— 1 —   This Week’s Guest Post:  Modesty Discovered  This post received a lot of traffic this week.  When I first read the testimony of her discovery about modesty, I was blown away by the wisdom it contained.  I can say for a fact that I would not have been open to receive this wisdom from the Lord when I was 18 years old.  The Lord can do amazing work with this level of openness in a young person. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.  Yes, yes, yes!

— 2 —  Woman In Love:  Do you remember my book review of this fabulous book by Katie Hartfiel? I ordered a bunch of her books to give away to young women in my Church.  When the package arrived, it contained a hand-written card from Katie thanking me for my order.  She also thanked me for “my ministry to singles” and said, “The message of purity is so well-needed these days and I am so thankful for your witness.” 

I had no idea she even knew who I was! Oh, yes, her card is displayed for all to see!  Have you read her book?  Out of all the books written for single girls, her book is the best one yet.  I highly recommend it!

— 3 — When Your Mother Says She’s Fat:  Did you see this article?  I try my best to graciously let other Mom’s know how their own body image translates to their daughter’s psyche.  I think unless you have been in the presence of your own Mom saying these things, it is hard to understand the impact.  Either way, it is a great article.

** Note that I do not necessarily support everything else the author stands for.  I tried to figure out exactly what it was that she did stand for and it just seemed so foreign to me. So, I recommend just sticking to this article.

— 4 —  Pope  Francis’s Encyclical:  Pope Francis’ first encyclical, which he said is largely the work of our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, will be published today!  It is called “Lumen fidei” (The Light of Faith) and it completes Pope Benedict’s “trilogy” on the three “theological virtues.”  First, “Deus Caritas Est” (2005) on Charity, then, “Spe Salvi” (2007) on Hope and now an encyclical on Faith.  Here is what Pope Francis had to say:

“It’s an encyclical written with four hands, so to speak, because Pope Benedict began writing it and he gave it to me.  It’s a strong document. I will say that I received it and most of the work was done by him and I completed it.”

— 5 —  Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Mary Beth Bonacci for her article about seeking an annulment before dating on Catholic Match.  Wise advice from her!

— 6 — Not Alone Series: More great insight from the girls participating in this Series!  The topic this week:  what you can do to prepare for marriage?  Jen from Jumping In Puddles discussed a topic that I wish I would have known about before I got married…..Charting!  Here is what she said:

“Charting– I have talked a bit about my NFP journey on here before.  But, I’ve been prettttty horrible at it lately.  I keep telling myself, “it’s ok. I don’t need to know this 100% yet… I’m not married. It’s not happening right now. It’s fine.”  But, you know what’s funny about God’s timing… things happen when you least expect it and maybe when you aren’t thinking about it.  So, if I keep doing what I am doing, I will be in panic mode before my wedding trying to make sure I really understand this NFP-ness.  It’s just silly.  This is the easiest and most practical thing I could be doing right now to prepare for my marriage.  If I’ve got it down, it will be easier to teach the hubs and be less of a stressor when we are first married.”

Nikki from A Catholic Heart for Home had the following wise advice:

“Don’t Date Jerks
If he spits, sniffs, scratches and swears, you know you could never marry him then do NOT date him. If you think you can change him, he is just misunderstood or no one understands him like you do… you probably can’t, he most likely isn’t and I’m pretty sure you don’t, time to move on.”

“Become The Person You Want To Marry
If you want to marry a devout, Catholic man, then become a devout, Catholic woman. While considering what you want your future husband to bring to the altar you need to ensure your basket is just as attractive.”

— 7 —  Independance Day:  In light of all the offenses against our religious liberties, yesterday felt different from all of the other 4th of July’s.  I am thankful for thoses who have made and are making our remaining freedoms possible.  May God be merciful on America and help us turn back toward Him.

So as to not end on a downer note, I provide you this recipe for gluten-free chocolate chip cocoa oatmeal cookies!  They were a big hit!

God love and bless you!

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