USEFUL LINKS

Young and old alike will enjoy www.pagat.com, which is a site that compiles the rules of hundreds and hundreds of card games from around the world. You will find all of your familiar favorites, multiple variations on classics, as well as newly invented games. Rules for domino and tile games can also be found. Stop by to start a night of family fun!

Have an old cell phone you don’t use anymore? Have two? Then consider donating your old phone to a charitable organization that recycles them into 911 emergency-use phones. Visit the Secure the Call Foundation at www.donatemycellphone.org to learn more. You can even print a postage-paid label to mail your phone to them.

If you haven’t had a chance to do so, please visit the website for Camp New Happenings. This camp will serve children who have at least one parent in prison. The camp will run from August 10 through the 16th in Rolling Prairie, Indiana. The address is http://www.ednin.org/ednin/file.php/1/NewHappenings.html which can be accessed from the diocesan website, www.ednin.org. Please visit this site to see how you can help make this camp a success.

If you have an interest in gardening, you may want to visit www.faithgardens.org. This site offers ideas about the integration of one’s faith with gardening as well as tips on the proper care of Easter lilies.

“Give It 4 Good” is a project of the Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. This project encourages persons to donate a portion or all of their upcoming tax-rebate stimulus checks to a charitable cause. Visit www.e4gr.org/giveit4good.html to learn more.

As St. Paul’s is experiencing a “baby-boom”, you might want to visit www.angelinthewaters.com. This site features a children’s picture book by Catholic author Regina Doman about the journey we all take coming into this world, God’s presence with us along the way, and our journey into the next. You can either view the book online for free or order a hard copy.

Is praying the Daily Office a habit of yours? If so, consider visiting www.missionstclare.com. The site has the full text of both Morning and Evening Prayer, including the propers for each day. In addition, if you have a Quicktime music player, you can sing along to the accompaniment tracks for selected hymns and canticles. The site also has Noonday Prayer, Compline, and the devotional sections from the Book of Common Prayer. If you have never prayed the Offices before, this site might be a way for you to start.

The Lambeth Conference - a gathering of Anglican bishops from around the world every 10 years - was held last month. Visit The Lambeth Conference Official Website to read about this historic event. In particular, take a look at The Reflections Document - a collection of reflections by the bishops on a number of topics - and Archbishop Rowan Williams' concluding presidential address, both of which provide a good sense of the state of the Communion and where we might be heading.

In addition, Bishop Little has written an extensive and thoughtful reflection on his experience at the Conference. To read the text or to download it, please visit the diocesan website, www.ednin.org .

 

Have an itch to put your vocabulary skills to the test? Visit www.freerice.com to take their quiz and harness your word power for the greater good. Based on the number of correct answers you give, quantities of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program.

If you enjoy to knit or crochet, you may want to check out www.projectlinus.org. Their mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteers.

As the saying goes, “Everyone loves a good mystery.” If you have a love for the mystery novel, check out www.who-dunnit.com. The works of nearly 300 authors are featured there, including that of our very own Jeanne Dams. There are reviews, author profiles, and links to other mystery-related web content to be perused.

Your web browser can serve up a “window” to heaven when you view icons. Simply type “Orthodox icons” into Google and you will come up with hundreds of pages. Some pages, like www.skete.com offer icons for sale. Others display the work of living artisans or images from historic churches. Taking a moment to view an icon and pray is a welcome break at work or at home.

Do you have interest in the topics of food safety and nutrition? If so, you may want to check out www.whattoeatbook.com. This site, run by Dr. Marion Nestle of New York University, is sure to give you some “food for thought” before your next trip to the grocery store.

In nearly a year from now, the 14th Lambeth Conference will be held at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. Given the importance of this event for us as Episcopalians and for our Anglican brothers and sisters worldwide, consider visiting www.lambethconference.org to both learn about the conference’s past, to be informed about this historic moment, and above all to pray in the year to come.

In the archive section, you can read all of the conference’s past resolutions, including Resolution 13 from the first conference in 1867, which reads:

“That we desire to render our hearty thanks to Almighty God for the blessings vouchsafed to us in and by this Conference; and we desire to express our hope that this our meeting may hereafter be followed by other meetings to be conducted in the same spirit of brotherly love.”

The website recommends that you use the “Lambeth Prayer” as part of your daily devotions.

Pour down upon us, O God, the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that those who prepare for the Lambeth Conference may be filled with wisdom and understanding.

May they know at work within them that creative energy and vision which belong to our common humanity, made in your image and redeemed by your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Many of us already enjoy the locally grown produce, meat, and dairy products in our area by shopping at the farmers’ markets in South Bend, Niles, and now in Elkhart. However, a farmers’ market is not the only place to find such items. One can join a CSA or co-op, buy from local stands and co-ops, support restaurants that use locally grown food, visit u-pick farms, et cetera. Use the following websites to find family farms, restaurants, grocery stores, and other sources of sustainably grown food in our area: www.localharvest.org  and www.michianagreenpages.org.  If you like a challenge, try the Eat Local Challenge in September 2007, where participants are asked to only eat food that is locally grown. For more information on this week-long event, visit www.eatlocalchallenge.com.

Have an old set of snare drums? Not sure what to do with your recently replaced laser color printer? Received one two many toaster ovens at Christmas? How about donating your items to a non-profit organization in the Michiana area? The Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan and Make A Difference Michiana match up donated items with those organizations in need. For a list of needed items from each organization, go to the following websites: www.volunteerswmi.org and www.makeadifferencemichiana.com. Who knows? You may find that you have more items that can be donated than you thought, including DVDs, videos, eye glasses, and maternity clothing.

Caveat Emptor! Let the buyer beware! This is not only good advice in the marketplace, but in cyberspace as well. Our inboxes can get filled with bogus offers or well-intentioned, but inaccurate information. We are assaulted with potential virus hoaxes or urban legends. But how can you tell what is legitimate or not? The first step is to doublecheck. Don’t just take the source’s word for it. Use a search engine to see what comes up when you enter words from the subject line or message. Second, go to a reputable news or information site that is relevant to the subject at hand. Third, visit a site that specializes in the tracking of misinformation, such as www.snopes.com or others. Always remember to use common sense and to keep a healthy skepticism.

This Lent, use the Internet to invigorate your spiritual life and walk with Christ. For those who have younger and older children, the following websites contain a wide variety of family-friendly ideas for Lent and Holy Week, including coloring book pages for Stations of the Cross, puppet show scripts, special prayers, and recipes.

www.catholicmom.com/kids_lent_activities.htm
www.sfaparish.com/lent_activities.htm
www.faith-at-home.com/tips/easter.html
www.episcopalchurch.org (type in lesson plan)

For adults, the following websites include numerous ideas including articles on the history of Lent, tips on fasting, special prayers, lectionary tie-ins, crossword puzzles, links to relevant art and poetry, and online stations of the cross.

www.churchyear.net/lent.html
www.catholicmom.com/lent.htm
www.episcopalchurch.org
lent.classicalanglican.net/index.php?cat=39

How many of you have ingredients in your kitchen but don’t know what to make for dinner? The Cooking By Numbers website allows you to identify the items already in your pantry and refrigerator and then provides you with recipes based solely on those ingredients. The recipes range from the very simple to the more complex and even
include snacks and desserts. www.cookingbynumbers.com

One year ago, this column was begun. In that time, we’ve given you a wide variety of recommendations from around the world—all at your fingertips thanks to the Internet. However, we encourage you to remember to surf close to home as well. This month we recommend our own diocese’s website: www.ednin.org. It is a great tool providing
information about events in the area and is a connective tissue between members of the
congregations in Northern Indiana. In addition, it is an important connection to Bishop Little. You can use the site to contact him via email. You will find him to be swift and thoughtful in his replies and he will greatly welcome your encouraging words.