I’m Guest-Posting at CatholicMom.com

Mark Alves Faith

Mark Alves Excerpt on CatholicMom.comThe CatholicMom.com team assigned me a Gospel reading to write a reflection about.

And it wasn’t one of those easy readings.

My reflection begins with If this Gospel about unexpected visits and severe beatings doesn’t grab your attention, I don’t know what will.

They gave me a little more room on their site than I have with my daily reflections on Twitter that I share on @todaysreadings. Thankfully, given it was a challenging reading. Read the rest of my guest post reflection over at CatholicMom.com.

The reflection is based on the readings for the Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs (Lectionary: 475, Cycle II, Year C Luke 12, 39-48 via USCCB).

If you’re looking for resources related to the Sunday Gospel, check CatholicMom’s Sunday Gospel Section.

Talking SEO on the Productive Catholic Podcast

Mark Alves SEM/SEO

On May 7, 2015 I appeared on Dean Soto’s Productive Catholic podcast. Here are some of the links I mentioned.

Google Mobile Tester: Does your site pass Mobilegeddon:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

Claim your organization on Google Plus: https://support.google.com/business/answer/2911778?hl=en&rd=1

Me: @markalves on Twitter

Daily readings: @todaysreadings

#Ashtag 2015 – Official Meme of Ash Wednesday Masses

Mark Alves Social Media

Can we top Ash Wednesday 2014 when we got #ashtag trending internationally with a meme of the Ellen selfie at the Oscar?

You’ve got two choices for 2015:

1) Left Shark and Katy Perry getting their ash on!

leftshark-ashtag-markalves-
Square (great for Instagram)
leftshark-gplus-markalves
Full size
leftshark-tw-markalves
Wide (2×1) for Twitter

2) Fifty Shades of Grey if you’re feeling a bit saucier.

50shades-fb-ashtag-markaves

Please share these and spread the word about the start of Lent. A bit of humor can be a great way of starting a deeper conversation.

How Church Imitates Baseball – #OpeningDay

Mark Alves Content Ideas

Opening Day in 2014 falls right after Laetare Sunday, giving us two opportunities to recognize that our long winter will not continue indefinitely. Last night’s flurries in DC, I must confess, briefly shook my confidence in that previous statement.

So how are church and baseball connected. Leo Durocher said, “Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.” But my wife, sister-in-law and I found many more similarities between church and baseball that we’ve noted before. We were welcoming a friend and baseball fan into the Church one Easter in the early 1990s when we came up with this lis:

Top 10 Ways Going to Church Imitates Baseball 10. Sometimes you stand and sing, other times you sit. 9. It can go into extra innings. 8. Hard to follow without a program. 7. Organ music. 6. Uncomfortable seats. 5. Sometimes you spend more than you want to. 4. Gotta know how to read the signs. 3. Long line for alcohol. 2. You’re preparing for post-season play. And the number 1 way going to church imitates baseball… 1. Ultimately, if you screw up, you get sent down.
10 ways church imitates baseball.

Top 10 Ways Going to Church Imitates Baseball

10. Sometimes you stand and sing, other times you sit.

9. It can go into extra innings.

8. Hard to follow without a program.

7. Organ music.

6. Uncomfortable seats.

5. Sometimes you spend more than you want to.

4. Gotta know how to read the signs.

3. Long line for alcohol.

2. You’re preparing for post-season play.

And the number 1 way going to church imitates baseball…

1. Ultimately, if you screw up, you get sent down.

 

If you’re making a good Lent, you’ll have a clean slate just like all the Opening Day teams. Enjoy your season and let us know any other similarities we can add to the list!