While visiting this Iphone App Site, I found that 5 of the top 10 applications involve mobile porn apps.  Is there anywhere a man can go in today’s society and not be bombarded with the message sexual gratification at all costs.

What have we become, when pornography has pervaded the culture so deeply, that it is something no longer done in secrecy and shame, but while sitting on the bus or at a desk with an iphone in hand.

This weekend at Steubenville on the Bayou, Deacon Ralph Poyo called on all of the young men to stand up and be leaders.  He said that men must reclaim there masculinity if the culture is to survive.

Let us pray that God shows us this authentic masculinity that we are called to, and that he give us all the divine courage to stand against this.

But video games did have a dramatic effect on me.  Where the generation before me sought entertainment through playing kickball and hide-and-seek in the empty lots and cane fields of rural Louisiana, as a young boy my entertainment value was based upon Donkey Kong, The Mario Brothers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

At the speed of technological advancements, drastic changes in the way people communicate have effected the lives of teenagers that even stands out apart from people who were teenagers 10 years ago (ME).  Where standard communications 10 years ago with friends mostly involved a phone call on a land line, teenagers now stay in touch through things like text messages, instant messages, mySpace bulletins, Facebook Status updates, and tweets.

The point that I am making is that the next generation of Catholic priests and nuns, will be teenagers who have had there lives and communication methods drastically altered by the advancements of communications technology made by the previous generation.  In all the noise of our busy lives though, there needs to be promotion that it is healthy to “unplug”.

These things serve a good purpose, and when used properly can be used for the greater glory of God.  So I think that there should be dialog in the church about ways to use these technologies, in a healthy and mature Christian way.  Because whether we want to accept it or not, the effects of these technologies on daily lives can already be seen in the differences between 27 yr olds (guys like me) and in 17 yr olds (the teenagers we minister to).

This is just one of many ways that clergy and lay people can unite to promote the fullness of the Catholic faith using social media.

Do you know of anyone else doing something similar?

So I finally decided to do it. After considering “it” for two years, I did “it”. Shhssh … yes. “IT”. I switched to a 17inch MacBook Pro last week, and I don’t think I will ever look back. I am running OS X Leopard, with a Parallels partition that boots into Windows XP.  I also have a Bootcamp partition that boots into Windows Vista, and I am considering setting up Ubuntu on here also.

There are definitely some things that are different ( one button mouse, keyboard shortcuts that use the apple key, etc), but these things are minor and can easily be overcome.  So keep following the blog.  I will continue to blog about the switch, document shortcuts and many other things that have to do with using a Mac.

One thing is for sure.  I’m sure glad I won’t have to deal with Vista bugs anymore

There seems to be alot of interest in Catholic Tube and the service we are providing through our small blog. Please pray for us and the work we are doing. And if you have a moment, stop by CNS and check out the article.