Blogging Around — Persecution in Nigeria, Coach Jim Harbaugh puts it all on the line for life

 A couple of stories that moved me recently.

“How many more shall be killed before we know peace, security, and freedom in our own land?”

This comes from The Pillar where the email newsletter story caught my attention with this:

Calling what is happening to Christians in Nigeria “persecution” doesn’t really capture the reality. Christians there aren’t just being socially marginalized, or discriminated against. They are being killed, with brutal, unrelenting, metronomic regularity.

A week ago today, Fr. John Mark Cheitnum was abducted alongside Fr. Donatus Cleopas. They were taken from the rectory of Christ the King Parish, in the Lere region of Kaduna. On Tuesday, it was announced that Fr. Cleopas had managed to escape.

Fr. Cheitnum did not escape. After the abduction, the kidnappers forced the priests to run with them from the rectory cross country. They were concerned that Fr. Cheitnum was not fast enough, and he might slow the group down enough to be caught. So they shot him.

Read the story here and pray for Christians in Nigeria.

Coach Jim Harbaugh Tells Team Members He Would Help Raise Their Baby in Event of Unplanned Pregnancy

That's something you don't hear everyday, whether you know a sports coach or not. This is an example of living the faith to the fullest. Read the whole thing at National Catholic Register, but here's a bet to get you going.

In an interview with ESPN, Harbaugh shared how he has told his family, players, and staff members that if they found themselves in an unplanned pregnancy and could not take care of the baby then he and his wife would raise the child.

“I‘ve told [them] the same thing I tell my kids, boys, the girls, same thing I tell our players, our staff members. I encourage them if they have a pregnancy that wasn’t planned, to go through with it, go through with it,” Harbaugh said. “Let that unborn child be born and if at that time, you don‘t feel like you can care for it, you don’t have the means or the wherewithal, then Sarah and I will take that baby.”

He added, “Any player on our team, any female staff member or any staff member or anybody in our family or our extended family that doesn‘t feel like after they have a baby they can take care of it, we got a big house. We’ll raise that baby.”