Luke 21:29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.

Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

The Daily Path: If you plan to do battle with other Christmas shoppers at the mall today, please remember the forgotten who are in real need this Advent. Perhaps some of your Black Friday savings could be sent to an organization like Catholic Charities that make day-to-day living a little easier for so many. Even just a few dollars will help. Turn this Black Friday into Light Friday for someone in need of hope. Please take a moment to see some of the amazing work they do… Catholic Charities.

Luke 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed.

And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.

Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

The Daily Path: I have been blessed each and every day over the past year. Though I may not always recognize His grace amid the “living” and surviving, I know that God continues to reach out to me.

Room to Chat: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

Best friends are like diamonds, precious and rare
False friends are like leaves, found everywhere.                 

                                                    Anonymous

Recently I attended a meeting with a group of inspiring, intelligent and amusing women.   We had lots of fun, and I left thinking they were the type of people I would like to get to know better, and perhaps one day they would become real friends.    I went onto meet another friend at a cafe for lunch, only to look up to see the same bunch of women from the meeting having lunch together.

Childishly, I felt my stomach tighten and an overwhelming need overtook me to fold myself up and slide under the table to hide.    I was again the awkward twelve-year-old girl starting high school amongst strangers who stood giggling in huddled groups while I stood alone.    I was the new girl, sniggered at, and not included.

Once upon a time making new friends felt like gathering pretty shells along the sea-shore.   There were a multitude to choose from, in all shapes, sizes, colours and textures.   You could hear the ocean when you put one to your ear, others brightened your world with their rich earthy colours, and there were those rare few from the ocean’s depths shaped just right to give you a good belly-laugh every time.   Our friends widen our outlook and bring new worlds to our doorsteps.

These days I find my beaches much emptier and the search for true friendship much lonelier.   It is easy to be surrounded by smiling faces and companionship, but there are invisible walls between us, busy lives and careers to pursue, children to chase and scold, and a lot of fear and apprehension at letting our hearts be seen.

Thankfully, I have a handful of people I refer to as my ‘drop everything’ friends.   When a crisis hits we literally ‘drop everything’ for each other.  There is no guilt, fear or embarrassment in asking for help.    These friends are there for me, and I am there for them.

Yesterday I had a pedicure with such a friend and our time together having our feet massaged in perfumed oil, sinking into cushioned massage chairs, glasses of champagne in hand, was like gold.   These physical luxuries were nothing compared to our lively conversation.   There is never any doubt that my friend wants to hear about my life, and I love hearing about hers.   There is an equality to the exchange, giving and taking, laughing and crying, or sitting together, relaxing and feeling connected without the need for words.

It is painful to lose a true friend.   I had a friend once who was in the ‘drop everything’ category.  We spent lots of time together for a number of years – weekends in the country, evenings in Double Bay watching the rich people while eating mudcake and sipping coffee, and many nights sitting up until the small hours discussing our hopes and dreams.  She was like a sister to me.

However, when I got engaged and the wedding loomed closer, I felt a shift in her attitude toward me.    I tried to ignore my instinct.    A week before my wedding I checked my answering machine one evening and heard a very strange message.   My friend had accidentally recorded herself on my answering machine, speaking on her mobile phone about me to a friend.    Her words were venomous, cruel and dishonest.   I kept thinking she must be talking about somebody else, but then she mentioned my partner’s name and I knew that it was me.    I cried every night that week, leading up to the happiest day of my life.

She smiled at me sweetly and said kind words to me on my wedding day, and I smiled back through clenched teeth, holding in my hurt and anger.   After our honeymoon I wrote her a letter telling her what I had heard.  Even then, I would have accepted an apology or an explanation.   I hung onto hope.   Her reply finally came but was one line.   She was guilty as accused and she said goodbye.  That was it.

I am grateful for that bizarre twist of fate, or as I believe, divine intervention, which revealed her heart to me.   As sad as it was, it would have been much sadder to maintain such a dishonest friendship.

In the Gospels I read that Jesus had twelve best mates who he walked through life with.   He had gathered a rare assortment of shells from the beach, as each of his disciples had unique personalities and related to him in different ways.   Yet out of this group of true friends, Peter, who boldly professed his love for Jesus and said he would die for him, went on to deny even knowing him three times to a servant girl.    Then there was Judas who betrayed Jesus with a kiss leading to his death, for the price of some bags of silver.    Being hurt and disappointed by our friends certainly isn’t a new concept.

When I’m deeply hurt it takes a long time to recover, but I’m learning that the only way back to wholeness is to forgive, let it go and walk away.  I embrace the richness of my true friendships and cherish them as one of life’s greatest gifts.    I also continue to search the seashore for any shells hidden in the sand.   You can never tell how colourful and unique they are until you take the risk and reach out your hand.

Luke 21:12-19

Jesus said to the crowd, “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. 

You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

The Daily Path: Handed over by our friends… or worse, handing over a friend.

As you serve God be diligent to know the difference between the word of God and the religious traditions of men. Jesus strongly con­demned all such traditions because they cause trans­gressions against God’s commandments and make His word of no effect. As shown in this study it is especially true in the teaching of baptism

Matthew 15:3 “Why do you also transgress the commandments of God because of your tradition?

6 “Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

7 Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying,

8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Isaiah 29:13)

As with every other truth of God’s word, water baptism has become enclosed with men’s traditions that obscure and make void the truth. In the minds of multitudes men’s traditions have become far more sacred than Jesus’ simple words.

Jesus commanded to baptize those who became disciples and those who believe the gospel. Peter said those who repent and are baptized in Jeses’ name shall receive the promised the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20  “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Or, Put the turkey down…this is way more important.

I know you’re saved, I know you go to church, I know you give…but are you a living walking testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ? What have you done for the Kingdom today?

No one holds out a hand to another unless it’s some kind of holiday. Serving the hungry and homeless for Thanksgiving is a nice thing to do but all you’re doing is filling their gut, not their quiver.

When will people just take a minute and take a hard look at others around them? Am I the only one that sees dead people walking?

Mark 16:15 says, ‘And he (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.’

How will they hear without a preacher? There are people in the outer reaches of this planet Earth that need the Gospel. Jesus said we are to go into ALL THE WORLD; every corner, every mountain, every valley, every prison, every shelter, everywhere.

It is our responsibility to take this Message of the Cross across the globe and across town. How will they hear without a preacher?

 Mark 16:16 says, ‘He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.’

And what Jesus said to the Disciples was confirmed by the Apostle Paul through the Holy Spirit:

Romans 10:14, ‘How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

To preach is to proclaim or to make known to those the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your pulpit is closer than you think.

Romans 10:15 says, ‘…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’

Life is precious, but be mindful of Eternity. It is forever….for everyone.

Luke 21:5-11

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.”

Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

The Daily Path: Reading the newspaper or watching CNN leads one to feel we are drawing ever closer to the end… at an excelerated pace! Of course we are indeed drawing closer to Christ’s return, but why wait for that day? Start the beginning in your heart today.

TODAY’S VERSE
May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.
II Thessalonians 1:11-12

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Who are we that the almighty God of the universe would allow us to serve Him? Yet, that is what God has done. He specifically created us to love Him, worship Him and serve Him. But what is so amazing, is that He did not create us like robots and program us to serve Him or beat us down and force us to live for Him. No, He has drawn us toward Him by His grace. Grace, that mixture of His love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, concern and favor, all rolled into one. It is His grace toward us that encourages our faith and compels us to live for Him. God pours His love into our heart and then empowers us to do whatever our heart desires. What has your faith in God prompted you to do for Him lately? If the answer is vague, it is not too late. God has grace enough to forgive you. He has grace enough to encourage you. He has grace enough to empower you. Come to God today and may your faith prompt you to accomplish good things for Him.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Thank You Lord for Your grace in my life. I pray that You will prompt me to do great things for You and then give me the power to do them. Father, might You be honored today in the way I live for You.
AMEN

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Mark 6:41-44,48-50
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand… He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

After Jesus performed an astounding miracle with the physical provision of food to 5,000 men and their families using just five loaves and two fish, it was disheartening to hear how the disciples were down on morale and struggling at the oars and that is the reason Jesus decided to walk to them on water to encourage them. Somehow I think I would be full of courage and strength if I were to witness such miracles but after pondering about it, I realize that I am certainly no different from these disciples in my faith. Time and again, the Lord works his miraculous ways in our lives but we in our selfish nature either are blinded to the truth or are lost in our own selves and don’t recognize them.

You might not have seen a healing or a feeding like those reported on these pages of scripture but look back at your life and think of the little miracles that have happened? I remember prayers being answered in difficult circumstances, undue blessings coming our way in times of desperation, situations coming to pass without our efforts, etc. However, I know now that I have issues and problems and situations that I am banging God’s doors with because I am concerned God will not come through. Am I not acting like the disciples? I pray today that we will start to count our blessings and when we are faced with storms, that we will be able to submit our problems to God and wait upon him for his blessing rather than trying to fix things ourselves. This is a journey from head to heart which seems short in length but will take a lifetime!

In His Loving Service,
Vineet

Guarded Beauty

Dont be stingy with grace! That is the thought this morning. Back to Matthew 10 which I find myself reading often, Jesus says “You have received free of charge, give free of charge”. To receive the gift of grace cost us nothing, it cost the giver… everything.. That is why He lays out a few rules and “general orders” on how to conduct our lives.

Though we may not have the power to cast out demons, heal the lame, and raise the dead, we can use every opportunity this week to be a witness for God. In Matthew, Jesus warns his “motley crue” of disciples that “You will be hated by everyone because of My Name… BUT… the one who ENDURES to the end will be delivered.

Does that mean we will be delivered from death? No, because of our own sin, we all deserve death. No matter how kind, how good, how amazing, you may think you are. You are SOAKED in sin. Your appearance may be very polo shirt and slacks.. but your heart is covered in filthy rags.. Until you truly look “past the mask”… you will not see what God sees.. He sees that lost, wandering, sheep, surrounded by wolves.. Death is immenent… for us all.. no money, power, or fame can excuse us… we cannot skip “this flight” or sit out this event because of our “first class” or VIP or celebrity status.. Millions of dollars in a foreign bank account can never pay off the creater… Sitting for ONE hour in a pew three times a week does not certify you to avoid the final test… death..

Our minds loathe death.. we think little of it.. we definately do not prepare for it.. we are YOUNG.. and vibrant.. and healthy.. we can worry about it later.. NO WE CANT.. we must prepare for what lies ahead.. we prepare for everything.. a research paper.. a vacation. a camping trip.. work.. our homes before a party.. our kids before school… we rush around exausting ourselves to be noticed by a superior so we can get an “atta boy” or a pat on the back.. or a plaque.. we are pleasing earthly beings that will not determine our fate in heaven..

Jesus’s disciples left everything to follow Jesus.. That is what Jesus wants.. He wants our “everything”. Our minds.. our hearts.. our committment.. our love.. our faith.. our purity.. our morals.. our love… We dont love Him enough… He is just a curse word to us because that is the only time we call on Him is to swear… He is the only one in our lives who died for us.. who gave everything for you.. You cant give him even a thot!

All you who have seen Passion of the Christ remember that daunting day Christ was on the cross.. the whips.. the angry crowd, the crown of thorns, the mocking, the horror, the last breath… yet we wont even give each other a cold cup of water.. GET IT YOURSELF.. we answer in our hearts.. we despise one another.. covet each other’s possessions, husbands, wives, kids, cars, things.. useless plastic and metal things.. that rust.. and rot..We are an obstinate people… always wanting more.. we hold grudges… FOR YEARS… our agent of abuse, or parent, or spouse that cheated, or child that betrayed us. .or friend that walked away.. we dont forgive..yet we expect to “fly through the gates of heaven” because we wear a brand name, were kind to people who did not deserve it, and relatively lived a “good life”.. by WHOSE STANDARD? YOURS? you think you will make it “in the club” because your not as bad as your neighbor…

On the cross Jesus saved a “murderer” because of HIS FAITH.. not because of how good or bad he was.. it was the faith.. no doubts.. no wandering mind.. no what ifs.. no good works… Just faith.. I hope you pass life’s exam.. and myself as well.. i wish to obtain crowns in heaven more than plaques on a wall that will someday be ultimately destroyed…….

Time is ticking………..Dont be too late!!!!

Jesus and His Disciples

My God, in the evening of life You will judge me according to my love.  Help me grow in love each day.

Today is a Mass of thanksgiving for the liturgical year that is ending and preparation for the new one which is about to begin.  We are reminded that the present life is fleeting and that our Lord invites us to keep ourselves in readiness for the final step which will usher us into eternity.

In today’s Gospel from Matthew (24:15-35), Jesus foretells the destruction of the world, and His second Advent, when all nations shall see the eternal Judge coming with power and majesty in the clouds of heaven.

At that time Jesus said to His disciples: When you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing in the holy place; he that readeth, let him understand: then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains; and he that is on the housetop, let him not come down to take anything out of this house; and he that is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat.  And woe to them that are with child and that give suck, in those days.  But pray that our flight be not in the winter, or no the sabbath: for there shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been found from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be: and unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved; but for the sake of the elect, those days shall be shortened.  Then if any man shall say to you: Lo, here is Christ, or there; do not believe him; for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect.  Behold I have told it to you, beforehand.  If therefore they shall say to you: Behold he is in the desert, go ye not out: Behold he is in the closets, believe it not.  For as lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth even into the west: so shall the coming of the Son of man be.  Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together.  And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be moved:  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all tribes of the earth mourn: and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty.  And he shall send his angels with a trumpet, and a great voice: and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them.  And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh.  So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors.  Amen I say to you, that this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.

Excita, quaesumus, Domine, tuarum fidelium voluntates: ut divini operis fructum propensius exsequentes, pietatis tuae remedia mejora percipiant.  Per Dominum nostrum.

Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of Thy faithful to seek more earnestly this fruit of the divine work, that they will receive more abundantly healing gifts from Thy tender mercy.  Through our Lord.

Om Sathguru Sri Seshadri Swamigal Thiruvadikkae

Disciple:

Is it inherited?

Master:

Yes, in a way it is. My Guru, ‘SRI GURU MAHADEV’ made me a Guru. Just as a professor prepares his students to become professors, so a Guru prepares his disciples to become Gurus.

Luke 19:45-48

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area.

The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

The Daily Path: What an ideal way to go through life… hanging on every word that Christ offers us.

(NOTE: I must apologize for my inability to post anything over the past week. A minor injury to my lower leg developed into a serious infection preventing me from spending any time at my desk. It’s getting better!)

Room to Chat: Father, please hold close Richard, your child and faithful servant, as he fights the cancer that has entered his body.

I’m speaking at a retreat for some high school girls this weekend and was asked to share some of my life story… to show how God is uniquely using me to bring Himself glory…
I wanted to post a modified version of what I’m going to share.

—————————————————————————————

It feels kind of silly, but as I reflect on my own life I really feel as though I have little to share.

Imagine that you’re putting a puzzle together… you know how you dump all of the pieces out on the table and many of them are flipped upside down, and backwards, and none of it seems to make sense? So far it’s just a big mess of pieces. I guess sometimes I feel like my life is one giant puzzle that I’m looking at… the only difference being that I don’t have the box with the big picture on it. So right now, I’m standing at this place in life, on one piece of this gigantic puzzle that doesn’t make any sense and I can’t figure out what other pieces it connects to… If I look to my right I can see where other pieces have started fitting together, which is helping the picture to become a little clearer, but to my left, is still a large messy pile of pieces and I don’t know where they belong.

Let me share with you some of the pieces of my puzzle that I have already seen pieced together in my life. I suppose I should start with the basics and tell you that I grew up in a loving family that pushed me to love Jesus and enabled me to grow in a relationship with God and His Son. I learned to thrive at church and summer camps, and found many of my best friends at church. Of course, it helps that I have a very outgoing, attention-driven personality, especially in junior high, and I would often find myself wanting to be immersed in various ministries at church. Over time, I was slowly being molded and finding in myself that my heart was being pulled to ministry. With that said, even up until my senior year of high school, I really didn’t know what it was I wanted to do in life. When I was really little, I wanted to be a veterinarian… mostly because I loved animals. I think really I just always wanted something to take care of. Then later, I thought it would be great to be a teacher. I think I wanted to be able to help people learn things. Although, looking back, I genuinely think that I really just wanted to be able to hold a red pen and circle lots of mistakes on other peoples’ papers. And then I realized that becoming a teacher would mean going to more school (college) just to be in school for the rest of my life… no way! During my senior year of high school, through an opportunity I had to take a class for our morning announcements, it became more concrete to me that I almost enjoyed speaking in front of people, as well as playing with electronics and editing video and being on a computer all the time. I learned that I love seeing results and get excited when I am able to create something that is visually pleasing. And, as I’ve said before, I absolutely loved being at church. I took several opportunities to step into leadership roles for small groups along with leading mission trips, and all of this started to confirm in me that I was meant to be a part of ministry… to help create disciples for Christ, and I really wanted to be a role model for younger girls.

So… all in all…
When it came time to choose a college, I started to realize that I wanted one that had a strong communications program (because I thought it would be a great career to be in broadcasting or video editing), but I also wanted it to have the possibility to get even more involved in ministry programs (specifically youth ministry). And in my mind, the two of these weren’t that far off from each other, because I saw great value in improving my communication skills and technological skills for the purpose of ministry.

I think I made that all sound like a picnic in a park, but there really have been some seriously challenging pieces of my life puzzle. When I went to college in the fall after my senior year of high school, I felt like I was on top of the world. I was finally leaving my family and stepping out on this journey of independence, I had lots of friends and several of my closest girlfriends since childhood were going to the same college as me, and I had a boyfriend that told me we would eventually be getting married… after college, of course. (Shoot, what was four years, right?) I may have felt like I had everything together in life, but in the next few years, God was going to start tearing down different walls in my life in order to get me to walk a path closer to His heart. Like I said earlier, sometimes we’re standing on one piece of the puzzle and just can’t see any logical place for it to fit with the big picture.

During my freshman year of college, my boyfriend eventually decided that he didn’t like me and that our relationship wasn’t going to go any further. I don’t mean for this to turn into a sappy story, by any means, but this jolted my entire understanding of who I was and where I was going in life. I may not have said this to many people, but in my mind, I just had to make it through college, and then after that I was getting married to this boy, and that was all that was going to matter. So when this was ripped away from me, I was brought to my knees in utter confusion. I think parts of me wanted to be angry at God… I was confused about who I was or where I was going in life. I didn’t understand my purpose anymore. This was also a time in life where I started to find out about a lot of deep painful issues that were going on in my family… that had been going on for a long time… that almost everyone in my family knew about except for me. I can’t give you more details than that… not just because I don’t want to talk about it, but really because even now I don’t fully know or understand the details of those issues… I just know that I felt like I no longer had anyone around me that I knew anymore.

Everything and everyone closest to me in my life felt like a lie.

Even back at college, I had similar situations where friends just stopped inviting me to join their group activities, and I had to struggle through understanding why I wasn’t enough, or was too much, or what was really going on. As much as I have always loved being around people, these different roadblocks on my path in life were bringing me to a point where I was really questioning who I was… or who I was supposed to be… or who I even wanted to be. And just because I went to a “Christian” college, doesn’t mean that I always wanted to be there. My “Christian life” stopped being a desire of who I wanted to be, and slipped into a daily “routine” of who I was supposed to be. I got to a point where I was no longer excited about going to church, too exhausted to find a ministry, worn out from classes and uninterested in opening my Bible. This went on long enough that without realizing it, I ended up failing all of my classes my first semester of my senior year of college. I just stopped caring for a while. Because of this, I needed to go back to college for one final semester after my senior year, and it was during this time in my life that I experienced the tragic loss of one of my best friends in a car accident. This was another time of deep pain in my life… not out of anger at God… rather, just a sadness in knowing that this beautiful person was no longer in my life. I’m looking forward to spending eternity in Heaven with her though, and hope that she knows what kind of influence she has had on my life. God used this time in my life to kick my heart back into gear and remind me how precious my life really is… to remind me that other people are watching how I approach life even when I don’t know it. You see, my friend Janet taught me what it looked like to love other people with the same unconditional, patient love that Christ did. When she talked about Jesus you could see in her eyes that she knew Him… and that she continually desired to know Him more.

I’m thankful that I’ve always had friends placed strategically in my life to not only lift me up out of those dark places of hurt and confusion, but to also remind me who was ultimately in control… that God was greater than myself and even though this piece of my puzzle didn’t make any sense in the moment, God was the one holding the big picture and He knew right where it was going to fit in with the rest of my pieces. You see… the key to the puzzle is not in knowing what the big picture is, or where your current piece is going to fit with the rest of the puzzle… the key is in knowing who is in control of the pieces.

God is continually working on my life and if I’m to be completely honest, I still don’t know what exactly I’m supposed to do in life, or what I’m supposed to be “when I grow up.”  But I do know that I don’t want to be the one trying to fit the pieces together in my life puzzle, because that gets so draining.  I want to let God be in control so that my picture can come together with as much of His beauty as possible.

Luke 5:1-11 and Matthew 9:9-13

In Luke 5:1-11 Jesus calls Simon Peter, James and John who were fishermen.

8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

In Matthew 9:9-13 Jesus calls Matthew who was a tax collector.

11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

Still pondering on this. If Christians strive to be more like Jesus then perhaps we should desire mercy and not sacrifice.

Last week when I wrote that The Holy Spirit and an unclean spirit can co-exist in the body/temple, I received a fabulous comment that I wanted to take some time to respond to. It has taken a few days to get back after a weekend conference, but I did not want to let another day pass because this is important.

It is so important because I think many believers would ask the same thing.

The reader asked me: Where do you find this teaching in the Bible?

 The scriptures that were referenced were:

And they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lust. Galatians 5:24; Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity 2 Timothy 2:19, and; He cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1 John 3:9

Gal 5:24 – Yes, they that are in Christ do depart from inequity. Being saved does not mean that we have departed from inequity, it means that we have full access to depart from it by The Holy Spirit. This scripture is referred to saved people who will not inherit the kingdom of God. That’s another teaching, but just know that you can be saved, go to Heaven and never enter the Kingdom of God or Heaven or fully access the power of the Kingdom to come in your life on earth (Matt 13 – 14; Matt 7: 21 – 24). If you do not complete the work God gave you to complete during your lifetime, you can end up in Heaven at the burning lake (Rev 19:20).

2 Tim 2:19 and I John 3:9- This one is deep. Take a deep breath before you read what I am about to say. ONLY those who have departed from sin are born of God, or born again. That means that until we command out the unclean, which leads to sin, we are not born of God. Yes, we can have our first encounter with The Holy Spirit and He enters our bodies, but He does not automatically “kick” sin out of our lives, we must Ask, seek and knock until Jesus teaches us how to walk in our authority in His name and command the deliverance.

These are great references and they are referring to the life of a believer once they are delivered from the issues of the flesh. There is a process of full deliverance that all believers must go through in order to truly be without having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Eph 5:27). Remember that you are the church, the Word never referred to the brick and mortar buildings that we call “the church” today.

When we get saved, our spirit is transformed, not our soul. We are still commanded to work out our soul’s salvation. In other words, now we must clean out our lives to be a full reflection of Jesus Christ. He taught his disciples about this in The Lord’s Prayer when He said, “Deliver us from evil (Matt 6:13). Evil is what comes out of a man (Matt 12:35, Mark 7:23,Rom 2:9, ) , it is not something outside of us. That scripture is saying that we must ”draw for oneself (Strong’s ref. 4506 )” evil.

Once God opened me up to be used as a vessel for deliverance, it didn’t take me long to see this point illustrated.

People were saved, “filled” with The Holy Spirit and still had many of the 14 stronghold spirits and their bad fruit manifesting in their lives. Apostles, Pastors, Prophets, Congregants, Evangelists, etc are all a reflection of both Jesus’s anointing and can still have Satan’s strongholds and their fruit manifest if they have not been fully delivered. In other words, you can have an experience of The Holy Spirit entering your temple/body and still sin, which is unclean.

When I took this comment to The Holy Spirit in prayer. He told me that we have not realized that all of the deliverance and casting out of devils in the Word was from saved people. We somehow assume that only unbelievers can still have unclean or devils within them. This is not so.

After The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, all of the disciples and those in the upper room were “filled” with the Holy Spirit, yet still lied, scattered and denied that they were with Jesus. Judas himself betrayed Jesus in his uncleanliness and was one of His disciples. While I can find no clear record of specific deliverances of the disciples, I suspect that they must have all been delivered in John 20:22 when Jesus breathed on them to receive The Holy Ghost.

In Ezekiel 44:23, The Lord reminds us that He has to teach his people the difference between clean and unclean. In Ezekiel 36: 24 & 29, He is speaking to HIS people telling them that He has to save them from their uncleanness. These are people who know Him, yet still have unclean within them.

I think this is a great discussion and one keeping us from moving forward in deliverance so we can truly be filled and without sin, with our flesh crucified and truly a reflection of Jesus Christ.

Let me know what you think…In His Service, Ericka

John 21:20-21

Here Peter asks Jesus about the Disciple Whom He Loved:  Lord, what about this man?

I frequently am reminded of this scripture when I find myself questioning what another believer is doing.

Jesus tells Peter:  Your job is to follow Me.

For some of us the dinner table with our family and friends has become a coffee table with the T.V. glowing in front of our eyes.  Well I recently read this Italian quote about the dinner table it says this: “A tavola non s’invecchia.”  This amazing statement means this, “At the dinner table no one grows old.”  This means that time stops at the dinner table that you can take as long as you can.  This statement is not just something that comes from Italy it is also in the bible,  take a look and see:

You see Martha was so worried about the meal that she forgot about the company that was there in her presence.  Jesus was there and Mary was enjoying the time that she was able to spend with him.  Why is it that when it comes to spending time with someone we lose the focus of what is important, the time with them.  It is my hope that we as the husbands, fathers, and friends will learn to take the time with the people that God has placed in our lives.  That we will take from the Italian saying the thought that as long as we are spending time with those at the table no one grows old.  Take the time this week to just sit and be in the presence of the people at your table.

A good friend of mine asked me just a few days ago why I was such a different person than any other Canadian girl he’d met. I couldn’t find an answer… so all I said was “I’m not sure how to answer that.” His reply was “What, you do not know yourself?”

What a weird question, and yet it strikes a cord with me. “Do you not know yourself?”. Well, yes, I do. Don’t I? What does it take to know someone, really? I have friends, but do I truly know them? Just because I spend time with people, go places with people, hang out with people… do I really know them?

I think there are different degrees of knowing people. Some people you don’t even want to know, some people you know more than you want to know, and then there are others who you want to know, but maybe they don’t want to know you. You still following me?

I think I know me. I know my name, I know the name I like to go by. I know how old I am, and how old I want to be. I know where I live, where I have lived. I know my family, our traditions and routines. I know what I like and what I don’t like, for example – I love late 80’s early 90’s country, and I really don’t like slow indie music or classical. I know that I have a tendency to talk about myself a lot, and that I don’t like being the only person home when I fall asleep. I know that when I work best when I feel like I’m the only person that can do the job, but that I also tend to overreact when my life gets too stressful. I think I know me.. but then there are always those best friends (my sister, Kelley) who probably know me a little better than I know myself.

The question is – do I know them? Do I know you? I have no idea. Sometimes I think that I focus too much on the meeting people, and not enough on the getting to know them part. Do I really take the time to know people, or am I too pre-occupied with what’s going on in my own life to notice? I realized the other day that a good friend of mine had siblings – I had always thought he was an only child. Then I realized, you know.. I never asked him about his family. I found out another friend of mine had grown up with no father figure. They don’t talk about it openly, but in conversation “going home to see my family” had always conjured up a Mom and a Dad and maybe some siblings.. I never thought to ask about their family.

My sister is kind of a cool person in this regard. One of the things I admire most about her is that she asks questions. Sometimes, I’ll admit, her questions are kind of geeky and annoying – but she’s always asking questions like “Okay, so what was your favourite part of the weekend? Least favourite?” or “What’s the best part of your job? What’s the craziest situation you’ve ever gotten into at work”. Every time we’re together she asks questions of everyone. After dinner, she wants to know what everyones favourite portion of the meal was, or what their favourite conversation was. If we take a roadtrip, she wants to know what my favourite pitstop was, or what the most beautiful thing I saw that day was.  (do you see how this can get annoying? lol) The point though, isn’t that she asks questions. The point is that after 9 years of living with her, I know that my sister KNOWS me really well. She knows that when you step on my head at 6am in the morning on a school day, I’m going to scream and do something horrible like leave chinese food on your bed for 3 months.. she knows that the hardest part about my moving out of SJ was leaving my grandmother, and she also knows that my favourite part of my first Thanksgiving in Ottawa was going to the Senators game with everyone.

So many of us (us being Christians) are quick to say that we are “living like Jesus did” but are you really living that? How well do you know those around you? Would you know if a friend was in trouble but not wanting to say anything, just by how they were acting? Would you know, based on character, that in tight circumstances, a friend may not be able to be there for you when you need them?

Jesus did. Remember, at the last supper he says to his disciples (his buddies, best pals, guys that he’s been hanging out with for most of his adult life) that “The truth is, one of you will betray me, one of you who is here eating with me”.  He knows who it is too, and I’m not sure that I’m inclined to believe that God told him that. Thing is, Jesus probably knew that Judas was the kind of guy who would rat him out to the authorities.  He also knew that Peter, one of his best friends, would fear his life and say anything to keep himself alive (hence Peter denying that he knew Jesus to the servant girls).  I mean, did Peter know himself that well? I have no idea.. I think he probably thought he’d do the right thing, but then he didn’t anticipate the fact that his life would be threatened.

Here’s the thing right? I know that I can be a sucky person sometimes. I’m a pretty negative kind of person, not because I dwell on the negative, but simply because I find joy in really simple things that others don’t find joyful and I don’t like to talk about the positive things with people who will just bring me down. Sometimes I forget to ask things, and then I walk away wondering more about you… and maybe I never get that chance to ask again.

Asking people about their lives, their families etc has always been an awkward thing for me. All the same, I really would like to know my friends better – does it not say in Proverbs that a “true friend sticks closer than a brother?”

Here’s my challenge – get to know 5 of the people I hang out with most just a little bit more. I love you all, and because I love you, I want to be there for you – and how can I be there for you if I don’t know you well enough to know when times are hard and things are just not worth talking about?

 I think by getting to know yourself, then those who are around you most, that’s when you get to know God just a little bit more. I see God in the love of my friends…