Review from The Paperback Pursuer

I think young adults will really enjoy Larry Peterson's writing style and humor in this short and uplifting/optimistic read.

http://thepaperbackpursuer.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-123-priest-and-peaches-by-larry.html

Review from Musings of a Bookworm

I liked this more then I thought I would. This is definitely an author to look out for!!

http://www.musings-of-a-bookworm.org/2012/03/this-is-the-priest-and-peaches-by-larry.html

The "Nones" are here--are you One?"

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

By Larry Peterson

Things have changed and things are-a-changing still. This baby-boomer is firmly entrenched in the world of a senior citizen. This place is on a high-up perch where one can pause, look down and see with clarity what was and what is. When I look back about 20 or so years ago there is a small group of people occupying a small corner of the landscape. For some reason their numbers have exploded and now they occupy almost 20% of the American population. These people are called the "Nones". Maybe you are one of them.

The "Nones" are those folks who have no religious affiliation. Except for the atheist and agnostics, the rest do not consider themselves Godless. They just do not think that they need religion to guide them. (this leads to another thought--if God and religion are two different things why all the hysteria about using the name of God in the public square? That can be discussed another time). As you can see, for a guy like me, a Catholic blue-collar, flag-waving type of person, this "None" thing is a bit perplexing.  I want to yell and scream and say----"OH MY GOD!! What's the matter with you people?" But--I and many of my generation are part of why this "None" phenomena has grown and taken hold. We have not passed down our faith and traditions. We have, as Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington has said, "catechized without content".

Protestantism was the majority religion for decades, maybe longer. Now it is under 50%. There are supposedly about 58 million Catholics in the country yet, maybe 16 million practice their faith. That's about 28%. What happened to change the religious landscape? We old fools happened, that's what happened. We let down our guard with our kids and started worrying too much about traumatizing their delicate psyches. We did not want to say "no" to poor little Johnny and Joanie. That was the beginning.

And so the world changes and evolves. I am a cradle Catholic. I am even among the dwindling population of  Catholics that attends not only Sunday mass but daily Mass. Yet I am responsible as are many of my generation. From the religious hierarchy downward and into the home itself and right to the empty supper tables choosing to stare at cell phones instead. We did not transfer the baton. We dropped the baton. Not saying "no" morphed into "Nones".

                              ©Larry Peterson 2012 All Rights Reserved

Review from My Two Blessings

The story is well written with 3 dimensional characters and the Peach kids will steal your heart as you experience all the ups and downs with them. Highly recommend it.

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

Review from Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Many kids would have folded under the pressure and simply threw their hands in the air in surrender, but not these two.

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

Review from Jersey Girl Book Reviews

A heartwarming inspirational book that will pull at your heartstrings.

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

Review from CeCe's Reading & Writing Safari

Love and faith can go a long way to healing and providing strength needed to face hardships.

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

Review from Celtic Lady's Reviews

I found myself tearing up and laughing at the same time over some of the antics of the younger children.

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

Review from Kristal McKerrington

A Young Adult book that had me hooked from page one right through to the last nitty gritty page.

http://kristalmckerringtons.blogspot.com/2012/03/please-welcome-peaches-and-priest.html

"My Pollyanna bubble is ready to burst"

Last week I posted that we Christians (Catholics included) are the latest victims of hate crimes subjected to what seems to be a daily onslaught of ridicule, degradation, mockery, lampooning and defilement. Our President and Secretary of State saw fit to use tax-payer money to  star in a video apologizing to Muslims for a 13 minute movie trailer that offended them.  It depicted the prophet Muhammad in a satirical manner.  I suggested that we Christians should have a tax-payer funded video produced apologizing to us for the "PissChrist" exhibit on display in midtown Manhattan. This exhibit is not satirical, not quite. It cuts to the very core of a Christian's belief system by placing Christ in the artist's urine. Not to worry all you "powers that be". We Christians will do like we always do and make some verbal objections and then turn the other cheek. There will be no anarchical  uprising with plundering and pillaging, mayhem and murder. Rest easy, we Christians do not have to be feared. Now, to the point.

I guess when all is said and done my  pollyanish world view has taken a serious hit. I have discovered that many Christians do not even care about stuff like this. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) asked catholics all over the country to stand behind them in their quest to stop the infiltration into the Catholic church's invasion by a government run amok, an intrusion unprecedented in American history. Forty nine (49) individual lawsuits were filed on the same day in federal courts all around the country to stop the HHS mandate. How did many Catholics respond. They didn't. They did not seem to care. In addition, because of the main stream media's refusal to report about these things, many still do not even know about it. Now the Washington Post comes out and says the latest polls show President Obama leading Mitt Romney by a large margin among Catholic voters. HUH!!! In my pollyanna world this does not even make sense. This Pollyanna's bubble is ready to burst. I'm just  hoping and praying that it holds on a bit longer.