So I'm totally hooked to iTunes4. This is just about the sum total of what we all deserve in music on our computers. Sorry if you have a PC.

Great week this past week. I went to a missions conference in Asheville, North Carolina. Met all kinds of interesting people. One in particular was the Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of the British House of Lords, and an advocate for persecuted Christians around the world. A group of us from Nashotah House had lunch with her on Saturday, which was a great experience. I also heard a speech from Gary Haugen, who is the director of the International Justice Mission, which is an organization that uses legal pressure to end various forms of injustice around the world. Anyways, good stuff.

Today is Good Friday, the day on which we remember our Lord's suffering and death. I was at a local coffee shop this morning, trying to recover from my 5 a.m. vigil hour, and the barista kept saying to people "Have a good Easter!" Well, I wanted to correct her. Easter is simply not possible without the suffering and agony of Good Friday. Resurrection is not possible without first death.

There are many Christians who try to live a resurrected life without ever dying to the world and to sin. They are struggling against an impenetrable wall. The Resurrected Life that Jesus gives to us is made possible by his Passion. It is neither beautiful nor safe. It is rather the power of God to save us from the consequences of sin. This is the most precious gift that we can receive, and in return it is necessary that we ourselves must put away what is old and be revived by what is new, not storing up new life and sin in the same vessel and hoping to live fully unto God.

"Godliness is of value in all things."

This is one the of the coooolest things that I have ever seen. It might take a while to load, but this is the new link.

Completed the brewery tour of Milwaukee today.

Pictures are posted here.

Still snowing today. I do realize the value of having four seasons. But, not one of them seven months long which just happens to be winter.

So it snowed yesterday, whatever it is. Our "it" in Wisconsin must be vastly different from the "it" in Texas, because our "it" only drops frozen stuff. "It" can go to Canada for all I care, snow in April is ridiculous.

Today is the Feast of Bl. James Lloyd Breck, founder of Nashotah House, Searbury Seminary, St. Mary's School - Shattuck, and priest of the Church. He became dean of Nashotah House at the age of 24. He wasn't particularly talented, nor particularly intellectual, but his ministry to the Church was fueled by passion for the Gospel and the glory of God. His untiring zeal for the mission of the Gospel is what we celebrate today, and hope to emulate in our own lives.

We will be visiting his grave here at Nashotah this evening, followed by dinner.