Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
HEALING MASS JANUARY 20, ST. MARY MAGDALENE, FLINT- PRAYER MEETINGS!
Come and be touched by the Holy Spirit!
Fr. Michael Scherry and members of the Houston Charasmatic Center will be ministering at the monthly Charismatic Healing Mass, held at St. Mary Magdalene, Flint, TX on Wednesday, JANUARY 20. Under the direction of Parish Priest, Father Tim Kelly, the Mass with Adoration begins at 6:00PM. Sacrament of Reconciliation is available. Laying on of hands and anointing for healing with personal ministry will follow. Come and encounter a fresh wind of the Spirit. The Church is located at 18221 FM 2493, Flint, TX 75762. For more information call the parish office at 903-894-7647 or Lori Harris at 903-343-3567. Feel free to forward this to your friends. All are invited and welcome!
MONDAY, January 11, will be the day of the Diocese monthly prayer meeting. (Second Monday of the Month) The Charismatic prayer meeting will start at 7:00 PM at St. Paul's Chapel, behind the Diocese of Tyler office. 1015 ESE Loop 323. Tyler. For more information call Lori Harris at 903-963-7146 or St. Mary Magdalene, Father Tim Kelly at 903-894-7647.
There are two in home prayer meetings as well that we invite you to join:
Healing & The Holy Spirit PRAYER MEETING at Dorothea Wiegman, January 19, (3rd Tuesday of the month) 10:00 AM Call Dorothea for directions 903-825-3406 or Lori Harris 903-963-7146 for more information.
Healing & The Holy Spirit PRAYER MEETING at Terry & Sherry Pettit's House, January 25 (4th Monday night of the month) at 605 Shiloh Ridge, Tyler, TX. Phone Terry for directions at 903-239-3455 or Alan Harris at 903-963-7146.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Anne Rice is Called Out of Darkness
Her descriptions about the importance of family and moral values as well as church attendance forming character can be read between the lines. The truth and value of the "little things" that others do for and to you and how they make a lasting impact on character formation are subtle traits within the context of the story.
We are all pursued by the Hound of Heaven and the use of the poem by Francis Thompson fits into Anne's story perfectly. Her longing for the Eucharist has a depth of understanding that even protestants can relate to.
The scandals plaguing the Church did not keep her from choosing to pursue Jesus through the Sacraments that were familiar to her from her childhood. Her embracing of the modern Church service versus the Latin Mass she had grown up with are evident. She speaks with joy at not being ridiculed by those in her family who had never left the Church but instead loved her back to Jesus.
As a convert to the faith, I was overjoyed that she looked with awe at many of the same things I loved when I converted: The Nicene Creed, the Gloria, the prayers of consecration and the Agnus Dei. Her descriptions of these standards of the Church echo my own sentiments and show a woman who has come to terms with what she chose to walk away from and what she now chooses to embrace.
I have never read Anne's "vampire writings," and probably never will, but I see an amazing openness and frank love of truth and sense of justice in her clear and eloquent writings. I look forward to many more descriptive and faith conveying books to come from a woman whose obvious vocation is writing for the glory of God.
In Genesis, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers with the words, "Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people." ( Gen. 50:20) I look forward to Ms. Rice's future work to draw on the past she came from to lead many to the Lord. He knows her name, as He knows each of ours and He has called her out of darkness.
CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS
By Anne Rice
ISBN:978-0-307-39759-1
For more book reviews see http://keamusa.com
Monday, August 31, 2009
You can walk the Road to Cana with Christ the Lord
Jesus is a man, strong, virile and desirable.
Anne does not make him weak or un-masculine in anyway. He is a stud and those around him know it. He is a hard working and important part of a working class family and as such, has the girls giving him the eye. He is obviously marriage material.
His emotions are dealt with in a genuine manner. There is no pretense here that Jesus the man isn't a human being attracted to the opposite sex. The emotions of Jesus are dealt with honestly and you see that He was in all manners, tempted such as we. (Luke 4:15)
The sub story woven throughout brings life to Jesus the Man as we watch him die to his flesh and desires while choosing the highest good for others. The temptation during his forty days and forty nights in the desert is superb as Jesus is tempted with all the emotions that every man feels. Ms. Rice covers them all in a way that makes the reader look at his own faults and failures.
When Jesus returns to his own, there is no turning back. He is the Son of God and a man on a mission. He calls fishermen to come follow him and begins to speak as only the Son of God can. Ms. Rice's writing is captivating as she weaves the love story of Christ the Lord for His Bride, the Church against the story of the wedding at Cana. The wedding at Cana shows Jesus honoring his mother, just like all good boys do. As Mary tells those around her to obey her son and do as He asks, the turning of the water into wine, is recorded for us in a story that is satisfying as any beautiful wedding should be. The emotions of Jesus the Man make this book a treasure you won't soon forget.
CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA
By Anne Rice
ISBN: 978-1-4000-4352-1
For more book reviews see http:// kteamsusa.com
Saturday, August 29, 2009
BOOK REVIEW: CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT
In Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, Anne Rice creates a very real little boy who happens to be Jesus of Nazareth. Ms. Rice writes like a mommy as she explores a little boy she loves and knows was born to die for the sins of mankind.
What a different twist she brings to the ordinary! The setting of a child and family leaving Egypt to return to their people of Nazareth provides background that is interesting and fresh. Whether we are seeing Jesus deal with His feelings and knowledge of who He is and who He is going to be or looking through the eyes of Mary, his mother, Ms. Rice has taken a very “family” perspective on the whole process.
The Jewish perspective is eloquent without being trite as we see families gathering and passing down the stories of the Torah in the traditional manner. The historical perspective is intact as the people struggle with oppression brought on by the Roman invasion of the country amidst the traditional life cycles of the Jewish calendar.
As the little boy tells his story and then grows into puberty and reaches Bar Mitzvah age, you see a child learning how to reason and ask intelligent “God questions,” knowing all along, what the answers are.
The book leaves you wanting more, as it should.
The real treat is the conversion story of Anne at the end of the book. You can’t jump the gun to get to this seventeen page Author’s Note. It won’t mean nearly as much if you haven’t read this reverent and captivating take on the child Jesus.
CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT
By Anne Rice
ISBN: 0-275-41201-8
For more book reviews see http://kteamsusa.com
Thursday, August 27, 2009
BOOK REVIEW: REDISCOVERING CATHOLICSM
Divided into readable sections, Kelly explores the need for a Savior, the relevancy of Christ today and the call for holiness that a personal relationship with Jesus requires. His look at seven pillars of Catholic spirituality is an objective take on what makes us Catholic and how, if applied, will renew the inner life of the individual. His section on fasting and discipline is a real slap on the hand to most of us, as it should be.
Kelly makes a passionate plea for a return to virtue and calls on all who claim the Catholic faith to look to Jesus and emulate His call to evangelization. Through servant leadership, courage, and Christian character that comes from a personal and growing faith in Jesus, we as a people, will draw the sinner to Christ.
This book will challenge even the weakest to become more bold in what Christ and His Church would look like if we all hungered and thirst after righteousness.
REDISCOVERING CATHOLICISM: JOURNEYING TOWARD OUR SPIRITAUL NORTH STAR
By Matthew Kelly
ISBN: 1-929266-08-1
For more book reviews see http://kteamsusa.com
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Out From Under: The Impact of Homosexual Parenting
Dawn Stefanowicz has boldly and openly shared a horrific life that is becoming more and more prevalent as society and its norms continue to crumble. In her personal memoir, Out From Under, Dawn reveals the mental torment she and her two siblings were raised in by a homosexual father and a weak mother.
Bravo!
Dawn's book is more than a personal analyzation of trauma caused by bad parenting. It reveals the darker side of a father's sexual appetites and how they can destroy the psyche of everyone he touches. It is not for the faint hearted. Be warned!
A thread of the religious runs through this tormented family and Dawn's ability to finally see true Christianity from the false is critical to her personal understanding of the need for a Father's love.
As Dawn openly works through her needs for love and affection it is clear this book is a manual for others that may find themselves in similar situations. She does not gloss over the ugly nor make it look like easy work. Change is never easy. But she eloquently shows her love and affection for her father and sees him as he truly was. Her ability to continually forgive the many ways her father continued to cause her pain throughout his life, show a strength that can only from the determination to deal with her own shortcomings over and over again.
Dawn's marriage and ability to be completely vulnerable with her husband show that they are in this thing together. Her self analysis by journaling was a step forward in her own healing and sharing those journaling efforts with her husband, seem to help her place her situations in perspective.
For those of us who love others in alternative lifestyles, this book is a warning of the effects of gay parenting and the backlash that it can create on the social structure of a society. Dawn speaks for those who cannot. May her work not be in vain.
Children are the most vulnerable of society and a society that will not protect its own children is a sad one indeed. May we be brave enough to love, reach out to and rescue these little ones who are hidden among us.
OUT FROM UNDER:THE IMPACT OF HOMOSEXUAL PARENTING
By Dawn Stefanowicz ISBN 1-59977-011-3
For more book reviews see http://alanandloriharris.blogspot.com
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Pain of Sin
I love a lesbian.
I’ve loved her since we were girls. The feeling is mutual, I’m sure. We are as close as sisters. We grew up together. We worked together. We lived together. We fought and we dated guys together. She is one of my oldest, dearest and most precious friends.
Through the years our paths separated, almost under our noses. We weren’t concerned about God. We lived like we chose and it showed. Without a plumb line to guide us, we continued our downward spiral of what was acceptable and normal for us and those who were our friends.
Somehow, through the muddle of my mind, Jesus broke through. He reached down and began to clear the cobwebs of my mind. He began to massage my brain back to life. He began to probe my thoughts and penetrate my concepts of right and wrong, just and unjust, and to stir up something long ago lost. I became a new creation. My life changed- for the better, and that change continues to this day.
But my wonderful friend hasn’t had that renewal.
She hasn’t chosen to be renewed, but all these many years she has continued to love herself and her wants. There has been no visible work toward holy living and dying to selfish desires.
Her partners have changed. Her opinions have become more vocal and her heart has fashioned God to be someone she calls on when she has disappointments and most times, she thinks He does not care for her or take a personal interest in what she does. He doesn’t hear her. Why?
Recently we got to catch up and I was introduced to her latest partner.
I had no reaction other than, “Oh, well.”
In reflecting on my lack of shock over her choice of sin, I had to ask God why I would feel no grief about her continued lifestyle. My answer was all too evident: I have become numb to the things that break God’s heart. I have forgotten how to hate sin while continuing to love the sinner. In other ones, I continue to love her but I have grown numb to her sin.
I cannot, as a Christian, make the two one. I must separate my friend whom I love, from her sin of choice. All sin breaks God’s heart. Some sins ensnare with strangling cords because they have a Trinitarian grip on the person. They ensnare the body, soul and spirit and these sins choke the life from the individual.
I’ve had to repent.
I’ve had to ask Jesus to forgive me for not seeing my friend’s hurts and ministering to them again and again, with the love of Christ. I am not called by God to judge her but to love her. I want to look like and strive to emulate a savior worth living for because she is someone He was worth dying for.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Intercession of Mary & the Saints
The Cultural Experience of Mary and Prayers to the Saints
When I began to look at the truths of the Catholic faith, one of the first I had to deal with was the “Mary talk.” As a Protestant, Mary was only mentioned at Christmas and prayer to the saints was never even discussed. Protestants just don’t do that.
But the Jew in me that loves and relishes tradition and the generational traditions of cultures and peoples, had to recognize that these aspects of the faith are based on just that- tradition.
Truths about Mary are important to the basic gospel message but they aren’t central. Many Protestants believe wrongly that Catholics think they are and to some, this may be so. Her role in the Christian life does not compete with the role of Jesus. Anyone who confuses the role of Mary and Jesus does not have a problem with their “Mariology”; their problem is that they have never really met Jesus Christ. Those who know the life and power of Jesus will never be tempted or able to confuse Jesus’ role with that of Mary.
Mary is special, in that she alone was chosen by God to be the “ark of the new covenant” by which God entered into the world. She is considered the “New Eve” in typology because, unlike the first Eve, who said “no” to God, Mary willingly said “yes”. She is the first person who received the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (Lk 1:35 ). Luke declares Mary highly favored by God ( Lk 1: 28 -30) and she declared herself to be the servant of the Lord ( Lk 1:38 ). At the cross Mary was there, and artists throughout the years have depicted her holding his lifeless body, the “sword” “that pierced her heart,” as Simeon prophesied (Lk 2:35 ).
Mary’s prophetic prayer of praise, Luke 1:46-55 (the Magnificat), glorifies God and brings to light the mission of Jesus to bring the Good News to the poor and downcast. She prophecies over herself that, “all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48 ). This prophecy is fulfilled through all Christians who call Mary the “Blessed Virgin”.
Catholics look to Mary as our mother in the faith, but they do not “pray to Mary” as they pray to God. Worship belongs to God alone. Catholics do ask Mary to pray for us and believe that her intercession can call forth God’s grace because of her special relationship with Jesus.
God provides and accomplishes everything that man needs, but he also asks us to have a share in his work. Jesus is our high priest ( Heb. 8:1), but he calls us a “priestly people” and invites us to share in his priesthood ( I Pet 2:9). He encourages us to bring our intentions to him (I Tim 2:1-6) and to pray for others.
Ultimately, Mary is honored because God has honored her by choosing her to be the mother of Jesus. She is the example of the perfect disciple and shows us as human beings, how we are to relate to God through Jesus. She always points us to her son, Jesus.
Along this same line, prayer to the saints is a misunderstood. Catholics use the term “saint” to refer to people of outstanding holiness. In the New Testament, the word is used in a broader term, Paul calls all his fellow believers “saints” ( Rom 12:13, 16:15, I Cor 16:1,15; 2 Cor1:1; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; 4:21-22, Philemon 5). The Apostles’ Creed also states, “I believe in the communion of saints.”
This phrase, “the communion of saints” refers to that bond of unity among all those, living and dead, who are, or have been committed followers of Jesus Christ. We know that those who have died in Christ are still saints and are only physically dead. Their spirit is still alive. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living ( Mk 12:26-27; Lk 20:34-38; Mk 5:39; Mt 9:24; Lk 8:52). Jesus even demonstrated this principle of those saints being alive in Christ when Moses and Elijah appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mk 9:4). The story of the “good thief” also illustrates this point (Lk 23:43 ).
One of Satan’s chief strategies is to defeat the Church is to cause division. One divisive tactic that has been successful has been the strategy of dividing and isolating the Body of Christ from one another- those on earth and those in the heavenly. Hebrews 11 calls us to remember those who have gone before and Hebrews 12:1 states, “WE have so great a cloud of witnesses…” These men and women of God, who have gone on before are there, encouraging us to holiness and discipleship.
The Catholic church takes this a step further through the process of “canonization“, a way the Church discerns the life that someone has lived on earth. The custom of honoring the lives of holy people with the title of “saint” dates back to the first centuries of Christianity and comes from the apostles and martyrs who sacrificed their lives instead of abandoning their faith in Jesus ( Rev 6:9-11, 7:13-15).
Jesus is the ultimate model of holiness, but there are many role models that the average person can look to for an example to follow. Since we believe that this great cloud of witnesses is available to us, we choose to ask for their intercession and prayers to the Father on our behalf. What an army of witnesses!
Many of us ask one another to “pray for me”. As Catholics, we not only ask those “saints” on earth to pray for us but those in the heavenlies, who are already united with the Lord. This can be abused and become a form of worship, as St. Augustine
When we ask the saints in heaven or Mary to intercede and pray for us, it cannot detract from the unique mediation of Jesus, anymore than asking someone on earth to pray for us would. Worship is due only to God. All Christian prayer, whether asking that of a saint, through a written prayer or a heartfelt plea, is directed to the Father through Jesus Christ, who is the “one mediator between God and men” (I Tim 2:5).
Monday, August 17, 2009
Book Review for Left To Tell
Left To Tell is a personal story of survival in the midst of the Rwandan holocaust. Immaculee Ilibagiza shares her nightmare of terror with the reader in a way that shows this killing frenzy could happen to people within any nation.
The prejudice between the Hutu and Tutsi people groups show that skin color isn’t the only way man judges man. The spirit of death and murder walked hand in hand with hate as neighbor turned against neighbor and found a reason to machete and bludgeon one another to death. The stench of rotting bodies and blood ran throughout the villages as Immaculee realized the death of her loved ones even as she hid with seven other women for three months in a bathroom four feet long and three feet wide.
Insanity could have engulfed her at any moment if she had not chosen to take every thought captive and keep her mind occupied by prayer and thoughts of survival. When the chance to escape came after three months, her sheer determination caused all eight women to press through to safety.
Her story of forgiveness is just as riveting. The miracles God provided for her encouraged and kept her faith alive. Far from being overwhelmed by man’s inhumanity to man, Immaculee’s ordeal uplifts and inspires because of her ability to forgive and continue forgiving those who perpetrated the crimes against her.
Immaculee is a woman that has suffered and lost much but her willingness to bring her story of hope and healing one heart at a time is a story of love worth reading. You won’t be disappointed.
LEFT TO TELL
By Immaculee Ilibagiza
ISBN: 1-4019-0897-7
For more book reviews see http://kteamsusa.com
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Jesus- On the Cross
As a Protestant I didn't like the respect given to a Crucifix. My Jesus came off that Cross!
But as a Catholic, I understand that ONLY Jesus can be "ON"that Cross. It can't be Buddha, or Mohammed. It can't be Confucius or Hare Krisna. It can't even be John the Baptist. It can only be Jesus, the only living Son of the Father. He alone can save us from our sins. He alone can forgive sin and bring life.
When I enter the Church, I kneel and make the sign of the cross. Jesus is in the house and we should be in awe of that. I want to honor the God who became man and came to earth to hang on the that Cross for me.
Protestants can drape Jewish prayer shawls and purple cloth on empty crosses all they want but as for me and mine, we will gaze on
JESUS- the focal point of His Story.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Church, Walking With the World
THE CHURCH, WALKING WITH THE WORLD
The Church and the World walked far apart
On the changing shore of time-
The World was singing a giddy song,
And the Church a hymn sublime.
"Come, give me your hand," said the merry World,
"And walk with me, this way!”
But the good Church hid her. Snowy hands
And solemnly answered, "Nay,
I will not give you my hand,” she said,
“And I will not walk with you;
Your way is the way of eternal death;
And your words are all untrue.”
“Nay, walk with me but a little space,”
Said the World with a kindly air;
"The road I walk is a pleasant road,
And the sun shines always there;
Your path is narrow and thorny and rough,
While mine is flowery and smooth;
Your lot is sad with, reproach and toil,
While in rounds of joy I move.
The sky to me is always blue,
No want, no toil I know;
The sky above you is always dark,
Your lot is a lot of woe.
My way, you can see, is a broad fair one,
And my gate is high and wide;
There is room enough for you and for me,
And we'll travel side by side."
Half shyly the Church approached the world
And gave him her hand of snow;
And the old World grasped, it and walked along,
And whispered in accents low,
"Your dress is too simple to please my taste;
I have gold and pearls to wear,
Rich velvets and silks for your graceful form,
And diamonds to deck your hair.”
The Church looked down at her plain white robes,
And then at the dazzling World,
And blushed as she saw his handsome lip
With a smile contemptuous curled.
"I will change my dress for a costlier one,
Said the Church with a smile of grace;
Then her pure white garments drifted away,
And the World gave in their place,
Beautiful satins, and fashionable silks,
And roses and gems and pearls;
While over her forehead her bright hair fell
Crisped in a thousand curls.
"Your house is too plain,” said the proud old World,
"I will build you one like mine;
With walls of marble and towers of gold,
And furniture ever so fine.”
He built her a costly and beautiful house;
Most splendid it was to behold;
Her sons and her beautiful daughters dwelt there
Gleaming in purple and gold;
Rich fairs and shows in the halls were held ,
And the World and his children were there,
Laughter and music and feasting were heard
In the place that was meant for prayer.
There were cushioned seats for the rich and gay,
To sit in their pomp and pride;
But the poor who were clad in shabby array,
Sat meekly down outside.
"Your preachers are all too old and plain,"
Said the gay World with a sneer
"They frighten my children with dreadful tales,
Which I like not for them to hear.
They warn of judgments- and fire and pain,
Of doom of the darkest night,
And speak of a place that should not be,
Mentioned to ears polite.
I mil send you some of a better stamp;
More brilliant and gay and fast,
Who will show how men may live as they list,
And then get to heaven at last.
The Father is merciful, great, and good,
Tender, loving and kind,
Do you think He would take one child to heaven!
And leave another behind?”
So she sent for pleasing and gay divines,
Deemed gifted and great and learned,
And the plain old men who had preached the cross
Were out of her pulpits turned.
Then Mammon came in supporting the Church,
And rented a prominent pew;
And preaching and singing and floral display
Proclaimed a gospel new.
Then fair and festival, frolics untold
Were held in the place of prayer,
And maidens, bewitching as sirens of old,
With worldly graces rare,
Thought up the very cunningest tricks,
Untrammeled by gospel or laws,
To beguile, and amuse, and win from the World
Some help for the righteous cause.
The angel of mercy flew over the Church,
And whispered, “I know thy sin!"
Then the Church looked sad and earnestly longed
To gather her children in.
But some were out at the midnight ball,
And some were at the play;
And some were drinking in gay saloons,
So she quietly turned away.
Then said the World in soothing tones,
"Your children mean no harm,
Merely indulging in innocent sports."
So she leaned on his proffered arm,
And smiled, and chatted, and gathered flowers,
And walked along with the World.
While countless millions of precious souls
O'er the fearful brink were hurled.
“You give too much to the poor,” said the World,
"Far more than you ought to do.
Though the poor need shelter, food, and clothes,
Why should that trouble you?
And afar to the heathen in foreign lands
Your thoughts need never roam-
The Father of mercies will care for them.
Let charity stay at home.
Go, take your money and buy rich robes,
And horses and carriages fine;
Roses, and jewels, and dainty food,
And rarest and costliest wine;
My children just dote on all these things,
And if you their love would win,
You must do as they do, and walk in the way
That they are walking in.
So the Church drew tightly the strings of her purse,
And gracefully lowered her head,
And simpered, "I've given too much away,
I will do, Sir, as you have said."
So the poor were turned from her door in scorn;
She heard not the orphan's cry;
She drew her beautiful robes aside
As the widows went weeping by.
Her missions treasuries beggarly pled,
And Jesus commands were vain,
As half the millions for whom He died
Had never heard of His name.
Then they of the Church and they of the World
Walked onward hand and heart,
And only the Master, who knoweth all,
Could tell the two apart.
Then the Church sat down at her ease, and said,
“I am rich and in goods increased;
I have need of nothing and naught to do
But to laugh and dance and feast."
The sly World heard it and laughed in his Sleeve,
And mockingly said, aside--
"The Church has fallen, the beautiful Church;_
And her shame is her boast and her pride."
The angel drew near to the mercy seat,
And whispered in sighs her name;
Then the loud anthems of rapture were hushed,
And heads were covered with shame;
And a voice was heard at last by the Church,
From Him who sat on the throne,
"I know thy works, and how thou hast said
“I am rich” but thou hast not known
That thou art poor and naked and blind,
With pride and with ruin enthralled.
The intended bride of a heavenly groom
Is companion of the World.
Go, humble thy heart and confess thy sin,
Let shame now cover thy face,
Or else--alas--I must cast thee out,
And blot thy name from its place.
Matilda C. Edwards 1874Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Great Speckled Bird
I grew up in the south in a Holiness/Pentecostal church. I was raised knowing I was in the only “true” Church of God (of Prophecy). Other churches were only a poor imitation of what Christianity should look like. We were holy people and we were proud of it. I loved church and wonderful worship, knowing a personal Jesus and what a good “Holy Ghost” message sounded like. We were quite clannish and were willing to “pray it through” until the Lord gave clear direction.
I am thankful for my roots.
My greatest memories and some of my happiest, are remembering the closeness of Jesus to us, His people. I go to bed at night and follow the prayer patterns my grandmother taught me of calling out to God for those I love, asking the Lord first for my husband and children and then my extended family and church family. I follow a pattern of history that my mother and grandmother shared and I have passed that on to my children. Prayer does change things.
The Lord recently reminded me of an old song we sung in church.
You will have to use your own imagination ( or find a rendition on the web) but try to hear the pedal steel guitar carrying the tune and make sure you sway a little while you pitch just a tad “southern.”
Today, even with it's pretribulaton message, I think much of it is true to my understanding of church:
The Great Speckled Bird
What a beautiful thought I am thinking
Concerning a great speckled bird
Remember her name is recorded
On the pages of God's Holy Word.
All the other birds are flocking 'round her
She is despised by the squad
But the great speckled bird in the Bible
Representing the great church of God.
All the other churches are against her
They envy her glory and fame
They hate her because she is chosen
And has not denied Jesus' name.
Desiring to lower her standard
They watch every move that she makes
They long to find fault with her teachings
But really they find no mistake.
She is spreading her wings for a journey
She's going to leave by and by
When the trumpet shall sound in the morning
She'll rise and go up in the sky.
In the presence of all her despisers
With a song never uttered before
She will rise and be gone in a moment
Till the great tribulation is o'er.
I am glad I have learned of her meekness
I am proud that my name is on her book
For I want to be one never fearing
The face of my Savior true love.
When He cometh descending from heaven
On the cloud that He writes in His Word
I'll be joyfully carried to meet Him
On the wings of that great speckled bird.
I am very proud of the way I was raised and the heritage I am from. My grandmother came from her Baptist background to a fuller understanding of the gifts of the spirit during WWI. The story of the angel of the Lord who came to her as she prayed in the smokehouse are what family history is all about. This angel told her to not fear the pentecostals, that what they brought from the Lord would bring salvation to her family. It did.
All through the war and the dark days of the depression, the church was the Rock for my grandmother and her large family of nine kids on a cotton farm. Hard times and a drinking man, no money and plenty of nothing, insured that all kids were in church with my grandma every time the doors were open. They can all tell the stories of walking miles on black topped roads in the sunset and coming home in the dark, bringing the “travelin' preacher” home with them to have a hot meal and sleep in the barn.
The snake handlers and bare-foot hot coal walkers were real people that I grew up loving and trusting. They knew how to get God's attention. By the time I knew them they were old, with only their stories left to tell, but I understood God answered their prayers. They didn't have to do the wild things anymore to have others believe them about what Jesus could do, they had already lived it.
Scripture was always touted and I was raised to believe, “Know the truth and it shall set you free!” Truth had it own price tag and every man had the right for more of it. It was free but it might cost you everything.
Coming from good stock that loves the Lord like that, means you really can't be complacent in your own walk. There is something in my family tree that says I can't just “ get by.” I was raised to want and know truth. That “want to” led me into a discipleship program as a young adult, kept me involved in missions, and has led me into studying more theology and church history than any sane person should.
In my denomination ancient church history couldn't be studied. Hey, we might have been the true church of God but we weren't formed until 1903! I had never heard of the Church Fathers, the Nicene Creed or anything historic, until I was an adult. Then I studied everything: Anabaptist, Reformed, Calvinist, Arminian; you name it – I tackled it. The one place I didn't care to go was to Catholicism. It just wasn't for me. It was too weird and they were the guys that always tried to kill off people that differed with them. I knew they had some great reading material but it really didn't seem very relevant to real life situations or practical, for that matter. The saints were all dead and what made them a saint anyway?
God has a way or weaving His own story and certain things happening the way they do, might just be His way of getting your attention. A series of life changing events led my own family through a very similar depression, much like my grandmother's. How blessed we all were to have Jesus as our anchor. Without the strength of the Lord, we would not have survived as a family. I had prayed for God to do whatever it took to make us look more like Him. He did. He is good like that. When it was all said and done, I was looking square into the face of Rome.
How did a Holiness pastor's daughter become a Catholic? I wanted more truth of WHO God was. Because of His love for me, I followed a very clearly marked trail. That roadmap took me to the true Church of God. This church is very real, like God's family should be. It has nastiness and wickedness along with everything beautiful. With all of the good it has, there is still plenty of bad because it is made up of many, many kinds of people. Some desire more of Jesus in their own life and some are happy just “getting by.” It has withstood the test of time and trials and even being wrong but the rightness of it far outweighs the sinfulness of men that might be in it. It still takes the blows from the world. There are those who would want the Mother Church to lower her standard. She doesn't. She has holiness as her claim and she sticks to it.
This Church is the Great Speckled Bird I grew up singing about:
and She's Catholic!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Easter!
Ad regias Agni dapes (At the Lamb's High Feast)
In this 7th century hymn there is a reference to the ancient custom of administering to catechumens the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. Originally there was no Mass on Holy Saturday proper. The long but beautiful ceremonies began Saturday evening and lasted throughout the night. The Litany and Mass were sung towards morning. During Mass the neophytes, vested in beautiful white robes, were admitted for the first time to the "banquet of the Lamb," i.e., to the Eucharistic table. The white garments were worn during the week following Easter, and on Low Sunday the newly baptized appeared for the first time without their white robes.
At the Lamb's high feast we sing Praise to our victorious King, Who hath washed us in the tide Flowing from His pierced side।
Praise we Him whose love divine Gives the guests His Blood for wine, Gives His Body for the feast, Love the victim, love the priest.
Where the Paschal blood poured, Death's dark Angel sheathes his sword; Israel's hosts triumphant go Through the wave that drowns the foe.
Christ, the Lamb whose Blood was shed, Paschal victim, Paschal bread; With sincerity and love Eat we manna from above.
Mighty Victim from the sky, Powers of hell beneath Thee lie; Death is conquered in the fight; Thou hast brought us life and light.
Now Thy banner Thou dost wave; Vanquished Satan and the grave; Angels join His praise to tell— See o'erthrown the prince of hell.
Paschal triumph, Paschal joy, Only sin can this destroy; From the death of sin set free, Souls re-born, dear Lord, in Thee,
Hymns of glory, songs of praise, Father, unto Thee we raise; Risen Lord, all praise to Thee, Ever with the Spirit be.
Source: Hymns of the Breviary and Missal by Matthew Britt, Benziger Brothers, 1922
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