by Katarina on July 17, 2011
http://myunorderedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/the-new-no-pill-no-risk-birth-control/
