On God and Lemonade

    “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” This advice, which has a happy resonance during the dog days of summer, is meant to encourage anyone who is going through a rough spot. Sour things can, and should, be turned into something sweet. What this adage leaves...
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Tinker’s Dam

  The expression “not worth a tinker’s dam” means something is completely worthless. A tinker was an itinerant handyman who repaired small household items like utensils and pots and pans. A tinker’s dam was a piece of doughy material used to hold metal in place when...
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Sheep and Shepherds

    In a rural stretch of East Africa, where I lived for two years, I once observed the fate of a flock of sheep without their shepherd. It was market day, and whoever was tending them had wandered off, distracted by the abundant produce temptingly spread across the...
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Over the Post-Roe Blues (Part II)

  The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade sparked celebration and joy throughout the pro-life community. It also unleashed protest and anger in many sectors of the pro-abortion community. “Pro-choice” outbursts of fury in the streets and in the media were...
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Not Done with the Pro-Life Movement

    “I’m done with the pro-life movement.” I heard that trope all too often this past fall, as erstwhile prolifers washed their proverbial hands of responsibility for the failures and foolishness of so-called pro-life politicians in this year’s midterm elections. The...
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Over the Post-Roe Blues (Part II)

  The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade sparked celebration and joy throughout the pro-life community. It also unleashed protest and anger in many sectors of the pro-abortion community. “Pro-choice” outbursts of fury in the streets and in the media were...
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Photo 180091601 / Defeat © Thomas Reimer | Dreamstime.com

In God’s Good Time

  What do you do when it feels like you’re losing? For decades, anxiety over imminent defeat has challenged the pro-life movement, nudging us into self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. Prolifers who want to be faithful to our cause might draw some inspiration from pop...
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On-screen Characters/Off-screen Life

The standard response to these “what ifs” is that a sitcom is light comedy that attempts to appeal to its contemporary audience, perhaps in part by steering clear of deeper matters, particularly those that might divide and alienate viewers. And in this Friends resembles most of...
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Coronavirus, Conspiracy Theories, and Continued Pro-Life Witness

  My wife and I met 31 years ago, when we were both arrested in front of an abortion clinic during an Operation Rescue protest. Over the years this has become part of family lore, and the coincidence of pro-life activism and romance has not been lost on our children. All of...
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Welcoming the Unplanned Burden

  A few months ago, I stood in the back of church greeting worshipers after Mass. One woman—let’s call her Michelle—was squinting as if she intended to confront me, so I invited her to disclose her mind. She burst out, “How come you won’t preach about the movie Unplanned?...
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