7 Quick Takes

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Write On Edge told us to share our writing goals this week. Since I can treat that succinctly, I’m using this as my first “quick take” this morning.

Publish short fiction.

Finish the current novel and start submitting again

Attend conferences (this one involves some pretty heavy-duty logistical planning to figure out the family care, so who knows)

Do excellent work on the magazine front, not just enough to get by

Do some promotion for my books on Advent, Lent and the forthcoming Beatitudes books

Most importantly, keep in balance with family life (a lesson I’ve had to learn this year)

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I’m attending a class on the development, background and history of the Church’s social teaching, taught by a Dominican brother at our local Newman Center. It has been really interesting, and down the line I think I’ll share some of the tidbits I’ve found striking or challenging.

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Yesterday at class, a discussion came up about how best to serve the poor when you are getting dozens of calls and begging letters. He said, first, you can give $5 to everyone, or you can target. The saints who have been most effective in helping the poor, he noted, did so strategically. He also brought up something I’ve never heard of before: http://www.kiva.org/. You choose someone who needs a loan and donate toward it, and then they pay it back incrementally into your “account,” at which point you can pull it back out, or loan it again. Here’s more detailed information by way of an interview with the founder.

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Now I have questions for you, (especially the Catholic readers). I’ve been tasked with answering this question:

So you’re done with the wedding planning, now how do you be a Catholic married couple? How do you get/stay involved in the Church? We’re looking for social, service, ministry, faith formation–if you had it to do again, how would you use the newlywed years?

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Second question: I’m making a list of “7 old, standby Catholic movies to cozy up to during your first year of marriage.” In doing prep work for this, I’m finding that the golden age of Hollywood had lots, and I mean LOTS, of Catholic-friendly movies. As such, I’m inclined to steer clear of the obvious things like the Ten Commandments and go for the less obvious gems. So here’s my short list. I want you to vote (you can choose up to 7), and to make it easy for you, here is a poll! If you think I’m missing something, leave a comment.

Take Our Poll

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Look what landed in my mailbox recently!