"Every little miracle"

Touching, thought-provoking commercial from Pampers. Yes, the diaper folks.

I dare say they're spot-on with their sentiment.

Hell from the heavens

I wish I could say I've never seen anything like this before.......but life in Tornado Alley doesn't afford me that luxury.

Nevertheless, this collection of images from the devastation caused by the massive tornado outbreak Wednesday in the Deep South is worth perusing to bring home the degree of devastation....to remind us what's truly important.....and how quickly things can be taken from us and change forever.

He is risen

Because He is risen, death has no hold over us.

Because He is risen, heaven is open to us.

Because He is risen, sin no longer ransoms our souls.

Alleluia!

Holy Week

"Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way?" Matthew, 26: 53-55

Holy Week is the most significant seven days in the Catholic liturgical calendar. It opens with Palm Sunday, depicting Jesus' humble yet triumphant arrival into Jerusalem; moves to the Last Supper, His betrayal and arrest, and ultimately His crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter.

I struggled mightily with the scriptural stories of Jesus' crucifixion as a child, knowing an innocent man was being put to death. Part of me still recoils to this day, feeling the pain of seeing Divine who became Man treated so brutally and then killed.

That's why the above passage from Matthew is so important to me. It's a reminder that it had to be this way, that this is why God became Man - to rescue us from the bondage of sin, of slavery to Satan in a sense.

He suffered and died for our sins........for my sins.......for the sins of all who lived before me and all who will come after me - until He returns in glory. My sins helped put Jesus on the cross. My sins added to His suffering. It's humbling to recognize...humbling to the point of silence. And it makes what Jesus did on that devastatingly painful Friday all the more powerful.

This is just too funny not to share

From comic Tracy Morgan on Twitter:

Facebook asks what I’m thinking. Twitter asks what I’m doing. Foursquare asks where I am. The internet has turned into a crazy girlfriend.

Want to know why I pay so much attention to tornado threats?

Even though I frequently write about and have a fascination with tornadoes, I root against their development. I've climbed through too many piles of rubble, talked to too many victims (or their grieving loved ones) to feel any other way.

Tornadotainment has become big business on the cable networks, and it chews at me to see people cheer when monster tornadoes form. Here are a couple of videos shot of the Mapleton, Iowa, tornado last week that help illustrate why I'm relieved when threatening skies don't produce twisters....

And, yes, I was thrilled when the mushroom clouds of supercell thunderstorms fired up just east of Wichita this afternoon, meaning the city was spared from the threat of tornadoes on what was shaping up to be a violent day and night.

May everyone in Tornado Alley be spared the wrath of these storms.

The Power of Words

In this era defined by visual images blasting our senses at an almost dizzying pace, we can all too easily lose sight of the power of words. This short video poignantly reminds us.

Man vs Nature? Not this time

This is remarkable...and touching.....