10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5: 10-11 (NIV)
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
Psalms 40: 1-4 (NIV)
4 Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalms 118:4-6 (NIV)
A Prayer for the Ephesians
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:10-1134 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1: 34-35 (NIV)
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers,
12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)
7 The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. Isaiah 26:7 (NIV)
O Lord, as I prepare for the upcoming Christmas celebration,
help me to remember the true meaning of the season…Jesus.
I often get overwhelmed with shopping lists and decorating,
forgetting to slow down and appreciate the true meaning of the holiday.
Help me to remember that Christmas is not about finding the perfect gift,
but about finding time to spend with my loved ones. Amen.
Borrowed, but perfectly written
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:21 (NIV)
Holy Father,
I often feel as if I’m meant to do more.
Lord, I ask You to guide me. Show me the way.
I know there are many ways that I can share Your Word and
the gifts You have given me, but I need guidance.
Show me the wisdom and the insights I need so I can do more
in my life and to help others in theirs.
Where do I begin? Help me to feel complete.
Amen.
Life itself has no meaning, However, life is an opportunity to create a meaning
As you look for this meaning you are creating, keep this in mind: We are taught from birth to listen to others to reply, we need to change this to listening to understand.
There you will find the meaning.
16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
Deuteronomy 11:16
It seemed Christmas was an excellent time to drop this.
Season Three free online started tonight. Those that have not seen the Chosen need to take the time and watch all the episodes. It is definitely benign worthy.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
Psalm 135:5-7 (ESV)
For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
This gift did not come with conditions, exclusions, or a warranty. It is yours for the taking, for as long as you wanted. A true gift of love to ALL the people of the world.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 (ESV)
A statement made by Paul.
1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.
Psalms 112:1-5 (ESV)
Have we made Churches into Our ATM for blessings?
So many of us that are still practicing Christians have
slowly turned organized churches that meet in brick-and-mortar buildings,
mainstream churches we attend into a blessing ATM. We give a few dollars and ask for our actions
to be forgiven and to get blessings back.
Similar to the way we get money from our bank. We slip in a card and get
money out. We move on with our lives doing the same we
have been doing knowing full well in our minds that come Sunday our trusty
Blessing ATM is waiting for us. Small
cost to give to be the person we are, Right?
The problem with this is we do not change. The Church does nothing to facilitate
change. The clergy are stuck in their
routine and are defeated for the most part by the fact that they have to have
the money to run the Church and all its programs. They know well over 90% did
not get or understand the message of the homily. The traditional churches find themselves
losing out to the big Televangelist churches with TV broadcasts, merchandise,
and preacher that has charism. They see
him pull up in a Mercedes and live in a mansion on the outskirts of town. The church is all new and shiny so he must
know the right words he would not be successful, so his Blessing ATM must be
the right one.
The problem is that is not how Jesus taught his
beliefs. He taught that for a Church to
be a servant to the people. That a
church is at its best when it is giving to all people. Jesus did not have a building, an income, not
a chariot, or even a donkey of his own.
No, he spread his teaching to all who wanted to listen. Remember the story of him tossing tables in
the temple and chasing the money changer out as blasphemy to his father's house? Think how he would react to these
mega-churches.
So I say it is time we return to the mentality that the
church is here to serve all peoples, that it is meant to provide, love, peace,
and harmony. No longer should any church
preach hate, exclude those who are different, and should never be run for the
enrichment of a few. If we truly want
the Christian faith to be strong and a focus of people again, we have to
deserve it. Stop being the Blessing ATM
and start being the tool of God’s love for all his creation, large or small.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. Psalm 73:25 (NIV)
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”;
30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”
31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
Matthew 9:27-31 (NIV)
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalms 19:1 (NIV)
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
Today begins the Season of Advent, it is a special time for my family and I hope for your homes and hearts. Part of the process of Advent is preparing our hearts and recognizing that we are waiting for the coming Messiah.
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.
4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)
It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11
A late Thanksgiving thought.
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, Colossians 1:9 (NIV)
I was reflecting on things I have heard in life during this holiday season. My mother during her last few months of life started sharing her wisdoms more frequently. One that seems more important now than at that time, at least to me is this: "Mark, you need to be spiritual. But remember religion is not necessarily spiritual, religion is something else. See, you can not have religion without being spiritual also, but you can have spirituality without having religion, remember that."
Those words seem to be right on point for me in this time of divisiveness inside the Christian religion.
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 16, 2022
To the Faithful
of the Reformed Catholic Church and all People of Goodwill:
Today, the United States
Senate passed out of committee to the floor for a full vote on the Respect for
Marriage Act which will advance the cause of enshrining marriage equality into
federal law.
We thank God for this
affirmation of the human dignity and sacred worth of all families, especially to
all in the LGBTQ+ community who live under the threat of having their basic
rights taken away.
The
Reformed Catholic Church acknowledges that while this is not a perfect bill
that will be voted on, it is a major step in the right direction of
inclusivity. We support this bill in so
far as it does not dimmish other rights, beliefs, and moral standards.
As a church community, the
Reformed Catholic Church pledges to continue the work of sharing the
unconditional love of Christ with all who seek it. Time and time again, our
community serves those who seek to have their marriage blessed, their child
baptized, or their loved one remembered when they have been rejected elsewhere.
The failure of the
larger Church to even acknowledge the contributions and devotion to the faith
of the LGBTQIA+ community is as wounding to itself as it is to those affected.
From the first to last breath, the clergy of the Reformed Catholic Church is
called to serve and provide for all her God’s children, especially the
marginalized.
Let us continue our work
to advance God’s Kingdom by sharing the true love of Christ, which breaks down
the walls of prejudice, injustice, and division.
Peace in Christ,
The Bishops & Board of Directors of the
Reformed Catholic Church
Something my now 40 yr old son asked me when I first started taking him to church at seven years old. He asked why we went to church and why was everyone so quiet when I keep saying we are celebrate the life of some guy that saved everybody. Why isn’t there cake and ice cream and cheering and happiness? Why does everyone look sad or like they just got in trouble? Good question I still wonder about this every time I attend one of those large churches steeped in tradition and ritual and all sorts of pomp. Where is the cheering, the cake and ice cream the chatting about how we have been saved?
I was recently asked if I had ever heard of an Interfaith Chrisitan or an Intra-faith Christian. This came from a Bishop in a progressive Catholic Church. I gave him a very quick off the top of my head response. Then like all curious people it bounced around in my head and I did the following.
I did some more research since you sent me the original question. I found 2 distinct categories in the area you asked about. One was intra-Faith Christian. The other is Interfaith Christian.
Defining and explaining Intra-Faith is the easier of the two as the RCC and the broken-up Methodist Church are prime examples. As the United Methodist Church before not united, it led to individuals being forced to become an intra-faith Christian. Just the same for all the members in the RCC. To better define this for you, Intra-Faith Christian is a person that moves to a differing belief pattern inside the same denomination. As the United Methodists split into eventually three distinct belief patterns into the overall Methodist denomination and the membership was being put in a position of choosing which dogma and ritual they better identified with they became was Intra-Faith Christians.
They are in the same denomination, but now in just a specific subset of the Denomination.
Inter-Faith Chrisitan differs as it is moving from one denomination to another. I am personally a prime example of that. The main defining factor of being Interfaith Christians as best as I can find is the movement is away from the faith or denomination that they were baptized in. So, for me, I was baptized in the First Christian Church, part of the Disciples of Christ. In my late teens and twenties, I moved to an Episcopalian Church and faith pattern. When I married my present wife who was Catholic, I fell in love with the ritual and the pomp but struggled with the exclusionary dogma at times. But I stayed there and am still there, but I am now an intra-faith Christian as I found the Reformed Catholic Church.
This is just what I could research real quickly and like an absent-minded professor, I forgot to write down my sources. I am trying to relocate them all and once that is done I will forward those to you.
I just finished reading “Searching for Sunday” written by Rachel Held Evans. I can not recommend this book enough. It should be on everyone's shelf, whether you are religious or not. I am fully convinced that Rachel Held Evans did as much for people needing a place to renew or start faith as anyone. She made it acceptable to have doubts, and questions and not hide from those same questions and doubts. She did this through her poignant, truthful writing, but using her blog to reach many people like her, that felt they were living a lie by staying “inside” the church when they knew they belonged “outside” the church. If you have done any reading of the Bible or Christian literature, you know most of Jesus’ ministry was for those that were outside the church of his time. He welcomed those kicked out or cast out are just sinners in some form. Held Evans does the same on her journey. She encounters on her journey many like her but had been afraid to say the doubts and the questions out loud. My copy is filled with margin notes, tabs, and love for this author. Sadly she passed away in 2019, quieting a voice the world truly needed. She left behind the books she authored, this being the pinnacle in my opinion, and an annual conference, The Evolving Faith Conference for young progressive Christians. Once you read this book, the conference makes complete sense.
Let us just get this out of the way to start with – Get over yourselves! There is plenty of room for two or more Golf tours for everyone to enjoy. Stop being greedy, narrow-minded, and spoiled asshats. Why this rant you may ask. I was on Facebook and someone, not a player, and admitted casual golf follower, started a bash on the LIV tour. His main contention, when asked, was that it was Saudi-sponsored. Further, he rattled on about the Crown Prince, murder, state-sponsored, blah blah blah.
Here is the deal, we have no grounds to condemn any other
country or the likes for what they do or do not do. Our own history is littered
with worse offenses against humanity. WE DO NOT HAVE THE MORAL HIGH GROUND. So
please just shut up on this point. Sure, say you do not want a competing tour
against a US tour, I get it, say you do not want the players to get rich cause
it is a silly game, I get that also, but claims of what was done on some moral
we are better than you.
Ah, by now you are gone, or you are yelling at me. Let us
look at our past. Andrew Jackson, a president, ordered the removal of Native
Americans from their own lands. Why because it was inconvenient for the White
Europeans at that time to take possession of it. Why did they want it, well to
plant crops, that they would in-turn import black slaves from Africa to work on
what became known as plantations.
Yes, let us address the slave laws. Black had no rights,
they were property. The owners could beat and kill them as they wanted and
there were no repercussions. They bought them, sold them, beat them, tracked
them down if they escape, and murdered them.
As for Mcllroy, His country killed people just because they
were Catholic, so yeah he has little ground to stand on either.
Oh, you say that is in the past, yeah no. Look at the four
years of the Trump administration and the reemergence of white supremacists. Look
at we still systematically oppress the Native Americans. Again, we have no
moral high grounds. Stop bitching about something that has zero effect on you, your
job, and what you can or cannot do.
Well unless you work for the PGA, then yes feel threatened. LIV
has a better format that rewards everyone. They play 54 holes with no cuts. How
would you like to be a golfer, final can play on the PGA and you miss the cut
only to find out that you made less than your total expenses to go there, but
your best bud just played in a tournament and did not get cut and got paid more
than it cost to play. The PGA is an
extremely conservative organization that has not kept up with the current
times, falling back on traditions that were designed for the elite whiter
Golfers to prove who was better. They have been slow to embrace any changes
because they are locked into a product that is designed to reward and put
forward to the public the top twenty golfers and the rest get to struggle to
make it into this group. This helps them control the tour. When was the last
time on a Sunday, they showed you the 65th to 75 players on TV? Yeah, my point exactly. Watch LIV, guess
what all pairings got air times and they talked about them all and the teams
they were on and made everyone feel they were important to the tour.
There is more than room enough for LIV. So, give me a break, enjoy the golf, and stop
trying to make this about something we have no grounds to be thumping our chests
over. One last thing to think about, in the early 1970 Tiger, one of the most
vocal against it would not be allowed to do anything but caddy.
The Bible, when read as most of us in faith read is not that important for us to maintain our faith. However, for those looking for faith or looking for a deeper meaning in our faith, a deeper reading with meditation and contemplation is required to find something that is part of a lifetime journey. Stop reading the Bible as if your journey is done, start reading it as the deeper meaning has not been found and your journey is ongoing..
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDING BISHOP
Reformed Catholic Church
www.reformedcatholic.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 27th, 2022
To the Faithful of the Reformed Catholic Church and all People of Goodwill:
The main premise at the heart of Catholic moral teaching has always been the supremacy of conscience. On Friday, June 24th, the Supreme Court of the United States, in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, permits individual state legislatures to deny individuals of the right to make informed decisions of conscience regarding their reproductive health. Instead, this ruling permits states to make such decisions criminal and subject to civil or criminal penalties people who can bear children plus their doctors, pharmacists, friends, and family members who support them.
A gospel-informed conscience most certainly validates the dignity of all persons and the responsibilities of society to nurture life through all of its stages by insuring adequate resources to take care of basic needs, education, livelihood, health care, and inclusion and participation in society. However, a gospel-informed conscience would not, in our understanding, advocate punishment or sanction based on reproductive health choices of those who do not share traditional Catholic beliefs about when life begins.
Even more concerning is the judicial reasoning at the heart of the decision in Dobbs. This decision was not premised on states rights. Instead, it strips away protections under the 14th Amendment deemed implicit by previous courts. It was clear in Justice Thomas's concurring opinion that other individuals will be targeted to have their rights to decisions of conscience taken away, causing further damage to persons who can bear children (Griswold) and the LGBTQI+ community (Lawrence and Obergefell). The court is now willing to privilege one vision of religious orthodoxy on people of all traditions, permitting states to impose criminal and civil punishments on anyone whose sincerely held moral beliefs do not conform.
As a prophetic church, called to welcome and affirm historically marginalized populations, the Reformed Catholic Church affirms the right of persons who can bear children to follow their conscience in terms of reproductive health. We denounce the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs and support efforts to nullify its impacts through direct action, legislative remedy, elections, and individual efforts to support all who can bear children.
Sincerely in Christ,
The Bishops of the Reformed Catholic Church
Today the supreme court of the United States did something they had never done, they removed a right that had been granted and was considered as solid as any of the rights granted by the Bill of Rights. What they did was to take rights away from a whole gender and make them subservient to males, politicians, and state governments. They also made a women's health control by a very small group of what I consider radical extremists in Christian churches.
Before you yell at me, which won’t happen as no one follows
this blog, keep in mind this is strictly my opinion. The churches, ministers, clergy, and priest
making the loudest noises are quoting scriptures that fit their agenda and
never quoting the full scripture, just the part they want. The
original Roe v Wade had nothing to do with politics or religion. It was strictly to save women's lives. The number
of back-alley abortions being done and women dying from botched ones done with
clothes hangers and other tools not meant for it was staggering. It was
done to protect the mother's health and life.
Over time a small group of radical fathers that wanted a woman they had
impregnated it carry a child to full term for their selfish reasons caused the
movement into the quagmire we have now.
Do we need to control when you can not do it anymore, yes,
should we also prevent a woman from having to carry a child from rape or
incest, yes If that is what she needs for her complete health, mental and
physical, then yes. If it is being used
as a means of birth control, then that needs to be looked at to see if our
failed system can be fixed so there will be no need for that.
What I am really worried about is the long-term fallout. Are we
going to get programs to help young moms that are now forced into motherhood, I
do not think any of the churches yelling alleluia right now will help them? Will we have better sex education and condoms
made available so that unwanted pregnancies or reduced? How about social services to help feed, clothe
and care for those forced into motherhood.
It appears to me, that the Republican
far right, the conservative Christian right and five of the Justices feel the
need to make women into the new slave class of citizens.
This is a sad, dark time for the United States. We have taken a Holy Book and used it as a
political tool to subjugate an entire gender to make a large swath of insecure
males feel better tonight.
Just my humble opinion.
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)
37 "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; Luke 6:37 (ESV)
In the next few weeks as people wrestle with what the Supreme Court did with their rulings and the various reaction that will come from it, remember the above in your dealings with those you disagree with.
Jesus was very much a master of the Socratic method of debate and conversation. He was the intellectual equal to any of the great thinkers of his time and all times after, but most do not take the time to remove him from a niche we have put him in to revel in his brilliance, and an orator, debater, teacher, and philosopher. I think it is time he is taught in both aspects. But that is just me.
In the gospel, Jesus is asked 187 questions. He answers maybe 8 of them, no more than that.
Conversely, Jesus himself asks 307 questions.
Why do you think that is?
The answer is in his questions.
He answers the questions he was asked with a question back to them to
help guide the person to their answers.
Maybe Faith isn’t about certainty, but learning to ask – and
sit in the complexity of – a good question.
Something to dwell on.
No type of creation has been a painless process. Miracles like that or in general should leave a mark so that we can remember how precious they are.
Thoughts for discussion only and not to take a side on anything. I found this interesting in my research for a white paper/essay.
About 7 months ago I was prodded into writing a book on my journey from faith back to faith. Little did I know that this writing would be a journey unto itself and a reminder of everyone who has touched me in a faith-based way along the way.
We are not just humans having a God experience, The Eucharist tells us that, in some mysterious way, We are God having a human experience.
Richard Rohr, from his book the Universal Christ.
To the Faithful of the Reformed Catholic Church and all People of Goodwill:
During National
Child Abuse Prevention Month, we wish to draw attention to the extraordinary
responsibilities we have to protect all the children that are entrusted to our
care, spiritually or physically.
We
know this past year has been difficult for many families, and, sadly, with the
increase in pressures and heightened anxiety many are experiencing, children
have been subjected to unprecedented levels of abuse and neglect. This reality of
this abuse and neglect is for all of us in the Reformed Catholic Church
community to work to ensure young people are guarded appropriately. Likewise,
all people of goodwill must work together to ensure each, and every child is
valued and protected.
The Reformed
Catholic Church community continues to work diligently to protect children from
abuse in any form and in all circumstances and maintains a zero-tolerance policy
for anyone credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. We remain fully committed
to training our clergy, staff, and volunteers to identify and report any
suspected instances of abuse.
During
this month, we must recognize that the devastating impact of child abuse is
lifelong, and therefore we should do our utmost to connect with victims and
learn more about what they need to find healing and peace. This process must
begin by listening compassionately and with an open heart to their stories. We
must walk with them and be willing to accompany them on their journey of
healing. And it must be done on their time. If we are committed and united, we
can help reduce child abuse and help victims find healing in Christ.
We ask that our Heavenly Father
protect each child that is entrusted to our care, that He brings peace, and
that he grants us the understanding of the wonderful gift each child brings to
this world.
We
in the Bishops and Board of Directors of the Reformed Catholic Church encourage
each member of our community that becomes aware of any neglect or abuse of
children to report it to Law Enforcement or the local abuse authorities.
The
Bishops & Board of Directors of the Reformed Catholic Church
Remember: The Paschal Mystery we honor this Holy Week cannot be made clear for Christians without Christ’s surrendering love to God. It begins with the Incarnation and culminates in the Resurrection—for him and for each of us!
Just wanted you all to know, brothers and sisters alike, you are all on Heaven's most wanted list. Keep doing the good work you are doing and heavens' posse with catch up and get there man or women. Have a great and blessed day.
For those wanting insight into progressive forward-thinking on Christianity, I highly recommend Faith after Doubty by Brian McLaren. I just finished the book and it is was an insightful thought-provoking and educational journey through the direction I believe modern Churches and Christianity need to take.
Take the time to get this and read it.
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? James 2:14 (NIV)
20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a
liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,
cannot love God, whom they have not seen 1 John 4:20 (NIV)
39 And
the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew
22:39(NIV)
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will
reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)
31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31 (NIV)
There is a theme here; to gain God’s love, you
must first love others and be kind to others.
Just wanted to put that out there.
Why did God create atheists? That was the question. The following was my response, semi-rant,
God did not create atheists, the corruption in and of the churches that man invented to worship and control people created them. If the people called out the pedophiles and drove them out of the ranks of ministry, the profiteers that run megachurches for self-enrichment and profiting off of God, and so many other issues of corruption, there would be far fewer atheists. Then get rid of doctrines of hate and exclusion and us better than them mentality and you might have something. But as long as there are built-in gatekeepers of Christianity to protect it and the riches and hate and exclusion, the rank of the "nones" will continue to grow. Just my humble opinion.
I am going to upset some people, but I am still going to say this. The Bible is not a constitution nor a law codebook that can be used to argue my case or your case justifying US while also condemning THEM. Rather, it is a library containing a treasure trove of poetry, arguments, insights, stories, models and so much more that should inspire us and equip us to be a positive protagonists in support of our faith and support all others in theirs as our ancestors did in their days.
We have become so comfortable weaponizing scriptures, and
our personal beliefs and faith the Bible have been turned into a guidebook or
game plan of hate, exclusion, and even war.
This needs to be reversed and it becomes a Book of Inspiration, Love,
and Harmony.
Christianity today often has very little to do with the beautiful movement Jesus started. I would say that all of us Christians down through the centuries all have a share in ruining the beautiful thing Jesus started and Paul developed. (From Faith after Doubt)
I find this to be one of the most accurate, honest, and profound statements about Christianity I have read in many years.
The problem with a preacher/minister/priest teaching is they still preach; conversely, the problem with a professor preaching is he still teaches.
Neither seems to be an efficient way to teach a class of religious studies or any other class.
I normally try not to be anything but civil and to try to stay out of the fray of disputes. But I am feeling the need to speak up on something. There are a few people I have interacted with that have proven to be enigmas to me. While in a normal chat or thread they are nice, civil, and in some even educational. However, the minute they are questioned on their belief patterns or questioned on their faith, they become hostile, rude, and vindictive, very dangerous additions to them also being enigmatic in nature. If you are of such a strong belief and with such a high degree of certainty in your faith and that you believe you are so right you can not be wrong. That everyone else must follow your belief pattern, then you have missed the whole point of your beliefs. The Pharisees were certain they were right, there were not, the Romans were absolutely certain of their righteousness and faith was the right one, they were not, Judas was certain in his faith and in his deed, he was not, Pilate chose to not even decide right or wrong, but he was certain it was not his decision, he was wrong. Certainty to the point you no longer can see and hear anyone else is the downfall of faith, not the strength of it. When we as people of faith start condemning others' faith and their journey to find their faith are we not being as bad as the very thing we are condemning? Instead, celebrate their faith journey, encourage a civil open conversation that allows you to hear how they got there, and offer them suggestions. DO NOT belittle, condemn or tell them they will rot in hell. That is not the teachings of Christ. I am certain in my faith and in my journey and knowledge of my salvation and I am comfortable enough in that certainty to no care how I am attacked or accused by others. My faith is between Jesus and God and no others. No one knows the journey I have traveled any more than I know of others' journey. It is not for me to condemn, it is only for me to celebrate others' faith with them, however, they got there. Thank you for listening, reading and all have a blessed day/night.
There is a small group of us that have started getting back together to have coffee and rolls in the mornings once every other week. Most of the discussion is religion as we are all involved in it in some way. Most all of us keep the debate and discussions very civil and look at it as a chance to learn and to exchange thoughts and ideas. In the name of full disclosure, I am the only one that was not a pastor, minister, or priest at one time or another. I have always, as one said, lived in the academics.
The last time we got together I mentioned I was reading McLaren's book Faith after Doubt. That turned out to be a great topic starter. But me being me, started adding what if's into the conversation. Most just received answers that are typical to various denominations. Then apparently in a moment of screw it, let's get the other six either mad or thinking. So I posed this line of thought:
"So let me ask this or maybe propose this thought. What if the diety that the Abrahamic religions are based on was god-like to us but was just an average space alien that screwed up and got stuck here. Since it always appeared to Moses and others prior to Moses as a glowing light, it was a pure energy being. Further that all the stuff leading up to Jesus of Nazareth's birth was it trying to figure out how to be one of us? To blend in so to speak. What-if? Okay go, let's hear what you have to say on that thought."
The first to respond was an older, older than me at least, evangelical clergy, but apparently very open-minded and liberal thinking. His response was more in the line of interesting thought, but how do you explain his Arch Angels and other things that do not quite fit with your what-if?
This began a long two-hour discussion, sometimes heated, sometimes thoughtful. One of the members walked out angry that we would even have a discussion of such hearsay. By the end, most of us left were chuckling and a couple said they were going to have to give this thought as it was an interesting exercise in taking a different look at the foundation of Christianity and Judaism.
As I was leaving the young 20 something waitress asked me to hold back. She asked if I was serious about my thinking of the what if on the energy being. I just smiled. I responded sometimes food for thought is the best way to stimulate thought and review without engaging in heated debate. She asked what I really thought. I said my thinking is struggling with doubts right now and what-ifs help me get through the doubts at times. She sighed and said doubts are all she had left of her Catholic upbringing. She said she tried to listen to the whole discussion, all the way through and hoped for an ah-ha moment. Instead, she said she had more doubts now. I then said the only thing I could remember from all I read in various books.
"Where there is doubt is where there is also understanding and growth. All this will let you move into another stage of your faith and belief. Use that doubt to find your way."
I gave her my number and email and told her I was always around to listen and chat about her journey. She seemed happy with that.
As we start the journey through February, Black History Month in the United States, we need to be mindful of all the contributions that those of African American descent have made in the history of the United States and to the Catholic Church both past and up to the present.
Some people forget that Christianity did not originate in Europe and even express surprise when they learn that Black Catholic History began in the Acts of the Apostles (8: 26-40) with the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Philip the Deacon. This text is important for several reasons. First, it chronicles the conversion of the first Black African in recorded Christian history. Second, the text suggests that the man was a wealthy, literate, and powerful emissary of the Nubian Queen and also a faithful, practicing Jew before his baptism. Clearly, he was not an ignorant heathen. Third, the Ethiopian Eunuch’s conversion predates the conversions of Saints Paul and Cornelius. Most significantly, many cite this conversion as the very moment when the church changed from a Hebrew and Hellenist community to the truly Universal and Catholic Church. We also need to keep in mind, except for the Romans from Europe, the Bible is filled with people of color. While ethnic background should not matter, it has become an issue in this country over the past few years.
It goes to reason that
the Catholic Church has many Black Saints.
Black/African American Catholics claim many Black Saint: Saints Cyprian,
Zeno, Anthony of Egypt, Moses the Black, Pachomius, Maurice, Athanasius,
Pisentius, Mary of Egypt, Cyril of Alexandria, Monica of Hippo, Augustine of
Hippo, Perpetua, Felicitas, and Thecla. Some of these mystics, monastics, and, martyrs
literally made the church what it is today.
There are seven more currently working their way through the process of
becoming Saints: Servant of God Sister
Thea Bowman, Venerable Henrietta Delille,
Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, Venerable
Father Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greely, and Daniel A Rudd.
As you can see the
Catholic Church has a rich history of
contributions from the African brothers and sisters that are part of the great
universal Catholic Church. Sadly, the
American Catholic Church did not seriously commit its time and resources to
minister to the African-American population during the antebellum or
post-bellum periods. However, God made a way for them, even when one wasn’t
provided to them by the Church.
Black History Month
provides opportunities to learn and share the whole history and rich heritage
of Christian Catholicism. The issue
facing the Black Catholic then as it is now is what the Catholic
Church is still failing to address directly. Choosing to take a very slow and deliberate route that seems to include ignoring there are issues needing to be addressed.
