WATWLISA “What’s Awesome This Week Lisa?” for June 29, 2018

I’ve been looking for a way to share some of the odds and ends that cross my desk each week in a world where you’re overwhelmed by news and information. The truth is that my goofy schedule prohibits me from doing a blog post about each of these, so I’m hoping that by giving you some bullet points I can pass along things that might spark your interest and invite you to dig deeper.

I wish I could promise that this will be a weekly installment. My life is just too unregimented right now to say that I’ll be doing anything every week on a particular day EXCEPT going to Mass on Sundays! The rest of the week is a work in progress. To be honest, that is a blessing of the “empty nest” lifestyle that Greg and I are embracing these days.  I look at all of my younger friends who are in the throes of heavy duty “mom life”, sharing their adorable kid pics on Insta and often wonder, “Is my sharing relevant anymore?” I don’t have any liturgically seasoned crafts to share or any precious snuggle on the couch stories (Greg won’t pose for those!).

But these days, my hours are fully lived in new and exciting ways or passed quietly with good books and great movies. So much information about super projects comes across my desk that deserves sharing! I’ve decided to try this quick update mode for a few weeks and see if it works. To be honest, I was inspired by the weekly “Nice Newsletter” that Dave Delaney does. I always look forward to the tips and news Dave shares. But I’m reticent to commit to sending this by email… if you’d like to receive it that way, please go to my home page at lisahendey.com, scroll down the page, and subscribe to receive my posts by email.

Ok, enough chit-chat. Let’s get to this week’s #watwlisa (and yeah, I am starting my own hashtag for this so you can tell me “what’s awesome” and needs to be shared! And if you tag something #WATWLISA @LisaHendey on Twitter or Instagram, I’ll promise to share it here as long as it’s not objectionable. New book, project or just something cool to share? Tag me and it’ll be here the following Friday!):

My stuff:

(Putting it first not that it’s most awesome but so that I don’t forget)

1. This week’s podcasts:
   1. Lisa Hendey & Friends with Joshua Miller, PhD “Unrepeatable” on stories and vocational calling
   2. CatholicMom Cast with Fr. Rob Galea
2. Son Rise Morning Show Segment – “Using Artificial Intelligence to Spread the Gospel”
3. Publisher’s Weekly mention of an upcoming book project that I am doing with Paraclete Press – more on this very soon!

Other People’s Stuff:

(Have something to share here? Use hashtag #WATWLISA and @LisaHendey to share your news!)

• My favorite band, The Fire, is touring Alaska right now! Follow @FireScottishBand on Instagram to follow the fun.
• I got “MoviePass” this week, so watch for more very quick movie reviews coming soon. This week, I saw Incredibles 2 (which was kinda incredible). “Beachballs” (good!) for strong women, action and adventure, and a family that works together. “Jellyfish” (not so good!) for being a little too long, potty talk, and especially for kind of asserting that stay at home dads don’t know how to do basic stuff. Most of the dads I know are awesome and wouldn’t seem as helpless as poor Mr. Incredible seems when Elastigirl becomes the family breadwinner. (Full CNS review here)
• Love to see awesome youth on fire for the faith? Check out @NotreDameVision and @Go2Steubenville for lots of hope and encouragement
• My buddy Danielle Bean hosted Catholic TV’s This is the Day today!! Watch here!
• Hooray for all of the winners of this year’s Excellence in Publishing Awards from ACP. Lots of great summer reads here!
• Summer Vacation Blues? You can ride along on two cool trips via Instagram! Amy Welborn (@Amy_welborn) is in Japan right now doing lots of awesome stuff! The Catholic Traveler Mountain Butorac (@thecatholictravelers) is currently in the Holy Land – follow him here to armchair travel with the best!
• Trappist beer is brewing in the UK
• Bishop Barron and Word on Fire have an awesome new video project on The Mass
• Japan has a Hello Kitty Bullet Train! (ht Christine Johnson!!)

Since not much can top a “Hello Kitty” bullet train and since this is already long, I’m going to end on that awesome high note. I hope to have more to share next week. Until then, definitely have an awesome Fourth of July!