Brandon Vogt's Blog, page 17

The Best Digital Catholic Tools: An Interview with Verbum’s Alex Renn

Each of the last three popes—Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and St. John Paul II—has independently described the modern new media as “gifts from God.” This is partly because these tools are tremendous vehicles for evangelization, allowing us to invite millions of people who would never enter a church to encounter Christ, but it’s also because they allow unprecedented ways to study the Scriptures and Church teachings. Just imagine if St. Paul could instruct thousands of converts virtually instead of setting out on dangerous sea voyages. Imagine if St. Thomas Aquinas had access to digitized, searchable versions of St. Augustine’s writings or could quickly search through his own work for a particular Bible verse, phrase, or doctrine. That’s exactly what we can do today.

One of my favorite digital tools is the Verbum software, created by Logos. Several years ago, Logos originally launched a digital Bible tool for Protestants, but a couple years ago they created a stand-alone version of their software just for Catholics, called Verbum, which gives access to an entire library of digital resources, on any device. Users can read the Bible, the Church Fathers, the writings of the saints, texts from Church councils, and even contemporary theology books, all on their computer, phone, or tablet. The best part is that all these resources are linked together, allowing you to explore these documents in light of the Church’s entire Tradition. Here’s a short overview:

If you can’t see this video in your RSS reader or email, then click here.

I’m especially excited that Verbum now has the Word on Fire Video Library. The collection includes nearly 50 videos from Fr. Barron and ties them to the Bible, the writings of the Church Fathers, conciliar documents, and works of modern scholars. The entire library is included in all Verbum library packages (except for the Basic package.) If you decide to purchase one of the libraries, be sure to use the coupon code BRANDON at checkout to receive an extra 15% off!

Today I sit down with Alex Renn, Marketing and Operations Team Lead at Verbum, to discuss the software and some of the new and exciting features.

 

 

BRANDON VOGT: Tell us a little about Verbum. How did it come about and how does it serve the Church?

ALEX RENN: Verbum started just three years ago as an expansion of Logos Bible Software. But don’t let our age fool you. Logos has been building tools for studying the Bible for over 20 years, and Verbum was able to step in to twenty years’ experience and keep moving forward.

Verbum‘s goal from day one has been to build a tool that is useful for everyone in the Church. Anywhere Catholics are teaching or learning, we want to be there promoting growth. Verbum was designed to make studying the Faith easier and more productive. Citations and cross-references are instantly accessible, advanced tools pull in multiple scholarly sources for commentary and discussion of Bible passages, and more.

For example, when reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we see a footnote on the quote “Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written.” This footnote cites “DV 12 § 3,” which I can find, in the Abbreviations section in the back, means Dei Verbum and I can hopefully find my way to the paragraph once I track down the document. Verbum makes this link live and on hover tells you what the abbreviation stands for. If you click, it opens the cited document right to the reference you’re looking for.

Personally, I went from not paying much attention to footnotes (maybe I’d read the original document someday), to expecting to be able to read the excerpt in context immediately. Verbum makes it so easy, it’s hard not to use it.

BRANDON: Why is technology like the Verbum software so important to catechesis and evangelization?

ALEX RENN: Verbum is the tool we’ve been looking for for catechesis and evangelization. How can you catechize without being properly catechized yourself? And how can you evangelize without a deep understanding and love of Scripture and Tradition?

Verbum‘s tools make studying the Faith beautiful and easy. Rather than seeking one trustworthy book or author, Verbum brings authoritative texts from throughout the Tradition together and allows you to study by passage or topic.

Priests (as well as anyone else teaching the Faith) will be able to draw from the whole Tradition, which adds richness and depth to homilies, RCIA classes, Bible studies, and more. Plus, these tools are accessible to everyone, so even if you’ve never been to seminary, or studied theology, you can find answers and easily navigate Catholicism’s rich literary Tradition.

BRANDON: One of the key features of Verbum is that it allows Catholics to read the Scripture in the heart of the Church. How does this help open up the Scriptures?

ALEX RENN: As I’ve said before, Verbum brings texts from throughout the Tradition together making it easy to see how the passage or topic you’re studying has been interpreted throughout the history of the Church. Each commentary and Bible study offers different perspectives. Verbum brings these all to bear on your study so you can see—in one place—what Doctors of the Church like Augustine and Aquinas said about a passage, or pull in your favorite modern scholars.

Verbum‘s Passage Guide presents you with tons of information on a passage. If we were studying John’s Bread of Life Discourse in John 6, we could quickly see everywhere it’s mentioned in the Catechism, or in Church documents such as papal encyclicals and exhortations. We can jump right to references to the passage by Church Fathers or see where Aquinas engaged with the verse in any of his works.

Plus tools like Factbook bring you more information on the characters, places, and traditions of the biblical world, enlightening your study, and clarifying context. Many modern authors even use Verbum when writing their own commentaries and Bible studies.

BRANDON: What sorts of new and upcoming projects are you guys working on?

ALEX RENN: We’ve got a lot of exciting initiatives coming down the pipe. Our High School Textbook Series brings a truly digital solution to the classroom. Many schools have embraced technology, but the software and apps for those devices are disappointingly similar to the physical books we’ve always used. Verbum takes advantage of that new technology to present better information more effectively.

We’re also launching Spanish Libraries this month, which obviously has huge potential in the Catholic world. We’re very excited to see that get off the ground.

And we’re always working to improve what we’ve already built. As I mentioned earlier, we started with a narrow focus on Bible Study, and are always working to make the software interact more and more with the texts of the Tradition. Suffice to say our liturgical tools and content are getting a lot of attention right now, too.

Subscribe to our Verbum‘s email lists to hear more about what we’re doing and how you can use Verbum.

The post The Best Digital Catholic Tools: An Interview with Verbum’s Alex Renn appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

Fulton Sheen’s “Mystical Body of Christ” Book Giveaway!

“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” – St. Augustine

Since I’ve built up a large collection of extra books and resources, every week I give some away absolutely free, no strings attached. Each giveaway lasts seven days with a new one beginning every Friday. You can enter any time during the week. Check out my past giveaways here.

Thanks to Ave Maria Press, today I’m giving away TEN copies of one of my favorite Fulton Sheen books, The Mystical Body of Christ. Ave Maria just released a new edition of the text which includes a Foreword by Fr. Robert Barron and an Introduction by me.

 

The Mystical Body of Christ

by Fulton Sheen

Ave Maria Press, 352 pages, paperback

The Mystical Body of Christ captures the theological brilliance of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, nationally renowned Catholic television and radio personality, before his meteoric rise to fame in the 1950s. First published in 1935, this book reveals Sheen’s accessibility and theologically astute teaching styles as he writes about the Church as an extension of the Incarnation. Recent advances in his cause for canonization make this classic text especially timely.

The Mystical Body of Christ captures the theological precision and communicative genius of Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979), whose radio and television broadcasts, including Life Is Worth Living, have reached millions of homes since the 1950s. With more than thirty of his works still in print, Sheen is one of the most beloved Catholic evangelists of all time.

This full-length and fully developed work on the Church as an extension of the Incarnation reveals Sheen’s accessible and theologically astute teaching style in the early years of his ministry. First published in 1935, the book’s themes of the Eucharist as a source of unity for the Mystical Body of Christ—the Church—and the link between the liturgy and works of social justice were echoed in the Second Vatican Council several decades later.

A recent advance in Sheen’s cause for beatification, the healing of a young boy for which there is no medical explanation, will create renewed interest among his admirers and introduce the spirituality of this Catholic icon to a whole new generation of believers.

 

 

I’m using Rafflecopter to help with the giveaway, which is cool because it allows you multiple entries for commenting, posting on Facebook, sharing on Twitter, etc. Click below to enter:

(If you’re reading this through email or RSS and don’t see the giveaway widget, click here.)

By entering this giveaway you agree to occasionally receive email updates from me—no spam, just updates about free books, cool links, and exciting news.

 

 

The winner(s) will be randomly selected next Friday and the books will be sent out, free of charge, shortly thereafter.

In the future I’ll be giving away more books and resources, sometimes multiple items per giveaway! So subscribe via feed reader or email to ensure you never miss your chance to win.

(Since I’m covering the shipping costs, only residents within the continental United States are eligible to win.)

The post Fulton Sheen’s “Mystical Body of Christ” Book Giveaway! appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

Learning From a Woman Leader of the Catholic Reformation

Today we continue our regular series called “Learning from the Saints.” Our guide is expert Bert Ghezzi, a dear friend of mine and the author of numerous books including Voices of the Saints, Saints at Heart, and Discover Christ: Developing a Personal Relationship with Jesus.

His more recent books are The Power of Daily Mass and The Heart of Catholicism. You can learn more about Bert and his work at BertGhezzi.com.

Today, Bert profiles St. Colette, the patroness of women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers, and sick children.

 

 

Renewing religious institutions is not easy. We would expect a person chosen to reform convents and monasteries to be formidable. Maybe even physically tall, overbearing, and somewhat threatening. God, however, doesn’t seem to agree. For example, in the fifteenth century he selected St. Colette, a young woman the opposite of these characteristics to call Franciscans to a strict observance of the rules of St. Clare and St. Francis.

Not that Colette was unimpressive. She was a beautiful woman whose radiant inner strength attracted people. However, her spirituality, her commitment to God and her heart for souls, not her physical qualities, suited her for her reforming mission.

At 17, upon her parents’ death, Colette became a Franciscan Tertiary. She lived for eight years as a hermit at Corbie Abbey in Picardy. Toward the end of this time, St. Francis appeared to her and charged her to restore the Poor Clares to their original austerity. When Friar Henry de Beaume came in 1406 to confirm her mission, Colette had the door of her hut torn down, a sign that her solitude was over and her work begun. And she then prayed her commitment:

“I dedicate myself in health, in illness, in my life, in my death, in all my desires, in all my deeds so that I may never work henceforth except for your glory, for the salvation of souls, and towards the reform for which you have chosen me. From this moment on, dearest Lord, there is nothing which I am not prepared to undertake for love of you.”

Colette’s first efforts to reform convents met vigorous opposition. Then she sought the approval of the Avignon pope, Benedict XIII, who professed her as a Poor Clare and put her in charge of all convents she would reform. He also appointed Henry de Beaume to assist her. Thus equipped, she launched her reform in 1410 with the Poor Clares at Besançon. Before her death in 1447, the saint had founded or renewed 17 convents and several friaries throughout France, Savoy, Burgundy and Spain. These accomplishments made Colette a leader of the Catholic Reformation that preceded the Lutheran revolt of the sixteenth century.

Like Francis and Clare, Colette devoted herself to Christ crucified, spending every Friday meditating on the passion. She is said to have miraculously received a piece of the cross which she gave to St. Vincent Ferrer when he came to visit her.

St. Joan of Arc once passed by St. Colette’s convent in Moulins, but there is no evidence that the two met. Like Joan, Colette was a visionary. Once, for instance, she saw souls falling from grace in great numbers, like flakes in a snowstorm. Afterwards she prayed daily for the conversion of sinners. She personally brought many strays back to Christ and helped them unravel their sinful patterns.

At age 67, Colette foretold her death, received the sacrament of the sick and died at her convent in Ghent, Flanders.

(Image Credit: St. Patrick Blog)

 

 

Read more from Bert at his website www.BertGhezzi.com, or check out his many books on Amazon.

The post Learning From a Woman Leader of the Catholic Reformation appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

Verbum’s Awesome New High-School Curriculum (plus a $5 million giveaway!)

Today, the makers of Verbum (which I consider the most powerful Bible resource ever available) just announced a game-changing initiative.

They introduced a brand new high-school religion curriculum and they’re also giving away up to $5 million in high school theology software!

The new curriculum, under review by the USCCB, is written on the USCCB’s Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework. Catholic schools that meet a few minimal requirements will be able to get the entire freshman curriculum FREE this fall.

“Verbum’s software leverages the tools that educators have already acknowledged as necessary for this generation of students – computers, tablets, and phones,” said Robert Klesko, the lead educational designer at Verbum. “We answered the question, ‘Where do you find quality content for these devices once you have them?’ and I think our response is very compelling.”

With Verbum, students learn from the company’s “Lumen” textbook series. Accompanying the textbooks is a digital library of over 200 works of Catholic theology aimed at equipping students for a lifetime of faith-formation. The textbooks serve as springboards into Verbum’s powerful software tools and relevant library.

To qualify for a Verbum scholarship, your school:

1. Must currently have or be in the process of implementing (for fall 2015) a 1-1 technology/BYOD program. Verbum is compatible with PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, Android devices, and Kindle Fire models.

2. Must pay $2,500 to cover the cost of an in-person training session for their teachers.

Verbum provides high-quality, Catholic information and specialized tools to make studying faster and easier. Verbum is a fully integrated learning platform which will engage today’s students, drawing them into the study of the faith and forming digital disciples.

For more information, or to apply for the program, visit Verbum.com/5million.

 

PS. If you want to use the powerful Verbum software personally, check out one of their libraries. Use coupon code BRANDON at checkout to receive 15% off!

The post Verbum’s Awesome New High-School Curriculum (plus a $5 million giveaway!) appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

The Reality of God: The Layman’s Guide to Scientific Evidence for the Creator [Book]

The Reality of God: The Layman’s Guide to Scientific Evidence for the Creator by Steven R. Hemler (Saint Benedict Press, 2015)











Recent years have seen a slew of books defending the existence of God. Some of the best include Dr. Edward Feser’s The Last Superstition, Stephen Barr’s Modern Physics, Ancient Faith, Fr. Robert Spitzer’s New Proofs for the Existence of God, and David Bentley Hart’s The Experience of God. Each of those titles are tightly written and brilliantly argued, but they can also be a bit intimidating for people with no background on the subject. Last year, Trent Horn released a more accessible introduction to these arguments in his book, Answering Atheism. But a new book by Steven Hemler, The Reality of God , makes the arguments even more palatable.

The book is arranged in three parts. Part I focuses on cosmic evidence for God’s existence and covers the Big Bang and the fine tuning of nature. Part II examines biological evidence for God, both in evolution and genetic information. Part III studies human evidence for God by exploring whether consciousness, our moral sense, and our ability to reason all serve as signposts to the divine.

Hemler’s stated goal is to help ordinary Christians articulate objective reasons why God exists. In that he succeeds well. Most of the book is breezy and clear, making this an ideal introduction to the arguments for God. I would now recommend The Reality of God to most Christians before tackling any of the previously mentioned books.

However, the book does get needlessly technical in the section on genetic information, at least more than is necessary for beginners. A novice doesn’t need to understand the complexities of how nucleotide bases in DNA correctly sequence to join amino acids together to make proteins. One other gripe is that Hemler often cites DVDs, and quotes from DVDs, to support his points. It would have been more helpful to follow the lead of other introductory books and cull from advanced texts on the topic (such as those above), pointing interested readers to higher level materials rather than other popular-level presentations.

Those small criticisms aside, this is a clear, helpful introduction that is simple without being simplistic. It doesn’t wade too deeply into the philosophical arguments for God—such as Thomas Aquinas’ five ways, the argument from contingency, or the ontological argument—but that may be beyond the purvey of an introductory book like this one. What it sets out to do, it does well, and for that reason I recommend it as the first splash in a deeper well.

The post The Reality of God: The Layman’s Guide to Scientific Evidence for the Creator [Book] appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

Family, Faith, and the Pope: My Interview with Archbishop Charles Chaput

The family has always been central for Christians. The Catechism describes it as the “the original cell of social life,” Catholics pay great homage to the Holy Family, and recent popes have taken up the topic, from Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.

But among Catholic leaders, the family is receiving more attention today than perhaps at any time in the last century. The boost started during last year’s Extraordinary Synod on the Family. Discussions about marriage and the many challenges families face today pervaded the Church. The discussion continues this year as we move toward the Ordinary Synod on the Family, scheduled for October 2015.

However, in between the two Synods awaits the World Meeting of Families, which will take place September 21-25, 2015 in Philadelphia. Held every three years and sponsored by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family, the World Meeting of Families is the world’s largest Catholic gathering of families.

Each World Meeting of Families has a theme, and this year it is “Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive,” emphasizing the impact of the love and life of families on our society. The event always generates great excitement but will garner special enthusiasm this year thanks to Pope Francis, who will be attending the event during his first visit to the United States.

Today, I have the great pleasure of interviewing Archbishop Charles Chaput, archbishop of Philadelphia and official host of the World Meeting of Families. We discuss the upcoming event, the greatest challenges families face today, and how the Pope’s presence will uplift Catholics throughout America.

 

 

BRANDON VOGT: Let’s start off with a simple question. What is the World Meeting of Families? Where did it originate and why is it important?

ARCHBISHOP CHARLES CHAPUT: St. John Paul II founded the World Meeting of Families in 1994, building on the success of World Youth Day in Denver and other cities globally. It takes place every three years in a different nation.

The purpose is simple but vital: to help people deepen their Christian understanding and experience of family life. If the family is the foundation of society, and of course it is, then strengthening family life is the surest guarantee of a healthy culture.

BRANDON: The theme of the 2015 “World Meeting of Families,” in Philadelphia, is “Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.” What does that mean?

ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: The theme borrows from those great words of St. Irenaeus: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Men and women are most fully alive when they love as God loves, deeply and unselfishly, and for most people the path to that kind of love is through marriage and family.

BRANDON: In preparation for the meeting the Archdiocese has produced a beautiful compendium titled Love is Our Mission. Tell us about the book and why even those not attending the World Meeting should read it.

ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: The text is the work of a dozen or so very gifted scholars and editors, but it’s not at all tedious or academic; very much the opposite. It reads beautifully – brief, engaging, and clear – and it’s designed that way for everyday Catholics, whether they attend the Philadelphia gathering or not.

It a modest little book, but it takes the reader step by step through every issue that matters in life: our creation, our purpose, our sexuality, our lives together as families and Church, our destiny with God. And it does it all in a spirit of joy and hope. The drafting team did a great job.

BRANDON: The family faces many challenges today, internally and from beyond. What are the most significant threats and how can families overcome them?

ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: Unless we consciously choose a different path, modern life can become one long catechesis in selfishness. That’s the biggest deceit in modern life, and it hides behind a wall of noise and distraction.

Aside from the love that we give and we get, our individual lives in this world aren’t very important at all. We were created for others, not for ourselves. God loves each of us uniquely and infinitely; that’s why we’re precious. That’s why each person’s life is sacred.

The family is so important because, when it’s lived well, it teaches us how to be really human.  It’s a school in how to love.

BRANDON: Perhaps the biggest highlight of the World Meeting of Families will be having Pope Francis there. How do you think his presence will affect the archdiocese, and how will it uplift families?

ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: Pope Francis has an informality and joy about him that ignite people’s hearts. Families are hungry for hope, and Francis inspires that just  by his presence.  The Pope’s time in Philadelphia will be important not just for people who attend the World Meeting of Families, but for everyone who follows his words that week from a distance.

For the Archdiocese of Philadelphia – with God’s grace and a lot of work – his visit will be a moment of renewal and new zeal to live the Christian life; and that’s very much my prayer for the local Church.

BRANDON: If you could deliver a one-sentence message to all families around the word, what would you say?

ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: Come to Philadelphia in September.

 

 

Learn more about the World Meeting of Families, including how to register and a list of events and speakers, at the their website, WorldMeeting2015.org.

The post Family, Faith, and the Pope: My Interview with Archbishop Charles Chaput appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

It’s Shameless Monday! (February 2015)

Shameless Monday is back! Every couple months my blog becomes your platform. It’s your chance to shamelessly promote your project, website, or favorite link.

I was inspired by Jon Acuff‘s “Shameless Saturdays”. Here’s the idea:

 

“Post a link to whatever it is you’re all about with no shame or apologizing or feeling like you’re making a comment on a post you really don’t care about but are instead secretly trying to promote your own blog.

 

(I’ve done that myself many times. The best way to do it is to say, “That’s an interesting post. It reminds me of something I wrote recently on my blog ……”)”

 

Whatever it is, we want to hear about it:

 

What’s your blog?

What’s your cause?

What’s your project?

What’s your book?

What’s your ministry?

What’s your product?

What’s the link you want people to see more than anything else?

 

Tell us in the comment box below and be sure to provide a link to whatever you’re sharing.

 

The post It’s Shameless Monday! (February 2015) appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

Fulton Sheen’s “Life of Christ” Book Giveaway!

“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” – St. Augustine

Since I’ve built up a large collection of extra books and resources, every week I give some away absolutely free, no strings attached. Each giveaway lasts seven days with a new one beginning every Friday. You can enter any time during the week. Check out my past giveaways here.

With Lent just underway, Image Books has given me TEN giveaway copies of one of my favorite Lenten books, Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen.

 

Life of Christ

by Fulton Sheen

Image Books, 476 pages, paperback

Widely proclaimed a classic work of Christian faith, Life of Christ has been hailed as the most eloquent of Fulton J. Sheen’s many books. The fruit of many years of reflection, prayer, and research, it is a dramatic and moving recounting of the birth, life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ, and a passionate portrait of the God-Man, the teacher, the healer, and, most of all, the Savior, whose promise has sustained humanity for two millenia.

With his customary insight and reverence, Sheen interprets the Scripture and describes Christ not only in historical perspective but also in exciting and contemporary terms—seeing in Christ’s life both modern parallels and timeless lessons. His thoughtful, probing analysis provides new insight into well-known Gospel events.

An appealing blend of philosophy, history, and biblical exegesis, from the best-known and most-loved American Catholic leader of the twentieth century, Life of Christ has long been a source of inspiration and guidance. For those seeking to better understand the message of Jesus Christ, this vivid retelling of the greatest story ever lived is a must-read.

 

 

I’m using Rafflecopter to help with the giveaway, which is cool because it allows you multiple entries for commenting, posting on Facebook, sharing on Twitter, etc. Click below to enter:

(If you’re reading this through email or RSS and don’t see the giveaway widget, click here.)

By entering this giveaway you agree to occasionally receive email updates from me—no spam, just updates about free books, cool links, and exciting news.

 

 

The winner(s) will be randomly selected next Friday and the books will be sent out, free of charge, shortly thereafter.

In the future I’ll be giving away more books and resources, sometimes multiple items per giveaway! So subscribe via feed reader or email to ensure you never miss your chance to win.

(Since I’m covering the shipping costs, only residents within the continental United States are eligible to win.)

The post Fulton Sheen’s “Life of Christ” Book Giveaway! appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

It’s Here! My 10-Part “Read More Books Now” Video Course

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed my FREE video series on how to read more books. I’m simply overwhelmed by all the buzz and energy. Thousands of people went through the series and many of them are reading more than ever before.

But almost everyone is asking for more tips and strategies.

Well, today I have a BIG announcement:

Introducing, the complete “Read More Books Now” Video Course.

The course builds on the free series but includes so much more: 10 videos and over 100+ minutes of HD content.

Here’s what Dr. Peter Kreeft, professor of philosophy and author of over 70 books, said about the course:

Really high praise!

To get full access to the course, and see what Dr. Kreeft means, just click here:

http://readmorebooksnow.com/course

Here’s the deal though: most of us procrastinate (I know do). When we see a course like this, we think, “Oh, that looks really helpful. I’ll probably buy it one day.” And then we never do. We forget about it and we lose out on all its benefits.

I’m convinced this course will change your life. The more books you read, the more you’ll learn and experience, and the richer your life. We should do everything we can to learn to read more.

That’s why I’m incentivizing you to purchase this course now. I want to make this a no-brainer, so that’s why I’m making a special offer:

If you buy the course NOW (until Thursday, February 26 at 11:59pm EST), I will toss in several FREE bonuses including:

eBooks – You get the associated eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats
Audiobook – The entire course in MP3 format
Reading Tracker Spreadsheet – A custom, elegant spreadsheet to track your most important reading stats
Professionally-Designed Bookmarks – Summarize all the key principles from the video course so you can keep them nearby

You’ll also get a super-low introductory price. (And that’s all in addition to the ten core videos.)

But after Thursday, February 26, the price will go up (significantly) and the bonuses will all go away.

So NOW is definitely the time to sign up for the complete video course. Just click here:

Get the complete “Read More Books Now” Video Course: http://readmorebooksnow.com/course

Again thanks for going through the free video series. I can’t wait to help you even more in the complete, ten-part video course!

The post It’s Here! My 10-Part “Read More Books Now” Video Course appeared first on Brandon Vogt.

“Catholic and Married” Book Giveaway!

“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” – St. Augustine

Since I’ve built up a large collection of extra books and resources, every week I give some away absolutely free, no strings attached. Each giveaway lasts seven days with a new one beginning every Friday. You can enter any time during the week. Check out my past giveaways here.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Our Sunday Visitor has given me TEN giveaway copies of Catholic and Married: Leaning Into Love by Art and Laraine Bennett.

 

Catholic and Married: Leaning Into Love

edited by Art and Laraine Bennett

Our Sunday Visitor, 160 pages, paperback

“And they lived happily ever after.” Only in fairy tales, you say. But there is life after the honeymoon-messy, challenging, happily-married life. That’s the great promise of Catholic marriage, and if you’re married or considering marriage the joy is there for you, too.

Many Catholics today share the culture’s unease-fear of divorce, the prevalence of cohabitation, the wounds of past relationships all conspire to make til-death-do-us-part seem like a risky proposition. But the authors of Catholic and Married all agree, marriage is the adventure of a lifetime.

In these sometimes funny, tell-it-like-it-is chapters, this diverse group of men and women offer you their insights and advice on:

Children – the gift that keeps on giving
Marrying young – objections and object lessons
Contraception – an honest discussion on a touchy subject
Parenting skills – it’s not rocket science (it just feels like it sometimes)
And much more!

These stories will encourage you to lean into love. Hold nothing back. And experience the Catholic marriage God intended for you.

 

 

I’m using Rafflecopter to help with the giveaway, which is cool because it allows you multiple entries for commenting, posting on Facebook, sharing on Twitter, etc. Click below to enter:

(If you’re reading this through email or RSS and don’t see the giveaway widget, click here.)

By entering this giveaway you agree to occasionally receive email updates from me—no spam, just updates about free books, cool links, and exciting news.

 

 

The winner(s) will be randomly selected next Friday and the books will be sent out, free of charge, shortly thereafter.

In the future I’ll be giving away more books and resources, sometimes multiple items per giveaway! So subscribe via feed reader or email to ensure you never miss your chance to win.

(Since I’m covering the shipping costs, only residents within the continental United States are eligible to win.)

The post “Catholic and Married” Book Giveaway! appeared first on Brandon Vogt.