Gluten Free Christmas Pizzelles

Lucy made pizzelles for the feast day yesterday. They worked beautifully with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour. I’m so grateful for the development of celiac-friendly products over the last ten years. It’s splurge food, not health food… but it sure does help make life a little gentler for people for whom so much beautiful food is off limits.⁣ Recipe we used HERE.
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Many people mistakenly think that celiac disease is an allergy or a sensitivity. It’s actually an autoimmune condition—a chronic inflammatory disease—in which the body’s immune system attacks the small intestines. The trigger is gluten.⁣ This can result in unpleasant physical symptoms but also causes the body to be starved of nutrients since the villi responsible for nutrient absorption are damaged and can’t do their job.⁣
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I’ve seen and experienced the impact the disease can have. Very difficult. And healing is not really as simple as “don’t eat bread.” Gluten is everywhere.⁣ It’s hard to imagine how difficult it truly is to avoid until you have had to do it. It’s really in almost everything. Even “gluten-free” products are frequently contaminated. Yes, molecules matter.⁣..
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Every restaurant. Every party dish. Everything on the shelves. It’s in many spices and ingredients and places you’d never think of.⁣
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Celiac disease used to be considered a wasting disease partially because it caused people to become thin and frail. Modern celiacs are often different (increasingly obese) since the body’s effort to increase nutrition can lead to strong cravings.⁣ But getting lots of calories doesn’t mean that you aren’t nutrient-starved.⁣
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Replacing gluten with gluten-free products is not a cure for disease. It’s not necessarily nutritious. In fact, it can contribute to weight gain and mask malnourishment. But…⁣
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It can contribute to an improved quality of life. I’m grateful for options for my kids, especially during times of celebration. The cookies were delicious and we were all able to eat them. Thanks be to God. ❤️⁣
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Final thought… celiac isn’t the only reaction to gluten that is cause for serious concern. What is called “sensitivity” is often an autoimmune response manifesting in other areas of the body.

Rooted Fatherhood

I stood next to the casket of my beloved father-in-law and my knees literally shook with cold and grief. The sorrow on the face of his devoted bride remains etched in my memory.⁣
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Broken. We all felt broken. One of the grandsons articulated the feeling as that of being untethered… unmoored.⁣
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A good man grows roots in the ground and stays put for his family. They tease about his routines, his stubbornness, and his predictable jokes. And while they kid and flourish…⁣
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The roots grow deeper. Solid. Unshakable.⁣
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They know this… a little. Until he is gone and then they KNOW…⁣
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That he has been rooted and they are the branches. They have felt a faint shaking of earthquakes, the heat of fires, and the gusts of strong winds…⁣ but it is the rooted father who digs deeply and secures the family while they grow. He takes the blows, the flames, the deep shakings.⁣
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Every day, his supplications and prayers of thanksgiving rise to the creator. The sun rises and sets. He gets up and does what men do. He toils and he counsels. He kneels and he rests. He battles sin and enemy and elements.⁣
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Rooted.⁣
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I know what my son meant when he said he felt adrift. We are experiencing a bit of vertigo as the roots shift (but remain) beneath us…⁣
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The men seem to feel it uniquely. That they have been loved and raised and held up by a good man, rooted in strength and courage and fidelity. And that they are also made for that greatness.⁣
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There is a quickening of life in the presence of death. World events add to the feeling. That now is not the time for weak men, addicted men, immoral men, or timid men…⁣
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It is time to take root.⁣
Blessed be God forever.⁣
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“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,⁣
nor stands in the way of sinners,⁣
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;⁣
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,⁣
and on his law he meditates day and night.⁣
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He is like a tree planted by streams of water,⁣
that yields its fruit in its season,⁣
and its leaf does not wither.⁣
In all that he does, he prospers.”⁣
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Psalm 1:1-3

Parents... Please Pause.

This is not a command but an appeal. I honor your rights as a parent, your conscience, your intellect...⁣
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Please pause.⁣
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Children have not reached the age of consent for medical care. Parents make those decisions. Some institutions refer to the child's participation as "assent" which they say is “on the continuum of consent." Clever.⁣ But let's discuss...⁣
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The bodies of our children will carry the effects of our decisions. They don't really have a choice. So with regard to the vaccine, here is my appeal...⁣
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Please consider allowing your kids to wait until the age of informed consent to choose a permanent bodily modification for a low risk illness. There is no evidence that the benefits outweigh the risk. Long term studies have not been done. These kids ARE the test group. There is no control group. No placebo.⁣
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The injuries among adults are high. Much higher than any previous treatment of this kind. In years past, it would have been pulled from the market quickly.⁣ With regard to children, the inventor of the RNA vaccine technology has issued a strong warning about the damage which can permanently harm you child…

“Ask yourself if you want your own child to be part of the most radical medical experiment in human history.”

Please listen to his 4-minute statement HERE.

You can ignore his expertise and make your own decision. I understand the confusion which surrounds this issue. But it doesn’t harm anyone to pause. We make the best decisions we can. But as a young mom, I trusted "safe and effective" and TWICE I learned the hard way that it isn't always true.⁣
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Doctors don’t pay your bills if it goes south.
Nobody comes home with you to help.
People will be angry with you.
It's weird… but most simply won't care.⁣
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I am asking you to pause because I learned the hard way. My kids didn't choose it. I did. I'm sorry. And I can't undo it.⁣
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I suspect that 2022 is going to see a dramatic increase in awareness as more doctors ignore parents and use terms like “medical mystery" and "extremely rare"… and then hand them a bill that no family can afford and VAERS won't pay. But moms aren't stupid...⁣
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There is nothing on earth that can compensate for an injured child. Nothing.

What happens if our kids "take one for the team?" As a famous pro-V priest put it to me once: injured kids are "an acceptable sacrifice" for the greater good. Not sure how that helps. It doesn’t even console.⁣
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So, no. No more. Not for mine.⁣
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Please consider pausing.⁣
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(This is not a judgment on anyone. I have a specific lens I share from. Not of fear but of reality. I wish health was as easy as a needle. It's not.)

Don't touch your baby...

She was born in a Catholic hospital before the nuns left. And her story testifies to why it mattered…⁣
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Born weeks early, she ran into trouble. “Code blue” was the last thing I heard before they all rushed out of the room with her.⁣ Every NICU mama knows what the next days looked like. The lights and plastic boxes with babies, charts, and alarms.⁣..
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Once, I touched her back lightly. Her O2 sat dropped, the alarms went off, and I got a harsh lecture from the doctor after they stabilized her…⁣
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“Don’t touch your baby.”⁣
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So I just watched. Every day. And since I couldn’t sleep, I watched her at night as well, rocking in the chair, wishing I could see her face uncovered from tape and tubes.⁣
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About a week into our stay, I was keeping vigil at 3am. Two nurses were at the desk that night though it was usually just one at that hour. I’d never seen them before. We were the only ones there.⁣ They approached me together and said they didn’t usually work there but took every opportunity. “We are Christians and this hospital is a blessed place. We love to be here.”⁣
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They asked if they could pray over my daughter and I said yes. I watched as they put two sets of hands into the isolette and laid them on her back…⁣
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The child who wouldn’t be touched didn’t flinch.⁣
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They praised and glorified God and they prophesied. They spoke of healing and mission. And when they were done, they turned to me…⁣
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“She’s going to be okay.” They explained…⁣
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“God protects this hospital. The sisters will not provide contraception or abortion benefits to staff… and He blesses that.”⁣
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I never saw them again. And the hospital has since passed into secular hands. But this beautiful girl continues to grow in grace. I wish those nurses could see her now.⁣
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Dear Birthday Girl…⁣
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“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying…hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil.⁣
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May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Thess. 5

I changed clean makeup companies. Leaving woke activism.

Welcome to the contents of my purse! I'm only showing you the good and beautiful. Good makeup, essential oils, rosary bracelet, head scarf, and my favorite sunglasses...

The half-eaten suckers, Batman without an arm, 24 crumpled receipts, and crushed vitamin are not shown. I also want to take this opportunity to let you know that...

I found a new clean makeup company!

Some of you might remember the energetic discussion we had on Instagram months ago about finding alternatives to woke activist clean product companies. I was actively looking at the time and finally found an alternative to what I had been using and recommending.

This post is going to be a bit too vague for some tastes but I do have a reason. And I do have more info on my website.

I'm not out to undermine the businesses of friends. This is about my conscience, not theirs. Because of my writing on natural healing, I am asked for recommendations for reliable companies. So this is me... changing my recommendation from BeautyCounter to Crunchi.

Clean products are not just a preference for me but a necessity. My body cannot tolerate the toxic formulas used by most companies. And now...

My conscience can rest a little easier as well.

In a world where compromise with evil seems impossible to avoid, it is something to be able to make a positive move now and again... to bring choices into better alignment with belief if possible.

• Makeup is by Crunchi

• Oils by doTERRA (a very happy non-woke 6 years in business with them.)

• Rosary bracelet by @chewslifeshop

No Fear.

Some people tell me that the severity of my illness scared them. Fear has no place in this battle and so I want to speak to my circumstances specifically. If you don't like medical details, maybe pass! But I wrote a book about health and I'm public about not taking the v, so I feel like I owe more info.⁣

No fear. I want you to be prepared but NOT afraid. So listen...⁣

We can live a healthy life but we can't control everything. We get sick. We will die. So we have to start there. Memento Mori.⁣ After that... I eat well, stay active, don't drink, smoke, or vape, and I live clean. Those things won’t keep me alive forever, though I do believe they ultimately helped my body through this...⁣

But why did I get so sick?⁣ There's not always an answer. Viruses are gonna virus. But I can share this...⁣

One of the symptoms of my chronic illness is called the "MS Hug." AKA banding, girdling, or intercostal muscle spasticity caused by spinal lesions.⁣

It presents differently for people. Mine can feel like labor pains, restrict breathing, eating, and drinking, cause fever, air hunger, cramping, nausea. It can be absent for months or occur daily. It was a battle I'd been fighting for weeks leading up to the virus.⁣

When it was clear that we had C, I started on protocols immediately but I simply could not properly hydrate or nourish my body due to pre-existing difficulties.

That is not a complete explanation but it was absolutely a contributing factor. I needed intervention. My flesh is weak. But...⁣ I'm recovering well. And I will say again what I said even on the first day of misery:⁣⁣

There is no room for fear. Even if we die, let us die in His peace.⁣

In place of fear, we must have unshakable trust in the goodness of God and a commitment to honor the gift of our bodies with respectful and prudent care. Not because we fear a virus, but because we love Him.⁣

Do what we can and do it with vigor.⁣

Let God transform our fears to holy surrender, to prepare, to be warriors of grace. The real danger of this virus is the stripping of holy confidence from God’s beloved people. So let us work and pray and praise...⁣

“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” ~ Eph 5:14

Surviving October

It’s been 17 days since I felt the first symptoms of Wuhan’s gain-of-function variant. Not to be dramatic, but I think I overestimated my body’s ability to survive October.⁣⁣
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If a virus can have a spiritual component, this one surely does. As my body was weakened and attacked, so were my mind and soul. Oppressive darkness. I found encouragement through a sick friend’s Christ testimony. But for my own part, I could hardly pray…⁣
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I was helpless while a battle raged around me. Through me. For me.⁣ Thank you all for your prayers and support. You carried me.⁣
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I did not expect pneumonia to take over so fast. To hurt so much. I did not expect to lose spiritual buoyancy. I didn’t expect anger and loss of rational thought. I didn’t expect not to care. I didn’t expect the heavy grief.⁣
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As care mobilized around me, I was overwhelmed by sorrow. I couldn’t brush my hair so my daughter did it. Blessing. Yet I was aware of every soul cut off from touch… isolated in the name of health.⁣⁣
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Pain was relentless. I was afraid at times. But I was never robbed of the presence of my loved ones. If I would have died—in the midst of my utterly ungraceful surrender—my family would have held me until I was home.⁣⁣
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There were many times when I needed to weep for those whose hair should have been stroked, cheeks kissed, feet rubbed, with assurances uttered and prayers whispered. I couldn’t because I couldn’t both breathe and cry. I’m crying now… maybe I won’t ever stop.⁣⁣
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Recovery may take a while. Mornings are tough. I’ve lost weight. But I’m walking on my own again and the darkness is lifting. The Lord never left me. He just allowed me to feel the darkness of a virus-centric world bereft of Christ.⁣⁣
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I have more to say about the ephemeral and the enduring. But for today:⁣⁣
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• I will never take the syringe. A nation which violates God’s laws will not receive His blessing.⁣⁣
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•If you mock the sick and dead because their jab status affirms your ego, get your soul right before it’s your turn to endure.⁣⁣
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• Do not be afraid of illness, but be prepared to fight for health and beautiful eternity. AMDG ☀️

"I will dare and dare and dare..."

“COURAGE! DO NOT FALL BACK.”

St. Joan of Arc was martyred because she was politically inconvenient. She wasn’t an expert, theologian, politician, or notable figure. She didn’t know how to read. She gave simple, radical fidelity and devotion to God. Then she led an army. And testified before the world.⁣⁣

We are not called to less than Joan, though our “army” may not look like hers. It’s for Him to say and for us to surrender. The gauge of success is only His will, His time, for His purpose.⁣⁣

May we be so simple in our own times. Free to be holy and even political according to His desire. Faith and reason are consistent. Our faith is integrated. In our own times, we know...⁣⁣

• It defies reason to think that people who dissect children alive and use them in research are trustworthy in any other matter.⁣⁣

• It defies reason to believe that people who reject Christian moral teachings will be honest about anything.⁣⁣

• It defies reason to place health and children in the care of wicked people and expect a good outcome.⁣⁣

There are many who dare to give us permission to step away from Natural and Divine Law in pursuit of something deemed safer.⁣⁣..

But God will not bless it.

We know this from all of Salvation History and the story of every soul who got impatient waiting for Him to act. Our answers never work out.⁣⁣

Direct abuse of the Sacred cannot call down blessing. Breaking with His holy design can only result in temporal and spiritual death.⁣⁣

Think times are confusing? They are. But Joan was born during a time of a pope and 2 anti-popes. During a time of war. She was mystical and political. She led an army in support of a weak monarch. A Bishop and a cadre of theologians condemned her as a heretic and subjected her to painful death.⁣⁣

What is our excuse? Fear of death? Let us ask the great saint whether she had fear of politicians, clerics, or illness… and we will get an uncomfortable answer:

“Even though I saw the executioner and the fire, I could not say anything but what I have said.”⁣⁣

“It is better to be alone with God... In His strength, I will dare and dare and dare until I die.”⁣⁣

Amen.

(My sweatshirt is from veritascaritaslibertas.com and I love it.⁣⁣)

The Passion of Hildegard

Happy (almost belated) Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen! Her feast is on 9/17 but since I am always late, I just pick a September day.⁣
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I’ve linked ideas for celebrating below. But first, it’s important to clear up some misinformation about this dynamic woman of God to avoid being misled by enemies of the Church…⁣
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For the majority of my Catholic life, I intentionally avoided St. Hildegard. I had come to associate her with the many New Age practitioners, wiccans, and deviant nuns who like to claim her as their own. I had lived that and didn’t want to go back!⁣
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She doesn’t belong to them, of course, and she never ascribed to their heretical ways. But because her writings are not as accessible as other saints and her ways uncommon, she has been more easily co-opted by people with an agenda.⁣
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I once brought a St. Hildegard peg doll to a peg doll exchange. One astute woman asked why I brought Hildegard to the party…and I knew why she was asking. I assured her that I wasn’t a “progressive.”⁣
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The sad truth is that most accessible info is unreliable. Not every quote is hers or properly translated. Not every work is interpreted with her faithful vision. Some letters are fake. I give you warning that if you go looking, you will find a lot of false information and should be discerning.⁣
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So why did I bring Hildegard to the party?⁣
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Hildegard was a deep ocean, full of life and fire, music, wildcraft, salves, painting, visions, poetry, theology, and prayer…⁣
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She was an Abbess, an artist, a preacher, mystic, healer, composer, polymath, and Doctor of the Church. She loved the earth and saw that “God has arranged all things in the world in consideration of everything else.”⁣
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She challenged the corruption in the Church around her and raised her voice against it while demanding fidelity from her shepherds.⁣
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She was NOT an ecofeminist, a proponent of “global humanism,” a witch, an earth-worshipper, a gnostic or a goddess.⁣
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She was a contemplative nun under the Rule of St. Benedict. And the silence which formed her for decades became the school in which her soul burned with passion and flourished with productivity.⁣
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Read more about Hildegard and ideas for celebrating HERE… 🌸

Birthdays, liberty, and pot-banging love.

We had our birthday party this weekend! She wanted us to wear our favorite colors. We both received pajamas. And it occurred to me that she seems to be growing younger since being liberated from her extended quarantine.

I have many new friends on social media who don't know Beth. Although the family info I share on social media is limited, I do want you to meet this beautiful woman who suffered so much under Ohio's unlawful, immoral, and cruel lockdowns. She was separated from us for the better part of a year while being cared for by strangers who were free to come and go. A woman already unable to perform the simplest functions for herself... confined to a degree that most lockdown advocates would never accept for themselves.

Those of us who have the unrestricted use of our limbs and voices have an obligation to live energetically for the vulnerable. That's going to look different for all of us, but the obligation still exists.

I can, to a degree, understand those gripped by fear of viruses. But I will never understand championing orders that destroy the minds, bodies, and souls of others so that we can live to die another day.

Every single health order given has contributed to the declining health of individuals and community. I oppose every one of them. They are not designed to increase health but to increase control and teach compliance. And the vulnerable are always the first quiet casualties of tyranny.

We must be free to serve according to the will of God. Not as "woke" people burdened by a shame of “privilege" (a diabolical distortion of the virtues of humility and gratitude)… but with a growing gratitude for His gifts in us which have been bestowed for purpose of service and praise.

It is our duty to develop our responsiveness to this goodness, to cultivate tenderness, and to allow love for others to grow until our fears can no longer hold us back from holy action

Even if we fail, we must try to stop this diabolically blinded race toward the cliff. We must say NEVER AGAIN. Not via lockdowns, face coverings, injections. It is only the radical acceptance of the tender mercy and passionate love of Jesus Christ which can restore us to sanity and health now.

So here I am, banging my pot again. Please join me. And please pray for Beth and all the vulnerable.

The Door is Open.

“The door is open.” This is the phrase that came to me after prayers and my kids’ lessons today. Before that, I had been sitting heavily in the awareness that “The door is closing.”⁣
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It’s the same truth from different angles. I see that the times are shifting and many are falling away from Christ. I feel the quickening of events and the labor pains of a world about to be shaken… sifted…⁣
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We are choosing our paths, our teachers, our gods… and it will be difficult to change direction once the storm intensifies.⁣
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The door is closing. But it is open.⁣
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I gave the kids an assignment today. Read the first Mass reading (Colossians 3:12-17) and also Ephesians 5:1-15…⁣
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Then make a list of all that St. Paul says is required of Christians. The “do nots” are important but, for the purposes of this list, make them into positive statements. Marching orders.⁣
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So they made their lists and were excited by the concreteness of identity. And I felt my own shift…⁣
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The door is open.⁣
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Here is their combined list, shortened to fit this space. It is solid. It is specific. It is only the tip of the iceberg, but is sufficient for the day.⁣
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The door is open. Enter in…⁣
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•Be holy⁣
•Be blameless and pure⁣
•Imitate God as beloved children⁣
•Praise Him⁣
•Walk in love, a fragrant offering to God⁣
•Have faith⁣
•Have a spirit of wisdom⁣
•have a spirit of thanksgiving⁣
•Do fruitful works of light⁣
•Expose the darkness⁣
•Be filled with the spirit⁣
•Be moral⁣
•Be pure⁣
•Be clean of speech⁣
•Be obedient to God⁣
•Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true⁣
•Learn what pleases the Lord⁣
•Take part in fruitful things⁣
•Greet one another in psalms and hymns⁣
•Sing to the Lord with all your heart⁣
•Be beloved⁣
•Be compassionate⁣
•Be kind⁣
•Be patient⁣
•Forgive⁣
•Let the word of Christ dwell in you⁣
•Look carefully how you walk because the days are evil⁣
•Worship⁣
•Hold fast to truth⁣
•Press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God
•Be mature minded⁣
•Always and for everything give thanks in the name of Jesus Christ⁣
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In this time of great shaking, may we find hope & strength in the fullness of true identity. ❤️

She was there before I was

It was a long night. My eyes would pop open, my heart would pound, and I would be painfully aware of my suffering child. I wasn’t with that child… but I knew I was walking some kind of Via Dolorosa with them from afar.

Mom grace is like that sometimes. You just know. Maybe the Holy Spirit wakes you up. Or you just know the signs. Or both.

Anyway, I felt it and grieved as I joined in the struggle. It sounds a bit dramatic, I know… but life IS sometimes dramatic. There is weeping. There is falling to the knees. And in the life of the spirit, the battle for souls is central and fierce.

So, I kept waking. And towards the early morning light, my pious prayers to Blessed Mother became ugly cries of desperation. I asked her to be with my children when I couldn’t be. To hold them. To rescue them.

Consolation came as I saw her in my mind’s eye embracing my beloved child. I was struck by her posture of deep gift. Covering, embracing, enfolding. But even more struck by one realization…

She was there before I was. She, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, was certainly the one who woke me, not the other way around.

She is the sleepless mother who wakes with her children on her heart.

She never leaves them. And she is closest to them when they are broken and lost. I surrendered my child to her in that moment more completely than I had ever been inclined to before. And I slept.

In the weeks and months that followed, miracles unfolded for my family. And I don’t use the word “miracles” lightly. Mary was at the root of all of them. Not vaguely as in “oh I just know that she answered my prayers” but manifestly.

And with the memory comes courage. There is no soul seeking light which is unattended by her presence. And no soul choosing darkness which isn’t being interceded for with devotion and perseverance. I know this…

Because I am a mother.

She who carried Divinity in her womb has touched Love itself and become perfect mother to all. She will not rest until we are safe or until we have chosen with finality.

Ask her for your miracles. And expect them. They will come in the perfect timing and manner of Jesus Christ at her request.

For love of the poor...

I had the privilege yesterday of spending time with the founders of Urban Encounter Ministries and I walked away changed.⁣⁣⁣
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Jesus calling again. Metanoia.⁣⁣⁣
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It wasn’t a profound emotional moment like one might experience on a retreat or in sacrament…⁣⁣⁣
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But an encounter with Christians who speak belief and then live it with fervor. I thought often of Ephesians 5 and the simple powerful model of Church. I thought of the purity childhood and of the aching of adult conversion.⁣⁣⁣
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I grew up in the city until I was in middle school; outside the full comforts of suburbia but still happy. I didn’t know what I didn’t have. I never felt deprived of anything material (except an intact family). I knew there were rich and poor people… yet I never felt poor.⁣⁣⁣
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My eyes weren’t trained that way and I was loved and cared for. I didn’t know what burdens the adults carried.⁣⁣
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Years later, we had moved out of the city into more comfortable suburbia, but I was in abject spiritual poverty and depression… until someone broke though with the light of Christ.⁣⁣⁣
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As I sat in the company of Christ’s servants yesterday, I was reminded of early youth; living a measure of shabbiness, but with childlike vision only for what is delightful and permanent. The memory was a respite.⁣⁣⁣
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As Christians, we are compelled to step into the physical and spiritual poverty of others with the delight and Presence of Jesus Christ. Not to fix everything but to encounter precious souls and share His love…⁣⁣⁣
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I am here.⁣⁣⁣
I want to know your name.⁣⁣⁣
I can only offer you this small comfort.⁣⁣⁣
But I come with Jesus and He can give you everything.⁣⁣⁣
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In a culture where the idol of social justice leads many away from Truth, this ministry starts with Christ as its source and summit and invites Him in…⁣⁣⁣
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To the street.⁣
To those who haven’t heard their own name spoken to them in months…⁣
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Where He changes everything.⁣⁣⁣
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Lord, grant me the eyes of childhood that never fades. So that I may not shrink from bringing Your light into the world, wherever I am called to love.⁣⁣⁣
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Please contact me if you want to support a street missionary (my daughter) with any size gift. ❤️

Healing is about surrender.

Jesus asked the paralytic at the pool: “Do you want to be well?” (Jn 5:1-18⁣)
Simple question to which most of us answer YES.

Yet we often misunderstand...⁣
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We want to be well while eating poorly.⁣
To be strong without effort.⁣
To be changed without changing.⁣
To watch toxic media.⁣
To listen to sinful music.⁣
To eat what tastes good.⁣
Do what feels good.⁣
Let our imaginations become corrupted.⁣
Grow sedentary.⁣
Remain ungrateful…⁣
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And we shake our fist at God and wonder why we are sick.⁣
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I wrote a book about natural healing with one basic message:⁣
The greatest potential for healing comes when we surrender our behaviors to God’s design.⁣
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We break ourselves under the weight of a lifetime of unrestricted corn syrup, pornified media, toxic chemicals, and unsanctified relationships, and are shocked that we are sick. Eventually, we are forced to turn to pharma to rescue us.⁣
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How ironic that this industry (which now dominates our “health” care) uses the dissected bodies of children to make medicine. It is the anti-Gospel. An open mockery of God and His design.⁣
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My disease isn’t all my fault. But it partially is. If I would have surrendered my behaviors to the Lord decades ago, many things would be different. My healing only began after I turned away from pharma as savior, turned to Christ, and took responsibility: “Do you want to be well?”⁣
⁣
He wasn’t offering a magic pill; He was asking for complete SURRENDER.⁣
⁣
Healing began when I accepted the inevitability of death, the consequences of sin and my own behaviors, and the responsibility for treating my body with the dignity with which it was created.⁣
⁣
My approach has never been about buying the latest and greatest fad. It is simply radical surrender. I exist because the life of Christ lives within me…⁣
⁣
And I will always experience healing (in His way and time) when I glorify Him through my choices:⁣
⁣
Wholesome food.⁣
Movement.⁣
Sanctify leisure.⁣
Discipline appetites.⁣
Reduce toxic exposure.⁣
Virtue.⁣
Silence.⁣
Prayer.⁣
Reject the secular path of health. That pool is not the way of Christ.⁣
⁣
"Rise, take up your pallet... and walk...Sin no more."⁣

How a Neurotic Germaphobe put the faithful to sleep

“When anything is subject to the light it becomes visible… Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.”
⁣⁣
Hitler was a neurotic germaphobe. His fixation on racial cleansing was rooted in his fear of biological threats to the German people.⁣⁣⁣ How did he convince a nation to submit to his neurosis? He understood human psychology…⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
He knew he needed to magnify fear. The vehicle was an appeal to the noble goal of “public health.” Tuberculosis was the great enemy. And it had many carriers.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Early on, there were mandatory X-rays of German and Polish citizens.⁣⁣⁣ It was a new technology and there was concern about radiation. But to root out the TB devil, individual rights were subordinated to communal well-being.
⁣⁣⁣
“It’s just an X-ray."⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣
The unclean were marked & restricted. Citizens disarmed.⁣ Marriages prohibited. Assets stolen. Citizens imprisons…

400,000 Germans were forcibly sterilized.⁣⁣ 5,000 died as a result of the operation. Acceptable sacrifices on the altar of safety.
⁣⁣
“It’s just a surgery.”⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
TB vaccines were developed using children (dissected and then murdered) instead of animals, because they had to know how it would impact humans. Maybe that’s what they told the judge at the Nuremberg trials. I don’t know. Maybe Fauci knows. In violating the Nuremberg Code, he must have had a good reason, too.
⁣⁣⁣
Many died from those experimental injections.⁣⁣⁣ But…
⁣⁣⁣
"It's just a needle.”

It’s for a greater good.
We might as well use it.
No sense in letting good research go to waste.
It was just a few kids.
It was just unborn babies. Dissected alive, but still…
It will honor their memory.
My Bishop said it’s fine… remote, you know.
We have to stop TB. We have to stop the virus.
We must.
I don’t want to die.

Later on, the Nazis used TB as biowarfare against the Allies and infected ghettos/camps to facilitate extermination.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Corporations jumped on board the ship of Nazi horrors.
Bayer experimented on humans for TB research... and made Zyklon B for the gas chambers and funded Mengele’s research, knowing fully what he was doing.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
But... it's about TB so it's okay. Crimes against humanity? No big deal. Very short prison term. US protection. Bayer must make some good aspirin.⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Fanta was invented specifically for the Nazi troops by Coca Cola.
Henry Ford built war vehicles for the Nazis.
Chase Bank froze Jewish assets.
IBM built a death-machine infrastructure.
Random House published Nazi propaganda.
Hugo Boss designed uniforms for the SS and Hitler Youth.
Swarovski was part of the Nazi leadership.
BMW built Nazi planes and motorcycles, used slave labor, and accepted stolen Jewish businesses.
Nestle used free labor from Nazi prison camps.
The Associated Press participated in Nazi propaganda.
⁣⁣⁣
But… it’s probably all okay.

(This is where Americans must work hard to implement cognitive dissonance)…
⁣⁣⁣
It’s just a mask.⁣⁣⁣
Just a star.⁣⁣⁣
Just a jab.
For public health.⁣⁣⁣
The experts say...⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
You can’t keep your job, shop, go to school, get medical care, travel, worship, or speak freely. You can’t marry, bury your dead, decline and injection, visit your loved ones, or receive the sacraments.

Don’t worry though. It's for public health.⁣⁣

The signs of the time are becoming more clear. We are in a time of shaking. There is a great cracking of the pious facade. When the temptation to sing a little louder to drown out the voices of the marginalized is pressing on us like we never imagine it would, we try to reassure ourselves…

“We aren’t like the Germans. We’ll see it coming. Won’t we?”

Awake, O sleeper! We must awaken to a godly order. Let the light pour in on evil. Awake!

The only answer is a deepening, a shaking, and an awakening to the Person of Jesus Christ. It is Christ who will guide us and embolden us, renew us and bring us peace in evil times. It is He alone who can provide the courage to raise prophetic voices and stand in defense of the vulnerable.

Come, Holy Spirit. Embolden us with holy love. Amen.

Carried. 25 years.

CARRIED.⁣
⁣⁣
I give thanks for the passing of years which illuminate what has gone before and how it will be with what is to come.⁣⁣ My conversion was a battle in which I fought. Yet with memory enlightened by grace, I see how I was softly lifted out of the conflict by the tender hands of the Father.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
In a similar manner, my marriage has been a besieged fortress, sometimes from the inside and sometimes without. And yet the marking of 25 years has granted me clarity of vision…⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I have been carried.⁣⁣..
⁣⁣
The heartaches which felt crushing have not crushed me.⁣⁣
The grief that has occasionally laid its pall over me has never buried me.⁣⁣
The losses and the trials have only been allowed to touch me lightly even when I believed that I carried the load.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
25 years has taught me that I have only lived on the surface of the drama of love, held back by the erroneous belief that sacramental graces were only a nice addition to what I would build…⁣⁣
⁣⁣
And discovering that I have been carried all along. Weak as a baby. Dependent on Divine care and the love of a man devoted to the Lord.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
In that greenhouse—which I mistakenly thought to be the wilds—my soul has been cultivated in love. And it is in that context which I have been able to grow stronger for my purpose.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I am a little girl growing into matriarch. I am this handsome man’s sweetheart becoming rooted as heart in his home.⁣⁣
⁣
I surrender to this mystery.⁣
⁣⁣
Marriage is a lot like birth in that the trial of vulnerability becomes a deep fire of strength. Masculinity is beautiful. Femininity is powerful…⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Yet I will never be a feminist again, because I will not choose to be fragmented from what is whole.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
My husband carries me. Not because I am worth less, but because I am treasure. Even in our brokenness, he carries our pieces to the foot of the cross… and we are renewed.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
In this life, we won’t be perfect or without trials or pain. Never perfect complete unity.⁣⁣ Yet there is unshakable sweetness. The renewal of vows a true refreshment as we reenter the battle. A testimony to grace⁣.⁣
⁣⁣
We walk hand-in-hand but I know the full truth… that I am carried. Thanks be to God.❤️

Call us back... let us run!

It’s time to run! On the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, may the Holy Spirit stir us to pray as St. Augustine…⁣
⁣
"You never go away from us,⁣
yet we have difficulty in returning to You.⁣
Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back.⁣
Kindle and seize us.⁣
Be our fire and our sweetness.⁣
Let us love. Let us run."⁣
⁣
When I first settled on this date for the virtual Rise Up & Run 5K, I thought it was the perfect time. July was clear. I was rested and strong, peaceful, confident.⁣
⁣
I received your prayer intentions one at a time and held them close, like small stones to carry on race day; a burden of privilege. I knew that many of you were carrying mine. I felt light. Capable.⁣
⁣
But today I am on my knees from the plot twists of life, rattled and weak. And I can’t help but laugh and say “It is the perfect time, Lord, as always. I surrender!”⁣
⁣
My family has decided to move our 5K race to next weekend to accommodate schedules. Hooray for Virtual events!! But I will run today as well.⁣
⁣
Many of you are running on different days, too. If you haven't gotten your race packets yet, they are coming. Thank you for your patience and flexibility!⁣
⁣
Regardless of timing, we are united in the heart of Christ, in an act of public praise, thanksgiving, and petition. Whatever stones (or boulders) you are carrying, know that we are carrying them with you. Surrender. Surrender. Surrender.⁣
⁣
Mary Magdalene is our perfect patroness today. She surrendered everything to Christ. Her gifts, her sins, her fears, her life. At the tomb, she would not leave Him... and she was rewarded with His presence.⁣
⁣
In the same way, He turns to us and says our names. With such tenderness and familiarity that our confusion passes and we know in Whose presence we stand...⁣
⁣
That is why we run.⁣
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Call us back, Lord. Let us run! And whether we pass the finish line pushing hard or crawling, let it be all for You. That we may know you more and be able to say, like Mary, to a doubting world: "I have seen the Lord."⁣
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Please let us know how your runs go over the next week or so. Tag me and/or use the hashtag #riseupandrun21 to help us see your testimony to God's goodness!
AMDG

A wedding, a run, a motu proprio

He was supposed to pose but instead he squished. Pretty typical and wonderful.⁣⁣ Posed shots are great in their own way. But 5-year olds have a way of cutting through to the better things.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
The wedding was this week! Thanks be to God! Those of you with big families can appreciate the unique position of being mother-of-the-groom and also mother-of-the-kid who “needs to go to the bathroom” during the marriage vows.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
And while we wait for the professional photos, I’m enjoying what people are sharing from their camera rolls. Lots of squishing and laughing.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Couple of unrelated updates:⁣⁣
⁣⁣
• The Rise Up & Run t-shirts were significantly delayed due to the printer’s “internal error.” Good thing it’s a virtual run! Some of you will be getting your packets later than the run date.⁣⁣ It’s out of my hands and I’ve struggled with frustration. But I’m surrendering and grateful for an understanding community.⁣⁣
⁣⁣• My family has decided to delay our local run gathering to next week because of schedule and energy conflicts. (ie busy and tired) Recognizing limits and rolling with needs.⁣⁣
⁣⁣• I continue praying for all of your run intentions.⁣⁣
⁣⁣• Definitely feeling like I won’t be running a very strong race this year. I will give it my best and continue to offer all for your race intentions. We had a wonderful time last year regardless of our fitness levels and abilities. Looking forward to the exercise in surrender and humility again! 😉⁣
⁣⁣• I may have extra race packets available. Some of you inquired. I will let you know soon!⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Unrelated update for those who have asked my thoughts on what came out of Rome this week…⁣⁣
⁣⁣
• The motu proprio came out the day of the wedding so I was blissfully ignorant until the next day. A good reminder that I can’t control any of it.⁣⁣
⁣⁣• A great kick in the pants to get holy and keep lamps lighted.⁣⁣
⁣⁣• This papacy has courted anti-life global Marxists for years and caused much scandal and hardship for the flock. This is consistent. Carry on, Church Militant. Carry on.

The crucible of marriage.

When I was on FB, I belonged to two Catholic mom groups. A woman posted a question to both groups:⁣
⁣
“I’ve been talking to my Catholic mom friends about marriage. We don’t know anyone in happy marriages, including our own. Is there any happiness left?”⁣
⁣
In one group, the responses were dismally consistent. Comments echoed the perspective of the woman.⁣
⁣
In the second group—smaller and designed to provide a generationally diverse mentoring community—the responses were more varied:⁣
⁣
“Yes. I am happily married. Marriage is harder than I ever imagined actually. But deeply satisfying and only getting better.”⁣
⁣
I was one of those who answered YES. But I see the reality of the brokenness around me and I feel in my own marriage the onslaught of the world and our own sinfulness.⁣
⁣
Is my marriage happy and healthy? Yes.⁣
Besieged? Yes.⁣
Shaken? Yes.⁣
Exhausted? Yes.⁣
Are we sometimes afraid? Yes.⁣
Grieving? Yes.⁣
⁣
Marriage is our crucible where we are transformed by the heat of holy fire.⁣
⁣
In 2 weeks, the Chief and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage. Our 8 children will attend our renewal of vows. We will stand in all our weakness and vulnerability in the heart of our little community.⁣ They have seen us at our worst and best and so we testify before them. Standing in gratitude and as a sign of hope. A sign of what is possible by the grace of God.⁣
⁣
Every year, my husband stands against the backdrop of a fiery Independence Day scene that he oversees. The mortars are lined up and fired. His shape is obscured in the darkness... until there is an explosion.⁣
⁣
His back is to me as he faces the fire. He grows taller. Vulnerable... yet strangely unshakable.⁣
⁣
My heart swells with admiration, and gratitude. And I think "That is the way of things. It is the fire which illuminates and strengthens."⁣
⁣
We are a messy family. Many of you are suffering through the crucible of your own marriages. Perhaps divorced like my own parents were. Or battling all the forces of hell...
⁣
Don't fear the fire. It is there that you will encounter the pressures that you need to become forged for sainthood. Rise and pray. Dare to sing. Dawn is coming.

It's not my job...

We can pass on the faith but we can’t force a child to receive it. They have to develop that relationship with Jesus and personally embrace and love His Word.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Otherwise, all those hours of family adoration are just one-sided and our tallest kids might be approaching the Eucharistic table unworthily, with hardened hearts and a growing antagonism toward the things of God.⁣⁣
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We don’t know what is going on in their hearts.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I have spent years pondering the secret to really passing on the faith; to presenting it in such a way that it is more inviting than all the attractions of the world...⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Personal prayer is essential but it must be accompanied by heroic actions that allow Christ to work strongly within a family and keep the lures of the world at bay. My motherhood demands sanctity. My vocation is made for it...⁣⁣
⁣⁣
And as we know, the saints had to battle the world, many of them only achieving popularity in the hearts of the Catholic faithful well after their deaths. We need to reconcile ourselves to that. To being in the equivalent of the social media dustbin for the sake of souls.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
It is not my job to mold my children into saints. It is my job to give them every opportunity, motivation and protection to allow them to say yes to Jesus. Then He is the one who will make them saints.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Read the whole article HERE. Some hard truths, encouragements, and practical tips for parenting Catholic teens.⁣⁣
⁣
I originally wrote the article in 2019 and it brought some heavy attacks from Catholic parents at the time. Before posting today, I reread it with fresh and critical eyes. Not only do I stand by every word, but if I rewrote it, I would strengthen the language.