The Journey

The Forgotten Syllable

2011-12-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

“Xmas.”
“Christmas.”
“Xmas.”
“Christmas.”
Which one is it?

In modern American culture, some people say “Christmas” while some say “Xmas.” The first syllable of “Christmas” garners much attention. And then there is the forgotten syllable—the second syllable “-mas.” What if anything does this word mean? In attempt to discover the true meaning of Christmas, I’ll dissect the word Christmas in hope of arriving at an answer.

The First Syllable

“Christ”: This is reasonably simple to explain in that “Christos” is a Greek word meaning “anointed one.” The word is attributed to Jesus of Nazareth who is believed to be the “anointed” Son of God. Jesus is the second person of the Most Holy Trinity God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

“X”: When I began contemplating the reasons for using “X” I narrowed it down to two ideas. First, using “X” is a way to eliminate “Christ” from “Christmas” and by doing so the word is separated from religion. Second, “X” is an angled cross symbolizing the crucifixion cross of Jesus.

To answer this question about the origin of “X” I thought it prudent to look up the word’s history. After flipping through the Oxford Dictionary to no success, I threw out the 20th century tool and went to the handy 21st century tool: Wikipedia.

According to the authors, “X” comes from an abbreviated form of the Greek word for Christ, “Χριστος.” Another common use of “Χριστος” is “XP” displayed as a “P” overlaying the “X” in a symbol known as a “labarum.” This too is a symbol for Christ.

Because “X” is an abbreviation for “Christ,” “Xmas” is an abbreviation for “Christmas.” The words are synonymous.

The Forgotten Syllable

Now I get to the unnoticed syllable: “-mas.” What is the meaning of this word?

I use another 21st century tool—the source called Newadvent.org. In regards to the origin of the word “Christmas” it says:

The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038, and Cristes-messe, in 1131.

Wikipedia says: The "-mas" part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass.”

“Mass” comes from the Latin “missa” from which the English word “mission” is derived. “Missa” has the effect “Go” or “It is sent.” Often times a Latin Rite Christian will call their worship service, “mass.”

At “mass” the worshiper comes into communion with Christ through the consecrated bread and wine. Then the worshipper is “sent” out into the world when the priest or the deacon says the dismissal “Go forth, the Mass is ended” or “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” or “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life” or “Go in peace.”

So the forgotten syllable "-mas" calls me to action, to “Go forth.” And thus I arrive at the meaning of “Christmas”: The Mass of Christ. The mission of Christ.

The Catechism explains: “The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of Love (Catechism par. 850).”

Love.

We hear St. John say, “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him (1 John 4:16).” And he says,“…let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God (1 John 4:7).

So this “Christmas” I am called to live the meaning of the full word. I am called to go forth in Christ and for Christ with the Spirit of love.

“Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled (Catechism par. 526).”

Let us all live the “-mas” this “Christmas.”

A Christmas Gift

2010-12-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

Before I begin:
…A series of Christmas Eve church attacks and explosions left at least 38 people dead in two Nigerian cities, and at least six wounded in the Philippines.
The situation was especially tense in Jos in central Nigeria, long a hotspot of ethnic and religious friction. It was hit late Christmas Eve by seven explosions that killed 32 and injured 74, many as they were doing their Christmas shopping, police said.
In Maiduguri in northern Nigeria, suspected members of an Islamist sect that launched an uprising last year attacked three churches, leaving six people dead and one of the churches burnt down, an army spokesman said…
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101226/twl-christmas-world-4bdc673.html\

I am humbled by these news stories.
This Christmas I would like to keep those who are violently persecuted in my prayers, whether it be Christians, or people of any other religion, or people of no religion. May the Lord be with you all.
________________________________________________
I received a great gift from God this Christmas.
It wasn’t an ipad. It wasn’t an Xbox Kinect. And no, it wasn’t a Kindle.
What it was may make some joyful, may make some object, may be of no value to others, or may even incomprehensible.
But to me it was a gift.
It was a great gift, one that brings joy, yet it did not come without a journey-a journey of dialogue, of prayer and of fellowship.
The dialogue started something like this: “I follow the bible,” and continued…
“Oh yes. Do you know who decided which books to include in the bible?”
“The council of Nicea.”
“The council of Nicea taught us the Trinity doctrine. Actually the council of Rome, Carthage and Hippo starting in 382 AD decided which books to be in the New Testament. The Church gave us the bible as we know it today.”
From there stemmed dialogue about Jesus and the history of Christianity and whether Jesus’ historical church existed. We passed through many objections, or in most cases ‘misconceptions’ about this Church.
“In 26 years of my life, nobody has ever explained to me this church,” John said.
“I didn’t know much either, until a few years ago,” I responded.
Born into Protestantism, John had become an atheist at a point in his life, and then he had come to love Jesus in a way that changed his life. He evangelized college students in Santa Cruz, had served as a youth minister at a fellowship, and had performed concerts all over the country at Protestant fellowships.
As the months of dialogue went on, there were times when I thought John would not talk with me again (about religion). At other times, I thought it was a dead end (Ironically, Christians disagree on much).
But I kept praying that the Holy Spirit may open this man’s heart to the Church, if it be God's will.
And then we came across Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20. “I pray not only for them; but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be ONE as you Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”
John hadn’t seen this prayer before, or at least had never thought about it too much. But now seeing this prayer, he asked himself, “Do I follow Jesus’ prayer?”
This was a cross for John.
“It broke my heart to see so much division.” John had said about American Christianity. "If I love Jesus, I will follow His prayer."
John's cross was love.
And so the dialogue went on... and on... and on... until December 18. That is when I received the gift from God.
I held my right arm on his shoulder as we stood among a line of others. The priest said,” Send forth upon them thy sevenfold Spirit the Holy Paraclete." And then he anointed the forehead of each with chrism saying: "I sign thee with the sign of the cross and confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." Finally, he gave a whisper: "peace be with you".
And so it came to be, my friend John for the first time taking the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Eucharist and coming into communion with the universal Church.
He calls it, "his marriage."
Everything came down to love.
A friend asked John, "Can't you love Jesus without being a part of the Church?"
John replied, "Jesus says, 'If you love me, you will obey what I command (John 14:15). And he prays that we be united, for me to eat His flesh and drink His blood (John 6:53)and to reconcile through the church (Matt 18:17)..."

In love I see unity. And through this unity, the world may believe in Jesus Christ (John 17:20). This brings joy to my soul.

Love is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14).

The Christmas gift was love.

May the Lord of love be with all of you and your families this Christmas season.

The Evil One and the Woman

2010-10-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

“I witnessed the angels fall” he said calmly.
“You weren’t even in existence when the angels fell,” John says.
“True that.” The man seems to snap out of what he is claiming. And then says, “I am a fallen angel.”
John turns and looks at me and his lips move with the words ,“This guy has a demon.”
“I witnessed an exorcism by a cult. They came into me,” he says.
Something resembling Ichabod Crane, my legs begin to shake.
“In the name of Jesus, what’s your name?” I ask.
“Beezelbul,” he responds promptly, looking at me in the eyes.
About a week ago, I had been given a book called, “An Exorcist Tells His Story” by Fr. Gabriele Amorth. Fr. Gabriele says that when you encounter a demon mentioned in the bible, you are dealing with a heavyweight. He also says his that his favorite prayer during an exorcism is Philippians 2:10-11:
“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
While the people are bowing, reciting in prayer, he says even the demon-possessed stops and bows at the hearing of this prayer.
As the man continues with his distracting dialogue about Scripture, religion and his life going in and out of what seems to be at times him speaking and at others times, the fallen angel speaking, I begin to read Philippians 2:10-11. His mouth stops and listens. Then when I am finished he continues speaking. I read it again. Again his mouth stops and listens.
Fr. Gabriele says it is difficult to assess demonic-possession for sure, and that only during his initial exorcism can he conclude if there is demonic possession. Quite possibly the man was speaking only on his own, but my body and its shaking legs thought otherwise.
When I get home that night, in the darkness of my room, I cannot but think of Revelation 12:17:
“Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.”
This goes with Genesis 3:15, when God speaks to the serpent:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head and you will strike his heel.”
God put enmity between the evil one and the woman. The evil one was not able to get to the woman who had given birth to the male child, but the evil one wages war against the followers of her son, Jesus Christ. And because the evil one was not able to overcome the woman, he goes after her offspring.
I remind us today that this is the week that it was reported that the woman appeared in the sky of Fatima, Portugal in 1917 (October 13). A reported 70,000 journeyed great distances on muddy trails to witness the promised miracle of Cova da Iria. The woman asked us to have faith in her son, to amend our lives and ask pardon for our sins. And then God provided what has been called, “The Miracle of the Dancing Sun.”
I was ignorant to the details of this story until about a year ago and upon further examination, I learned that the Church has approved these apparitions. In them an angel speaks to three children and then later the woman appears and speaks to them. What the angel and what the woman says to the children has changed my prayer life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_F%C3%A1tima
This is the week of Our Lady of Fatima. The woman who the dragon was not able to overcome, and now the dragon wages war with her offspring.

Jesus’ Final Prayer: Ut Unum Sinct

2010-08-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

A friend recently passed on a quote to me: “The most segregated day in America is Sunday.”

I was left pondering Jesus’ final prayer as recorded by John.
“I pray not only for them; but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be ONE as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be ONE, as we are ONE, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought the perfection as ONE, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:20-23).

Our different “Christian faiths” directly oppose Jesus’ final prayer of being ONE.

St. Paul reminds people to fulfill Jesus’ prayer when he says:
“… so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we attain to the UNITY of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to MATURE manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming…” (Ephesians 4:12-14).

Let us attain the unity of faith and mature manhood for Our Lord.

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Eph. 1:22).
“Rather living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, bring about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).

And what is the importance of us being one?

Jesus says, “that the world may believe the [the Father] sent me.”

An effective evangelizer to Jesus is simply unity of faith.

One faith.
One body building itself up in love.

Let us answer the Lord’s prayer.

May the Almighty and loving God bless you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Every Act

2010-06-07T16:08:00.001-07:00

"Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Your every act should be done with love." (1 Cor. 16:13-14)

My Aunt and the Epiousios Bread

2010-03-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

About 15 months ago
It’s evening. My aunt and I are sitting at the dining room table, just her and I. We’re about to begin reading the gospel of Matthew.

“I’ve never read the bible before,” my aunt says.
“Let’s read from the gospel of Matthew. The gospel is a book about Jesus’ life.”
We begin reading the gospel account.
She shivers.
“This is de ja vu,” she says.
I don’t know what she is speaking about, but I sense something spiritual is happening.
“What do you mean?” I inquire.
“I had a vision a few days ago that we were reading this, just as how we are reading it now. You and I were sitting at this table and we were reading this passage from the bible.”
Premonition.
Amazing. Praise God.
She shivers again.

As we read on, we come to Matthew 6:9, the Lord’s Prayer. She reads the words that Jesus gave us, “give us this day our daily bread.”

“What is ‘our daily bread?” She asks.
“It’s everything we need from God-our spiritual food,” I answer.
“Oh, I thought it meant the bread they give at church,” she responds.

At this time, “our daily bread” for me was mostly Scripture and prayer. I was hungry for them. I would pray and be filled. I would read Scriptures and be filled.

Then, over time “our daily bread” became: Epiousios.

About Two weeks Ago

Two weeks ago, I learned that what my aunt and I had stumbled upon, “our daily bread,” was something truly rare and special in Scripture.

Epiousios.

When our Lord Jesus says, “Give us this day our daily bread,” the word “daily” is translated from the Greek word epiousios.
“Daily?” I know. It doesn’t seem at all special. We use it, well almost daily.
I can say: I go to school daily or I read daily or I brush my teeth daily. “Daily” in our English is not at all special, right?
Yet epiousios is special. How many times does epiousios appear in Scripture?
Not 20 times. Not 10 times. Not 3 times.
Not 2 times.
Only one time. That’s right- once.
We can’t cross-reference this word to determine its meaning. In fact, I’ve read that there has not been another discovery of epiousios in any other ancient Greek literature that is extant. No legal document, no story, no historical account containing epiousios.

Pretty amazing, huh. The word epiousios is seen only in this prayer from our Lord. St. Jerome in his translations used “daily,” but that’s not all. It is interesting to note that there’s another word he uses to translate this word. And that is the word “supersubstantial” or as the Church Catechism says, “super-essential.”

This week

Today, I am reminded of the time my aunt had “premonition.” And I remember her thinking of “our daily bread” as being the bread distributed at church services.

Even though she had never read the bible on her own, I can say that I’ve realized she was giving me a “premonition.” It was the premonition of what I too would come to see as “daily bread.” She was right.

Each morning, through the Lord’s will, I rise from sleep and pray. And an indescribable yearning for our Lord Jesus is within me. I yearn to be in communion with Him. To be filled by Him and with Him.

I read Scripture, pray and spread the good news on my own. I attend a Church history class and I meet with a few people and enjoy fellowship. And the Lord fills me through these experiences.

Yet there is a more powerful way I am being filled. It is a “supersubstantial” way and it has become “super-essential” in my life.

It is when my knees touch the pews of the household of God. I see the truth of who I am and the truth of who Jesus is.
It is when I confess my membership of poor sinnerhood that I repent and beseech the Lord for mercy.
It is when I attentively listen to the Scriptures being read publicly. Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, Gospels…
It is in total humility that I glorify God totality.
And then understanding how an unworthy soul like me could ever partake in the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus I say ,“Lord I am unworthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
To understand this is to understand the love Jesus has for us.
It is with all this in mind and heart, that the Eucharist is placed on my tongue. This is the bread of life.
It is participation in the body and blood of Christ. (1 Cor. 10:16)
That is when I experience…
Epiousios.

This is humility in front of God. This is proclaiming the death of the Lord until he comes (1 Cor. 11:26).
This is partaking in the Last Supper. This is being a beloved disciple at the table with our Lord.
This is communion with our Lord Jesus through the daily mass.
This is love.

This is Epiousios.
An indescribable word for an indescribable experience.
Available to us-
“daily.”

May the Almighty God bless you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lent and... Lint?

2010-02-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

As we prepare for the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus the Christ in a period called “Lent” I am reminded of the word “lint.”

The word “lent” is the Old English word for Spring and in Latin, is a derivation of the Latin term quadragesima or “forty days.” Hence, the Spanish word “cuaresma.” But when I hear the word “lent” in modern American English language, I am reminded of the word “lint.”

Yes, I know, a little odd, right?

But wait, there is meaning to my thoughts.

You see, lint is the clinging fuzzy fluff that accumulates in one’s pockets or navel or on clothes or on lint traps. And this lint is basically useless (barring the advent of a new use for it) and just seems to clog up things. So when I think of “lint,” I think of “accumulation”- accumulation of useless items that prevent something from being clean. A pocket filled with lint, is not a clean pocket and a shirt spotted with lint is not a clean shirt, yet they become clean when they are emptied of this lint.

The “Lint” of my life becomes the accumulation of unimportant items that occupy my energy and focus and takes away from my relationship with our Lord, Jesus. Whether it is the too much television, or lack of prayer time, or not going to mass, or gossip, or being too attached to consumerism, or pride. These accumulate in my life and do not allow be to clean.

You see, lint relates to my life, because little by little the fluff accumulates beginning from a miniscule amount and growing to a considerable amount. That is what “lint” can do to our focus with God. Little by little, the things of the world, can become larger and larger in our lives until they are difficult to remove.
So now comes “Lent.”

This is becoming a period of my life, that by the Lord’s grace I can clean out my “lint.” I can empty my lint from my life. It’s a time for me to empty myself for Jesus. Not that we shouldn’t be emptying ourselves all the time for Jesus, but maybe this is too idealistic for us humans.

Even our Lord Himself, went through a 40 day period of fasting and praying (Matthew 4:1-11). 40 days. My brothers and sisters, that is a finite period of time. That is something we can do. And so through His example, I gain the confidence to say, “With the Lord’s grace, I can do this, too.”

I think about the rosary’s sorrowful mystery called the “Agony of the Garden” (Luke 22:39-46) and I think about how Jesus asked the Father to “take this cup away from me.” His human suffering was finite. It had an end. I think about this phrase, “With the Lord’s grace, I can do this.” Because we know these 40 days too will pass. Whatever temptation we go through to break our devotional promises, remember that we can make it through. And maybe at the end of this time, we go back to accumulating more “lint” but you know, it’ll be less accumulation because we’ve just cleaned out the previous one. And perhaps, your will has become more disciplined now, and you’ll be able to keep lint from accumulating again.

So however we can spend this time preparing for the death and resurrection of our Lord, let us remember that Jesus has already overcome the world. We gather strength from Him to clear out our “lint” that has and is accumulating in our life that takes our focus away from the Lord. Let us discipline our wills this lent. Let us empty our lint and be filled with the grace of God. Let us say, “not my will, but yours be done” as our Lord said in the garden.

Let us ask God for grace this lent because we do not want our Lord Jesus saying to us what he had said to his disciples after he finished his agony in the garden: “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.” (Luke 22:46)
Let us not be found sleeping this Lenten season. Let us clear out our “lint.”

May the Almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mourn for the Unborn

2010-01-22T22:15:00.000-08:00

Amen, amen I say to you my brothers and sisters, each one of us came through the choice of our mother.

As we think about this today, I ask you for your thoughts and prayers tomorrow (Saturday) as many people walk for life through the streets of San Francisco. I ask you to remember all the lives that did not get to see the world and all the people who are affected by abortion, physically and emotionally and spiritually.

Recently I have begun reading “The Faith of the Early Fathers” which is composed of ancient letters of the Early Church Fathers dated from the early centuries. The first document of volume 1 is called the “Didache” or “Teaching of the Twelve Apostles”. Among other commandments the document reads:

“You shall not procure abortion, nor destroy a new-born child.”

I was astounded to see that this teaching was to be found in such an early document of the Church. I was under the impression that, other than despotic leaders trying to kill babies, that this issue was a more modern issue. And in reading this statement, I am led to infer that even in ancient times, people, other than rulers, were killing the unborn.

I was once one of those that didn’t take the time to mourn the unborn; it never became a personal aspect of my spiritual life. Then I began to think about it more and more, and one day I was out praying for a pastor who was jailed for being in front of an abortion clinic, and I began to weep for the souls of the unborn. They are voiceless. They can’t scream when they’re being killed. I began to internalize this pain and this helplessness.

In listening to some speakers, I’ve heard there is a lady who is one who survived an abortion. I looked up her story, an abortion performed at 7 ½ months. This is her story:

Gianna Jessen
Testimony of abortion survivor Gianna Jessen before the Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on April 22, 1996.

My name is Gianna Jessen. I am 19 years of age. I am originally from California, but now reside in Franklin, Tennessee. I am adopted. I have cerebral palsy. My biological mother was 17 years old and seven and one-half months pregnant when she made the decision to have a saline abortion. I am the person she aborted. I lived instead of died.
Fortunately for me the abortionist was not in the clinic when I arrived alive, instead of dead, at 6:00 a.m. on the morning of April 6, 1977. I was early, my death was not expected to be seen until about 9 a.m., when he would probably be arriving for his office hours. I am sure I would not be here today if the abortionist would have been in the clinic as his job is to take life, not sustain it. Some have said I am a "botched abortion", a result of a job not well done.
There were many witnesses to my entry into this world. My biological mother and other young girls in the clinic, who also awaited the death of their babies, were the first to greet me. I am told this was a hysterical moment. Next was a staff nurse who apparently called emergency medical services and had me transferred to a hospital.
I remained in the hospital for almost three months. There was not much hope for me in the beginning. I weighed only two pounds. Today, babies smaller than I was have survived.
A doctor once said I had a great will to live and that I fought for my life. I eventually was able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster care. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a result of the abortion.

I’ve never met Gianna, but in looking her up, I discovered she’s not alone. There are other survivors.

Here in the U.S., we use the Roe v. Wade case to support abortion, yet have you ever wondered what ever happened to “Roe.” Who was she and what does she do today? I’ve learned that she is now a supporter of the Pro-life movement. Praise the Father Almighty and the love he works through.

So, my brothers and sisters, I ask for your thoughts and prayers, even if it is for split seconds, for the unborn. Lord willing, we’ll be marching tomorrow in support of the babies and for the people who are facing that choice.

And if the sympathy for the aborted babies and their mothers haven’t penetrated your soul, let us thank the Blessed Mary for not having an abortion. And if that hasn’t penetrated your souls, let us all do something we can all relate to: Giving thanks to our own mothers for choosing life for us.

May the Almighty God bless you: In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Are we Handmaids?

2009-12-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Over the past week, I have heard three different people tell me eerily similar experiences. One a former atheist, one a family member, and one a priest. Three different people connected by a similar experience. I don’t recall ever hearing such experiences from people, so to hear three different people tell of a similar experience I figured it’s something I’ll reflect on.

This was the experience: A lady speaking to them.

Wow! I don’t mean a lady you see walking down the street, or one you see at the store, or even our biological mother.

I mean a heavenly lady.

On Sunday, I am speaking to a quasi ex-athiest whose faith journey centers around an experience when he planned to commit suicide but was stopped by a sign from God. During this conversation, he tells me that other times in his life, a lady has spoken to him. Distinctly and clearly, she speaks to him.

Maybe the next day, I am speaking to a family member and he says that when he was a child maybe 6 or 7 years old, he would hear a lady say his name. That is all. Only his name. He’d stop what he was doing and run to his mother and ask what she wanted and she’d say something like, “Huh? I didn’t call you.” He says that he remembers those moments distinctly and the lady said only his name. By now, I'm thinking how similar both these stories are.

Then later in the week, I am listening to a CD about the life of a man who when he was 8 years old, was standing in his backyard smelling flowers when he heard his name, “Johnny.” He turned and saw a beautiful lady looking at him. Then she disappeared. He went through life not thinking much of it, he got into fame and money and drugs and the fast lane, and then ended homeless and in the hospital for over a year. One day in the hospital, while lying in his bed, he heard his name, “Johnny” and saw a lady standing in the room and then she disappeared. And after his dark period of life, he emerged and as the Lord would have it, he was called to be a priest. While at St. Peter’s Basilica being ordained, he once again heard a lady say his name, “Johnny” and then he turned and saw a beautiful lady and then she disappeared. He said there were three mothers present that day when he became a priest. His biological mother, Mother Teresa, and then his heavenly mother.

In reflecting on these experiences during this Advent season as we prepare the birth of our Lord and savior, I cannot help but think about our heavenly mother, Mary who is a model for me to imitate during this period of waiting for the Lord.

Imagine that an angel appeared to you and said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Then you became greatly troubled. But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.” And the angel proceeded to tell you how you are going to bear the savior of the world of all time.

First, I would be thinking. Okay is this real? Let me wipe my eyes a bit. Okay, the angel is still there. Let me wipe them again. Second, I would ponder do I really want to give up my life for God. I mean I have many other plans in my life. I’m not ready for children and I’m focusing on my career. Where am I going to live and who is going to pay the bills? But this is what Mary says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Wow! Amazing obedience and humility to the Lord. I mean when do we ever say, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” And if we do, do we mean it wholeheartedly?

And then when Mary learns of this, being chosen by our Father to bear our Savior, what does she do? Sit back and admire herself for being chosen as the Queen of the Prince of Peace? It seems not. It seems she is rejoicing so she sets out in haste and travels to the hill country and visits her cousin Elizabeth. And how does Elizabeth respond? She says, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

And then later, here you are about to give birth to the Son of God, and of all things, God doesn’t even provide a palace or a hotel room for you to have this child. Wandering outside, perhaps sand blowing in your face, your bottom sore from being on a donkey. . . and no hospital or bathtub in sight, let alone some cold Aquafina. I mean c’mon I have Your Son in my womb, please grant me a miracle and put me in a warm, clean room in the inn.

I think by now I would be having serious doubts as to whether this is all true and whether this is going to be fulfilled.

And then you bear the Holy One… not in a room at the inn, but in a manger, of all places. This is our King, our Savior! And He is born where animals live. Is this really our Prince?
But it seems Mary was strong in her faith from the beginning, and the grace of God was upon her. Her cousin Elizabeth had told her, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

So I guess this Advent season I must ask myself, “Do I trust in God like Mary did?” Can I earnestly say “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

And if a heavenly lady ever comes to visit me, if she ever speaks to me and says, "Derrick" while I am smelling flowers in the backyard do I say ,“Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb?" And then ask,“How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

Like an Angel

2009-09-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

I didn’t know that the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael were honored today, but then I read it in my morning prayer book. It was an appropriate time. One name among the three angels stood out. Gabriel.
He is the messenger who announces to Elizabeth the birth of John the Baptist and to the blessed Mary the birth of our Savior. I mean this angel seems to be in charge of some very holy and important messages. And this angel reminded me of a time I met a strange kid while I was kneeling in prayer at church. This is the story:

I sat in the pew of St. Anthony’s Church for the first time in a long time. I recently had moved back home and I’ve liked praying in a rather small, rather humble building. Kind of makes me feel more pious.
On this day, my old baseball coach, the entire choir of the church, comes up to me, takes me outside and asks me to share with the parishioners, the story of when the Lord blessed me- inside the Caribbean prison system.
I said sure, but then I felt overwhelmed because I was going to find myself on the altar, in front of strangers with no planned speech. Memories of ailing bones and chewing bread came to mind.
But I asked the Spirit for wisdom and it provided and when the priest had given a homily asking us to reflect on the questions, “What has Jesus did for us in our life? How has Jesus blessed us?,” it came to me.

So there I was standing on the altar, hiding behind a podium.
“Ask not what Jesus can do for you, but what you can do for Jesus.”
That is what I said.
Sounds familiar, huh?
Anyways, I spoke to the lay faithful, challenging them to think not only of what Jesus has done for us, but what we can do for Jesus, through God’s grace. How we can use our will in accordance to God’s will?

Little did I know, I myself would be challenged by my own words.
That Friday I went to daily mass. Before mass started I was kneeling in prayer, repenting and preparing for communion.
“Hey can you buy me some food?” Somebody whispered.
I looked next to me and there was a man. I gave him a strange look; after all, it was the start of mass! I was worshipping the Lord. Then I noticed a tattoo on his neck, a gang sign.
“After mass,” I said. “Come after mass.”
“Are you going to get me some food,” he asked.
“Pray about it.” I told him.
Then he gave me a sort of “C’mon man” and he walked off. With that attitude I wasn’t giving him anything!

As I kneeled in prayer, I wondered why me? Did I look vulnerable or weak or maybe it was because of my age, which seemed close to his. Was this man going to rob me or kill me? You can never know these days. He was a taller fella, and I got a glimpse of his tattoo, right on the side of his neck. I better not deal with this guy.
But I remembered seeing his face. It was as if he was starving and distressed, so I prayed for him and I prayed that he would come to mass and receive the real food. The bread of life!

In the middle of mass, when the bread was being consecrated, and my eyes were closed, I heard somebody get near me. So close, that I could feel the heat from his body. And that person began to hymn the words along with the priest! I was impressed.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the gang sign tattooed on his neck. It was the man from before. He had decided to come to church. We said the Lord’s Prayers holding hands and I went to get communion, but the man didn’t follow. He stayed kneeling in prayer.

When mass had ended, I asked, “What do you want?”
“A burger and fries and a drink. A number 6.” How in the world did he actually know the number to the value meal at a local joint? Suspicious.
Not wanting the man to follow me to my car, where my wallet was, I told him stay here and repent all your sins.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Gabriel.”
Gabriel?
I thought about the Angel Gabriel.
That is when I felt that it was it was the Lord’s will.

I introduced myself and then he asked, “Are you going to come back?”
“Pray for it and if it be the Lord’s will, I will. Confess and repent.”
I left Gabriel kneeling at the pew, hoping he was repenting and trusting in the Lord, and I walked down the street to a burger joint.
When I got there, it was closed. What would I tell him?
I couldn’t let the Lord and this man down, so I walked a few more blocks. I was sweating by the time I got the store. Okay, I’m out of shape, and it was hot. I was hoping Gabriel didn’t leave yet. I bought some tacos and a soda and walked back to the church.
Gabriel’s trust may have ended, because he was walking out of the church down the street, before I had even arrived.
“Did you repent?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said.
His eyes lit up at the sight of food and the man with the gang sign tattoo said,
“Thank you, Derrick.”
And he gave me a hug, like he had been waiting for food all day.

That was the last time I spoke to Gabriel. I saw him the following Friday, sitting across the street on some grass, but he never came into the church. And I never went out to see him.

Today as we celebrate the day of the angels, I can’t help but think about Gabriel.

It wasn’t that I was like an angel to him, but it was that he was like an angel to me.

He was a messenger from the Lord that delivered this message:
“When I was hungry, you gave me to eat. When I was thirsty you gave me to drink…”

“Whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers, you did unto me.” Matthew 25:35-40

Thank you Lord, for angels.
Have mercy on us.

The Two Week Bible

2009-08-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

MY SPECIAL BIBLE

I’ve had this goal for 2009. Read the entire original books of the bible. Though I sometimes neglected it, with the Lord’s grace, I had read through the entire New Testament and then I had began the Old Testament. Since I was reading through a bible that did not have all the original books, I knew that I would have to buy a bible containing all the books. I didn’t know when to buy it, earlier or later, so I left it up to God through prayer. I prayed for the Lord to show me the bible that I am to buy. Help me decide when and where to get the bible.

About two weeks before I boarded the plane to Guyana, I had found a bible that I felt called to. A Catholic edition with all the original books, and even more enticing, one with thumb tabs! This was the first Catholic edition I had seen with thumb tabs. I was called to purchase it. But with a 45 dollar price tag, I thought otherwise. Maybe EBay was cheaper. So I left.

I asked the Lord for wisdom in this matter. God do you will me to purchase this bible? Will I find a cheaper one? A week later, I went back to the store, prayed to God that his will be done, and I purchased the bible. Two Jacksons and one Hamilton. I still thought it was too expensive. Plus it was plastic wrapped, so I couldn’t see what the print looked like. But the enticing thumb tabs were great.

When I got home that evening, I opened the bible I had been reading. The night before, I had arrived on Ezra- the first page. I unwrapped the new bible and I opened to the page where it’s ribbon marker had been placed. To my astonishment, the ribbon marker had been placed on Ezra, the second page. THE NEXT PAGE! I had been reading the bible since December and on this exact day when I purchased this new bible, the new bible happened to have its ribbon marker on the next page. I praised the Lord for this occurrence.

I felt like this was a divine passing of the torch. I was now to read the new bible. But, what was God telling me in all of this about this bible?

So now I had a new bible, one I liked because it contained the original books, and because it had thumb tabs and the pronunciation of names. I thought I better take extra care for it because it was so expensive. I wouldn’t physically abuse it. I needed to ensure the longevity of it. I would PRESERVE it.

“I will use this one for MANY years,” I thought.

MY BEHIND BARS BIBLE

When I ended up in the Trinidad prison system, God helped sustain my sanity through the bible. Although I had left off in Maccabbees, I chose to read Job since I thought of Job’s distress. I began on Friday night, the first page of Job. When I tired, I used the bible as a pillow. I was leaning on God for all my understanding- LITERALLY.

I was transported to a different cell on Saturday and I stayed there until Monday. In my cell of 5 inmates, we read the book of Acts when the apostles are in prison. They pray and sing hymns and miraculously are let out. This strengthened our jail’s faith. The inmates asked for passages on forgiveness, so we read parts of the Gospels on Jesus speaking about repentance and forgiveness. And when a cell mate mentioned God and another god, we read the 1st commandment- there is only one God. Other inmates read the bible. I noticed they looked at Psalms. I was amazed at God’s living word inside the cell.

We also prayed the Our Father, and the Hail Mary and asked God for mercy and just punishment. The inmates wanted to pray communally so often that I even told them, once that we’ll pray later. I didn’t have the zeal at the moment. Shame on me!

On Saturday night, another inmate used the bible to lean on- literally. And on Sunday night, another inmate too. Wow, the bible must make for a great pillow. As for the physical care for the bible, I had meant to do. Well, we ripped out pages in the appendixes and used them to write on. One inmate wrote a powerful letter, to himself and to God, hoping to change. We spoke about sin, and our struggles with sin. I wrote down a prayer of repentance and asking the Lord for help on one of the pages and I handed it to him. We also used a page to write addresses on them. One I still have. So I PRESERVED that one!

On Sunday late night when three got bailed out, and two new inmates came into the cell, one of them, a scrawny dark skinned boy asked if he could read the bible. Jon-Jon was his name. For the next few hours, I would look over to the cement bench, only to see a dark skinned body and the bible in front of his face! As I and another inmate were getting transported to the court jails, he asked me, “Can I have this bible?”

KEEPING MY SPECIAL BIBLE

All my plans of using the bible for many years came to mind. This bible was SPECIAL to me because it had all the ORIGINAL BOOKS, it had THUMB TABS, it showed me PRONUNCIATIONS of names, and I couldn’t give it away because it cost a whopping 45 BUCKS. Plus, I would need the Living Word while I was in the different prison cells. So I told him:

“Yes, you can have it.” His zealousness was overflowing and I couldn’t deny him the Living Word.

MY PLANS

I had been so eager to go to Guyana. These were my plans.
Yet, I never made it to Guyana. I made it behind bars.

I was so eager to read through this bible for years. These were my plans.
Yet, I never got to read it through. It made it to a boy behind bars.

I had the bible for 14 days. Two weeks. It was the Two Week Bible.

MY LESSONS

I learned to be flexible to God’s will. “Just Do It”, even if it is not your plan. Because that is God’s plan.

It brought me to think about life, how we have plans for our own life, yet we face detours and abrupt stops. What gave me peace was doing God’s will even though it was in the middle of a stench of urine-rearing, mosquito-infested, air- humid like butter, mattress of concrete, place behind bars. It wasn’t what I planned.

I also learned that just like learning skills to be used later for a job, so too are we learning skills to be used for God. Every time we read the Holy Bible, attend church, pray, confess, repent, enjoy fellowship, take the Holy Communion, all these moments can be preparing us to be used for God. All the faithful events I had did in my life, all the faithful training had come into purpose inside the jail cell. Even my struggles with sin, I had learned from and used for God.

THE END

Who would have known about the detours of my plans? A prison? That was the last place I would have imagined to go?
And who knows where that bible, the Living Word is today? Maybe in the hands of a new inmate, maybe in the streets of Trinidad.
Who knows?
Only the one and only, Our Creator and Sustainer….. and Redeemer knows.

May the Almighty God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Living with the Amazon Mosquitoes

2009-07-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

http://ivevocations.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33
For those who do not know, I’ve been moved to go on a mission trip to Guyana. Initially hesitant to go, I prayed for signs from God and I felt the Lord provided me with signs that let me know that this was what I was to do.

Confession

One good thing in the eyes of God that came out of my preparation for this trip was me confessing my sins. I hoped to clean out my spiritual closet before I went. Even though I was confessing for God, I was still nervous about confessing to another person, a priest. But as I walked into the church, it was uplifting to see so many people waiting in line to confess. I mean I was practically standing outside of the church. I had never seen quite a thing outside of Easter time! Yet, the line gave me time to think even more and so I became even a little more nervous.
Wouldn’t it just be easier if I, ummm, just took a little sidestep out of line and ummm, just sat in a pew without anybody noticing? I mean, our father Adam tried to hide too, right?

Why was I nervous about confessing? It seems that it was me realizing how short I fall of God’s glory; it was me realizing my humiliation in front of God. I realized that only by God’s love for us and by his mercy that I could even approach God.

And then what would the human who hears my confession think?

Yet, God’s grace strengthened me and allowed me to be honest to myself and another human being. And in the end, I knew God’s mercy a little better.

Prayer

The prayer of a righteous has great power in its effects. (James 5:16).
As, I head out to South America, I ask for everybody to keep close to God, confess your sins, and pray that God’s love moves everybody we come into contact with.

Also during this preparation time, I have seen the love for God that compelled people to donate large amounts of money to the people of Guyana. This is faith in action, God’s love being demonstrated through human hearts. So I ask that you pray that the money is used for the glory of God.

Please pray for my faith and actions that they be God’s will.

May the almighty God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Do you notice persecution?

2009-06-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

"'Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.' " (Matthew 10:32)

Here's an email I received today from a lady I met in a coffee shop who was presenting the Good News of Jesus to somebody.

Derrick - I received your letter and the template yesterday and I thank you so very much for sending it. I appreciated so very much your note too.

Jeanette and I were so grateful God sent you our way that day at Peet's Coffee. We've shared with several others about your awesome presentation. I do have continued contact with Nila as I teach her girls piano lessons. I plan to invite the girls to Daily Vacation Bible School at my church in August. We keep praying that soon Nila will "see the light" and accept Christ.

Jeanette and our granddaughter Jenna recently spent the weekend at the Muslim Festival in Dearborn, Mi. They were with a group of about 70 Christians who were sponsored by the Arab Christian Perspective group from Anaheim. Interesting - the Dearborn police told them they couldn't share their faith or hand out literature. A Christian lawyer took it to court because it violated our First Amendment Rights. (Dearborn has the highest concentration of Muslims in the USA and hundreds of thousands come to this festival every year.) The court ruled against the Christians. It will be appealed. The group was confined to an isolated area and had to agree (and sign papers) to many restrictions - or it would be an arrest and a four year jail term. In spite of this - they were able to witness there and God gave them many opportunities to share their faith.

God bless you!!!

As I live more in the world, and grow in faith (Even though I sin all the time, but it brings me even closer to God) for the Lord, I feel more presecution. I've attended group prayer outside a jail for a pastor who was jailed for being outside an abortion clinic. I've felt my faith persecuted in the public school setting. I know others who have been persecuted for being faithful. Luckily for us, God is all knowing. He already knew there would be persecution so Jesus has already given us assurance in face of persecution.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (Matthew 5:11)

" ' Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.' " (Matthew 10:32)

If we cling to his words, we can rejoice even in times of persecution. I mean, tradition has it that our very St. Peter and St. Paul were killed for standing firm in their faith. Yet, Paul tells us to rejoice even as he was going to his death.

Do we acknowledge Jesus before men?

Stand firm for Jesus. Peace be with you.

God's Purpose

2009-05-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

My daily life is filled with confusion on what’s God purpose for me. Maybe, you’ve been there, where you’re asking God to show you a sign or lead you somewhere so that you can know what you’re doing is right in His eyes. Then sometimes out of the blue, when you least expect it, it hits you, something happens and you know God’s will was for you to be exactly where you were, at a particular moment. "It was meant to be," you say to yourself.

Well that's what I encountered today. I've been taking BART for a handful of days now. Sitting in the seats drinking my OJ in the morning, all the while thinking how often they clean the upholstery that my back is rubbing up against. In the afternoons I walk from school along desolate railroad tracks to the BART station. Any time I have waiting to the next BART to Dublin/Pleasanton, I spend reflecting, sitting in the open air and then finally opening up the bible and going to the place where I have left off. Yes, Leviticus. A little dry.

Today, I walked back from a teacher union rally with another teacher to a BART station. As we arrived inside the BART station, I was unfamiliar with this station so I wasn’t sure where I was to go, so stood there on the ground floor chatting for a while, not noticing the BART train for me was already waiting on the underground level below. When the other teacher told me that it was my train, I scurried down the escalator only to find as my feet touched the bottom steps, the BART doors were closed and the train was beginning to move. Yes, I would have to wait another 15 minutes. I had missed the train that I was supposed to get on.

After 14 minutes of waiting in the chillness of being underground, my BART train approached and I stepped on sitting in seat close to the door. A few funny middle aged men dressed in plaited shirts and Dockers and the entire business casual look stood there chatting back and forth about their trip to San Francisco and their thoughts on the redwoods. When one man sat down in a seat close to me, while the other stayed standing, the conversation became interesting.

"Carbon dating uses assumptions. It uses the assumption of how much carbon was present thousands of years ago..."

The conversation was heading straight toward God.
As they chatted back and forth, I kept listening, not sure if or how I was to enter the conversation. I waited for several minutes, hoping the two men would see me tuning in, or seeing me smiling. But they didn’t. At last, when the man standing moved closer to me, I looked at one man and then the other and said, “You’re a believer and you’re not.”

Both men looked at me and nodded. “I’ve been working on this one for a while,” the man standing said. “I just don’t have the faith that he does,” the other responded.

I asked him if he had heard the concept of Jesus, because I told him somebody had showed me this diagram a few years ago and that I wanted to share it with him. The man said he was interested in hearing it, and so I got up at sat next to him. For about the next 15 minutes, I shared the synopsis of the bible and the purpose of Jesus. His humble heart agreed with the state of humans falling short of the glory of God. He agreed that he had tried different means in his life to reach God. When I told him about opening his heart to God, I became tearful and shaken in my speech. He began to tear up, too.

As we walked off BART, he could not stop thanking me. “This was meant to happen,” he kept saying.

I pointed to the sky and told him to praise God and have faith. I’ve just a mere person falling short of the glory of God with all of my troubles. That’s why I’m a believer.

I walked out of the BART with the group of men, there were a couple of others in their party, and they gave me their business cards. I walked to my car, rejoicing in the love God has for us. I felt real joy and I knew that it was my purpose to share the good news of Jesus to him. I praised God for allowing me to have a purpose for Him that day.

When I got to my care, I sat in front of the steering wheel praising and praying to God.

“I wasn’t even supposed to get on that BART train.” I thought.

But, now I knew I had ended up getting on the right one. With God you are always on the right one.

For the man who heard the gospel that day, I do not know where he is, whether he has fully accepted Jesus as his savior, but God has given me peace because I know I did what I was supposed to do.

My predicament

2009-04-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

I’m in a predicament. My father once told me that if I did anything wrong, my punishment would be death. But guess what. Even though I knew my punishment, I didn’t take it so seriously, so I stole a bag of chips from a sandwich shop.

Now, I’m caught by my father and he knows all that I did. Now I don’t understand my father fully, why he does the things he does, but I do know this: He is holy, just and loving. Since, he is truly holy, he allows no unholy or wicked children in his house. And since he is just, there must be punishment for my actions. But I got to say at last, he is loving. At this point, I don’t know where this fits in to my situation.

I’m thinking I have two options:
1) I can lie; I can deny it, and claim that I don’t have any punishment coming because I didn’t do anything.
or
2) I can tell the truth, ask for forgiveness, and accept a just punishment.

Hmmmm, what I am to do?

Even though I know there is a punishment for lying, it’s still so easy for me to lie about the whole thing, never take the responsibility, and try to get my way out of the situation.
Maybe my father doesn’t know the whole story. And lying about a little bag of chips isn’t so bad, anyways. Maybe I can escape punishment if I lie.

Now, as I am deciding what to do, a stranger comes to me and says, “Tell the truth, I know what you have done. Yet, I’ll sacrifice myself as payment for the punishment of you stealing the chips. All you have to do is tell the truth, be sorry for your mistake, and believe in me as your just payment.”

At this point, I wish I could undo my stealing of the chips, yet I know that I can’t. I can lie to this stranger and tell him, “Leave, because I am innocent.” Yet, the truth is the truth. It’s in my heart. Now, I am thinking about the seriousness of what I have done. Tears fall down my face because I know what’s done is done. My punishment is death! I weep because I know either I die, or this man will die as a payment for something that I did!

Why would this man pay my punishment for me? Why?

Then the man says, “Do not worry because I will overcome death, because I am a holy sacrifice. I will come back alive!”

I’m confused, and I still haven’t decided what to do. Lie about the whole situation, or tell the truth.

The man says, “I [tell] you that you [will] die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.” (John 8:23)

1) I can choose to lie about stealing the chips, claiming prideful innocence. Hey, I don’t need to pay for a punishment on something that I don’t admit to doing. Yet this man says if I lie, then I will die in my sin.

2) I can believe in the man, obey his instruction, tell the truth and he pays the penalty that I deserve.

I fall down to my knees and tell him, “I did it. I stole the bag of chips and I’m sorry for doing wrong. I don’t want to die, yet it is the just penalty for my action.”

And just before the man is to go pay for my punishment, I look into his eyes and realize that they are the eyes...

Wait I recognize his eyes…

They are the eyes of my very own father! I remember my father is not only just, but he is loving. Yes, as an act of love, my father is going to his death for my wrong actions.

As he walks up the hill to die for my wrong doings, he says…

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)
“The truth will set you free.”(John 8:32)

I cry knowing my wrong doing led to my own father being nailed on a cross. My own action led to somebody dying.

As I mourn, the only peace in my heart is the love from my father.
...
Three days later, as I am weeping on my knees on a dirt road up from the place where my father died, I see a silhouette of a man walking toward me. The shadow nears my kneeling body. I look up and in the sunlight, I see a stranger.

“I told you so…” He grabs my hand.

It’s my father’s voice!

________________________________________________

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar…” (1 John 1:8-10)

What peace it is to know that I didn’t have to pay the punishment I deserved. My own father did it for me. He loves me so much he has forgiven us through the sacrifice of Jesus.

This is the Love we share and the Love we enjoy during Easter!

Cleaning out our home

2009-02-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

We’ve all had the stress of cleaning out our home. Whether our home is an actual home, or a living room, or a bedroom. Whenever this happens, I think, “Where do I begin? In those stacks of receipts, in my pile of clothes, vacuuming…”

Well, our body is our home. Called by St. Paul as being a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor. 6:19). And it too needs to be cleaned. But when I know it’s dirty, I think, “Where do I begin? In my terrible habits, in my terrible thoughts…”

I know this child who has had a history of problems. From fighting, to calling others cuss words, to flipping others off, this child has had his share of evil. And then one day, while he was in the mist of his problems, he sat down and covered his ears up with his hands. He said he heard people yelling at him. Another person told me that the child look possessed.

In detail, he began telling me about horror music playing in his mind along with other nightmares. And this is when I began to pray for the child. I prayed and prayed for the child over several days, and then one day while driving home, I felt a strong calling to fast. The calling was clear. So I fasted and continued to pray.

The child’s behavior began to change, as if something had been lifted off his soul. And the child began to smile more. He said the evil had gone away and that he was going to church.

It’s like when we’ve just threw the last dirty sock into the laundry basket, when we’ve just filed the last receipt, the carpet is clean and the pillows are fluffed. We’re at peace and ready to lie on the bed. With a huge smile.

This is the story of how I learned to clean our house and other’s houses, too.

But we know our houses don’t stay clean forever. Every now and then, the child begins to let the dirt back in, and that is when I begin to pray once more.

“Come to me, all you who are weary, and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)

Slavery by the fear of death

2009-02-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

Have you ever feared death?

“…all [our] lives were held in slavery by [our] fear of death.” (Heb. 2:15)

I have been a slave. I have feared the process of death, how it was to happen. Cancer? Heart attack? Car accident? And then, what will happen after we die? A light? What is heaven like? I have feared out of not fully knowing. I have been held in slavery by the fear of death.

But this is what God did for us.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in [our] humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil- and free [us] who all [our] lives were held in slavery by [our] fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14)

The way to be freed from being held in slavery by the fear of death is through belief that death has been defeated by God.

As we approach death, a death that can happen at any moment, let us hope that we can say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept my faith.”(2 Tim. 4:7).

Then we will be able to say:

Free at last! Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.

Power of Prayer or Merely Coincidence?

2009-01-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise…” (James 5:13)

Many of you have awesome experiences of answered prayer. I want to share some recent experiences where God has encouraged my own faith. Not amazingly miraculous to the blind eye, yet with a little seed of faith, they are impressive indeed. We can all doubt, but with God all is possible!

A long story made short, but my employer wasn’t crediting me with all of my work experience and with a Friday, November 21st deadline approaching for this work to be credited, I was stressing out about finding a letter from a former principal that stated my work experience. I looked late in the night on Tuesday for the letter. I knew I had put in somewhere... I couldn’t have thrown it away… It must be around here somewhere... Yet, papers were being flipped, bags were being opened, and even the trashcan was being looked into. Yet, I failed to find the letter and it was about 2:00 am. Where was it?

On Wednesday night, I again became stressed about the letter because the deadline wasn’t getting any further away. As I stressed out, I realized that I needed to cry out to God for his peace. So that is what I did, I got on my knees and cried to the Lord. If it’s in your will, let me find the letter. I got up and looked behind a wooden chest. I couldn’t believe my eyes! A letter was tri-folded standing up on the carpet between the chest and the wall. I had looked in the same exact spot the night before!!! I praised God! I don’t know how it got there that night and the only physical explanation is that my aunt went to borrow an external CD drive, which I think was the first time she had ever went to get it, and somehow possibly knocked the letter on the carpet. Anyhow, I didn’t need an physical explanation. I had God to praise!

The power of prayer or merely coincidence? Well, a few weeks later, during parent conference week, we were to turn copies of our report cards to our principal. Well, guess what. I had lost the stack of my finished report cards! A friend of mine assured me by saying, “They’ll show up.” So, patiently with hope I went through about a week and a half meeting with new parents, hoping while looking through all of my grades and reports that they would pop up. I mean they were big, huge copies of reports. Not 8 ½” by 11” but something larger like 14” by 22” and carbon copies of different colors. But as the week went on, I thought maybe a teacher had accidentally picked them up, or maybe they were thrown out. I looked through the room, in all the cabinets and in the classroom library. I mean c’mon they couldn’t be hard to find in one room. Now the end of the week was here, and frustration set in. I couldn’t find them. That is when I went to prayer and asked our Lord for help if it was in his will. My hands opened a cabinet, (I had searched it before) and my eyes went up onto the top shelf, farther back on the shelf this time. I saw the pink and gold colors of the carbon copies of my … Yes, my report cards! The Lord impressed me! I praised God for his glorious power.

Okay, still coincidence? Well over Christmas break, my family decided to watch a movie after dinner in town. I excused myself from watching a movie with family with the hope of cleaning old C: drives for my parents. I went home from dinner and I began to work. Wait, I had forgotten my laptop bag with the floppy disk to clean the C: drives in my parents’ car. Only problem. They were in the movie theater, so I couldn’t call them and I didn’t have the key to their car which was sitting in the movie theatre parking lot. Was I to wait for my parents to return at about 10:30 pm? But, I was leaving the next day to go back to the Bay Area. I couldn’t wait. The drives needed to be cleaned tonight!
I searched the usual spots for extra keys; my father’s drawers, in a purse, and on a counter in the game room. I walked around the house and then finally, I came to my senses. I focused on the Lord. The Lord has the power to help me find an extra set of keys. I have faith in the Lord and if it is his will, he’ll guide me to the keys. I walked into an extra room and saw several jackets lying on the furniture. I don’t know what coat belonged to whom, but I checked one coat. In the pockets, I felt some keys. It couldn’t be…. But is was! It was the keys!! I told the Lord that he impressed me once more, and I praised him even more.

When I told my mother the story of prayer, she seemed to not believe how I had found the keys. Extra keys are always kept in certain places. A coat's pocket is not one of them. It seemed she had not even known where they had been.

They had been lost.

Well, now she knew how I had felt.

And how to find them.

(Share your experiences by making comments. I would love to hear them.)

Coffee Shop Adventures: The Light of the Intense Dark Mocha

2008-12-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44)
"No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." (John 6:65)

As I sat in the corner of a coffee shop on a relaxing Friday night, sipping the last drop of my "Intense Dark Mocha", a clear voice came into my ears.

"I don't know what I believe. I believe in a spirit..."

I peered at the round table in the center of the shop. Many voices were there. My eyes moved around the round table. Like a holiday get-together, a family of relatives, children and parents, were talking about old times. I looked at each one's lips, but nothing matched the words of the voice. I continued to hear this voice clearly through the other voices. I looked at the table once more, more intently. Nothing.

Finally, through the people and the conversing voices, at the opposite corner of the shop, I saw. In that corner sat two teen girls, speaking about beliefs. Seeking God. Because the voice was so clear to my ears, somehown cutting through all the closer voices, I felt I was supposed to share with them the good news.

The shop was closing in several minutes. I was nervous. Should I share the good news to total strangers? I prayed to the Heavenly Father for boldness. My body began to shake of nervousness.

"He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent [Jesus] is a man of truth." (John 7:18)

I walked over to them and shared the good news of Jesus- the gift of grace, the bridge of life eternal. Ryan and Tyler, I pray that your ears hear the good news and that your hearts believe.

"No one can come to [Jesus] unless the Father who sent him draws him."

"... and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44)

Reconciliation

2008-11-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:24)

"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." (Luke 11:28)

A friend told me about importance of reconciliation. He himself had stolen something as a teen and now he was in a position of asking the Lord for blessings. He thought, "How can the Lord answer my prayer if I myself have not done what the Lord has asked? That is to be reconciled." Obeying Matthew 5:24, filled with courage from the Lord, he telephoned the owner of the store he had stolen something from many years earlier. He confessed to the owner what he had done and then agreed on an amount for the price of the item. He sent the owner a check. A few days later his prayer was answered by the Lord.

Upon hearing this story, I too thought about reconciliation for God. About two weeks ago, I personally witnessed to two siblings beginning the process of reconciling in the name of the the Lord after over two decades of disconnect. Two decades! Then I witnessed the Lord blessings that came after the reconcilation.

Ten years ago, I promised to myself and to God to reconcile with a high school classmate over some damage to his property. Over the past few years, I have looked to contact this person yet once I hit a roadblock I stopped searching for him. After reading Jesus' words, and hearing and seeing reconciliation stories, I was determined to contact this man. Once more I typed in www... and began searching the internet for him. Yes, I even signed-up for Myspace and Facebook in hopes to find him. Finally, with an aunt's help, I found a possible number. Then fear crept in.

Was this the correct phone number? How would he respond? What if he was angry? Whate if he demanded huge restitution. These thoughts came into my mind. How difficult it is to confess. Yet, I called on the Lord. He gave me the courage to stop worrying and follow Him.

I called and left a message.

That night, a new number called my phone. Although much deeper than I had remembered, it was the voice I had been looking for. In the name of the Lord I reconciled with him. I confessed to him. We spoke for a long time. We talked about old times. I told him I was calling because of the Lord.

And guess what? He forgave me.
Something was lifted off my heart that night. Today, I walk with more joy in my heart.

"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
It's never too late to reconcile for God and have God's joy come fill your heart even more.

You. Your faith.

2008-10-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years... When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak...
Immediately her bleeding stopped and she was freed from the suffering.
Jesus said to her, "Daughter your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
Mark 5
Out of faith in Jesus, the lady touched his cloak. And you saw what happened.

It is your faith that heals you. It is your faith that saves you.
Your choice.

"Do not be afraid; just believe." (Mark 5:36)

What happened to those in the New Testament?

2008-10-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

It is in the last few years that I have been learning more about my faith, more about my brother Jesus who is the Christ and more about the disciples in the New Testament.

I believe in a man, Jesus. He was an outstanding man, so outstanding that he was arrested and then crucified by man. Think about it. He was tried as a criminal and then executed.

Paul who writes much of the new testament, well, we call him a saint. What happened to him? Well, we was arrested a few times, I think in four different countries. He was beaten and flogged, left in the streets to die. Finally, he was beheaded for his faith.

Peter, a disciple who is also called a saint. Well, he suffered much the same as Paul. Persecuted, arrested and according to tradition, crucified also, only upside down because he felt he wasn't holy enough to be crucified upright like Jesus.

Out of the 12 disciples. One betrayed Jesus, and the other 11 they all suffered and were beheaded or killed.

Only John had the pleasure of being thrown in a hot vat of oil. He lived and was put on the island of Patmos with other criminals, where he received revelations from God. It seems he died of old age.

This is what happened to those who believed in Christ. They were treated as criminals. Many were executed.

Jesus's final words in Matthew

2008-10-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age."

Patience and faith

2008-09-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

"Wait for the Lord and keep his way." Psalm 37:34

When we do not believe or ask "Why Jesus?"

2008-09-09T04:29:00.000-07:00

In my life recently, I have been surrounded by people who do not believe in God and therefore Christ. I recently conversed with an "athiest" and my sister also texted me on her needing help to speak to non-believers. Which is why I write this now, for us believers and for non-believers. I do believe we are destined for physical death. With so many religions, thoughts and philosophies out there, is there an answer for death?
Remember this: "There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12). We are in need of a way to eternal life. So I recently just learned these verses from a friend. God bless him.

1. All have sinned (We can agree to this, usually even non-believers. We are imperfect.)
(Romans 3:23) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We all have made mistakes in our lives. We are imperfect.
Since we are all imperfect (sinful)...
2. Sin's penalty
(Romans 6:23) "For the wages of sin is death." (We are destined for death aren't we?)
Most of us agree with these ideas. Now, how do we have life instead of death?
3. Christ paid the penalty
Now, why Jesus?
(Romans 6:23) "but the gift of God is enternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Truly a gift because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. "This is God's love for us" (Romans 5:8).
4. Salvation Not by Works
(Ephesians 2:8-9) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no once can boast.
5. Receive Christ for salvation
(1 John 5:13) Yet all who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

Assurance of salvation

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." Jesus Christ (John 5:24)

(Heavenly father, bless these words of yours and use them to open our hearts to you and your gift.)

Faith, Healing and a Big Toe

2008-08-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

About five weeks ago, my big toe which has a pin inserted in it from a surgery many years ago, began to hurt. This pain lasted for a few weeks and it was to the point where I was ready to go to a doctor since it was hurting abnormally too much. Maybe there was internal bleeding? Maybe something had gone wrong? The pin, maybe it had moved?

One day, I went out with a friend and spoke to some college students about God and his Son Jesus. We spoke with several people all to different degrees.

When I went home that night, my toe was causing a great deal a pain. I took off my sock and analyzed it. It loooked a little swollen and purple. I was going to have to see a doctor the next day.

That is when I got down on my knees, I confessed all my sins and the I cried out to God to stop the pain. And guess what? The pain went away. It'sbeen about three weeks and the frustrating pain hasn't came back. I still feel a little discomfort now and then, but nothing like what I was experiencing. Better yet, the discomfort brings my focus back to God.

Once, a man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus and said, "Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Jesus touched the man and said, "I am willing. Be clean." Immediately the man was cured.

Jesus heals many times, and what I learned from these miracles is that:
1. It takes FAITH.
The man with leprosy had faith. Notice what he says. He believes that if Jesus was willing, he could heal him. We must BELIEVE in the power of God.

As Jesus tells a Centurion when he asked for his servant, who was paralyzed, to be healed, "Go! It will be done just as your BELIEVED it would." (Matthew 8)

For myself, I believe it takes FAITH, sometimes humbling myself to crying out on my knees. I also believe it takes LOVE for Jesus. Jesus says to show our love for him, we must obey his commands. When he says go out and spread the good news, I felt that was what was I doing that day, in talking to college students. I was expressing my love for Him.

And these are the reasons for healing.

Lord provide us the grace to strengthened our faith. Let us love you by following your commands. Then let us be witness to your blessings.

What seed do we have?

2008-08-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

The parable of the sower (Matthew 13):

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, the seed fell on different places.

Some seed fell on the path. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. Other seed fell among thorns. Still others fell on good soil.

What do you think happened to each seed??? (Gardeners and farmers should know)

The seed on the path- the birds came and ate it up.

The seed on the rocky places- it sprang up quickly in the shallow soil, but then the sun came up and scorched it because it had no root. It withered.

The seed among thorns- the plant grew up, but was choked out.

The seed on the good soil - it produced a crop many times what was sown.

In our life:

When anyone hears of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in their heart. Which seed is this?

Some of us hear the word and at once receives it with joy, but since we have no root, when trouble or persecution come because of the word of God, we quickly fall away. Which seed is this?

Some of us hear the word, but the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. Which seed is this?

Some of us hear the word and understands it. We produce a crop,yeilding much more than what was sown. Which seed is this?

Where is our seed planted?

Let us pray to communicate with God, let us listen to the word of God, let us produce a crop and spread our faith to others. Let us be the seed sown on good soil.

Father, let us be the seed on the good soil. Through your grace strengthen our faith. Give us our daily spiritual food. Let us be honest with you and repent our faults to you. Grant us salvation and lead to us living faithful lives.

In Secret

2008-08-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

Do we do things to be honored by man or by God?

I, myself know I am at fault for doing things to be honored by man. And man's honor leads to my pride which leads to destruction. This is how we do things genuinely for our Father.

Matthew 6

Be careful not to do your 'acts or righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Give to the needy... in secret
Pray to your Father ... in secret
Fast ... in secret

Do not do these things to be praised and honored by man. Do these things genuinely for your Father, who sees what is done in secret, and the Father will reward you.

Father, let me continue to focus on these words of yours and actually put them into practice. I repent for all the times I have done 'acts of righteousness' to be honored by man. Have mercy on my soul. Thank you.

God's Amazing Will

2008-07-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes events happen in our lives that lead us to witness God's Will in amazement. Has this happened to you?

One event occurred this past Sunday July 20, 2008.

A few weeks ago my auntie inquired about reading the bible yet she didn't have a bible. So my aunt and uncle purchased one. My auntie now had a personal bible for the first time in her life.

A few days after this, at about 10 pm, my auntie came to the dining table to learn a little bit about the bible. I was studying "Revelation" and my aunt began to ask me questions about the bible. Where to begin reading? What is the "New" and "Old" Testament?

As we opened to the Gospel of Matthew, my auntie began seeking, reading some verses on her own. She asked about chapter one. "How do you pronounce "Jehoshaphat?"
How should I know?

She asked about the birth of Jesus and how he was conceived.
Then she saw the prayer, "Our Father" in 6:9.
She continued to peruse and seek understanding through Matthew: 6:16, 6:19, 6:24, 6:32, 7:7 (Ask, Seek, Knock), the 7 parables and so on.

Then her lips read Matthew 15:18:

But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean'...

She says:

Whoa. I dreamed that this would happen. That I was sitting with you at this table reading this exact passage.

Chills ran through our bodies.

There are something like 1189 chapters in the bible and 31,103 verses. (via website)
1071 verses in the Gospel of Matthew alone.

"God's Will" is all I could say.

"God's Will."

"Seek and you will find." Matthew 7:7

Thank you Lord for this breath and time today. I want to thank you for that night of July 20, 2008 and bless all those who continue to sow daily. Amen.

The End of the World. Which will You Choose?

2008-06-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Beast out of the Earth (The False Prophet) (There will be a dragon, or Satan, a 1st beast from the sea and a 2nd beast from earth. This passage speaks about the 2nd beast, who is the false prophet.)

“… he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.” (Rev. 13:14-13:17)

“This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” (Rev. 13:18)

“ ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury… He will be tormented with burning sulfur… and the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever.’” (Rev. 14:9)

Even at the end, God gives us a choice. Imagine the situation. In order to survive in this temporal world, in order to “buy or sell” you must receive the mark of the beast. If you do not receive the mark, you will be beheaded. (Rev. 20:4) If you receive the mark you will survive in this temporal world, but you will be tormented with “burning sulfur” forever in the eternal world.

If you resist the mark and resist worship of the beast, your soul will be saved and enjoy the "crown of life" (Rev . 2:10) and the eternal kingdom of God.

It is our choice what path we are to take. For myself, the choice comes down to whether we are willing to give up the things of this temporal world, for the things of the eternal world. Better yet, are you willing to do what is right even if it means losing your physical life?

This is where I, a weak and wretched person, must seek Jesus for some wisdom.
“You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matt. 6:24)
“Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matt. 10:39)
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28)

How many of us do things for the sake of money? I find myself doing this many times. Not to say money is inherently evil. John, a disciple of Jesus was supposedly a man of means, but he warns against the “love” of money. In all our acts, we must acknowledge God. We must love God. Am I being "deceived" by the world? The love of money may drive some to worship the beast, so that they may do business ("buy and sell"). Do I love money or do I love God?

In closing, remember: Jesus’ very first words of preaching were “‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matt. 4:17) and his last words in Revelation are, “‘Yes, I am coming soon.”

If this was to happen right now, on this very day, would you be strong enough to give up the right to "buy and sell" and lose your physical life for God and for the eternal kingdom? Let us not wait too long in preparing ourselves for these decisions.

"Yes, I am coming soon."

(Dear God, I pray that the words on this page are not mine, but yours, the Holy Spirit speaking through me with your wisdom. I repent for my faults. Please speak through me so that no words are misinterpreted. Amen.)

Facing Death

2008-04-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

We must all face death of our flesh. And just like us, Paul an apostle of Christ was facing execution because of his faith in Jesus Christ. He wrote 2 Timothy while he was awaiting execution. This is what he says:

"... the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

Paul knows Jesus Christ has "destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Timothy 1:10) Therefore, Paul is able to face death with strength and unwavering faith.

He says, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever." (2 Timothy 4:18)

This letter was written while Paul was in jail, persecuted for his faith, awaiting his beheading. Because of his strong faith through the grace of God, he is at peace, and is able to stare death of his flesh into the eyes, knowing that eternal life awaits. He has "fought the good fight."

So often do I lose sight of death, yet when I admit my flesh will someday perish, I am able to focus on more meaningful things in my life. I must rely on God's grace.

Paul, facing martyrdom, accepts death gracefully because he knows what awaits him. Have we admitted our mortality to ourselves? It is a humbling experience knowing how fragile our flesh is and how powerless we truly are. Yet, we are offered eternal life, not because of our righteousness but out of God's mercy for us. All we have to do is choose, to have faith, and open the door to God.

Focus our mind

2008-04-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

"... set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-2)

There is flesh- a physical body, a mind- our soul/personality, and a spirit. The mind is a tunnel that links the physical to the spiritual. The mind is a gate and has the will to shut the gate on the spiritual. I struggle with focusing too much on the physical world- money, items, television and the list goes on. As I focus and become addicted emotionally to the physical world, I close the gate on the the spiritual world where God is.

When I open the gate to the spiritual, my life becomes free not controlled by man and the physical world. The spirit inside of me becomes strong and rejoices in the Lord.

Death will come upon us all, but if we believe in God, with our faith in Christ, only our flesh passes and our spirit is eternal. How fragile is life and any moment our breath could be our last. How important for us who are dead to become alive right now.

God's plan

2008-03-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had posted my readings of 1 Corinthians with a particular question for 1 Corinthians 14. The next day while in discussion around the kitchen table, with my aunt and uncle about 1 Corinthians, my uncle mentioned he had a "Bible Commentary" lying around somewhere, possibly in some boxes. It had not been opened atleast since moving into his home which was 12 years ago.
That night, my uncle was moved to find the book, and upon finding it in the garage, and laying it on the kitchen table, something interesting happened. My fingers opened the book to where a bookmark had been placed and the top of the page read "1 Corinthians 11-12."
Though my uncle couldn't recollect how many years past 12 it had been since last using the book, the bookmark had been placed in the exact same bible book that I had a question on that night, 1 Corinthians. I only had to read the next couple of pages to find some answers to my question. We were all astounded.

How powerful for this to happen once more in my life and this leads me to strengthen my belief in God's power and plan.

On a seperate note, last night 3/30 I had a dream of a man holding a revolver to my head, and I calmy asked him, "Do you know God and Christ?" The man gave me a stare both blank and pensive. I only remember having a feeling of spreading the Christ's love to him, I do not remember saying anything more, but the man put down his hand and walked away.

"O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways!" Romans 11:33

1 Corinthians

2008-03-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

2:11 For only the human spirit knows what is truly human. So no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the spirit of God.
2:15 Those who are spiritual discern all things and they themselves are subject to no one else’s scrutiny. Unspiritual are unable to discern spiritual.
They think it is foolishness.
3:7 God gives growth.
3:17 God’s temple is holy and you are that temple.
3:21 So let no one boast about human leaders. The wise will become fools.
10:28 Do not eat it if it has been offered in sacrifice to an idol
“For why should my liberty be subject to the judgement of someone else’s conscience?”
10:31 Do everything for the glory of God… Do not seek my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved.
10:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
11:28 Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgement against themselves.
13:20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need for you’…
14:26 What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
14:22 Paul says that tongues are for unbelievers while prophecies are for believers, but then he says that if we all speak in tongues at when we come together, the unbelievers will say that you are out of your mind, yet if we prophecy an unbeliever who enters is convinced by all and called to account by all. The person will then bow down before God.

I do not understand how it seems Paul says that tongues are for unbelievers and prophecy for believers, then says that to an unbeliever, tongues do not do much, while prophesy will make an unbeliever bow down, but he has just got finished stating prophecy is for believers. What does he mean by 14:22?

15:50 We will all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumphet.
This is speaking about us being perishable, changing into imperishable.

Love for One Another

2008-03-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

Beginning in December of 2007 I began with the goal of reading the New Testament. After having read through the Gospels and Acts, the first verse I read tonight is Romans 13:8. "Owe no one anything, except to love one another... Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law."

A very important and powerful message.

The Beginning

2008-03-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

This is the journey of faith. I do not know where it will lead and I pray for the Holy Spirit for guidance.

The beginning of the journey began with a 3:30 am discussion about God around a dining room table, a coincidently choosing of the exact same chapter of Romans 12 by two people with no previous communication and a person realizing he had dreamed of this conversation a year or two earlier. This night was on Easter day 2008.

A few weeks ago, I saw God in a dream, a massive ball of white light while walking on the beach with my friend and my brother. I was overcome by strength as I became conscious of my dream. The conclusion was rather confusing with an image of me punching the head of a person in a skeleton constume.

Through discussion I later understand the I was fighting death and Satan in the dream. This has led to a deeper seeking of the Holy Spirit and so on this night 3/24/08 one day after celebrating the resurrection, the journey begins.