LIFE Group – Runners Run, Christians Pray, LIFE Runners Do Both!

One of my favorite things to witness is when people figure out what they’re passionate about and use their passion for the greater good.  I hope that comes across here on TrueManhood.com – my passion of helping men grow into authentic masculinity in the image of Jesus Christ, the TrueMan exemplar.  As I often say, “I do this to help men who are where I was get out of that place, or if possible, help a man to never go where I was.”

One such group of people that are passionate about something and have put their passion to use for the greater good are my comrades in prayer and in the fight against the culture of death who founded The Living Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group; Pat Castle, Rich Reich, Steve Castle and others.  (LIFE Group, which can be found on the web at www.LIFEgroup413.org.)  Here’s how they got started…

FAITH JOURNEY: The Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group seed was planted by the Holy Spirit during faith conversations between running partners Pat Castle and Rich Reich, while they were training in the mountains around Colorado Springs in preparation for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Air Force Marathon in 2006.  That seed grew into more faith sharing/prayer time while reading the Living Faith devotional together before work, while serving as chemistry professors at the Air Force Academy.  When Rich moved to the Univ of FL for his PhD in 2007, that morning devotion continued over email.  In Dec 2007, Pat began sharing their morning devotion emails with family and friends.  In Jan 2008, Pat’s brother Steve suggested starting a blog…Rich set it up and came up with the name…and Pat took off sharing the LIFE Group Devotions with everyone he could reach.  The name, Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group, focuses on the Christian’s calling to live the faith by sharing and defending our faith.  The name also points us to the greatest of causes, LIFE, to save babies (and families).  In 2008, Pat and Rich co-founded the LIFE Runners half/full marathon team, feeding into and from the LIFE Group and focused on actively raising awareness/funds for ProLife.  Steve Castle joined as author #3 on 5 Aug 2009.  With Steve’s encouragement and Rich’s activation, on 22 Oct 2009 we began posting our devotions on Facebook.  On 10 Jun 2010, we began selecting our own verses from the daily Mass readings.  On 5 Oct 2010, Rob Rysavy sent out his first devotion as weekly author #4.  On 30 Sep 2010, we started posting a guest author devotion on Thursdays…our weekly author #5 to round out the weekdays.  On 15 Nov 2010, the authors launched our current website…and included Phil 4:13 in the name (http://lifegroup413.org).  What began as a faith conversation between Pat and Rich during a long mountain run…is now a Living in Faith Exchange between over 600 ProLife Christians!

If you’d like to get involved, visit the site and subscribe.  The devotions are great – and, if it’s not already part of your day, it might be a great way for you to start praying every day.  Another awesome thing they do, which you will see if you visit their website, is run half and full marathons in the name of saving babies and families.  What an awesome project!  Their goal for 2011 is to raise $25K for a pregnancy bus that gives pregnant women free ultrasounds.  87% of women who see their unborn child on ultrasound don’t abort.  LIFE Group runners are doing great work in decreasing the number of abortions in America.  “Runners run, Christians Pray… LIFE Runners do both!”  (You can follow LIFE Group on Facebook too.)

I want to highlight something here.  It’s how I started this post, when I spoke about passion.  When you are passionate about something, it becomes what you live for, what you put your efforts toward and an awesome way to witness to others.  Pat and Rich did this.  By remaining disciplined and devoted, they have now brought great meditations and prayers, especially prayers for the unborn and the end to abortion, to thousands of people, and brought them all to the foot of the cross and laid them down at Jesus’ feet.  Do you have something you’re passionate about?  Does something really get you going?  Can you use it for the greater good of society?  I challenge everyone to think about that and make it happen!

TrueMan up!

“To Be Thankful…”

I’ve been thinking that a number of my posts have been negative examples of males lately, or simply negative innature in one way or another.  I wanted to post this video of an incredible man.  Nick Vujicic is an awesome inspiration.  You may have seen him before, but I suggest that you watch this video all the way through.  Shortly into the video, he shares some principles for life.  The first thing he says is simple, and important considering that tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day.  He says, “I’ve learned to be thankful.”  Simple, but true.

“It’s a lie to think that you’re not good enough.  It’s a lie to think that you’re not worth anything.”  From Nick Vujicic, the man with no arms or legs.  Believe this!

Watch the video, then think of all the times that you’ve wanted something you shouldn’t have, and in turn, have been completely lacking in thankfulness for the things you do have.  This guy doesn’t have any arms or legs, for goodness sake!  He swims, plays soccer, fishes, drives boats!  This man is incredible… what do you have to complain about?  Nothing!

I thought a part of the story that is important for men who are either newly married, engaged to be married or hoping to one day be married, was the part of the story when he spoke about not needing hands to hold her heart.  Powerful.

TrueMan up!

Most. Disgusting. Thing. Ever.

Have you heard of the couple in Minneapolis that is putting the life of their child up to the results of a “Life or Abortion” poll?  I hate even giving them any publicity because of how heinous and disgusting their actions are.

The couple, who won’t be named, have decided to create a poll on their website, also not named, to let the public determine whether or not they should keep their child or abort their child.  The couple is pregnant, and almost 20 weeks along.  If you visit their site, you’ll see all sorts of stuff, and namely, you’ll see relatively new ultrasound pictures.  They speak of their child as if it is a human child, not merely a blob or a muscle mass, or tissue, or any of the other “choice” words used to diminish the truths of nature.  The couple claims that this isn’t a publicity stunt (clearly it is) and that they aren’t swayed one way or the other just yet.  I’m disgusted by this father’s utter lack of manliness in this situation. Absolutely disgusted.

First off, a TrueFather does everything in his power to protect his children.  He does not put them up for auction, for spectacle, for amusement.  He does not harm them.  He does not take them for granted.  He does not murder them.

Secondly, a TrueHusband does everything in his power to protect his wife.  He does not exploit her. He does not make a spectacle of her.  He does not harm her.  He does not make choices that will cause long-lasting negative emotional, physical and psychological effects.

This male is not a TrueMan.  He’s not being a good father.  He’s not being a good husband.  In fact, he’s completely disregarding everything that is manly (virtue!) and choosing vice.  I am incredibly saddened for this couple, for their child, for everyone who has been exposed to this sort of crap and to anyone who actually considers this legitimate.  Let us unite together in prayer for the conversion of this couple and for the end to abortion and all attacks against human life.

NOTE: It has been speculated that this is, in fact, a publicity stunt in favor of the pro-life movement.  Regardless of the actual intention of the couple, this is incredibly stupid and should not be considered pro-life.

TrueMan up!

Victims of Addiction

During the month of November, one of Pope Benedict XVI’s prayer intentions is for victims of addiction, both those who are addicted, as well as those effected by the addiction of someone else.  It’s important for us to pray for one another, whether we’ve had or have an addiction or not.  For those who are addicted to pornography, I want to say to you that there is hope.  There is freedom outside of pornography abuse.  There are ways to find help and resources out there for you.  If you would like more info, or specific help, or possibly to be referred to a psychotherapist who specializes in pornography addiction, please email us at Info@TrueManhood.com and we can get you in touch with the correct resource.

Take a few minutes to watch this video.  Fr. Kubicki reflects on PBXVI’s prayer intention for November.  Please watch it the whole way through, as there is helpful information about addictions towards the second half.  All the best.

TrueMan up!

Good Men Are Hard To Find

Great video of a talk given by Fr. William Casey.  I like it, it’s great stuff.  Hope it’s beneficial.

God sets a father at the head of his family.  God confirms a father’s responsibility and authority over his family.

Not by being dictatorial or tyrannical.  Not by being a jerk.  But by being a role model of the strong masculine, Christian virtues.  If those virtues are absent, his authority will be diminished because of his own fault.

“All Gave Some, Some Gave All”

Check this video out.  It’s worth the 4 minutes, especially on a day when we should be remembering those who have served our country for our freedom and even more so, when we should be remembering those who gave their lives for our freedom.  Don’t take your freedom for granted.  Don’t take our veterans for granted.  If you see a soldier, either active duty or veteran, go up to them, look them in the eyes and thank them.  Teach your children to do the same.

Investors – Does their Money Talk?

I received the story below from a friend.  As I read through it, I wondered… what is the purpose of the pornography industry, and in general the sex industry, if not money?  The countless stories of former porn stars hating the industry due to physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as the abuse of alcohol and drugs, not to mention the illegal prostitution and ongoing mental anguish… makes me wonder why the industry exists.  The only answer is money.  It is the leading cause for luring women in, as well as keeping them in.  The industry is so big that, worldwide over the span of a year, the industry grosses more revenue than MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and NASCAR combined!  Good on Christian Brothers Investment Services for working to put a stop to it.

If these investors actually stop investing in companies/organizations that promote, produce and/or distribute porn, it would likely take a big chunk away from the industry.  There’s only one way to find out – let’s hope they follow through.  Here’s the story.

Top cable, satellite firms asked to curb channels carrying pornography

Christian Brothers Investment Services led a group of 220 other institutional investors to ask the United States’ largest cable television and satellite TV providers to stop distributing on-demand pay-per-view pornography and to stop carrying adult channels that specialize in pornographic material.

Letters were sent Nov. 3 to Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, which are, respectively, the first-, second- and fifth-largest cable companies in the United States and the three biggest publicly traded companies. Similar letters also went to DirecTV and Dish Network, the two principal U.S. satellite TV firms.

If a company cannot completely wean itself from porn, the letter said, then it should alert stockholders to the “potentially significant legal and business risks” that exist from carrying porn by including that information in the company’s public disclosures.

Dan Nielsen, director of socially responsible investing for Christian Brothers Investment Services, outlined some of the risks to companies in a Nov. 3 telephone interview with Catholic News Service from his organization’s headquarters in Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Ill.

“There’s certainly the reputational risk, which is obviously very controversial in nature,” Nielsen said. “There are legal risks if the companies are caught distributing materials that are defined as obscene and therefore illegal,” therefore risking alienation of the company’s customer base. “If a company has developed a reputation as a family-friendly company” yet distributes porn, “it is a test of the good will of the company,” he added.

Calling pornography a $13 billion industry in the United States, the Christian Brothers letter said, “We feel that as more people become concerned about pornography and the effects, both direct and indirect, it has on our society, greater scrutiny will be placed on those companies involved in its production and distribution. The costs for remaining involved in pornography will increase.”

Each company was asked to respond to the letter by Nov. 12 indicating its “strategic rationale for either continuing or discontinuing distributing pornography.” The Christian Brothers letter also said the investment firm wants to convene meetings between officials from each company and a small group of stockholders to discuss the issue.

Nielsen laughed when reminded of the art-imitates-life world of the NBC sitcom “30 Rock” in which NBC’s fictional suitor, Kabletown, maintains it can afford the purchase thanks to its profits from on-demand pornography. In real life, Comcast — one of the companies targeted by the Christian Brothers firm — is bidding for a majority stake in NBC Universal.

“I found that quite amusing, actually,” Nielsen said. “At the same time, I thought it was significant that the issue was mentioned in such a high-profile format. Unfortunately, it also touches on a trend of normalizing behavior toward pornography amongst society at large.”

Nielsen said Christian Brothers had been longtime investors in each of the companies targeted, but in terms of stockholder actions had prior dealings only with Time Warner Cable — before it was spun off in early 2009 from the rest of Time Warner.

The letter did not mention any adult channels, but Nielsen mentioned Spice and the Playboy Channel during the CNS interview.

“Early on, we adopted an investment screen against companies that primarily produce pornography,” Nielsen said. And in surveys of members of Christian Brothers Investment Services, he added, “pornography continues to rank as one of the high priority issues for our investors.”

“There remains a very, very large number of organizations that see the pernicious effects of pornography on our society,” according to Nielsen. “Unfortunately, there aren’t that many opportunities for them to take action and effect change.”

Among the 220 signatories are leading members of a host of dozens of men’s and women’s religious orders in the United States and elsewhere, but also representatives from other investment agents and the travel industry.

Earlier in 2010, Christian Brothers Investment Services pressured hotel chains in which it held stock to implement and enforce policies designed to deter sex trafficking, particularly with underage children, most notably in conjunction with the World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa.

« Previous Page — Next Page »