NFP Awareness Week

This week is NFP Awareness Week. A week I typically do not remember until after it is over. Looks like I'm catching the wave this time. Natural Family Planning blog's author Jessica Smith is featured at Fathers for Good. Check it out.

You had me at cheapest

A great article by Ellen Gable for anyone who is trying to convince people that NFP is what their marriage needs.

NFP Awareness History

As always, being among the few NFP teachers in the state, I was way behind the NFP Awareness Week curve. Here is a great post on the subject.

A Reporter I Could Like

I just got the tip on a great article about NFP a secular press article that fairly gives representatives of the Church a chance to speak their mind and present NFP in a positive light.

A Bitter Pill

The PNFPN is up to good things again, with a conference on May 1. Learn the truth about hormonal contraception with Brian Gail, Author of Fatherless and Angela Lanfranchi, M.D., Director of Breast Cancer Prevention Institute.

Once you have learned all about the damage of artificial steroids and their interference with healthy fertility, join us for our next class of NFP instruction on May 28 at Mother of Divine Providence in King of Prussia.

Look at that Dashing Family

I know it sometimes feels like we are the only family in the Archdiocese who practices NFP. Now we have proof! Confirmed by the Family Life Office.

Hey, I know her!

Looks like a former PNFPNer is up to good things in women's health!

Happy New Year

So, here I am, posting again. I know I wasn't the most regular writer last year. As far as I can tell, I will be posting even less regularly in the upcoming year. I'm having a lot of activity in my Reliv business. I've got a support group set up for REI where I am the only one who hasn't bought a house. We are finally ready to post our next class for CCL on the new on-line registration. Knights is booming with volunteer opportunities and so far I have avoided the hideous Chinese finger trap that is Farmville.

But if the rest of the year goes as well as today, its gonna be a great 2010 for me.

I pray that it is great for you as well, dear reader.

May Saint Joseph, patron of Fathers and workers, intercede on your behalf to multiply the work of your hands.

NFP Class

Learn NFP in New Jersey

November 3, 2009

7 - 9:30 PM

St. John Neumann

Mt. Laurel, NJ

Way to go, Camden Diocese, even if you are in NJ.

Painting the Nursing Picture

The Art of Breastfeeding was a good read on the whole picture of breastfeeding. The science was very well covered, including both the nutritional content of mother's milk and the physiology of the mother's and child's bodies. Even though I have plenty of experience with breastfeeding, I learned quite a bit about the underlying biology. I do wish the book had more further covered lactational amenorrhea , since that is of particular interest to me. A good read, I'm glad that I bought it.

NFP Week Round-up

Since I completely wiffed on NFP Week, I deciced to provide a round-up of the great posts by more diligent bloggers.

Chocolate for Your Brain - Sherry writes a touhcing post with a polite exchange in the comments

Inside Catholic - A very interesting read

And some others.

Featured Author

Ellen Hrkach has been interviewed at Time with Tannia and covers lots of my favorite topics: NFP, books, entrepreneurship, and marriage. Maybe one day she can guide me through writing a novel, especially if I keep buttering her up with free links and reviews and advertising...

Birth and NFP

After chatting with a wonderful lady recently, I was reminded that birth is a critical part of NFP and found myself recommending The Bradley Method before it even fit the conversation. Though it often brands me as a nutcase amongst my friends, I think that natural fertility awareness fits perfectly with a natural birth. Giving birth is not a disease anymore than fertility is. Unfortunately, both require a significant investment in study to understand since current medical practice is to treat both as conditions which require intervention before trying to understand the basic operations. I believe this directly supports the pro-life movement since natural birth is awe-inspiring as compared to C-section. I pray that more children will enter this world through their God-given passage.

Dawn Appears in Philly

The chastity conference by the PNFPN was excellent once I found the parish. I think it would be great if churches had some type of large tower which was visible above the adjacent roofs. Maybe some type of universal symbol could be placed on top to distinguish it even further. That was my only gripe, and I am glad to get it out of the way.

Generation Life provided some great speakers, including a good friend. The King's Men had Mark Houck give a talk on male chastity which was spectacular. Of course, Dawn Eden stole the show. It is amazing that she can speak so engagingly when I have read her book and lurked on her blog for years. The woman sitting next to me actually leaned over at the end of Dawn's first talk and asked if I knew Dawn personally. That was quite a compliment. Dawn was charming and autographed my copy of "Thrill of the Chaste." She now joins my autograph collection: Dr. Greg Popcak, Ellen Hrkach, Donald Trump, Josephine Taylor, Weird Al, Trout Fishing in America, and Blackthorn.

It was a great day of networking too. It is always invigorating to have some pleasant conversation with people who get it. I even received compliments which confused me: "You're so young to be involved in this." If I'm not doing it, then who will?

A Good Attempt

My darling dearest sent me this article for me to read and post. I think Juris Mater does a good job at writing the Theology of the Body in natural terms. There are a couple of rough spots but I really enjoy the work she did. Teaching NFP in the context of the Theology of the Body can be difficult, since most students need to learn the grammar of love (NFP) before they can learn the language of love (TOTB). I don't know how I could have grasped the TOTB without having practiced NFP for years. I pray all our students may get the picture faster than I.

Calling Dr. Frankenstein

Two interesting articles, one referencing the Austrian creator of the pill and other which is his response. Although Mr. Djerassi has complaints about associating the population problem with the pill, he seems to have no complaints with his final quote in the first article. This quote is, "...natural methods of regulating fertility are the ones that are effective and that respect the nature of the person..." He also makes no retraction of his statement that the pill is a horrendously damaging environmental pollutant. It seems to me that many scientists now live to see their inventions abused and to see the damage that immoral technology can wreak. I have a much better appreciation of Frankenstein's Monster, now.

Incidentally, the comments on the first article are great, and the comments on the second article verge on the incomprehensible.

PNFPN Conference

Philadelphia Natural Family Planning Network

&

Philadelphia Catholic Medical Association

&

St. Mary Medical Center

Present

THE THRILL OF THE CHASTE

DO ABSTINENCE PROGRAMS REALLY WORK?

Saturday MARCH 7, 2009

8:00 AM- 3:00 PM

OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL TRINITY PARISH CENTER

611 KNOWLES AVE

SOUTHAMPTON, PA 18966

Additional information available at www.pnfpn.org

Glory and Wonderment

The day has finally arrived! Check out this great news! I love this organization and I am thrilled that this has come to pass. Attend the PNFPN conference and meet Dawn Eden! More information to follow.

Better Friends through NFP

I had the great fortune recently to join up with the Knights of Columbus and meet many men who are trying to live out the faith. It is always a blessing to start new friendships and grow closer to those who help us on our narrow road.

It is especially a blessing to discover real Catholics who try to adhere to all of the Lord's teachings, like NFP. Not only is it great to have conversations about mucus, or about the spiritual benefits of love-making beyond the fertile years, but there is a palpable sense of understanding and mutual connection that is deeper than the words exchanged. An intimacy that could only be wrought of materials far beyond my comprehension.

NFP - Health, Love, and Friendship.

Colds that Reproduce

I love my humble magyar. There are so few men who would take the time to report on the state of their mucus. Wouldn't it be a better world if we could all self-diagnose through monitoring our various secretions?