LifeTeen.com Blog

Don’t Sit So Close to Me

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One of the things I hate about flying is the discomfort and awkwardness of sitting very close to a stranger for 4 or more hours (the typical length of one of my flights).

I’m an introvert, but I’m not anti-social. I like talking, but I hate small talk – which is what plane conversations often are. (For me, at least)

It’s my luck to always get stuck next to: the creepy, flirty man, the smoker or perfume over-doser who gives me a headache, chatty Cathy who ignores the book in my lap, and many others who have left me with the opinion that I’d rather sit alone.

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Wallpaper

Good Deeds [Wallpaper]

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Good Deeds This gritty, manly wallpaper was designed for the guys by Gabe Telepak. It features Titus 2:6 – 7: “Younger men, control yourselves, showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect.” Download: 2560 x 1440; 1600 x 900; iPhone Wallpaper

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LifeTeen.com Podcast

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 02/12/2012

Readings for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Lv 13:1-2, 44-46; Ps 32:1-2, 5, 11; 1 Cor 10:31-11:1; Mk 1:40-45

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LifeTeen.com Blog

To Hook Up or Not To Hook Up?: Is it a Big Deal?

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One night in high school, my ex-boyfriend’s best friend called me up. He told me that he and his girlfriend, and my ex-boyfriend, were all hanging out, and that I should come over. From the tone in his voice and slight innuendo in his words, I knew what this meant.

My ex-boyfriend and I had played the “friends with benefits” game before. Thus I wasn’t surprised and actually felt a bit flattered that this popular, talented, good-looking guy would beckon me to him, even if we weren’t still dating.

I excitedly rushed over to the best friend’s house, greeted everyone, and proceeded to “hang out” exclusively with my ex-boyfriend. I didn’t see anything wrong with making-out with my ex-boyfriend, because after all, I wasn’t having sex.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Why Are You So Different?: When God Made Man and Woman

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Man lives more in the external world, because made from the earth and closest to it; it is his mission to rule over it and subject it. Woman lives more in the internal world, because she was created from an inner, human life.

Man is more interested in the outer world; woman in the inner world. Man talks about things; woman more about persons. Man fashions products of the earth; woman fashions life, having come from life, both Divine and human. Man, more related to the earth, makes sacrifices for things that are in the future and are abstract; woman, more related to the human, is more inclined to make sacrifices for persons and for that which is immediate.

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Wallpaper

Encourage One Another [Wallpaper]

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Encourage One Another This one’s for the girls! Try out this wallpaper with 1 Thessalonians 5:11 on it: “Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.” Download: 2560×1440, 1600×900, iPhone Wallpaper

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LifeTeen.com Blog

God’s Got Style: The Wonder of Guys and Girls

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At the pinnacle of God’s creation sits man and woman – the epic conclusion to God’s masterful symphony of creation. Genesis not only tells us that we are made in God’s image (Gen 1:26-27) but that we are made for one another (2:18). Men and women are not contradictory but complimentary, our differences are necessary and good.

That being said, men and women are different which, again, is a really good thing.

So, over the next month we’ll be taking a look at “guys and girls,” analyzing how we’re similar and celebrating how we’re different. This won’t be a time to bash either gender but, rather, to learn about how the other thinks, relates and reflects the love God in different ways.

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Video LifeTeen.com Blog

It Still Hurts

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I want to share a video that has an powerful message of hope for those who’ve suffered through an abortion.

This is a video of a woman named Lisa who dealt with abuse, divorce, and had three abortions. She has an incredible witness about the healing she received. The beauty of being Catholic is that besides counseling, we have the Sacrament of Confession where Christ Himself forgives us. Lisa experiences peace when she stopped hiding her abortions in the dark. Her shame was wiped away.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

It’s My Body: How to Respond to the Pro-Choice Argument

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Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who said that a woman has a right to have an abortion because it’s her body? This is one of the most common ‘defenses’ of the pro-choice position; so more than likely, you’ve heard it.

It’s hard to respond to. Here are some ways you can talk about this argument.

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LifeTeen.com Podcast

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 02/04/12

Do you follow God even in the real hardships of life?

Readings for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jb 7:1-4, 6-7; Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mk 1:29-39

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Men and Abortion

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I asked a handful of men some questions about abortion and I was deeply moved by their answers. It convinced me that it’s not just women who are hurt by abortion. Men have strong feelings about it and want to stand up for life. They are affected too.

Read for yourself.

“11 years ago my girlfriend at the time told me she was pregnant, but because she already had one fatherless child and I was a drunk and an addict she told me she was going to abort the baby. I was not practicing my faith back then but I knew it was wrong. I fought for her to keep the baby but in the end I gave up . . . “

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Video

Beyond Words: 1/29/12

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Video

It’s her body. Why can’t a woman have an abortion if she wants? [Video]

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“It’s her body, can’t a woman have an abortion if she wants?” Brooke Burns, Education Director for Arizona Right to Life, gives us the true and Catholic answer to this argument about abortion. She reminds us that besides the woman’s body, she has the responsibility of a completely new person (with it’s own body) inside of her own. The baby isn’t a “part” of her body like a kidney or lung. It is separate and unique with it’s own rights.

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Video

Can the baby feel anything in an abortion? [Video]

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“Can the baby feel anything in an abortion?” Brooke Burns, Education Director for Arizona Right to Life, gives the Catholic answer to this question about abortion. She talks about the recent laws regarding fetal pain. She also discusses whether the pain really matters when we talk about the “right” to kill a person.

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Is a fetus in the womb a baby? I’ve heard it’s just tissue. [Video]

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“Is the fetus in the womb a baby? I’ve heard it’s just tissue.” This is something you hear a lot and Brooke Burns, Education Director for Arizona Right to Life, answers this question. She discusses how the unique DNA every fetus has from the moment of conception makes it a human baby, not just a clump of cells.

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What about if the woman is raped? Shouldn’t she be allowed to have an abortion? [Video]

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In this video, Brooke Burns, Education Director for Arizona Right to Life, answers the question: “What about if the woman is raped? Shouldn’t she be allowed to have an abortion?” She tells us that the Catholic answer to this common question about abortion is that in these situations, the last thing the woman needs is to experience more violence and pain; she needs love, support, and healing.

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I agree abortion is wrong, but who am I to tell someone else not to have an abortion? [Video]

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Have you ever heard someone say: “I agree abortion is wrong, but who am I to tell someone else not to have one?” We’ve got the Catholic answer to this question. Brooke Burns, Education Director for Arizona Right to Life, talks about how she felt this way too at one point. She challenges us to not take this “easy way out” of the abortion discussion and to stand up for something as fundamental as life.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

March For Life: Changing Laws, Changing Souls

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When we attend the March for Life, we stand in the streets of our Nation’s capital to protest a law that is unjust. To take a day to gather and give a very public witness – to “shout” that we are Pro-Life, and that the law of our land is unjust. But as Catholics – as humans – we know that at the heart of the pro-life movement it is not a question of laws but of souls. The souls of babies, the souls of mothers and fathers, and the souls of those with whom we disagree.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Why Am I Alive?: And Other Thoughts on My Birthday

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I’ve been thinking about life a lot lately. Mostly my own, really. This past weekend I celebrated my birthday.

It was an awesome day. How could it not be great? There was a Boston Cream Pie cake, calls from all my favorite people, and Facebook notifications endlessly popping up on my phone from wall posts.

I can’t help but thank God over and over again for the gift of my life, especially at this time of year with so much talk about abortion. A lot of our generation never made it out of the womb, let alone into their 20’s. Why me?

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Help! I’m Pregnant!: How To Help Your Friend Considering an Abortion

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It seemed like in one moment, our sophomore year, (our whole life) was changed forever. Two minutes ago we only had to think about cute boys, classes, and our plans for spring break. Now I had to think about baby diapers, stretch marks, and helping Jessica face the possible ridicule and judgment of our peers.

How was I supposed to love and support her? The selfish part of me didn’t want to face this. But the only thing I knew was that my Catholic faith asked me to take courage and stand beside my friend, to believe that God would work it out, and to hope in His promises . . . But sometimes things don’t end as you think it should.

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