Review from Nightly Reading

I would recommend this book for anyone whom is feeling that there is no hope left in the world.

http://nightlyreading.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/the-priest-the-peaches-blog-tour/

Review from Reading Rendezvous Reviewz

...on my bookshelf as 'A Darn Good Read."

http://sidnereading.blogspot.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-blog-tour.html

Review from Write Stuff

A sweet story that left me feeling good!

http://meradethhouston.blogspot.com/2012/03/after-reading-priest-and-peaches.html

Review from A Chick Who Reads

Beautiful story...one I recommend highly to anyone looking for a good read.

http://achickwhoreads.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-review-priest-peaches.html

Review from Sapphyria's Book Reviews

There is a sense of community closeness that is inspiring and uplifting.

http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/virtual-book-tour-review-larry.html

"Have We Christians Become the Victims of Hate Crimes?"

The Muslim world went berserk over a 13 minute video that most of them had never seen but had, from what they had heard, offended the prophet Muhammad. So, by the thousands, they created mayhem, civil disobedience, and anarchy in 20 countries around the world and fiendishly killed our Ambassador to Libya and three of his American associates. The administration said it was a "spontaneous uprising". The embassy issued a statement apologizing for offending  Muhammad in the video.  Wait a minute---it all started on the 11th anniversary of 9/11. Uh--oh--it was planned and Al_Queda was involved. So, after a week of  denials the administration admitted that it was, in fact, a terrorist attack. How about that. Time for a new approach.

So the President of the United States and his Secretary of State took $70,000.00 of taxpayer money and made a video apologizing to the Pakistani people for the video. The President said in the video, "We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others". Secretary Clinton called the video "despicable and reprehensible". As far as Libya is concerned, an intense investigation is under way and those that committed the crimes against the US will be brought to justice. I'll bet those marauding Muslims are shaking in their sandals. To the point---

Taxpayer money has been used to make those apology ads to the Muslim world. What about the Christian world. I am one of those that total one third of the world's population (like 2.3 billion) and over a billion of us are Catholic Christians. How come we can be  mocked and defiled and laughed at whenever someone feels like it?  How come our guy, JESUS CHRIST, who we BELIEVE  is the Messiah and the Son of God, can have His name publicly reviled and His very existence lampooned by the "intellegentsia" of the world? Is it because we are the peace loving folks, the ones who forgive others and therefore we are no threat to anyone? We are not about to blow you up or slit your throats? Is that it?

So what do we Christians get on the heels of the Great Muslim Apology by the President and the Secretary of State. We get "PISS CHRIST". That's what we get. This 1987 "work of art" by the"renowned" artist, Andres Serrano, famous for using urine and feces in his "art", is what we Christians get. Something that was once branded as a "deplorable, despicable (where did we just hear that word) display of vulgarity" and was funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, is what we Christians get. On September 27 an exhibit of "Piss Christ", which is a crucifix with the body of Christ on it immersed in Serrano's urine, goes on display at the Edward Tyler Neham Gallery on upscale W 57th Street in Manhattan. Where is our apology video? You don't think I am deeply offended by this attack on my deepest beliefs,  beliefs that for me and many are the core of our existence. Where is our apology video?

It seems to me that if taxpayer dollars can be used to apologize to those who hate us and want to kill us, and if taxpayer money can be used to fund so called "art" that is repugnant to so many (remember the statue of the Virgin Mary covered with feces at the museum in Brooklyn) then we Christians should get an apology from our government for taking our money and using it to fund programs and people that vilify us. Slowly but surely we Christians are the ones who have become the "victims of hate crimes".

One final thought. Since the United States of America was, in fact, attacked again on 9/11 and on our own soil, I thought that maybe at every football game across America that maybe a moment of silence would have been held in honor of those Americans killed on the new 9/11. Not a PEEP---anywhere or from anyone.

Review from Rondo of a Possible World

The character development within the story was great, i loved the Peaches each and every one of them.

http://rondoofpossibleworld.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-tour-priest-and-peaches-by-larry.html

Review from My Devotional Thoughts

The story is so well-written, engaging, and humorous that I found myself not wanting to put the book down.

http://www.mydevotionalthoughts.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-by-larry-peterson.html

Review from Books and Needlepoint

I am loving this book.

http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-book-review.html

Protecting Idiots--HAPPY 225th BIRTHDAY to our CONSTITUTION

9/11 transformed us forever. Then, on the 11th Anniversary of 9/11, our embassy in Libya was attacked and   four people, including our ambassador, were murdered by extremists who hate us. Make no mistake, an embassy is a nation's sovereign territory and those maniacs who attacked us may well have done it right down at Ground Zero or in Kansas, Oklahoma or in New Jersey. It makes no difference. It is simply a question of location. Today, Sept 17, 2012, it seems as if the world has gone mad. It seems that there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Islamics hating America and everything it stands for. They hate all of  us Americans and everything we have and everything we believe in. They want to kill us.

There is a  great irony that confronts us today, September 17, 2012. It is the 225th birthday of the United States Constitution. This is our document. This is what outlined this "great experiment" in freedom. This is the anniversary of when people were given rights FIRST and the government was instituted to safeguard those rights. That is the governments purpose under the Constitution of the United States of America. We have been blessed.

Freedom of Speech is in the very First Amendment. You see, in America it is okay to be an idiot. You can say the dumbest, most insulting, degrading, condescending, vitriolic kind of stuff in America and the Constitution says it's okay. You might get smacked in the mouth or taken to court but it is not illegal to be an idiot or even a moron. So what is going on this Constitutuon Day? Is there a stifling of free speech being attempted by the powers to be--the government that is supposed to look out for us. Are they doing it under the guise of virtue? Say it ain't so.

It seems some idiot made a 13 minute video that mocked the prophet, Muhammad. Like I said, in America you can be an idiot. But now they are blaming the madness going on in the world, the violence, the destructiuon, the killings, the hate filled rhetoric, on this guy and his idiotic video. The government has him in custody, not for his safety, but because they want to blame someone for what is happening. This idiot did not make people go berserk all over the world. There has to be more to it.  Maybe generations of hatred instilled in a people looking for the least little excuse to plunder and pillage is bubbling over. Maybe the folks running amok are the idiots. Maybe our government should protect its own idiots like it is supposed to. Maybe we should never lose sight of who and what we are as a nation and protect those rights no matter what.

Thank you to James Madison, the 4th President of the United States and the "Father of the Constitution". You did a marvelous job, Mr. President, absolutely marvelous. We owe you big time. (I wonder how many teachers in schools across the country even mentioned what today is)

SO Disappointed with the DNC

I have unceremoniously plodded onward in life and have crossed the senior citizen threshold. Therefore I remember VIVIDLY everything about the assassination of President Kennedy. Part of that entire memory includes his daughter Caroline standing next to her mom as the fallen President's horse drawn casket passed them by. She had just turned six. (Of course, no one who witnessed it will ever forget John John's salute). To the point. Now 55 year old,  Caroline Kennedy was introduced as a guest speaker at the Democratic National Convention. She looked so Kennedyish and for a brief moment, deja-vu, ah Camelot. Then she spoke and Camelot, once again, vanished. What a disappointment.

Caroline first proclaimed her Catholicism and then, to quote, "as a Catholic woman, I take reproductive rights very seriously, and today, they are under attack". HUH ???? Under attack by WHOM???

The Catholic Church of course. Her church. her faith. So, for the sake of political expediency, she spits in her church's face. What's up with this hypocrisy? How can a person profess his or her belief in a church's teachings and then pick and chose which ones they like? What if some outstanding baseball prospect came along and could virtually hit every pitch thrown his way at least 450 feet. But there was one problem--he always hit the ball foul. No matter how hard he tried he could never hit it fair. So he decided to challenge the location of the foul lines and went to court because he wanted his hits to be fair like everyone else who played the game. Far fetched analogy? Why? Foul lines in baseball are the same from Little League up through the Major Leagues. That's it. End of story. The Catholic Church has always been against abortion and contraception. That's it. End of story. Many Catholic women practice birth-control and have been doing so for decades. That is between them and their God. The church will never approve. But the church realizes that people have to live within their own consciences and sort of turns aside a bit when it comes to birth control. When it comes to abortion, the Catholic Church is  much more vocal and adamant in its opposition. Abortion takes a life. It will never change its stance on this topic and will always be there to offer every conceivable alternative to such an act. "Reproductive rights" include contraception, abortafacient drugs and abortion,  including partial-birth and after-birth abortion. "After-birth abortion"--just think about that one. By the way folks, there is no "war on women" being waged by the Catholic Church. It is the other way around; a war on the Catholic Church is being waged by secularists who want their own way.

The DNC also removed the name of GOD from their platform and the word Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. After urging from the President it was put back in but the majority of delegates objected. When did the name of GOD become offensive? Cardinal Dolan's offer to give the closing benediction was at first refused. Then it was accepted. When he gave it the major networks did not broadcast it and afterwards hundreds upon hundreds of "F-Bombs" directed at the Cardinal were posted on Twitter. Why?---was it just because he is a priest and said a prayer asking God to protect life and freedom? 

Along with Caroline Kennedy there are quite a few "Catholics" who denounce their church and preach their own theology.  Vice-president Joe Biden, former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi,  and former presidential candidate John Kerry are a few of the  professed Catholics who approve of abortion and proclaim the wondrous freedom it gives to women everywhere. Sorry folks, just because you say it does not mean that they are going to move the foul lines. You want to make your own rules and then castigate those who might disagree. That is not the way it works. This is not spreading "freedom" but rather it is promoting servitude to one's self. You and all of those like you have no idea what a big disappointment you are to so many.

Review from Mom in Love with Fiction

Sweet and heartwarming, this book is for readers who want to invest in characters and a story full of heart. You will laugh, cry, and take a leap of faith.

http://etjrmbach.blogspot.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-larry-peterson-4.html

Review from Bookworm Lisa

This book is a book about small miracles that make a big difference.

http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-by-larry-peterson.html

Review from Reading from Sanity

My overall feeling when closing the book was one of satisfaction.

http://readingforsanity.blogspot.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-larry-peterson.html

Reading Clean Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to our winner!
MostlyMisha [at] gmail [dot] com

Enter to win the young adult ebook release, The Priest and the Peaches from Tribute Books.

1) Click here to like Tribute Books on Facebook.
2) Leave a comment with your email address.

***

The Priest and the Peaches
by Larry Peterson

Based on a true story...

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

For Dems "Sticks & Stones" have become "Clubs & Boulders"

Two weeks ago the catholic hierarchy was being called radical, extreme and 'out of touch" with the mainstream. Last week Maureen Dowd eviscerated Paul Ryan in her column quoting Tom Morello, of the metal rap band, Rage Against the Machine, who called Paul Ryan  a guy "who is filled with a whole lot of rage"; Rage against women and immigrants and the poor, and gays and even the environment.  Madame Dowd says that beyond the even keeled Ryan mien lurks full-tilt virulence. That's pretty nasty, mean and virulent stuff Madame Dowd and it came from you, not Paul Ryan.

Then we have the Republican National Convention do its thing in Tampa. Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan and now a professor at Berkeley, has written that when Paul Ryan accepted the nomination as candidate for Vice-president he "knowingly lied to the American people". She called Ryan's acceptance speech "lie-larded". No big deal, right? After all, its just politics. Apparently the phrase, "its just politics", seems to be the justification to commit every type of slander know to human kind and to just say things because you have decided to hate people because they disagree with your point of view. I watched the RNC and the commentary coming from the Democratic pundits and news media slowly turned my stomach. The four main words I kept hearing were liars, extremists, radicals, and racists. Then (for me) came the coup-de-grace.

American Pie actor, Jason Biggs, decided that he needed to express his feelings about Paul Ryan and his wife Janna. So he posted the most vile and disgusting sexual references about them on Twitter. He then went on to Twitter about Ann Romney stuff even more vile. "Stick & Stones have now become "Clubs & Boulders". If that had been done to Michelle Obama or the Biden's--well, can you imagine the uproar.

I watched the RNC and  I know what I saw and heard. I heard some classy, professional people, people like , Mia Love, Marco Rubio, Condoleeza Rice, Suzanna Martinez and others give fine speeches never once calling any of their opponents names. Certainly, they gave their opposing view points but their was no vitriol. Clint Eastwood, an American icon, to me was hilarious. I have since heard him called disgusting and deplorable. Can anyone remember when we could poke fun at ourselves and love each other at the same time? What ever happened?

Well, I am a registered Independent. I  don't adhere to any particular party line because I like to think of myself as open to all ideas and vote accordingly. Well, the garbage that has been spewed out by the opponents of Romney & Ryan has made this election for me a no-brainer. We deserve better and our kids and grandkids deserve a better example. Go Romney/Ryan.