Updates to the blog, reminders

Hello!

Well, I have done some overdue "essential maintenance" to the blog... Our mystic monk banner mysteriously disappeared awhile back, and now is back and better than ever!

Also, please do remember to click through to order some most excellent coffee! We receive a small commission every time you order, and every little bit helps.

While on the subject-- remember to use our Amazon links, as well!

I have updated the Amazon widget to reveal a sort of book needs/wants list. These are from my own wishlist, which can be found here, and if you are feeling so generous, I can always use the books that are on this list for my studies!

One of the areas I have found myself intensely interested in is the theology before-during-and after the Council, or, to phrase it in a question, "how did we get here?" A lot of the debate in this period is centered around some of the implications of using modern philosophy to speak about theological realities. Since the ITI does not spend a lot of time on the "new theology," rather, on the perennial tradition of the Church, I am doing a lot of independent study on the subject.

We are in Minnesota right now, and I am preparing to give a talk in a few weeks on Parents as the Primary Educators; really, a talk on the relation between the civil powers, the powers of the Church, and the role of the family in both. It should be a fun evening!

Now, back to Latin...

More Changes to the Blog...

In light of the changes in our life that are coming up, the blog is changing a bit, as well.

The same general thrust of topics will continue (though perhaps my wife will start to blog, as well?)-- but in addition, we will be including a bit of the stories of our life abroad, and now that there aren't as many distractions, plan on blogging much more regularly.

Also, we are monetizing the site. Since I am going back to school full-time, and have a young family, we are getting creative on how to bring in some income. Of course, it is also necessitating that we review our finances and trim off as much fat as possible! You'll notice that we have added a Mystic Monk Coffee widget, and also an Amazon widget, as well. Simply by clicking through (regardless of what you order), you can support our family by purchasing things you would already normally buy!

If you don't want to buy anything, and would like to donate directly, you can use the PayPal donate button.

If you have any other ideas, or blog post ideas, don't hesitate to drop a message.

Thanks for supporting us in this new endeavor!

A blogging milestone

Hello!

I thought I would write in celebration of my first milestone as a blogger-- just over 1000 visitors since I began the blog!

I must say, blogging is a lot more difficult than one would imagine! It has been difficult to balance my family life, my job, and everything else, and still find time to blog! I hope that, as I write more, it becomes easier, as well-- I don't know how people like Fr. Z crank out the volume they do!

An ulterior motive for blogging has been to keep my brain active while I am not working on my degree, and also, to work on being able to take more complex ideas and boil them down to a reasonable word-count. I hope that, so far, it has been as enriching for you as the reader as it has been for me as the writer to reflect upon these topics.

Anyway, I hope that you continue reading, and thank you so much for visiting! Feel free to pass the link along to a friend!

Be assured of my prayers for you today,

-Chris