7 Quick Takes: First Friday Shout-Outs

A few things worthy of a First Friday shout-out

— 1 —

You want hits? Archbold delivers hits.

Matthew Archbold gave us a shout-out over at the National Catholic Register a couple weeks back, and the day he linked to us resulted in twice the number of hits we had received on our previous best day. For visual learners, here’s what that means.

The Archbold Effect

So I ask again, you want hits? Play nice with Archbold! Thanks over and over for the support, big guy! . . . And yes, I recognize the irony in giving a shout-out about a shout-out.

— 2 —

Anyone else watching the new show Person of Interest on CBS starring the great Jim Caveziel (Passion of Christ) and Michael Emerson (Lost)? Six episodes in — I’m hooked! Comparing POI to other shows, it’s a combination of the crime thrill found in 24, matched with the contemporary science fiction undertones that made Lost intriguing, and the character and plot development of Law & Order. I’m just excited to have found something on television that I enjoy watching other than sports. (Hat tip to Tony Rossi of The Christophers, Inc. for recommending this series.)

— 3 —

In honor of Respect Life month, we ran a handful of guest posts during October (like this one, and this, and please read this) that received great traffic and feedback. But I got to thinking: why so much focus on life issues just one month out of the year?

It’s said that everyone has a story to tell and share. And I’ll take that thought one step futher and say most also have a prolife story to tell and share — some may just not know it yet. So in an ongoing effort to call attention to numerous human life issues, we will continue to highlight at least one prolife testimony per month.

If you have a story to share in support of the Church’s teachings on major prolife issues, drop me a note. Joel and I would love to share your witness here at The Practicing Catholic.

— 4 —

I was happy to learn the remake of Winnie the Pooh is now available on DVD. We rented it earlier this week, and with its “gentle and retro” themes, the film allowed our three year-old to be consumed with something other than Halloween witch and ghost stories that were keeping her imagination a little too busy in the middle of the night. I’m not in the business of writing movie reviews, so I’ll quote someone who is — Steven Greydanus (Decent Films Guide and National Catholic Register blogger): “Disney’s new Winnie the Pooh is an unexpected gift, an unlikely return to a magical and gentle world that belongs so firmly to the past that I would have thought the journey all but impossible.”

Simple, gentle, and charming. Do check it out if you haven’t already!

— 5 —

It seems like said three year-old is also a photog in the making. The kid never met a camera she didn’t like. And after noticing some damage to our digital camera (who knows how it got there!), we decided a kid-friendly option would make a great item on her gift list. Some might argue that Joel and I need to teach our child to keep her hands off certain things, but she really does take great pictures and seems to have an eye for all-things artsy. Why not encourage her to explore what appears to be intrinsic gifts?

Joel found this kid-tough digital camera option from Fisher Price to consider. Any experience with it? Other recommendations?

— 6 —

A complimentary copy of Deacon Digest arrived this week for Joel. I came across an article, “Simple Preaching or Preaching Simply” by Sister Honora Werner, O.P., that began with the following quote:

Keep the cookies on the bottom shelf where the children can reach them!

The point of the article was to remind and embolden deacons (and priests for that matter) that, “Preaching the Gospel demands that we tell the truth, the deepest truths, as Jesus did.  So dumbing down the message he preached cannot be our mode. Instead, like him we choose our words and images for the greatest clarity and impact on our hearers.”

Wonderful words of wisdom for not only priests and deacons but for all of us involved in the work of evangelization.

— 7 —

Image credit: bean & the sprout

And to wrap it up, I am compelled to give a shout-out to my friend and fellow parishioner Christine. She owns a company bean & the sprout that specializes in jewelry and accessories handmade from repurposed vintage fabrics and jewelry that she finds at thrift stores. Each piece, like the one shown here, is created with Christine’s two hands and is one-of-a-kind. She recently handcrafted some awesome pieces for an entire wedding party in Australia of all places after the bride found her Etsy site. Check it out!

That’s all for the first Friday in November! Have a blessed weekend! For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!