Who knows, most would talk about ttc again. But that's not my focus. I figured it was God's plan for a reason. I reapplied to Fall Semester and was going to try to finish up my Master's by the Spring of 2009, when the baby would probably have been 1 month by the time I finished. Well, things didn't work out the way that I wanted to when I reapplied. First, they took forever to accept me back in. I literally went up to the school to find out what was going on the day before classes started. The office told me that they were waiting for some coordinator to sign off on my application. They gave me a number to call for that next Tuesday, because Monday would be Labor Day. I called on Tuesday and found out that the person who was holding the application process up was my coordinator and former professor in peer-group counseling. When I found out, I shot her an email quickly trying to see what the hold up was. She sent me an email back the next day and said she approved the application. I tried to log in to the school network, but it still was acting as if I was just an applicant and not a student, but the day after that the program coordinator of the Education Department called to let me know on voice mail that I should be able to enroll. Well this is mid-week of first week. I didn't try to go to any of the classes, so when I decided to try to go, I see that I have a hold from the financial aid office and there is no way I can pay for the classes myself this semester.

What a bummer, huh? Well, I went to see the professor anyway to get some advisement on finishing up my degree, I told here I was pregnant, but I had no problem with taking two classes for the Spring and coming back to school after having the baby because I did it with my first child. I enrolled in the a graduate continuation course so that I would not have to reapply to the University and that was that. The last day to add passed and then about 3 days after that, I see that my financial aid has been approved....wth?

Why is it like that? I would have enrolled in at least 3 classes, so that I could finish the program faster since I was pregnant. Well guess what? Now that I am no longer pregnant, I am going to finish this program up real quick...well not as quick as I would want it. You see I actually have 8 classes left to take, and then I have to do fieldwork hours as a counselor at a high school or some other kind of training like a college counseling center or something. But the good this is that now I can take four classes in Spring 09, and then four classes in Fall 09. Then in 2010 I can do my fieldwork (Our fieldwork is over 2 semesters). Then maybe we can ttc around May 2010, so the baby would get here around February 2011 when I am done with school. Well that would be a plan for me, but who knows God's plans? I might get preggers before that or after that, who knows? But that is the plan that I want to go with. We are using NFP/FAM for now on because of something Iearned of a close family friend who were taking a hormonal birth control, I decided to stop taking mine early April 2008. Although with NFP, you abstain during the whole fertile part of your cycle if you are TTA, but my understanding of FAM is that you use a barrier method during the fertile part, which is most likely to happen, we will use foams, condoms, withdrawal...well maybe not because I might get preggers that way, lol!

No I have not discussed this w/dh yet. I don't know how to bring it up--not the NFP/FAM part, the part about TTA for now, or rather WTT. I also don't know what to expect when I do get preggers again. You see how excited I was this time. I started this blog and all that...and then find out that the baby is not coming. I really don't know what to do to keep this blog going, because there is no baby right now to joyfully expect. Do I keep this blog until the next pregnancy? Do I change the name and the URL of this blog? I am so confused about the direction of this blog. I wonder if I could post a poll and maybe the readers could help me out on what to do. I am going to do a search for posting polls real fast....brb

Okay, I found one. I left the option for you to write in your own ideas for what the blog should be called, if you have any.

• Associated Grant Managers
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Non-profit recruiting firms

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Los Angeles community

If you live in the Los Angeles, the talent agency UTA has a non-profit foundation that puts out a non-profit jobs list twice a month. You can subscribe to the list by e-mailing UTAFoundation AT unitedtalent DOT com.  Though they don’t abuse your e-mail address, you will occasionally receive promotional e-mail for events being sponsored by the UTA Foundation.

Another Los Angeles resource for non profit work, particularly if you’re looking for work in development is an informal mailing list run by Daniel Rothblatt of the Jewish Community Foundation.  He forwards openings he receives throughout the day to his private list.  You can ask to be included on that list by e-mailing DRothblatt AT jewishfoundationla DOT org.

Other resources

National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (New)

One of the essentials to a healthy, happy and holy marriage is the skill of Natural Family Planning.

NFP is 100% healthy.  NFP empowers couples to recognize the signs of fertility that occur in their bodies each month.  Couples can use this information to conceive or avoid conception in a method that is effective, 100% natural, and free of side-effects.

NFP is an important tool to help couples detect potential health problems and resolve fertility issues.  When used properly, NFP is a tool for increasing intimacy and creating closeness. The rewards of cooperating in this shared method of family planning is seen in virtually every aspect of a couple's life including their marriage, family and relationship with their creator.

To find an NFP class near you, click here.

Yesterday at the Health Expo, I received nearly simultaneous signs that one of the specific items I have been praying about is something I need to pursue, now. I've wanted to become a Natural Family Planning educator for a long time. It has taken second place to my desire to become a midwife for a lot of reasons, but it is apparent this is what I need to do now.

Another student who is working with my preceptor midwife sat down behind the booth with me yesterday, and started talking about NFP and the need for a diocesan trainer. We had a nice chat about the pros and cons of different methods, and my intention some day to certify as an educator.

An hour later, another vendor stopped by the booth and asked if any of us were familiar with Ovulation Predictor Kits. Turns out she had been trying to conceive for three or four months now. After qualifying myself as not a certified instructor, but a woman who has practiced different methods for years and made contacts in the professional field, I gave her some instruction on what to look for to predict fertility and how to take the best advantage of the fertile, including ways to increase mucus quality (sorry, guys!). She left with my business card, in case she has further questions.

I made a phone call to the diocese today to find out about pursuing training. I will do it with or without the sponsorship, but affiliation with the diocese would be very helpful in promoting myself as well as helping with the cost of training. I'm awaiting a return phone call from the nurse coordinator.

I highly recommend this event to anyone in the Wisconsin area, or even anyone in the Midwest. Dr. Hilgers has done tremendously groundbreaking work in Obstetrics and Gynecology. People who find themselves infertile, struggling with specific fertility issues like PCOS, Endometriosis and the like have found great encouragement and medical help by using NaProTechnology. I especially encourage Medical Professionals, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, to come hear more about his and his colleagues' tremendous work.

Friday, October 17
Optional pre-conference evening

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday, October 18
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
at

This job has been open for some time, but to my knowledge the position is still vacant:
The Respect Life Office of the Diocese of Rockford (Illinois) is seeking a full time professional to assume the duties of NFP Coordinator beginning July 1, 2008. The Diocese includes 11 counties in Northern Illinois. We have 105 parishes and approximately 400,000 registered Catholics. Our Bishop is very supportive and has issued a pastoral norm requiring all engaged couples to complete an NFP Seminar before marriage.

Rockford is 80 miles NW of Chicago and is a very affordable place to live.

Our program was granted DDP/NFP endorsement in 2005. We have teachers in Creighton, CCL and our own Diocesan method and are open to all standard methods of instruction.

Total fidelity to Church teaching, excellent speaking /writing skills and a valid driver’s license are a must. Fluency in Spanish desired, but not required. Competitive salary and benefits.

Interested candidates should submit: 1) letter of introduction including a description of qualifications for the position; 2) resume/CV; 3) name and contact information for three references. If available, please include a copy of at least one NFP related article written by applicant.

Reply to: Patricia Bainbridge, Director, Respect Life Office, Diocese of Rockford, 555 Colman Center Drive, Rockford, Illinois 61108 or pbainbridge@rockforddiocese.org

If responding via e-mail, please place on subject line: NFP Coordinator Position

There is no doubt that green is “in,” and veteran environmentalists hope that this is one warming trend that continues. But first, what does “Green is the new black” mean? Most ladies and fashion hipsters know the phrase, “______ is the new black.” It means the object of the phrase is the new basic—the black dress, the go-with-everything shoes, jeans, etc.—the thing that is a foundation to fashionable living. The phrase has been co-opted for non-fashion arenas, and I use it here to talk about environmentalism in balance.

While every day is a green day, Earth Day is solemnity in the secular liturgy of environmentalism. There appeared both government and grassroots efforts and celebrations across the globe, with people of all ages from ordinary folks to politicians to A-list celebrities. It was all quiet on the family planning front, though.

While some environmentalists grow caustic over the hip-factor of caring for our planet because it’s something they’ve been at for a long time, I say let’s take advantage of the green fervor to bring to light something many greenies haven’t thought twice about: Natural Family Planning, or NFP.

Doesn’t it seem interesting that we’ll go to great lengths to ensure our meat, dairy and other grocery products are “all natural” and hormone free, but then we’ll turn around and ingest, poke or patch our bodies with all sorts of synthetic hormones, the ramifications of which we’re still discovering?

The National Catholic Register wrote last July about the serious effects we’re seeing in the environment because of the residual effects of drugs, or what biologists call “endocrine disruptors”–particularly chemical contraceptives. Now, if the human side effects of hormonal contraception don’t catch your attention, perhaps non-mating intersex fish will hook you. Colorado biologist John Woodling, speaking to the Denver Post in 2005 said, It’s “the first thing that I’ve seen as a scientist that really scared me.” We’re not talking one freak fish here; it’s a significant problem, a problem so significant that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association have a major public-awareness campaign regarding this contamination called “Smar_xt Disposal.”

Years before the green trend train got going, Pope John Paul II said in 1990 that we have "a grave responsibility to preserve [the earth's] order for the well-being of future generations." Pope Benedict, dubbed as “The Green Pope,” further emphasizes the need to “focus on the needs of sustainable development.” However, he reminds us that there must be a balance between the environment and people reminding us that humans are "the only one of all creatures on this earth that can establish a free and conscious relationship with his creator."

With Pope Benedict, I urge my brothers and sisters in Christ and all people of good will to steward the earth’s treasures, but also to remember that we must value human life above all. “Population control” programs treat the humans as disposable carbon consumers, rather than unrepeatable and irreplaceable gifts from God, not to mention potential problem solvers to the world’s social and climate conundrums.

The contraceptive mentality of today’s culture sees fertility as disease and babies as burdens, but we forget that children are a blessing, and within each child is a God-given mission to be great and to do great things. Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim teamed up to make the 2006 Oscar award winning An Inconvenient Truth, their documentary on the global warming crisis. It was groundbreaking moment for filmmaking as well as the Green movement, but it would not have been possible without their conceptions and births.

NFP is of inestimable value for the world for more than just the environmental credibility. It also fosters fertility appreciation, love of children and has marital and psychological benefits. It is shared system of family planning that fosters communication, builds prudence and self-control and decreases sexual objectification. As I’ve said before, NFP doesn’t just have natural benefits; it has supernatural benefits. Gore and Guggenheim co-created a film that won an Oscar, but couples who cooperate with God’s plan for marriage and sex experience a personal & spiritual vitality that not only nourishes communication and mutual self respect, but it makes them icons of the Most Holy Trinity. That’s not a red carpet line, but a heavenly promise.

(C) 2008 The Catholic Herald, Madison, WI.

My positive test results. The first one I took using Ovulation Prediction Kit, because it is known to have a hormone which is also inside of the Pregnancy hormone, I started this on day 9 past ovulation. Then I took my 1st pregnancy test on dpo10 and also took another OPK test which both came out positive. I took the 2nd pregnancy test on dpo 12, which came out positive.

Next is the nurse's office tomorrow morning!

I am now going to talk about something that is a bit of a hot button issue.  This may or may not be considered politically correct (PC).  I think that there is a lot of ignorance surrounding the Church's stance on birth control (BC). 

I would hear vague whispers about natural family planning (NFP).  Non-Catholic sourceswould say it was just the hokum of the Church and not really an option for women.  Catholic sources would talk about how wonderful it was, bringing married couples closer together, the couples closer to God and making the world a bright shiny place.

The truth lies somewhere in between.

There are several Natural Family Planing, or fertility awareness, systems.  When followed properly, they can be just as effective as non-Church endorsed methods.  Like most things surrounding the Church and spirituality in this day and age, it takes a lot of effort and inspiration to become educated enough to actually follow and defend the stance of the church.

I would highly recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility to any woman.  The author is NOT Catholic, but it is an amazing education in women's fertility.  If you know folks that are trying to have kids but are having problems getting pregnant, get them this book.  It will help them.

Most sources of Catholic NFP support will want you to take classes and have both the man and woman at any education/counseling.  For me, buying a book at Barnes and Noble is embarassing enough without having to get up the gumption to go to a class where I have to face real people.  The Couple to Couple League is a good place to start.

So there is much more to say about this, but this is enough for now. 

One response (read it here) that I received took fundamental exception to both that conclusion and Humanae Vitae itself. This is a response to those comments.

I need to start by point out that what you oppose is not the Church's teaching, plain and simple. Even more to the point, the reasoning that you attribute to the Catholic Church is not part of the Church's thinking.

It is true that what you oppose is commonly attributed to the Church, yet it remains not so - perhaps it would be better labeled as common misperception.

Bear with me a moment, and I will try to offer some things up for you to consider, clarify what the Church does in fact, teach and why, and perhaps raise some questions for you to ponder. By necessity this will be the barest of overviews, so it is my sincere hope that you will find this intriguing enough to investigate further. Therefore, I will finish with a few resources for going deeper.

Foundations of Teaching
What the Church proposes for our belief in sexuality (of which the teachings on contraception are only a small, but important part) are precisely intended to bring us closer to the one who made us, to conform us more closely to Him, to enable us to understand and experience real joy.

In short, to teach us how to love.

On the other hand, what the world proposes for our belief about sexuality is entirely centered on ourselves - how does my partner make me feel, how am I most fulfilled, what will make my life better ... this isn't really authentic sexuality at all, but simply a shallow counterfeit, a caricature of what could be. It most definitely does not lead to genuine love ... and the world is relentless.

Christ teaches us another way. In fact, His entire life teaches us that love is truly much more about sacrifice, self-donation, about losing our self, even losing our very lives ... and as we know, that very disregard for ourselves is precisely the center in which we find who we really are, where God returns everything we could have been and far, far more.

The contrast could not be more fundamental.

Every parent knows this, of course, though not all see the gift. Admittedly, it's hard to to truly appreciate our "school of love" while trudging down the hall in the wee hours with no sleep, a screaming baby or two in tow, and barf running down our clothes. Or perhaps when our tools or favorite book is lost or damaged, and not by our hands. Or yet again when when we receive some large medical bills even while we have bills - even the most basic ones - that remain unpaid.

Yet in each of these - and so many more, the list is nearly endless - we are presented with a chance to turn away from ourselves, and to turn toward others. Turn away from ourselves, and towards God. To learn how life is truly designed to be.

In fact, it is in just this sort of mutual self-donation, in marriage as a continual mutual gift of self, that we are truly gifted with love.

A Central Role
Where then, does our sexuality fit in?

As Christopher West puts it in The Good News About Sex and Marriage,

"Love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12). These words of Christ sum up the meaning of life and the meaning of human sexuality. At its core, sexual morality is about expressing God's love through our bodies. This is why Pope John Paul II can say that if we live according to the truth of our sexuality, we fulfill the very meaning of our being and existence.

Ponder that a moment, and see if it sounds repressive.

West goes on to say

Sex, then, is by no means a peripheral issue. In fact, Pope John Paul II says the call to "nuptial love" revealed through our sexuality is "the fundamental element of human existence in the world" ... He even insists that we can't understand Christianity if we don't understand the truth and meaning of our sexuality.

Marriage as a Revelation About God
God is, in Himself, a family. The Father makes an eternal gift of himself to the Son, as does the Son to the Father. The love between them is is so profound that it is an entirely new person, the Holy Spirit ... and this is the pattern for our families.

Again from West

This is what we embody as male and female. Sex is so beautiful, so wonderful, so glorious, that it's meant to express God's free, total, faithful, and fruitful love.

In our marriages we image the reality of God, in our marriage embrace we reaffirm our marriage vows. Not just in words, but in deed ... sealing our mental and spiritual commitments with out physical bodies.

In that embrace, fully understanding where we are and what we do, we can express our total and complete gift of self to our spouse. We learn how to love.

I think that if you reflect on this a bit, perhaps you will begin to see why the Church teaches that separating the physical act from the possibility of life is, by definition, a non-starter. Shorn of meaning, our actions descend from their intended place, and we drift farther from our intended dignity.

Or to put it another way, the very possibility of life is so inexorably intertwined in the very meaning of marriage, that we will choose a certain poverty of existence to separate the marital embrace from that possibility.

Pleasure and Meaning
Though lacking this transcendant meaning, it is still safe to say that a really good meal is likewise enjoyable. Of course I'm not making relative comparisons here - I'm simply observing that eating a good meal does result in pleasure.

The pleasure itself is a great thing, certainly a gift from God ... and most Christians thank God for the provisions of each meal beforehand.

Of course at least part of that thanksgiving comes from the simple fact that we need nutrition, and the meal will satisfy those needs (at least for the moment!). So in addition to being pleasurable, eating food has an intended purpose.

What then, do we say happens when somebody purposefully throws up after eating? Obviously it is a disorder ... bullimia. A person who purposely separates the act of eating from the intended purpose of consuming food has a problem. It doesn't matter that they get more and more pleasure from eating more and more food ... what matters is that they regain balance, learn to connect the act of eating with its intended biological purpose.

Of course the pleasure itself was good, so far as it went. But it wasn't the ultimate meaning. Besides, anyone who has struggled with an eating disorder (and here I speak from my own experience) will also tell you that the pleasure itself diminishes, that it takes on a hollow quality when separated from it's natural place.

In Meaning Comes Fulfillment
Notice that I am not saying that each time a married couple has sex it must result in a pregnancy - that would be absurd. I am also not saying that couples that contracept either get no pleasure nor benefit in their relationship in any way. What I am saying is the fullest richness of married life will come when our sexual lives are lived as intended by the one who made us, who knows us better than we know ourselves ... and that means being open to the possibility of life, allowing God to make the final decision.

That is why the Church forbids all contraception - both artificial and otherwise. It has always done so (not just 40 years ago ... I discussed that in several places in the last post), and will always do so. All Humanae Vitae did was acknowledge that the Church did not have the authority to rule differently in this area - that it had to continue to proclaim what was always understood to be true.

Truth simply cannot be subject to a vote.

In fact, when asked years later to reflect on each of his encyclicals (teaching documents, Pope Paul VI is reported to have spent five or ten minutes for each encyclical excitedly recounting what was on his mind, what points he was trying to convey, what needs of the Church he was trying to address, and so forth.

Yet when he got to Humanae Vitae, he grew quiet and simply said "I did not betray the truth".

Natural Family Planning
With regards to Natural Family Planning (here, here and elsewhere), the difference is clear - NFP simply is not contraception. That is, couples who use NFP are not separating the meaning of the sexual act from the act itself ... rather, they are acknowledging that meaning and living it in their very lives. Choosing to refrain from sex at any particular time is just not the same thing as changing the sexual act itself ... these are no more alike than skipping a meal is the same thing as gorging and barfing.

There are tons of benefits and practical aspects to NFP - and yes, there can certainly be some frustrations as well - but that is really a discussion for another day.

The Authority of the Church
So where does the Church fit into all this? Simple - the Catholic Church has always understood (see Matthew 16:18+ and more), and faithful Catholics acknowedge and appreciate, that the Church has the responsibility to represent Jesus here on earth, to proclaim the Good News till the end of time, to faithfully teach what is true and right (whether or not it is fashionable or easy to accept), to guide Christians in their journeys towards God.

This does not mean that members and leaders of the Church have not sinned and strayed far from the truth - this is a sad reality of our battle with sin - but it does mean that Catholics can trust the Church to be right on matters of faith and morals.

While it is true that many people who call themselves Catholic dissent from teachings of the Church, that does not make the teachings wrong. In fact, something that I heard a few years back has been a big help to me in this area.

Clearly for all of us there are times when it may be difficult to understand or accept particular teachings - after all, we are all still on our journeys towards God. A more profitable approach to teachings that don't yet make sense is to first accept them as true, then pray for understanding. That understanding will inevitably follow, and this approach has a big added benefit - we learn to trust God, then are drawn closer to truth, and therefore to God Himself. This is a direct result of trusting God to do as he says ... "seek and you will find".

Faith and Science
Faith is never in opposition to honest science - it can't be, as they both reveal aspects of truth, and truth can never in opposition to itself. Faith reveals aspects of spiritual realities, and science reveals aspects of the physical world. Not only can these go hand in hand, the truth is they must go hand in hand. It is when they don't that the trouble begins.

Keep in mind that science can tell us how something works, or what is involved in making something happen. What it cannot tell us is why something happens, or whether we should take a particular action or not - that is, whether it is moral and just. That is the domain of faith.

The Church has always understood this to be true - that is why the father of modern chemistry is St. Albert the Great, why Catholic priests largely developed the scientific method, and much, much more. For that matter, the man who discovered genetics - Gregor Mendel - was a Catholic priest.

This is why the Church encourages the advancement of science, and reveres great scientific and engineering accomplishments ... and will continue to oppose those that contravene spiritual realities. You might find it interesting to note that in Humanae Vitae itself Pope Paul VI contained an appeal to scientists to apply their skills and talents into this area, that we might benefit from the knowledge gained.

A Few Parting Thoughts
In your last comments you stated that "there are plenty of dogmatic church teachings that create a repressive attitude about sex and I think that this is one of them". I would hope that if you reflect on what the Church actually teaches about sexuality (of which this is the very briefest of introductions) that you will see that far from being repressive, what the Church teaches enables us to understand and participate in the real meaning of sexuality, and in doing so to learn how to live truly free.

After all, what greater freedom can there be than to live as God intends us?

Places to Look for More
Early in his pontificate Pope John Paul II developed what came to be known as the "Theology of the Body" ... a fantastic set of teachings that show how God reveals Himself through our physical bodies.

Christopher West has a very good apostolate dedicated to spreading these teachings in popular forms and language. Here are some select resources:

• The Good News About Sex and Marriage.
• Theology of the Body for Beginners.
• Theology of the Body Explained.
• Body Language, a periodic commentary on the intersection of faith, sex, and culture.
• Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. This is the real deal - all of the talks by Pope John Paul II.
• A six part series of columns commemorating the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. Four have been released to date: Contraception and Cultural Chaos, Does Contraception Foster Love?, Contraception and the Language of the Body, Sex Speaks: True and False Prophets.

Christopher West also has a number of good talks on video and audio.

By now, you've seen the headlines. Here's a look at the current employment picture over the past year, in terms on monthly changes to total non-farm payrolls:

That's almost a mirror image -- the last 5 months of 2007 vs the first 7 months of 2008. Hard to paint a rosy picture out of those falling numbers. But I always think a little perspective is good.

Here's the chart of total number of jobs created on a monthly basis (not the net change) over the last 10 years. I threw in some historical and economic perspective as well:

Any comments on these charts? Is it helpful to talk about employment releases to clients?

First off, before I get flamed, artificial contraception should not be used under any circumstances.

Now, I lament the fact that NFP is treated like an 8th Sacrament, or that one’s orthodoxy is judged according the one’s use of NFP. When “good” Catholics discover that we do not use NFP, we get the deer-in-headlights stare as the jaw whacks the floor. We might as well have told them that we eat fried kittens for lunch on Tuesdays.

However, I would like to explore the actual feelings and thoughts of MEN in relation to NFP.

The men with whom I have spoken about NFP actually pay lip-service to the “intimacy” that NFP provides. In actuality, peak fertility time is fightin’ time. I have been through several NFP classes in order to learn about the different methods, and so am very familiar with the ins-and-outs of NFP procedures, charting, and intimacy brainwashing. So please, don’t fire off the “You don’t get it” argument. I have an incredible physically and emotionally intimate relationship with my wife. And NFP had nothing to do with it.

In general, NFP is degrading to men. Now, there may be some dude out there that actually does notice the increased intimacy from practicing NFP and discussing the issues calmly and unbiased during the time of peak fertility. However, those men are the minority.

The rest of us feel belittled and insignificant when The Chart is used as a weapon.  As a married person, I have a right to the marriage act, just as I have a duty/debt to perform the marriage act with my spouse. The Church, in Her Wisdom, has coupled both of those terms to marital relations. It is the marriage right and the marriage debt, and both imply a certail level of justice to the marriage.

I do not disregard the “just cause” as detailed by Steve above. However, I am going to talk past it.

NFP has done less for marriage relationships than its proponents think. NFP has turned men into beggars and liars and denied them of the right which they possess by the very nature of the Sacrament of Matrimony. NFP has broken down the levels of intimacy between the spouses by becoming a subject of monthly contention and building a wall to block communication between the spouses.

NFP also places sex in a strained context. Rather than the sexual act being an experience of profound unity, the mere topic of sex becomes a source of division amongst the spouses.

Enough for now. If you want to get your marriage back, burn The Chart and work on building true unity and intimacy in your relationship. (”just causes” excluded, of course).

First of all: I am not a doctor. I don't have a medical degree and don't ever plan on having one. I leave that stuff up to the people who are OK pulling all-nighters and living on caffeine and cigarettes for ten years. The thing is, even they don't know how exactly IUDs (or IUCs- specifically the ParaGard) work. They may work by making the uterus "inhospitable". They may work by preventing the little swimmer-guys from reaching l'oeuf. They may work in a number of different ways, but they all add up to a fairly safe, hormone-free, reversible contraceptive device. Do I sound like an ad for ParaGard? Here's the site- knock yourself out. We chose it for a number of reasons:
1. I had already had a baby and was (am) in a committed, monogamous relationship.

2. We wanted something long-term (like, at least five years).

3. We didn't want to mess with my body chemistry (hormones), and my cycles were normal (i.e., no need for Mirena).

4. We wanted something with a proven, long-term track record.

5. We wanted something that I could take out and immediately get pregnant again (unlike the pill or hormonal methods like NuvaRing).

Now, many people arrive at this blog wanting to know if IUDs are moral. This is also interesting to me, since most of those who search for "ParaGard moral" or "IUD moral" aren't specifying what faith they are using as the basis for making a moral judgment. In other words, if you ask me, "is getting an IUD morally right?", you have to tell me whose eyes you're looking through. I come from a faith tradition which allows families to choose whatever they (prayerfully) think is best for their situation. So, from a Reformed Evangelical (Protestant) perspective, it is left to the work of the Spirit to speak to the couple and help them make a decision. It has to be said, though, that even within Evangelical circles, there are some who are beginning to take the Catholic view on contraception.

SO...if you see the world through Catholic eyes, (and desire to be faithful to the teachings of the Church- there's the clincher), then you probably know already that any kind of man-made contraception is considered to be messing with the divinely-ordained cultural mandate, i.e., the "be fruitful and multiply" command from Genesis. Catholics believe they should trust God to provide for whatever children he may send to the couple, and thus, unless there is some dire necessity, couples do not engage in contraception of any kind (which is why you have all the "Catholics have 18 kids" jokes). You have sex to have babies, period. If you want to read the original Catholic church document called Humanae Vitae that "put this in writing", it's here. If you're not the theologian-type, and prefer a fairly concise rendering of the question, try the Wiki entry on it. The church advocates something called Natural Family Planning, which is a method using signs from the woman's cycle and abstinence, but again, only in situations of having a "just reason" for "delaying a pregnancy". Here's the info on this method.

Other traditions? If you're Muslim, there's no specific forbidding of contraception, according to this site, as well as this one. So ParaGard is ok. If you're Jewish, all forms are OK, unless you're Orthodox, in which case you do the Catholic thing and let whatever happens, happen. Atheist? Basically you take into account what's important to you (population control? scarce resources? global warming? your sanity?) and make a decision- the "whatever works for your situation" idea. So again, an IUD is perfectly fine, assuming, of course, that you meet the requirements, which are on the ParaGard site.

PLEASE note: I'm not getting into a theological discussion here of which perspective is better, or which one is Biblical, or right, or correct. I leave that to the apologetics blogs, and if you're into that, you can go argue your life away on one of those. Obviously I have chosen the one I think is best, but you could come to a very different decision, even using the same factors.

I wish you the best in making your decision. The very fact that you have found this blog is evidence that you're researching the options, so congrats. Thinking=good.

Cheers!

Forty years ago yesterday, Paul VI released the encyclical letter Humanae Vitae, which reaffirmed the Church's prohibition against artificial contraception. Click on the link above to read the document, and you will see that Paul VI's points are very relevant today. At the time (and even today) it caused a furor and led to many in the Church being in open dissent to Church Teaching.

I often wonder why using artificial contraception is considered to be a sign of a person's "liberation." You would think that with all this "green" trendiness these days, people would discover Natural Family Planning, since artificial contraception is a pharmaceutical that not only harms the environment, but also artificially alters a woman's body. But critically examining one's basic approach to desire requires a lot more effort and sacrifice than subscribing to the green channel or some other surface action, so I am not sure if NFP will necessarily catch on with the "trendy" green crowd, although it does seem that all sorts of Christians are re-evaluating their views on contraception.

While Paul VI was often indecisive - so much so that it is rumored that Pope John XXIII called him " Our Hamlet" - he stood firm in a real way with this encyclical.

Eberstadt journalistically gelds the ridiculous glee of Humanae Vitae critics. Frankly, she packs a politically incorrect punch as well, so gird your loins. Her brief opening ends with a restrained,

        “ He that sittethin the heavens shall laugh,” the Psalmist promises, specifically in a passage about enjoying vindication over one’s adversaries. If that is so, then the racket on this fortiethanniversary must be prodigious. Four decades later, not only have the document’s signature predictions been ratified in empirical force, but they have been ratified as few predictions ever are: in ways its authors could not possibly have foreseen, including by information that did not exist when the document was written, by scholars and others with no interest whatever in its teaching, and indeed even inadvertently, and in more ways than one, by many proud public adversaries of the Church.
         Forty years later, there are more than enough ironies, both secular and religious, to make one swear there’s a humorist in heaven. "

In her six part article (homage to Pope Paul the Sixth?), she breaks it down. All the natural law aside (and that's like saying to house builder, "The foundation aside..."), she focuses on section 17, which warned that if contraception became widely accepted, four things would result: "...a general lowering of moral standards throughout society; a rise in infidelity; a lessening of respect for women by men; and the coercive use of reproductive technologies by governments." Hmm...some of those things--four fourths to be exact--sound familiar.

Sociologists, demographers, anthropologists, economists, and other academics in the fields related to or working withsocial science have darkly vindicated Pope Paul VI and his predictions. And not so fast! Before you accuse the scientists of some sort of Catholic Conspiracy of concocting data, the irony is that most of these scientists (though truth be told, not all) are not Catholic, and in some cases, could care less about HMC (Holy Mother Church) and the teachings of the LJC (Lord Jesus Christ). Sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox affirms in his 2005 article about the sociology of Humanae Vitae section 17,

“The leading scholars who have tackled these topics are not Christians, and most of them are not political or social conservatives. They are, rather, honest social scientists willing to follow the data wherever it may lead.”

The list of researchers affirming the statistical data pointing to lowering of morality and the breakup of the family (and resulting societal challenges and ills) includes Nobel Prize winning George Akerlof, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Judith Wallerstein, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Sara McLanahan, Gary Sandefur, David Blankenhorn, James Q. Wilson, Linda Waite, Maggie Gallagher, Kay Hymowitz, Elizabeth Marquardt, W. Bradford Wilcox, Charles Murray, Francis Fukuyama, and more... The sexual revolution has not paid off, and they know it.

Further,

"Consider the work of maverick sociobiologist Lionel Tiger. Hardly a cat’s-paw of the pope—he describes religion as “a toxic issue”—Tiger has repeatedly emphasized the centrality of the sexual revolution to today’s unique problems. The Decline of Males, his 1999 book, was particularly controversial among feminists for its argument that female contraceptives had altered the balance between the sexes in disturbing new ways (especially by taking from men any say in whether they could have children).

Equally eyebrow-raising is his linking of contraception to the breakdown of families, female impoverishment, trouble in the relationship between the sexes, and single motherhood. Tiger has further argued—as Humanae Vitae did not explicitly, though other works of Catholic theology have—for a causal link between contraception and abortion, stating outright that 'with effective contraception controlled by women, there are still more abortions than ever. . . . Contraception causes abortion.'”

Grrr...He is Tiger, hear him research! For more on Tiger's research listen for free online to Janet Smith's Contraception: Why Notor order a free copy of the CD. All I can say to his work is Reowww (vicious feline meow-roar)! Check it out.

This entry is getting long, and I realize I'm quote-poaching and just re-presenting Eberstadt'swork. I have to close with one of my favorite topics: feminism. I consider myself a feminist, though not your mother or grandmother's feminist--a kinder, complimentarity minded, more authentic feminist. I looked under Wikipedia (wince, I know) for "feminist," and I couldn't even find my type of feminist. And there were a lot of them listed. I digress...of all people to witness to the cultural discontent of the sexual revolution, the most ironic testimonies come from...the feminists, many of them advocates of contraceptives and the mid-late 20th century sexual revolution. Here's reflection on what Eberstadt aptly calls the Pill's bastard child--ubiquitous pornography,

"'The onslaught of porn,' one social observer wrote, 'is responsible for deadening male libido in relation to real women, and leading men to see fewer and fewer women as ‘porn-worthy.’' Further, 'sexual appetite has become like the relationship between agribusiness, processed foods, super size portions, and obesity. . . . If your appetite is stimulated and fed by poor-quality material, it takes more junk to fill you up. People are not closer because of porn but further apart; people are not more turned on in their daily lives but less so.' And perhaps most shocking of all, this—which with just a little tweaking could easily have appeared in Humanae Vitae itself: 'The power and charge of sex are maintained when there is some sacredness to it, when it is not on tap all the time.'”

WHAT? Where did she find that quote? Somebody's old-fashioned Grandma or a riled-up Ann Coulter? I doubt it. And No. It's Naomi Wolf, third-wave feminist and promiscuous sex advocate, apparently, and unwitting witness to the failure of contraception to make women happier and society better. Pornography has never been more rampant, and there are more and more studies to indicate the damage this is doing not only to marriages, but to men's brains and ability to function normally, let alone optimally. Just ask Dr. Phil Mango, who specializes in this type of research and work.

After all is said and done, the Church is a sign of contradiction. The Lord was, and His followers will continue to be. If his followers are not a sign of contradiction, one has to wonder who they are actually following. There is always mercy and healing for those who stray (we all do), but we must be accountable to the Truth and following the teachings of Humanae Vitae, no matter what the challenge, the difficulty. Remember the words of Gamaliel in Acts, "If this plan or undertaking [in our time, the contraceptive mentality] is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them!" However, also remember that however impressive the statistics, glorifying the reviews, or redeeming the reports of the sociological vindication of HumanaeVitae, many will still reject the truth of the message, and the Sender of the message. While we can give thanks for writers like Eberstadt, sociologists like Wilcox and economists like Akerlof, we should not put all of our hope in men (for you lingual-inclusive feminists, that's men, as in humankind), but in God.

UPDATE: Dig Paul VI and truth? Sign the Layperson's pledge of assent.

UPDATE: Humanae Vitae on Wordpress.

UPDATE for HV lovers: Feel free to comment back to a jaded jingoist who is so anti-Catholic that he's probably an embittered ex-Catholic.

We've been working with the cool kids at Picnik to make it easier to edit your pictures and we're excited to announce the new Picnik Photo Basket! Starting today, you can send a batch of freshly uploaded pictures to Picnik for editing all at once!

Try out the new Photo Basket when you upload your next batch of pictures, either using the web upload form or the desktop Uploadr. Once you've added titles and descriptions, you'll see a new "Save & Edit" button down the bottom. Clickety-click and we'll send those photos into Picnik as a batch for you. Then you can crop and sharpen to your heart's content, save everything and come back to your photostream.

To learn more about Picnik and how to edit your photos on Flickr check out the Picnik FAQ.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - About 2,000 Islamist women gathered at the radical Red Mosque in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday and vowed to raise their children for holy war, days after a suicide bomber killed 18 people after a similar rally.

Chanting slogans of "jihad is our way", burqa-clad women, some with babies, listened to fiery speeches from the daughter of the mosque's jailed cleric on the eve of the anniversary of a commando raid on the complex in which more than 100 people died.  (READ ALL)

Ultimately, this is how they WILL win if they do.

They have children, we have utterly rejected our fertility in favor of comfort.

The next time you see a large family rather than make some smart alec comment about "You know what causes that, don't you?" or "Get cable already!"...

THANK THEM and pray for them.