The Top 10 Books I Read in 2008

These are the best books I read this year: 10. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz - Fantastic thriller 9. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick - Great for junior high students 8. Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life by Fr. Robert Spitzer - Grow spiritually in the midst of a busy life 7. What's So Great About Christianity by Dinesh D'Souza - Explains Christianity to modern skeptics 6. Praying the Word: An Introduction to Lectio Divina by Enzo Bianchi - Learn how to pray with the Bible using this small but powerful book 5. Journal of a Soul: The Autobiography of Pope John XXIII - Absolutely beautiful 4. Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI - So good I read it twice 3. Peace of Soul by Archbishop Fulton Sheen - Eminently practical and helpful 2. Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean Pierre de Caussade - a true classic; read it to discover God's will for you 1. Healing the Culture by Fr. Robert Spitzer - Required reading for everyone who cares about our culture: Read this book and your life will change.

A New Blog for Catholic School Teachers

Today marks the launch of Catholic School Chronicles, a new blog for Catholic school teachers. If you're a Catholic school teacher, please visit the site and subscribe to the RSS feed, and if you know any Catholic school teachers, please let them know about the site. Thanks.

A Girl, a Guy, and a Soft Drink

Here's something you don't see every day:

Veteran's Day Prayer

I just received this Veteran's Day Prayer in an email from Autom and thought it was worth sharing: Dear Heavenly Father, In every age, You call certain persons to defend the human family from oppression, tyranny, and evil. Since our founding as a nation "conceived in liberty," countless American men and women have stepped forward to defend our country and many others from aggressors, and to liberate those held captive. Today we revere all our veterans: those who rest in honored glory, those who still suffer from the wounds of war, and those who, with us, enjoy the blessing of living in the land of the free and the home of the brave. O God, thank You for the selfless sacrifice of these veterans and of their families. Help us to remember them, to pray for them, and to care for them. Please bring all our departed veterans into Your Kingdom, and console their families with Your unfailing love. Please heal our wounded veterans through the power of Your Holy Spirit, and give to all our veterans the satisfaction of having served You even as they have served us. Thank You for Your gifts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May we fight to keep these rights available to all. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

The Perpetual Web Rosary

Pray the rosary with others around the world via the Perpetual Web Rosary from Catholics United for Life. When you visit the page, start praying the rosary wherever the last person left off, then click the rosary as you finish each prayer. Your prayers are added to the prayers of others.

Bookshelves Arranged by Spine Color

It looks cool, but how do you find the book you're looking for? From Designverb.

Teaching Humor

This email has been making the rounds lately, and I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share it: After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right: You want me to go into that room with all those kids... correct their disruptive behavior observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages and instill in them a love for learning. You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior and make sure that they all pass the state exams. You want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps and communicate regularly with their parents by letter telephone, newsletter and report card. You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. You want me to do all this and then you tell me...I CAN'T PRAY?" Hat tip to Gather.com and all those who sent it to me via email.

19 Story Cross Dominates Landscape

Check out this huge cross in Groom, Texas. It was built by Steve Thomas and a group of 250 welders. Here are a few facts about the cross from this web page: It stands 19 stories tall. The arms stretch 110 ten feet across. It's made of welded steel covered with steel sheeting. There are no guide wires or extra supports keeping it up. Be sure to see the full-page description of the cross, and the beautiful pictures of the cross at night.