The TrueManhood Podcast Episode 6 – Get to Know Dave DiNuzzo
Dave shares a little about himself in an attempt to connect with the audience. He shares about his life, his wife and kids, his extra curriculars, and other interesting details. Check it out!
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The TrueManhood Podcast Episode 3 – The Devil’s Top 5 Lies
The TrueManhood Podcast, brought to you by TrueManhood Men’s Ministry, in Episode 3, will examine what we believe are the Devil’s Top 5 Lies to win souls. Lie #1: Pornography. #2: Decay of Marriage/Okay of Divorce. #3: Abortion/Contraception. #4: Gender Agenda. #5: Atheism/Secular Humanism
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A TrueMan’s Marriage
I just learned that February 7-14 is National Marriage Week. I guess it’s fitting, with Valentine’s Day and all those commercialized red hearts. Sort of cliche, if you ask me. But, nonetheless, it is a real thing. Even the US Catholic Bishops are behind this. I’m putting this out now, a few days ahead, so you can get thinking, planning, and doing!
I’m all for marriage. It is an incredible blessing to be a married man. It challenges me, no doubt… but at the end of the day, and hopefully at the end of my life, I will be sanctified because of it. There’s really nothing like giving your whole self to someone else for your entirety here on earth. Something to ponder, for sure.
To consider where you are with things in your marriage, or if you aren’t married, to maybe consider what you want in your future marriage, here’s a blurb from the USCCB website on National Marriage Week:
February: A Time To Celebrate Love And Marriage
It’s the month of romance! Here are a couple February events to celebrate love and marriage:
“Let’s Strengthen Marriage” is the theme of National Marriage Week, Feb. 7-14, 2012. National Marriage Week, now in its third year, is a collaborative effort to promote marriage as a benefit to husbands, wives and the community, as well as the best environment in which to raise children. Resources for couples and organizations who want to promote marriage are available on the website.
World Marriage Day will be observed on Sunday, February 12. For more than 30 years this Day has been promoted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter. If you’re looking for resources that your parish can use to celebrate World Marriage Day, check out the WWME website.
In honor of National Marriage Week and World Marriage Day, here are three FAQs that the website frequently responds to.
(1) We just got engaged. Do you have any suggestions for tools that can help us to deepen our relationship?
First, congratulations on your upcoming marriage! Try starting with the Personality Audit. It’s a great way to understand yourself and your fiance(e) better. Family of origin issues arise in many marriages. Take the Family of Origin exercise to discover how your experiences growing up were similar or different. Most of us tend to avoid topics that are sensitive, or where we think we might disagree with our spouse or fiance(e). Here are some ideas for those “Must-Have Conversations” on such topics as intimacy, finances, and commitment.
(2) How can we find a marriage education or marriage enrichment class in our area?
Many organizations—religious and others—offer programs to help couples improve their marital skills. These classes can cover everything from communication and conflict resolution to budgeting and time management. To find a program in your area, try starting with the Smart Marriages directory of programs. Also check out the list of classes on the National Marriage Week website.
Another possibility is to contact your diocesan Family Life Office. For contact information, go to the Family Life Office locator on the homepage. Finally, many couples at all stages of marriage have benefitted from a Marriage Encounter weekend. For information go to the Worldwide Marriage Encounter website.
(3) My spouse and I are experiencing problems in our marriage. Where can we go for help?
First of all, check out the article “Finding Help When Your Marriage in Trouble.” It explains a range of options for couples who are experiencing marital difficulties. If you’re looking for a counselor, try asking your pastor or parish staff member for a recommendation. Many parishes maintain lists of counselors who deal with various issues. The counselor should have specific training and experience in marriage counseling. Many diocesan Catholic Charities offices offer counseling or can refer you. Contact information for Catholic Charities is usually available on the diocesan website.
Couples with serious problems may consider making a Retrouvaille weekend. Retrouvaille has a solid record of bringing couples back from the brink of divorce. Information about local Retrouvaille weekends is available on their website.
TrueMan up!
Abortion – The Problem is Men
January 30, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, cultural manliness, Faith, For Women, manliness, pornography, Virtue
Did you know that we have a holocaust taking place in our country? It’s happening in every state, and it is legal. 4,000 human lives 
are being destroyed each day, and the courts support this innocent slaughter of human life, and we’re supposed to go along with it. Tax dollars, government subsidy, lobbyists, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare; they’re all wrapped up into it. It’s called Abortion.
It is unfathomable that we allow abortion, especially knowing all we know about it. There are countless facts, statistics, and logical arguments why abortion is murder, but I’m not going to get into any of those. I’m going to concentrate on the real problem. The problem with abortion is men.
Why? Plain and simple. 85% of all abortions taking place in America are performed on single women. That means that out of the 4,000 babies that were murdered today, 3,400 of those women who had an abortion were not married, and as many of you know, they feel they have no way out. When single women are out sleeping around, who are they sleeping with? Males. Who gets them pregnant? Males. (Yes, God plays a huge part in the creation of that life, too.) The facts continually lead back to the actions of the men.
If a woman is married, in a safe environment and protected, she isn’t likely to get an abortion. Facts are facts. These women feel led, protected and provided for, thus they welcome a new child. Women who aren’t, don’t. Men – when are we (as a gender) going to stop being selfish and self-serving and start protecting and cherishing women? If you’re not married to her, you have no right to her – don’t touch! She’s not there for your pleasure. Serve her! Take care of her! Love her!!!
I heard a story today of a 20-year-old single woman who recently found out she was pregnant. The sperm
donor (best way to describe him… he isn’t married to her, isn’t her boyfriend, wasn’t even really her friend, just a “meaningless” hookup) told her “I’ll pay for everything. I’ll even give you a ride and drop you off. It’ll be fine.” Class act, right? Is the problem the baby? CERTAINLY NOT! Is the problem the young woman? Not really, although she plays into the equation. The problem is the man. I hate referring to this sort of male as a man, because he most definitely is not living like one.
Men – abortion is only available because we allow it to be… because, in some totally screwed up way, we necessitate it by our actions. Don’t be fooled, abortion is not about women’s health, women’s bodies, or women’s choice. That’s a huge load of garbage. And listen, I’m not saying that women don’t have anything to do with it, certainly they do, but the responsibility is on us. Abortion will cease when men stop sleeping around, stay faithful and monogamous, and stop allowing the abuse, assault and murder of innocent babies. The time is now, brothers.
TrueMan up!
“To Be Thankful…”
November 24, 2010 by admin
Filed under Blog, cultural manliness, Faith, Fatherhood, manliness, Virtue
I’ve been thinking that a number of my posts have been negative examples of males lately, or simply negative in
nature in one way or another. I wanted to post this video of an incredible man. Nick Vujicic is an awesome inspiration. You may have seen him before, but I suggest that you watch this video all the way through. Shortly into the video, he shares some principles for life. The first thing he says is simple, and important considering that tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. He says, “I’ve learned to be thankful.” Simple, but true.
“It’s a lie to think that you’re not good enough. It’s a lie to think that you’re not worth anything.” From Nick Vujicic, the man with no arms or legs. Believe this!
Watch the video, then think of all the times that you’ve wanted something you shouldn’t have, and in turn, have been completely lacking in thankfulness for the things you do have. This guy doesn’t have any arms or legs, for goodness sake! He swims, plays soccer, fishes, drives boats! This man is incredible… what do you have to complain about? Nothing!
I thought a part of the story that is important for men who are either newly married, engaged to be married or hoping to one day be married, was the part of the story when he spoke about not needing hands to hold her heart. Powerful.
TrueMan up!
Celebrity Infidelity Scandals Linked to Pornography?
Here’s my latest article from iibloom.com…
There has been a great deal of drama in the tabloid news lately about celebrities engaging in infidelity. Almost every show, whether it be on cable, radio or online, has at least mentioned these stories, namely the Tiger Woods saga and the Jesse James saga. Society is caught up in the drama, wanting to know each and every piece to the puzzle. Society is enamored by the infidelity of these men, men who have an incredible scope of influence.
The interesting aspect to these stories is that these men seemed to “have it all,” yet they show us that they are incredibly empty inside. These men had power, influence, riches, everything and anything money could buy, respected corporate endorsements, celebrity status, beautiful children and incredible wives; what was missing that they had to act out in sexual infidelity? I will venture a possible scenario: could it be that these men have/had an addiction to pornography? This assertion may seem off-base and farfetched at first glance, so please allow me to explain.
When a man has an addiction to pornography, his body becomes programmed to search out the next sexual-fix, similar to someone
who is addicted to a chemical drug. As this man continues to ascertain more and more fixes, he becomes desensitized to “the little things” and desires more and more, lowering his guard and accepting acts, thoughts and/or fantasies that he may once have been opposed to. The only way to fulfill these desires is to act on them, which may lead to promiscuity, secrecy, infidelity and increased sexual behavior. At the heart of an addiction to pornography is selfishness, a selfishness that disregards responsibility, relationships and ultimately, God. Could it be, then, that Tiger and Jesse were involved in the use of pornography leading up to and during their marriages, which includes their sexual exploits?
It’s not the same for every man…
Simply being a celebrity does not mean that someone is a good role model. So often in society, the media portrays men and women of celebrity stature to be role models. The portrayal seemingly stems from their time in the limelight. If people are interested in you, then obviously you are qualified to be a role model. (Wrong.) The more someone is discussed on TMZ, Extra or YouTube, the more their proverbial stock rises. A celebrity’s stock may rise because they just won an award for a great role in a movie, or because they were just awarded MVP of their sport, or possibly because of a charity event they sponsored that raised money for a worthy cause. However, a celebrity’s stock may also rise if they’ve been arrested, are getting a divorce or have just entered “rehab.”
The scope of influence that a celebrity has, especially celebrities like Tiger Woods and Jesse James, is astronomical. Young children, and even grown men, alter their lifestyles to be more like these kinds of guys, all because their lifestyles look glamorous. When the glamour fades away, and the truth is exposed, we see clearly the emptiness and hurt that remains.
Scandal, Scandal Everywhere
May 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under Blog, Faith, Fatherhood
Does anyone else feel like Satan is really attacking the Church hard the past few weeks? And I don’t just mean his normal tactics; I’m
talking huge attacks. He’s shaking things up close to the foundation and doing major damage in the hearts and minds of many wayward Catholics around the world. It seems like everywhere I look, every article that gets sent to me and every post about the Church on Facebook… it’s all slander, and scandal. In the past day, I read about 12 Catholic priests in South America coming out in favor of ‘gay rights’, about a former Lutheran pastor (married, with 6 children) becoming a Catholic priest and about the controversial statements made by Cardinal Schonborn of Vienna, Austria. These stories don’t shake my faith, but they spark doubt and confusion in the minds of many.
For those who don’t believe in Satan (the Prince of Lies), he exists. You don’t have to believe in him in order for him to exist. Actually, the more you don’t believe in him, the less you acknowledge his presence, the more work he can do in your life. He’s attacking the Church now, I believe, because people’s faith is weak and moral relativism is at an all-time high. Being aware of where you stand is essential in fighting Satan.
What are we to do about these attacks? How can one man, a guy like me, do anything to ‘right wrongs’ in the Church? How can I make a large enough impact to justify doing even one small thing? The answer starts at home. You MUST be living as an authentic disciple of Christ. If you are married, you must be encouraging your wife to do the same. If you have children, you must raise them in the faith. This is not a faith of ‘pick-and-choose’… your faith must be solid and unwaivering. Our faith isn’t individual to us. It is universal, to the entire Church. That prevents us from thinking we can make decisions of faith and morals on our own. If you’re living the faith at home, it translates into living it in the workplace, during leisure time and on vacation (at least it should.) If we live authentic lives for Christ, others will see and will want the joy that we have. This may seem too simplistic for some, but the truth of the matter is that arguing with people about scandals in the Church rarely allows for conversion, and only distances their desire for God.
With all of the scandals hitting the news lately, I encourage all of us to pray heartily for the Church. It is times such as these that we must remain faithful and firm in our resolution to defend against evil.
TrueMan up!
