Bread Alive

Faith + Art = Creative Saints

2009-07-04T01:50:06Z

(a.k.a. Likable Art.)

Pretty darn cool to see other young artists engaging the culture and presenting their art in faith.

Saints from Cory Heimann on Vimeo.

..all for the glory of God.

[via The Curt Jester, via Domenico Bettinelli]

Great Men, Great Mentors, and Great Ideas

2009-07-03T16:47:52Z

There are a few men who have taught me a lot about business, leadership, management, and life. I've come across them as I've traveled this journey called "life", and have been blessed to call them acquaintances and, in many cases, friends.

My list won't be able to include them all, but I'll highlight a few.

If I were carving Mount Rushmore today on my sabbatical day of rest, relaxation, errands, reading, and writing, I would carve these 6 men onto it. I hope that I can be as solid an example of the things they've taught me for my own sons as they were for me.

Woody Halbrook (a.k.a. Dad)

My dad pushed - and still pushes - me to be the best I could be, to work as hard as I can, and to live as honestly and uprightly as any man before me. And he does it through both word and example, day in and day out.

My Grandfathers

Grandpa Ross Halbrook and Grandpa Reg Mennerick were constant, steady examples of the hard work, honesty, and integrity that my dad mirrored. I've also seen in them - for even longer than I've seen in my dad (not to say he doesn't have the same... just not for as long yet) - the fidelity to their marriages and the example of love for their wives. Grandpa & Grandpa were best friends growing up, as grandfathers should be. They read with me, fished with me, played mini golf with me, bought me dessert and root beer at Jerry's cafeteria. In a sense, they taught me to "live deep and suck all the marrow out of life", as Thoreau wrote. And they taught me to do it honestly and in the context of faith and family.

Jim Dedera

My old lodge adviser in the Order of the Arrow, Jim was like a second father to me in scouting as I grew up. I can't put my finger on any one lesson in particular, but Jim was the first great mentor in my life, encouraged me to learn and grow and lead, and remains a friend and mentor today. In fact, he's currently the music director at the other Catholic parish across town. I've continued to learn from Jim's passion for his work, his faithful facing of adversity, and his strong faith and belief structure. Jim is a substance abuse prevention consultant and is online at JimDedera.com (I'm working with him to improve his site in the coming months.)

Allan Fee

Allan was the first man to hire me full-time. I met him when I was still in college, was working at the front desk of the Adams Mark Hotel in downtown St. Louis, and desperately wanted to work (in radio) at 105.7 The Point in St. Louis. Allan took me under his wing, made me his personal intern as Operations Manager at The Point and The River, and three months later gave me my first full-time job. He had also gone right into a successful career, and I learned a lot by his example - and was motivated and inspired by his stories. He pushed me, motivated me, trusted me, and gave me an opportunity to grasp. In doing so, he inspired me to do the same through my own career. Allan is currently the program director and part of the "WILDE AND FEE" morning show on Q104 in Cleveland, OH, where he's been since leaving The Point, The River, and The Rock. He blogs at AllanFee.com.

Steve Walters

Steve hired me when I was in a slump after the .com boom & bust and, as a two-man team, we started to build what became Avatar Interactive, and now Roux Interactive, here in St. Louis. Steve became a great friend, and another mentor. With Steve, what I learned about team size and teamwork in Scouting was reinforced in a business environment. We built something great... a true team in business, and succeeded in doing so. If you would, please go pick up a t-shirt to support his son, who's currently battling cancer. You can find Steve on LinkedIn.

Father Larry Brunette

Father Larry came to Holy Family at a time when I was journeying back into the church of my childhood, and God couldn't have timed it any better. Father Larry was a husband and dad first in life, worked in sales & computers for years, and raised his family in faith. When his wife was called home to Heaven before him, he felt and answered the call to pursue a second vocation as a priest. Holy Family - and our family - have been blessed by his presence, his example, and his spirit. And I've learned a lot from him, and consider him a close friend and confidant. He had worked from a home office for years for one of his employers, so when I was considering the leap to do so with Visual Sciences (now Omniture), I got great input from him. Having a priest who had been married gave Suzanne's and my marriage prep a great spin. And his advice, encouragement, and constant fathering has been golden to Suzanne and me for the years we've been blessed with him in our lives.

Tim Rodgers

Tim is co-founder, former managing partner, and now CEO of St. Louis-based Rodgers Townsend, now an Omnicom agency and part of the DDB network. Tim was my "boss" for the 3+ years that I worked at Rodgers Townsend. Although not my direct manager, he was intimately involved and engaged in our daily work and became quite a mentor. I learned a lot about client management, agency-client communications, and how to treat employees and coworkers from Tim. He and Tom set a culture in which family came first, and business worked to support family. It's a culture I've also come to appreciate in Omniture. If I ever run my own business, I want to do it like Tim. He blogs at deepdive.rodgerstownsend.com.

I should've thought to post this on Fathers Day, and didn't... and by posting it today, I run the risk of alienating the women who have had a big impact on my life. But we'll just call it my "Founding Fathers" post for Independence Day, and I'll promise to post a post on the women who impacted my life in the coming months.

In all honesty, what got me thinking about this today was a post by Seth Godin on "What to do with special requests."

Seth's idea was not a new one to me. In fact, it's something I learned from Tim Rodgers, and how he expected us to handle special client requests at the agency - never say "no." Always say "yes", but with the qualification of the extra costs involved, or how the quality of work may suffer as a result of the rush request. Nine times out of ten, the client would relent and agree with a later delivery date in exchange for their usual prices and quality of work.

Thinking back to how Tim had taught me Seth's point years ago got me thinking about these great men in my life; my "Founding Fathers." And today, as I reflect and prepare for Independence Day and a week hanging out with the family, I'm thankful for these great men.

This month, all comments on all posts score you entries into a drawing for a $25 Starbucks Card. Click here for info, or to subscribe to email updates of new posts. Every word of every comment in July equals one entry, so share your thoughts and feedback below.

Keep Dreaming... and Keep Going!

2009-07-03T15:43:06Z

A friend of ours from church just posted this link to the 1st place essay that her daughter wrote for the Patriots in the Park celebration in Granite City this week. Congrats, Lillie. Great essay on having dreams and working on them!

Then, I come to realize that a few more friends' kids essays were also winners. Josh's came in 2nd place among 7th graders. And Freddy's took 2nd place among 5th garders.

Now that I notice, in fact, Holy Family & St. Elizabeth rocked the essay contest. Among 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place winners in grades K-8, Holy Family had 12 and St. Elizabeth had 4. That's 16 of the 26 winners! Frohardt and Coolidge each had 3, Grigsby had 2, and Niedringhaus and Mitchell each had 1. Very cool for our Catholic schools in Granite!

Read the essays: Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, and high school.

Happy Feast Day, Thomas!

2009-07-03T13:53:15Z

Today the Church universal celebrates the feast day of St. Thomas. This is special to us, of course, as Thomas Xavier is the name we gave our first-born son. Here's a picture of him, yesterday at the Zoo, showing me how the one-legged bird stands on one leg.

Most people think of the Thomas of the Gospel as "Doubting Thomas", but it was a homily by Father Michael Doody at SLU 10 PM Mass at St. Francis Xavier College Church that changed our minds on that. Father Doody reminded us that while the rest of the Apostles had locked themselves in the upper room for fear of the Jews, Thomas was the one brave enough to already be facing the world. We heard that homily and drove home talking about how "Thomas" would be a great name for a son.

According to tradition, this great man went on to preach the Gospel as far as India. I think Father Doody was right... he's not "Doubting Thomas." He's "Faithful Thomas." Even if he ever was "doubting", it's his eventual faith that we should most remember him by.

Here's what St. Gregory the Great had to say about Thomas (my emphasis added):

In a marvelous way God's mercy arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his master's body, should heal our own wounds of disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, then felt Christ's wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the Resurrection.

Two years ago, we bought Thomas his first guitar in a shop in Nashville, TN (we were on our last "3 person family trip" there before Matthew was born.) He still has it and plays it almost every day. On the side, we inscribed "Thomas Xavier - Opryland Nashville - Feast of St. Thomas - July 3, 2007 - Love, Mom & Dad." I still smile every time I look at that.

This year, he and his brother are living it up at grandma and grandpa's, and feasting on pizza this evening at their house. I'll make him a big feast day treat when he gets home tonight.

Happy feast day, son!

Staycation Day 1: St. Louis Zoo

2009-07-03T02:58:55Z

Today was my first of 11 days in a row off work. Although Suzanne still worked today (and tomorrow), I still used it as day one of our little "Staycation" of the coming week. So I left Matthew with Mary and used the day to take Thomas to the Zoo solo. We had registered him for another of their educational programs - this one a 1 1/2 hour session titled "Habitat Discoveries."

We had a wonderful, relaxing day - father and son.

We got to the zoo about an hour early and walked around a bit before his program, seeing some bears and penguins. Thomas loves the "zoo programs", as he calls them.

Honestly, I think the education programs for kids at the St. Louis Zoo are one of the best kept secrets in St. Louis. As Zoo members, it's easy to pick a few, since we get registration priority and a discount on the fees (plus the other benefits like free parking in the Zoo lots, discounts all over the Zoo, etc.)

Today's program, "Habitat Discoveries" helped him learn about the traits of an animal ("What makes an animal an animal?") and the attributes that are necessary in an animal's habitat (shelter, food, water, space.) It was great. We learned, built habitats, explored habitats, and pet animals. Fantastic job, Mr. Michael from the Zoo!

A funny interchange from the start of the program:

Mr. Michael: [Holds up a rock] Is this an animal?

Kid: No. It's a rock.

Mr. Michael: How do we know it's not an animal?

Kid: Because it's a rock.

After the program, we visited the new Stingrays at Caribbean Cove to see and pet the stingrays. This new attraction at the Zoo is awesome! I pet my first stingray today, and was happy Thomas convinced me to check it out with him.

Then we walked around some more of the Zoo - we had set a goal of seeing kangaroos, since Thomas had never seen the kangaroos on a previous visit (or so he claims, at least.) We saw the kangaroos and a bunch of other animals up around the Red Rocks corner of the Zoo. In fact, Thomas informed me that the Somali Wild Ass at the Zoo is the one that Mary and Joseph borrowed to ride to Bethlehem to give birth to Jesus. That's a heck of an old ass.

Thomas talked me into a bonus: a lunch of a pretzel and a bottle of water. Smart kid.

As we left the Zoo, we met Byron von Rosenberg, the author of I Don't Want to Kiss a Llama. He read us the book (it's great!) and we bought an autographed copy. It was a fantastic bed time story tonight.

Today got me really excited about our plans for the coming days as we enjoy the weekend and next week as family.

Tomorrow for me: a solo sabbatical day to catch up on reading, writing, and reflection.

July Giveaway: $25 Starbucks Card

2009-07-02T04:49:50Z

Starting NOW, through the month of July, every WORD in every comment you make on a post here on BreadAlive.com will earn one entry into a drawing - to be held August 1 - for a $25 Starbucks Card.

The more words in the more comments you post here on BreadAlive.com in June the more chances you have to win. Comments on any post (even older ones) count. The identity for your entry will come from your identity as a commenter.

Comments here on the blog count toward the contest.

Keep it clean, thoughtful, and Christian. Any posts that don't fit in will be deleted, and the respective entry in the drawing voided.

I'd encourage you to follow BreadAlive in your RSS reader, subscribe via email, or follow on Twitter and/or Facebook to stay on top of new posts and find things on which to comment.

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Comment away... and good luck!

June Borders Gift Card Contest Results

2009-07-02T04:44:48Z

I ran a contest here on Bread Alive through the month of June - every single word that you posted in every comment on the blog in the month of June secured you one entry in a drawing for a $25 Borders Gift Card.

The entries in the drawing stacked up as follows, based on the words from each person's comments through the month:

Dutchman: 233

Maggi D.: 198

Mary Jo: 174

Reaganite Republican: 139

Mary K.: 121

Gareth W.: 76

Rita H.: 72

Elizabeth K.: 71

Jeanne S.: 65

John G.: 48

Joe M.: 32

Heidi D.: 23

Jenn L.: 23

Ben M.: 4

And after putting together the entries for each and pulling out of Thomas big crayon box here in the office, the winner is...

MAGGI D.!

Congratulations, Maggi. I'll email you to work out how to get the gift card to you.

Gotta Learn the Snake-Head Trick

2009-07-02T04:15:36Z

Perfect timing, just as I get ready to take Thomas to another Zoo program tomorrow (Habitat Discoveries). Jeff posted this on Facebook - I knew he was my Best Man for a reason...

Pope's Prayer Intentions - July 2009

2009-07-02T04:07:33Z

Pope Benedict XVI's general intention for July 2009 is: "That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation."

His missionary intention is: "That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God's one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country of the world."

U2 "Magnificent" Inspired by the Magnificat / Virgin Mary

2009-07-02T04:00:04Z

Via American Papist...

U2's Bono told Rolling Stone, in a recent interview, that the song Magnificent, from the band's new album "No Line on the Horizon" is inspired by the Blessed Virgin Mary, specifically the Magnificat (the famous Song of Mary in the Gospel of Luke)...

"All music for me is worship of one kind or another," says Bono. "Magnificent was inspired by the Magnificat, a passage from the Gospel of Luke in the voice of the Virgin Mary that was previously set to music by Bach... There's this theme running through the album of surrender and devotion and all the things I find really difficult."

Check out the music video:

Granite City Patriots in the Park 2009

2009-07-02T03:47:47Z

Well, it's time for the "biggest July 4th party in the metro-east" right here in Granite City, Patriots in the Park. We plan to walk the couple of blocks to the park at least once - on Saturday night for the fireworks. But here's the full schedule, to keep handy if you're interested in swinging by Wilson Park here in Granite City over the holiday weekend:

2009 "Patriots In The Park" Schedule

Wednesday, July 1st

Carnival and food vendors 6pm-11pm

Granite City Community Swing Band 7:30pm-9pm

Thursday, July 2nd

Carnival and Food Vendors 1pm-11pm

Evening Matinee (all rides $1.50) 6pm-10pm

Pony & Carriage rides ($3.00 per person) 4pm-8pm

Softball Tournament 7:00pm

Friday, July 3rd

5k Run/Walk 7am registration

Youth under 13 ($8 in advance $10 race day) 8am start time

Adult ($17 in advance $20 race day)

Carnival and Food vendors 1pm-11pm

Armband Day ($16 each) 1pm-5pm

Pony & Carriage rides ($3.00 per person) 4pm-8pm

Patriot Idol Contest 6:30pm

Softball Tournament All Day

Saturday, July 4th

Carnival and Food Vendors 1pm-11pm

Coolidge Main Stage:

Gospel/patriotic performance 6pm-7pm

Warren Barfield

"Hometown Song"

Alicia Schaefer & the idea lab 7pm

High School Essay Winner 7:25

Greater St. Louis Parachute Club Demonstration 7:30-7:45

Patriot Idol Winner 7:45pm

Patriot Junior Choir & Master's Voice Choir 8pm

Fireworks 9:15pm

Sunday July 5th

Car Show ($20.00 per car) 8am registration

Noon show

Fireman's Rodeo 10am

High school Parking Lot

Family Fun day Noon - 4pm

Granite City K-9 Unit

Face painting

Crafts

Granite City Park District Gymnastics Demonstration

Patriot Paws Dog Show ($1.00 entry fee) 1pm

Carnival Rides and Food Vendors 1pm-4pm

Afternoon Matinee (all rides $1.50) 1pm-4pm

Softball Tournament Finals

Archbishop George Lucas Receives Pallium from BXVI

2009-07-02T03:35:40Z

I've been so busy prepping for vacation this week that I haven't posted a thing... but I will post some stuff the next few days. The first, but not least of which, was very cool to see: a photo of our departing Bishop George Lucas, who is now Archbishop-designate of Omaha, receiving the Pallium from Pope Benedict XVI in Rome this week. Very. Cool. And a great man. Thanks for all you've done in our diocese, (Arch)bishop Lucas... and Godspeed to you!

The great global warming swindle

2009-06-29T04:23:38Z

"Global warming" & "swindle" in the same title? Uh oh. Glad cap and trade passed the House on Friday.

the.great.global.warming.swindle

Wow. Are our City Council meetings like this?

2009-06-28T03:24:11Z

So not everyone is always happy with what their elected representatives. But now, thanks to Santa Cruz, CA, we can all get a glimpse of what our elected representatives sometimes have to see of us. And it ain't all pretty. Actually, some of it's downright funny.

This week in Public Comment...

New Deacons in Worcester - One is 35

2009-06-27T20:49:34Z

In the diocese of Worcester, MA last week, Bishop McManus ordained seven men as permanent deacons, including the youngest yet in the diocese, Colin M. J. Novick, who at age 35 is the youngest a man can be ordained a permanent deacon. At ordination, he had two daughters, ages 3 and 7.

At Mass at St. Paul Cathedral Bishop McManus ordained the seven husbands and fathers: John N. Barton, Michael T. Chase, William M. Griffin, Colin M. J. Novick, Paul F. Pizzarella, Court J. Shields and Anthony J. Xatse. The bishop offered special thanks to their wives and families.

Permanent deacons are clergy who are ordained to the ministry of service, not the ministerial priesthood, the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults says. They may baptize, proclaim the Gospel, preach, preside at funerals, assist at and bless marriages and assist the bishop or priest in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Congrats, Deacons! Read the whole article.