The day President Kennedy died I was in my classroom at Saint Nicholas Ukrainian School in Passaic, New Jersey.
I remember Sister Dennis telling us that the president had been shot.We were sent home early and schools were closed for a few days afterwards.
The next few days as we watched the funeral on tv and saw Oswald killed right before our eyes on live tv, nothing made sense in the country I grew up in and loved.
As a young girl I loved President Kennedy and all that he stood for. His wife Jackie was a role model for me and I made a huge scrapbook of every photo and article I could find on her.
This was a day of change and sorrow for me.
As it as at that time, our neighborhood was dirty and quite a scary place at times and now, with the death of our president, things seemed even drearier.
That same year in March my Daddy passed away. He was my knight in shining armor and my whole world just crumbled as much as it could for a twelve year old girl.
My daddy was the one who would tell me its ok and hold me and just let me know everything was all right.
He was the one who lovingly showed me everything I know about loving others and respecting them.
He taught me sports and told me I could do anything a boy could do. He showed me how to do archery and sketch and swim .
He loved science and would talk for hours about the planets,stars and such.
I could go on about my Dad but I just know that 1962 was a horrible year for me.
Nothing made sense and God was far too far to be reached,or so He seemed far.
That was the year I decided to walk far from God, to be uncertain about my future and to be as bad as I could be.
It was also the year I began to fear everyone around me was going to die or have something bad happen to them.
The world around me was like glass sculptures, waiting to break at a moments notice and I was afraid I was going to be the cause of it all.
In these days you did not go to a support group. You had no kind pastor to turn to.
My Mom was in constant mourning and my brother a mess in mourning himself,
I believe that I decided then to do whatever I pleased, to disobey all the rules I had been taught and to become the opposite of what my parents had hoped I would be.
What a year that was. Where were the disciples of Christ, the ones who could show me Jesus?
Thirty years later when I met Jesus, I decided I would pray so my children and grandchildren would find Jesus early in life and never feel the way I did at twelve.
Friday, November 22, 2013
PEOPLE ARE NOT PROJECTS BUT FRIENDS
wE ARE NOT DIRECTORS OF AN ORPHANAGE NOR DO WE GO OVERSEES FOR MISSION TRIPS.
OUR LIVES ARE QUITE SIMPLE IN THAT WE WORK,WORSHIP PRAY AND PLAY TOGETHER.
GOD SENDS US OTHERS TO LOVE AND WORSHIP WITH AND PRAY WITH.
NOW WE HAVE FOUR PEOPLE SENT TO US TO DISCIPLE,LOVE ENCOURAGE AND WELCOME INTO OUR HOMES AND LIVES.
THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT PROJECTS. THEY ARE NOT PART OF A WORLD KNOWN CHARITY OR GROUP.
ACTUALLY THEY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFERING AND HURT AND LOST, WHO NEED TO BE LOVED AND COMFORTED.
GOD IS SO GOOD TO GIVE US OTHERS TO LOVE. THESE BROTHERS AND SISTERS HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN OUR HEARTS AND WE HOPE TO BE THEIR FRIENDS TILL ETERNITY.
RIGHT NOW GOD HAS GIVEN US FOUR.
MAYBE HE WILL SEND US MORE BUT FOR NOW THIS IS THE PERFECT NUMBER OF FRIENDS TO BECOME OUR "FAMILY" IN JESUS.
IT IS NOT EASY BECAUSE THE NEEDS ARE GREAT BUT OUR GOD IS GREATER.
SOME DAYS ARE HARD BECAUSE THEIR ROAD IS FILLED WITH SO MUCH PAIN AND IS A HARD THING TO SEE THEM THROUGH THESE TIMES.
I AM PRIVILEGED TO KNOW THEM AND THEY BLESS US.
I BELIEVE IF WE CARE FOR THE ONES GOD HAS GIVEN US THEY IN TURN WILL GO AND LOVE OTHERS
THIS IS A GREAT THING FOR IT CAN IMPACT THE WORLD IN A SMALL YET SIGNIFICANT WAY
LOVE THE ONES GOD GAVE YOU TO LOVE
HE MAY SEND MORE HE MAY NOT
BUT BE FAITHFUL IN THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU
IT IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY TO SUPPORT MANY PROJECTS OR MISSIONS
START WITH THE ONES CLOSE TO YOU
FOR US IT IS OUR DAUHTER,EACH OTHER AND THESE FOUR OTHERS HE HAS PLACED IN OUR CARE
IF WE ARE FAITHFUL IN THIS WE KNOW HE SMILES
HOW CAN WE CHANGE OUR TOWN IF WE CANNOT BE AN EXAMPLE OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST IN OUR HOMES AND OUR CARE FOR THE ONES HE HAS PLACED WITH US
HOW CAN WE IMPACT THE WORLD IF WE DO NOT START WITH OURSELVES AND THOSE HE HAS GIVEN US TO LOVE?
Thursday, November 21, 2013
CHRISTIAN RIGHT AND LEFT AND ALL IN BETWEEN
So many people are not happy with themselves or their walk with God so they blame the church.
People want to make up their own version of who God is and how He operates, and, they want to live life how they want, so they choose not to attend a church but instead complain about how unfair, judgmental and crucifying so many Christians are. And in many cases they are very right about this.
However are we just saying all these things about the Christian right,left and so in in judgement, not removing the "boulder" from our eyes before removing the splinter from the eyes of others? Are we saying this to justify ourselves, prove we are right and further our "cause" instead of furthering the word of Christ?
Over the years since 1996(my born again experience) and even before that in my Catholic youth, I experienced hypocrisy, hatred, every form of racism and finger pointing you can imagine.
And you know what? That is all okay to me now because I understand something vital and lovely about the body of Christ.
Whether you are Catholic, protestant evangelical or whatever the believers in Christ label themselves, we have all fallen short of perfection ,and, instead form self righteous statements as soon as we accuse one another of ANYTHING we think is unfair or not right in the body of Christ.
When we see injustice and wrong in the church are we condemning it with bitterness and hatred or are we bringing it to God and allowing Him to speak to us about this?
When we state something like, "The so and so group are so self righteous and do not help others" we have already helped out the enemy to another feather in his cap. We spout out our feelings and opinions of other Christians before a believing and unbelieving world and the results are often disunity in the body and more fuel for the enemy's fire.
Yes there are some horrible things going on in the church, many believers are not acing the way they should and yet in the name of Christ they all claim they are just fine and even self righteously good before God.
The whole entire church is a divided body and that keeps the enemy happy my friend.
In Revelation the appeal to the church in Ephesus is to repent and not forsake their first love. However He(God) says that they have this in their favor: they hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which He also hates.
What, "hates? God used the word hate? Yes, it is against practices not people. And He does have some rules that we must follow as His children.
Now to the church in Smyrna, He gives the promise of a reward , a crown of life, though there are many who are slandering them and even causing them suffering, even to death.
The church in Pergamum God has great words for BUT He states there are some in that church who hold to teaching of idols and sexual immorality, and, again He mentions the Nicolaitans.
He asks for repentance,NO, He commands it!!!!
In Sardis God even says something more revealing. He tells the people in this church they say they are alive but they are dead!!!!
However God says He will come like a thief in the night and you will not know when He comes.
He tells them that some are in that church walking with Him and I think that is an important statement.
He promises He will not blot out their names from the Book of Life.
In all these churches there is much bad going on. There are believers who are rebellious, ignorant and living against God's principles.
Like today's churches there are hypocrites, back stabbers,self righteousness and so on.
BUT THERE ARE MANY WHO ARE WALKING WITH GOD!
AND HE PROMISES HE WILL NOT BLOT OUT THEIR NAMES FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE.
HE SAYS HE SEARCHES HEARTS AND MINDS AND WILL REPAY EACH OF YOU ACCORDING TO YOUR DEEDS.(Rev.2:23)
Friends, when we say something about the church today we are talking about the church yesterday too. God knows everything that is going on and He will sort out the wheat from the tares.
I attend a wonderful church, loving and spirit filled, blessed but we are far from perfect.
My daughters church too is spirit filled,loving welcoming yet they too are far from perfect.
And there are others too. I have visited them and been in them recently and I see how, like the churches in Revelation, they are all having good points and weak ones.
I bet there are many in even the churches that are not "so good" that are walking with God and staying true to Him and His commandments in love and truth.
I bet if we start praying for the church and stop bad mouthing it we will see the move of the Holy Spirit on our brothers and sisters in Christ and many repent and turn from evil.
He who is not against us is for us.
If you want to bad mouth something do it to the church of Satan.
I am sure you will find imperfect people in that church too.
I have desired to write this for a very long time and today I just had to write it all down.
People want to make up their own version of who God is and how He operates, and, they want to live life how they want, so they choose not to attend a church but instead complain about how unfair, judgmental and crucifying so many Christians are. And in many cases they are very right about this.
However are we just saying all these things about the Christian right,left and so in in judgement, not removing the "boulder" from our eyes before removing the splinter from the eyes of others? Are we saying this to justify ourselves, prove we are right and further our "cause" instead of furthering the word of Christ?
Over the years since 1996(my born again experience) and even before that in my Catholic youth, I experienced hypocrisy, hatred, every form of racism and finger pointing you can imagine.
And you know what? That is all okay to me now because I understand something vital and lovely about the body of Christ.
Whether you are Catholic, protestant evangelical or whatever the believers in Christ label themselves, we have all fallen short of perfection ,and, instead form self righteous statements as soon as we accuse one another of ANYTHING we think is unfair or not right in the body of Christ.
When we see injustice and wrong in the church are we condemning it with bitterness and hatred or are we bringing it to God and allowing Him to speak to us about this?
When we state something like, "The so and so group are so self righteous and do not help others" we have already helped out the enemy to another feather in his cap. We spout out our feelings and opinions of other Christians before a believing and unbelieving world and the results are often disunity in the body and more fuel for the enemy's fire.
Yes there are some horrible things going on in the church, many believers are not acing the way they should and yet in the name of Christ they all claim they are just fine and even self righteously good before God.
The whole entire church is a divided body and that keeps the enemy happy my friend.
In Revelation the appeal to the church in Ephesus is to repent and not forsake their first love. However He(God) says that they have this in their favor: they hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which He also hates.
What, "hates? God used the word hate? Yes, it is against practices not people. And He does have some rules that we must follow as His children.
Now to the church in Smyrna, He gives the promise of a reward , a crown of life, though there are many who are slandering them and even causing them suffering, even to death.
The church in Pergamum God has great words for BUT He states there are some in that church who hold to teaching of idols and sexual immorality, and, again He mentions the Nicolaitans.
He asks for repentance,NO, He commands it!!!!
In Sardis God even says something more revealing. He tells the people in this church they say they are alive but they are dead!!!!
However God says He will come like a thief in the night and you will not know when He comes.
He tells them that some are in that church walking with Him and I think that is an important statement.
He promises He will not blot out their names from the Book of Life.
In all these churches there is much bad going on. There are believers who are rebellious, ignorant and living against God's principles.
Like today's churches there are hypocrites, back stabbers,self righteousness and so on.
BUT THERE ARE MANY WHO ARE WALKING WITH GOD!
AND HE PROMISES HE WILL NOT BLOT OUT THEIR NAMES FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE.
HE SAYS HE SEARCHES HEARTS AND MINDS AND WILL REPAY EACH OF YOU ACCORDING TO YOUR DEEDS.(Rev.2:23)
Friends, when we say something about the church today we are talking about the church yesterday too. God knows everything that is going on and He will sort out the wheat from the tares.
I attend a wonderful church, loving and spirit filled, blessed but we are far from perfect.
My daughters church too is spirit filled,loving welcoming yet they too are far from perfect.
And there are others too. I have visited them and been in them recently and I see how, like the churches in Revelation, they are all having good points and weak ones.
I bet there are many in even the churches that are not "so good" that are walking with God and staying true to Him and His commandments in love and truth.
I bet if we start praying for the church and stop bad mouthing it we will see the move of the Holy Spirit on our brothers and sisters in Christ and many repent and turn from evil.
He who is not against us is for us.
If you want to bad mouth something do it to the church of Satan.
I am sure you will find imperfect people in that church too.
I have desired to write this for a very long time and today I just had to write it all down.
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