Conversion 2.0: God in My Life vs Me in God’s Life

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Fr. David shares about how he experienced the Lord telling him he was running his own life and asked him to let the Lord Himself run his life.Romans 14:7 says that we don’t live or die for ourselves, whether we live or die we are the Lord’s.  The Scriptures dismantle the illusion that life is our own.  The language can be used, “have you accepted God into your life” and yet it isn’t my life.  When we zoom out and really look at the whole person, we realize this is God’s life we participate in.  He is the initiator and orchestrator.  Keeping in mind that this life is the Lord’s gives us the proper perspective.

We can come up with our own plans and ask the Lord to bless them or we can submit ourselves to Him surrendering to His activity within us and His leading.  When we are baptized in Him, we are baptized into His life.  This is all a process of deeper conversion and transformation.  Fundamentally, we can seek a position of control, or surrender to the Lord’s omnipotence and give ourselves over to His will.

Fr. David shares about how he experienced the Lord telling him he was running his own life and asked him to let the Lord Himself run his life.  The repentance and conversion thus led Fr. David to drastically changed his life.

When we realize this is really the Lord’s life in which we participate it really calls us on beyond not doing the things on the naughty list to an ever-deeper experience of surrender.  In this way, we radically realize there is always more of God, deeper union into which we are called, and we no longer have the tendency to evaluate ourselves as better than our neighbor because we aren’t drinking, having illicit relationships, acting out of anger, and the like.  Rather, we are continually called on to continual growth in intimacy with the Lord.  This keeps life fresh because there is always more and He makes all things new.

Living as though the Lord is in our lives rather than us in His life, we can tend to compartmentalize spirituality.  Recognizing that we are in God’s life disposes us to incarnate Him to the world.

Journey From the False Self to the True Self

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

How do we make that journey?  It’s a process of grace and coming to understand more and more who God is and what He asks of us.The true self is who we really are – made in the image and likeness of God as His sons and daughters.  We’re in this place when we’re calm, compassionate and confident.  The true self responds out of love and is immutable.  The false self, by contrast responds from a place of fear.  In many places the Scriptures talk about putting off the old man and putting on the new man.  The false self is the old man, and the true self is the new man.

How do we do that?  How do we make that journey?  It’s a process of grace and coming to understand more and more who God is and what He asks of us.  We come to realize how powerless we are.  How we relate to our powerlessness is a process of conversion in relationship to God, ourselves, and others.  By receiving from the Lord and relating to ourselves as He does, we grow in our ability to reach out to others in compassion.  It’s a wonderful and challenging process.

Experiencing powerlessness is the moment of testing where we make the choice to respond in a sinful way or in a courageous way.  Powerlessness is scary and we can either be sent on a negative cycle toward disconnection or a positive cycle toward intimacy with the Lord.  When we see that there’s a positive direction we can move, it can really be a game changer that turns the painful bitterness to sweetness.  The same way sugar is the enemy when we’re on a diet, fear is the enemy in the spiritual life.  How do we handle the fear?

Powerlessness can lead us to pride, self-reliance, an eventual sense of inadequacy (because we aren’t all powerful), and shame which then leads to isolation and disconnection and an even deeper sense of powerlessness.  Conversely, when we encounter powerlessness, we can respond out of humility, relying on God because He is all-good, omnipotent and He is FOR US.  This then leads to a change in our heart giving us hearts of gratitude, love and trust in the Lord, and a sense of intimacy with Him.

Suffering and Healing

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

God intends great things for our lives, but when we look at our personal sufferings, that can be hard to hold onto.  What are we to do with suffering when we don’t experience healing? God intends great things for our lives, but when we look at our personal sufferings, that can be hard to hold onto.  What are we to do with suffering when we don’t experience healing?  There can even be a misconception that there is a certain point in time at which I am finished with my healing journey or that there are people who don’t experience suffering.  Neither of these are true.  We all go through sufferings to one degree or another in this life and healing is an ongoing process.

Since suffering is an ongoing process, healing ought to be, as well.  The Lord’s mercies are renewed each day and He always has greater freedom, joy, and peace for us.  They can be a regular part of our daily prayer times.  If we normalize the concept of suffering, we can be alleviated of the pressure and burden that we aren’t good enough if we still have areas of woundedness.

Life is a process and there’s always something that is going to come forward where the Lord wants to bring us into greater wholeness and deeper relationship with Himself.  Healing is certainly a good thing and something to be open to and seek.  However, there is time.  Life is a process.  The Lord is ever present to us and can even surprise us with healing.  If the Lord is permitting us to suffer, it can be a great challenge for us to trust in God’s love and goodness, but we know that He is all good, all loving, and all wise.

As Catholics, we are privileged to have access to the Lord in His Real Presence.  We don’t have to wait for a healing Mass because every Mass is a healing Mass.  We don’t have to fear pain and suffering when they come, and the Lord hasn’t yet healed it because He is working an even greater healing in us in the waiting.  We don’t suffer alone.  When we unite our sufferings to the Lord’s and suffer them with Him knowing He is suffering them with us, they become an occasion for intimacy.  This is the notion of atonement.  At-one-ment…being at one with Jesus.

Special Replay: Being Present In Prayer

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

What does being present in prayer have to do with your spiritual life? Well, this is an amazing insight into getting closer to God that was recently shared with me during a sermon, and it really hit home. I hope you are blessed as well.Being Present In Prayer – Episode 176

What does being present in prayer have to do with your spiritual life? Well, this is an amazing insight into getting closer to God that was recently shared with me during a sermon, and it really hit home. I hope you are blessed as well.

I’d love for you to visit my website MediaAngels.com and to look at some of my books, for example, a book that will help kids with faith: Print version or download: A Few Minutes with God plus study guide

Great for summer reading: The Truth Seekers Mystery Series – Entire Set and Study Guides

And, my book that tells how one big mistake translates into three more blessings — One More Child: Book

Being present sounds like it could be some type of new agey hype, and before you pull the plug on this podcast, here me out. I shared a podcast on this similar topic with parents recently on my other network for moms (VintageHomeschoolMoms.com) and discussed how it would change the relationship parents have with their children, and it will! Being present is an amazing concept that is not new but so important now because we are so wired and plugged in! Examples of out to dinner, etc.

We know that we were born to love and serve the Lord. The things of this world will not fill us up, and so when we do not spend time with the Lord we feel lost. The things of this world are like dust – when we pray to the Lord do we want Him to hear us, are we expecting he’ll be busy with someone else or something else, that are problems are too trival. Let me read Exodus 12-15 and poor Moses is having a time with the Israelites that God placed him in charge of leading through the desert- when you think your life is hard think about what Moses had to endure!

Exodus 12-15

We know that the presence of the Lord leads them in the day and in the night – God was there. He is omnipresent – he is with us always and He is everywhere. So, how do we as mere creates become present to God? It is actually very easy – in prayer and in quiet. (Hint: A Few Minutes with God!)

Our pastor told us a story of a holy man who saw someone in the chapel just sitting there with the Lord in prayer but his lips were not moving (longer explanation on the podcast). The pastor realized this was the highest form of prayer, just being there for and with God. Does God need us? No of course not but we need Him! Look around you – this world we currently live in is a world that is without God – they took God out of the schools, out of many churches even – pastors have lead their sheep astray. How do you know the truth? Well, through discernment a gift was freely given by the Holy Spirit. Be present with God and watch your life change!

Let’s pray. Dear Lord, I ask that you help me to be present to you. increase my time so that is not an obstacle, help me to identify the ways that I am avoiding prayer or putting up obstacles so that I can’t hear your voice. I realize Lord you talk to us in different ways, through others, in your most Holy Word in the Bible, and in our hearts. Thank you, Lord, for always being present to me and I pray for the following needs – in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Thank you to our Sponsor: CTCMath

What the Lord Taught Me When I Lived with a Serial Killer

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

In 1997, I ended up in a roommate situation that turned out to be one of the most dramatic experiences of my life, but the Lord actually used it to teach me tremendous lessons about His wisdom, goodness, power, provision, and desire to be intimately involved in the details of our lives.  In 1997, I ended up in a roommate situation that turned out to be one of the most dramatic experiences of my life, but the Lord actually used it to teach me tremendous lessons about His wisdom, goodness, power, provision, and desire to be intimately involved in the details of our lives.

I was living in Tampa, FL and with little resources needed to find an inexpensive housing option.  I responded to a classified add where two people were looking for a third roommate.  Shortly after moving in, one of them relocated because of business and we needed another roommate.  The man who moved in turned out to have a long history of violent crimes against women and began murdering women he did not know.

Without any knowledge of his past, the Holy Spirit enlightened me as to the danger I was in and led me, despite my reluctant cooperation, to the information by which we were able to undo his alibi and get a murderer off the streets.  The Lord is certainly able to do anything and uses us in His plan when we cooperate with His grace and direction.

Many years later, the Lord asked me to offer Mass for the same person’s conversion and he confessed to one of the murders he had denied for 25 years.  Finally, that victim’s family was able to gain closure and did not have to withstand a retrial when Florida law changed that called the sentencing into question.

God’s goodness knows no bounds, his power knows no limits, and His desire for the conversion of every single one of us reveals the depth of His love and relentless commitment to us no matter what we’ve done.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Margaret and Fr. David discuss The Context of Holiness by Fr. Marc Foley, OCD as he examined human and spiritual integration in the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Margaret and Fr. David discuss The Context of Holiness by Fr. Marc Foley, OCD as he examined human and spiritual integration in the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.  Her motto of doing little things with great love leaves us a wonderful example of bringing spiritual principles to life.

She experienced a great number of sufferings thru her childhood that became places of insecurity that she overcame thru choosing to make the heroic choices.  She deepened in her sense of security through her identity in the Lord.  This gave her great growth in maturity and bore pure fruit of love, even as she was suffering tremendously with tuberculosis.

Erik Erikson talks about stages of psycho-social development and how we can become stuck at earlier stages when there is wounding that happens.  Yet, her devout life afforded her another parent – God the Father – who she could draw strength from when her earthly parents failed in different ways.  This gives each of us great hope since none of us (other than Jesus) has had perfect parents.  We can follow her example, too.  Our identity is informed by who we are in the Lord.  As we become conformed to this who we are becomes reformed.

Through making choices to exercise great love, she received healing and excelled as novice mistress and in heroic charity that led to her being a saint and doctor of the Church.  She integrated her piety and the principles of our faith in her daily life and relationships. Thérèse chose the gifts of Divine Love and manifest that to her sisters in how she dealt with even the most difficult members of her community.

The Way of Imperfection by André Daigneault is a wonderful little paperback book that fleshes out some core concepts of Thérèse’s ‘little way’.  This fantastic work can plug us into some great helps in becoming conduits of the Lord’s grace.

Baptism in Fire!

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Margaret Vasquez, LPCC and Fr. David Tickerhoof, TOR discuss the notion of the baptism in fire that was foretold by St. John the Baptist. Margaret Vasquez, LPCC and Fr. David Tickerhoof, TOR discuss the notion of the baptism in fire that was foretold by St. John the Baptist.

 

There were graces of renewal flowing from Vatican Council II that brought a deepening of life, power, spiritual gifts, and in particular intimacy of relationship with the Trinity.  This is known as the charismatic renewal or baptism in the Holy Spirit.  Today, we see a resurgence of renewal from the Encounter movement out of Brighton, Michigan.  There is a focus on understanding and practicing the spiritual gifts flowing from the relationship with the Lord.

 

There’s another dimension known as the baptism in fire (Mt 3:11-12) John the Baptist spoke of when he said the Lord would baptize us in the Holy Spirit and fire.  What is that fire?  In Scripture fire represents the Lord’s presence, purification, and sometimes punishment.  In particular, fire seems to represent power.  That fire becomes transforming power!  We ought not to ignore, but instead be aware of it, open to, and pray for that deeper transformation.

 

Margaret shares her story of being prayed with for the baptism in fire and how astounding that grace was and was so other than anything she had ever experienced.  The power of God’s love took away every fear, even the fear of death and kept Margaret tethered to the lordship of Jesus even in years of wandering and brokenness where she ended up questioning her faith.

 

The revelations St. Catherine of Genoa received regarding purgatory essentially saw what is at times consolation, sometimes suffering, even the purifying fires of purgatory to be one fire – the fire of His love!  That can ground us, fill us with gratitude, and help us remember that the Lord is always loving us through whatever He allows in our lives, even if it seems very difficult at the time.

Applying the Principles of Human and Spiritual Integration

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

As we develop in these areas we grow in both human and spiritual maturity.  These principles help us to focus on being rather than doing.Peace, freedom, and joy are available to us in this life when we live the principles of chosen, known, valued, boundaries and openness in our relationships with the Lord, ourselves, and others!

 

The Lord has chosen each one of us personally, knows us intimately, values us completely, and protects and provides for us.  We are likewise called to respond to Him by choosing Him, growing in union with Him, valuing Him for who He is, and receiving His boundaries as gift!  These becoming guiding principles for our lives to lead us toward the abundance He has for us.

As we develop in these areas we grow in both human and spiritual maturity.  These principles help us to focus on being rather than doing.  We can focus on how we are being and, in that way, prevent so many problems.  When we get the being right, the doing takes care of itself.

 

We are called to make a conscious and intentional choice to take on the mind of Christ.  He is the epitome of love and compassion and it’s essential that we imitate Him in how He sees us.  By collaborating with Him we preserve the gift of peace that was His first gift to us.  We can examine our consciences by these same principles.  Our life of communion with the Lord manifests itself in our relationships.  The connection with the Lord leads to connection with others if we are connected to ourselves.  Focusing on the Lord’s deep love for us changes everything!  It is the power for transformation for our lives.

 

The Lord has intimately connected how we treat our neighbor with our love for Him.  So, charity is the hallmark virtue that puts it all together.  St. Thérèse of Lisieux lived this in her own life by the deep life of charity she lived even while she was so young and suffering terribly from the symptoms of tuberculosis.

 

Challenge:  As you read the Mass readings, look to see how the readings fall into the categories of being chosen, known, valued, and/or boundaries.  All of Scripture is about relationship and so you’ll see these themes throughout all of Scripture.

 

Charity Toward Others and Healthy Relating

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Compassion, mercy, and forgiveness are essential for healthy relationships.  We become the hands and feet of the Lord by relating to others the way He relates to us. Compassion, mercy, and forgiveness are essential for healthy relationships.  We have to start from receiving the compassion of the Lord and in order to really do so I have to be compassionate toward myself.  If not, I’ll just deflect the Lord’s love.  That’s not selfish or narcissistic.  It’s taking on the mind of Christ who is compassion itself!  It’s authenticity and honesty, but fully embracing His stance of compassion toward ourselves.

We can learn to express compassion in our daily interactions.  It doesn’t need to be complex or complicated.  It just requires really acknowledging the other person by paying attention to them as individuals and giving those extra couple of seconds to treat them as humans with dignity for even a moment or two.  These things are very evangelistic or ‘pre-evangelistic’.

When we start from such a place, we’ll see the profoundly healing effects in what would otherwise be complicated circumstances.  To operate out of compassion for others we need to have the freedom that comes from not operating out of our own concern for ourselves because our needs have first been satisfied to overflowing by the Lord.

Understanding the principles we all need to have – being valued as individuals, known as good, and our boundaries respected – we can operate very fluidly and confidently.  We start without fear because we understand what is needed and so we don’t have inordinate fear. Changing how we relate to ourselves changes our mode of operation to one of compassion that naturally overflows.  In this way, the Lord’s love can flow not just into us, but through us.  We become the hands and feet of the Lord by relating to others the way He relates to us.

All of this is a process!  It’s a beautiful, life-giving flow of receiving His love, internalizing that and relating to myself with greater compassion and then allowing that to flow out to those I meet each day.  We are able to relate out of love rather than fear.

Personal Integration and Charity Toward Others

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

It’s essential for lives of wholeness and holiness that we grow in communion with the Lord, personal integration, and charity toward others.  We like to encapsulate all these concepts with the simple term ‘connection’.  The principles are the same in all of these relationships, being chosen, known, valued, protected and provided for.

 

Today’s conversation focuses on peace, freedom, and grIt’s essential for lives of wholeness and holiness that we grow in communion with the Lord, personal integration, and charity toward others.eat relationships particularly through personal integration and charity toward others.  This is particularly done through having mercy toward ourselves and toward others, which has been a continual theme of the last few popes.  It’s really essential to our holiness and well-being.

 

Ironically, we need to make sure we are charitable toward ourselves before we can have the charity to extend toward others.  We can tend to skip over this concept, falsely viewing it as selfish, but it’s Scriptural.  “Love your neighbor as yourself”(Mark 12:31).  That becomes our mode of operation.  If we have a mode of charity and love, that is the mode through which we relate to the Lord and by which we reach out to others.

 

Charity toward ourselves requires us to be patient and intentional in our relationship to ourselves.  We need to intentionally choose to relate to ourselves from the basis that we are ‘very good’ based on our dignity as children of God.  This allows us the sense of safety by which to operate out of a deep sense of safety and peace.  It sets us in a place of being able to really conceive that the Lord loves us deeply and then to be able to truly receive His love.  Relating to ourselves out of a contrary attitude sets us up to be lied to by the evil one and to fall into discouragement.  Self-talk is so crucial because it reveals those attitudes we have toward ourselves.  We need to respect our own boundaries in our self-talk, not overextending ourselves, running ourselves ragged, and stressing ourselves out beyond what is healthy.

 

Boundary setting with others is important because it helps to establish rules of engagement so we can give each other the opportunity to love and respect each other.  They are a gift by which we can work towards common ground for relating in freedom and mutual respect for each other’s needs.  They can free us up and help us avoid undue and unspoken expectations, resentment, and conflict.  Peaceful and healthy relating doesn’t have to be complicated.

 

Listen to more episodes here!

The Importance of Human and Spiritual Integration

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Wholeness and Holiness Podcast: The Importance of Human and Spiritual IntegrationEpisode #4 – The Importance of Human and Spiritual Integration

As Christians we can tend to over spiritualize, and secular society tends to under spiritualize.

We need a paradigm by which to understand how to build a firm foundation that includes both human and spiritual maturity.

A healthy human maturity helps us break down and apply the spiritual information we take in.  It helps us be refreshed by the Living Waters of the Lord and allows them to flow out of our lives in a way where they become part of who we are and how we live in relationship to others.  To the truths of our faith, we ought to ask, “What does this have to do with me and how does it apply in my life?”  We are called to let them pierce our hearts, renew our minds, and get applied in our lives.

We can see the pillars of wholeness and holiness in ‘connection’, that is: communion with the Lord, personal integration, and charity and compassion toward others.  There are common principles across each of these relationships – chosen, known, valued, boundaries, and openness is a byproduct of those factors.

Oftentimes our relationship to ourselves gets overlooked and yet it’s really the hinge point.  We need to really receive the infinite love of the Lord and imitate that love in how we relate to ourselves because that same mode of relating becomes how we relate to our neighbor, as Scripture tells us to love our neighbor the way we love ourselves (Mk 12:31).  We operate out of fear when we lack a healthy sense of connection, and we operate out of love when we have that healthy connection.

The fruit of knowing we are chosen by the Lord is a sense of belonging, being known perfectly by Him provides us with the most profound intimacy, being established in the fact that our value is inherent in our dignity as children of God we have the fruit of humility, the Lord’s boundaries (His protection and provision for us) bears the fruit of gratitude, and the openness that is a byproduct of those four principles leads to the fruit of authenticity.

CLICK HERE to download the notes for this podcast

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction to Trauma Series: Avoiding Spiritual Identity Theft

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Introduction to Trauma Series: Avoiding Spiritual Identity TheftEpisode #2 – Introduction to Trauma Series (Avoiding Spiritual Identity Theft!)

Have you or someone you love endured sufferings in which you continue to feel stuck?  Does this leave you feeling confused or even fearful, perhaps even rejected or abandoned by God?  Unfortunately, there are so many types of trauma and such experiences are so prevalent that it’s difficult to imagine someone who hasn’t been traumatized at one time or another.

 

Have you ever been told or thought that if you only had greater faith you’d be able to overcome feelings of abandonment, rejection or insecurity?  In this series Margaret will help unpack how the neurophysiology of trauma can leave us trapped in the emotions from traumatic experiences regardless of how great our faith is.  Come to a deeper understanding of what happens in the person during traumatic experiences and deepen in your sense of God’s love.  Grow in compassion for yourself and others.

 

Due to a very specific biological reaction during trauma, even decades later we can default to a mode of fear leading to cortisol (a stress hormone) and shutting off oxytocin (a feel-good hormone associated with love, trust, and friendship) when we encounter reminders of those traumatic experiences.  Knowing the body responds in this way can help us to cling to the truth and not give into a skewed perspective that is fear-based.

 

The evil one wants to divide you off within yourself, disconnect you off from others, and even give you a sense of separation from God by spiritual identity theft!  He wants you to think that your symptoms of feeling fearful and rejected are really who you are.  The truth is they aren’t who you are.  They are only how you are doing in a moment.  Understanding where those feelings come from can help unmask the lies we can take on and operate out of and even more it can help us stay grounded in the truth of our identity as God’s beloved children!

 

My first book, More Than Words:  The Freedom to Thrive After Trauma, is available on Amazon.com and will provide you with more information about how traumatic experiences can impact us even decades later.

 

 

What is Wholeness and Holiness Podcast?

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

What is Wholeness and Holiness Podcast?Episode #1 – What is Wholeness and Holiness Podcast?

Have you ever wondered how our natural human lives and the spiritual life are connected?  Would you believe that the study of psychology and counseling can actually serve to illuminate and deepen our relationship with the Lord?  It’s true!  He made us in such a way that our human and spiritual lives are intertwined.  The more we live lives of human and spiritual integration the more we will deepen in the sense of peace and fulfillment He has for us.

In this podcast, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Certified Trauma Therapist Margaret Vasquez shares with you many of the insights she has gained through over 16 years of providing intensive trauma therapy to clients of all ages and seeing the world through the lens of her degree in Theology.  Author, TV and radio guest, trainer and retreat master, Margaret is passionate about bringing people to a deeper participation in the intimacy the Lord has for them.

Tune in weekly for a greater understanding of the spiritual life, religion, Church, and what it all has to do with giving your everyday life greater peace, joy, and purpose.

 

Fruits of Human and Spiritual Integration

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

When we live lives of personal and relational peace, there is abundant fruit on both a human level and in our spiritual lives. Fruits of Human and Spiritual Integration

When we live lives of personal and relational peace, there is abundant fruit on both a human level and in our spiritual lives.  We are actually able to live the “abundant life” in the “peace the world cannot give”.  The overflow of the calm and stillness we experience removes the distractions that vie for our attention and enable us to foster the attraction our souls have for God.  There is more we all naturally long for and the more is the person of Jesus.

Living in the More, we begin to move from the initial conversion of removing big, glaring sin from our lives into living in loving Communion with the Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit who came to make His home in us at our baptisms.  The freedom to respond more deeply avails us of even greater experiences of joy and freedom.  We move from a downward spiral of confusion, hurt, and brokenness to an upward spiral of freedom, peace, joy, and gratitude.  No longer fearing our powerlessness we are able to be embraced by the loving arms of our infinitely Loving Father in the kingdom of Heaven that is at hand.

Human and Spiritual Integration Series Podcast Summaries
Fr. David Tickerhoof, TOR and Margaret Vasquez, LPCC, CTT, CITTI

Human and Spiritual Connection

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Fr. David and Margaret Vasquez discuss how we can break the cycle of fear and hurt and allow ourselves to be more fully embraced by Perfect Love who casts out fear.Human and Spiritual Integration Series Podcast Summaries
Fr. David Tickerhoof, TOR and Margaret Vasquez, LPCC, CTT, CITTI

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that what we receive we receive according to the mode from which we operate.  Unfortunately, that mode can be one of fear due to very biological effects of past hurts and woundedness.  However, it does not have to be so.  In any battle, it is key to know who the enemy is.  In the battle for integrating our spiritual lives, fear is the enemy!

In this podcast, Fr. David and Margaret Vasquez discuss how we can break the cycle of fear and hurt and allow ourselves to be more fully embraced by Perfect Love who casts out fear.  Key to doing so is coming to understand the four factors (chosen, known, valued, and boundaries) that foster openness and prepare us for the bonds of unity through the Holy Spirit.

You’ll learn tips for how to foster healthy relationships in your own life and how to avoid common pitfalls.  Applying these tools to growing healthy relationships can help you not only avoid unnecessary hurts and confusion, but instead foster peace and joy in the lives of each one of  of the people you touch.

As we make our default mode one of self-compassion, it begins to become more naturally and consistently how we relate to all and by doing so we become conduits of grace ministering the compassion of the Lord to each other and facilitating their ability to be compassionate with themselves.

In this process, we deepen in our personal and interpersonal wholeness and grow in greater holiness as we imitate the Lord’s compassion.

 

 

Faith and Trauma

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Fr. David Tickerhoof, TOR discusses the effects of trauma and what you can do about them with trauma therapist Margaret Vasquez.Because the particularly hurtful events we endure can become encoded in the brain in a way where they continue to be experienced as current rather than past, we can be effected in a wide variety of ways without even being aware.  We can end up stuck in a fight or flight response that can significantly limit our freedom to act or respond from love rather than fear.  This knee-jerk reaction mode can lead to a breakdown in our sense of connection to our very selves and this most often flows out to others.  As it turns out, “love your neighbor as yourself” is as much descriptive of how we tend to relate as it is prescriptive of how we ought to relate.  That is, we do tend to connect healthily to others to the extent that we are healthily connected to ourselves.

Since the spiritual life is about relationship to the Holy Trinity, the Church triumphant, the Church militant, and the Church suffering those relationships can, too, become quite muddled, unnecessarily complicated, and breakdown when we live out of the emotions and mindsets of painful and threatening experiences.  The good news is that it need not be so!

In this three part series, you’ll come to understand the effects of trauma on yourself and on others, what you can do to lessen or eliminate those effects, and live in the peace, joy, and freedom of the Love who casts out all fear.  Human and spiritual integration is essential to bring those spiritual concepts into our daily lives and relationships.  When we operate from a place of compassion we build the culture we were made for – one of connection, Communion, and personal integration.  Fr. David Tickerhoof, TOR discusses the effects of trauma and what you can do about them with author and veteran professional counselor and trauma therapist Margaret Vasquez.

Human and Spiritual Integration Series Podcast Summaries
Fr. David Tickerhoof, TOR and Margaret Vasquez, LPCC, CTT, CITTI

 

 

 

Growing Spiritually Serving Others

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast or listen to this here – online. You can download this talk on your computer or you can listen on your phone. Share this podcast with a friend.

Growing Spiritually Serving Others: In this episode, we will explore ways to grow spiritually and serving others.Tools for Growing Spiritually Serving Others

In this episode, we will explore ways to grow spiritually and serving others.

Show Notes: Tools for Growth in Serving Others

In the First Letter of John, the writer speaks of the anointing we who are baptized have from Christ. “But you have the anointing that comes from the holy one, and you have knowledge…As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you everything and is true and not false, just as it taught you, remain in him.” (1 Jn.2: 20-27)

The “anointing” referred to here is the gift of the Holy Spirit given to the baptized, source of wisdom and understanding. The Jerusalem Catechizes, presented in the Liturgy on the Octave of Easter Friday also speaks about the anointing with the Holy Spirit.

“When we were baptized into Christ and clothed ourselves in him, we were transformed into the likeness of the Son of God. Having destined us to be his adopted sons and daughters, God gave us a likeness to Christ in his glory, and living as we do in communion with Christ, God’s anointed, we ourselves are rightly called “the anointed ones.” When he said: Do not touch my anointed ones, God was speaking of us…But we too have been anointed with oil, and by this anointing, we have entered into fellowship with Christ and have received a share in his life.

This year we are now in the midst of celebrating the great season of the Pascal Mystery. It is the heart and core of the life and power of our Christian life. As Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed, during the Vatican Council II,  the Paschal Mystery is the heart and center of the Council’s teaching, and as such is the heart and core of a Christian’s life. How should we view this very clear teaching in relationship to the Church’s Grace of Renewal? In the spiritual renewal movements, the approach is usually a seminar which prepares one to be prayed for “a new empowerment of the Holy Spirit.” There is plenty of evidence of the wonderful things that happen for a person who has had this experience, and if one feels drawn in that direction of renewal, seeking to receive an empowerment of the Holy Spirit, a new special grace of spiritual refreshment, I highly encourage it.

However, I am proposing a different approach to a similar reality, which I have called the spiritual experience of the Church’s Grace of Renewal and Reform. The basic scriptural reference that I suggest is the Easter Sunday night experience of the disciples gathered in the upper room, recorded in St. John’s Gospel (Jn.20: 19-23). The heart and core of this approach is the full gamut of the Paschal Mystery, which includes the sending of the Spirit by the Father and Jesus. Certainly, we would need a preparation program including a series of teachings. The prayer of spiritual anointing and commissioning at its conclusion could be termed, the Baptism of the Spirit in the Paschal Mystery. The starting point of the threefold empowerment of the Resurrection, the Cross, and the Spirit would be the experience of the Glorified Risen Lord and Savior. It would also certainly include the empowerment of the Spirit and the Spiritual Gifts.

It is with this understanding in which I am presenting four opportunities to provide for others some tools for growth. In a previous reflective teaching, I presented some tools that focused on spiritual growth for individuals. Now in this teaching, I want to present a few tools that focus on group opportunities for others who may be seeking a relational program that is ongoing and growth producing in holiness of life. This reflective podcast teaching is going to concentrate on four opportunities which the podcast sponsors or supports for serving the spiritual growth of other brothers and sisters. In outreach, to others, this teaching is going to review the possibilities of serving a person or a group of individuals, who may want to be in relationship with others for the ways and means of spiritual growth and/or service to others. These four opportunities are ways of doing Evangelization.

The first tool which we want to consider is Power Focused Intercession. This means of growth, healing, and empowerment for others is looked at in some of the other podcast presentations. (The Path to Spiritual Freedom) Some of us may feel a real disconnect when we pray for others, or In the “Universal Prayers of the Faithful,” when it is hard to connect with the petitions. So we may settle for a dry cerebral or a disconnected prayer. We don’t seem to have a dynamic connection with the individual or group we are praying for.

This doesn’t mean that our intellectual prayer recitations for others are not blessed by God, they are! But what we want to try and do is proclaim and promote that we can have a connected grace-filled experience when we pray for others, which comes from our hearts and is experientially based. Where real change and miraculous results in the lives for whom we pray are happening.

Recognizing that in this approach we are exercising the beautiful truth that we are members of the Mystical Body of Christ, and Jesus wants to give to us an invitation to join him in ministering a powerful happening in grace for the benefit of others. The key is in knowing how to connect up with the powerful working of the glorified Lord’s grace for the specific needs of an individual or group.

The simple formula: I am sorry for all the hard, painful, and difficult things that have happened to you. I take limitless responsibility for all that has happened to you! Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. Now before we are tempted to begin a rationalization that finds some difficulties, let’s take a look at how this formula is prayed in a direct union with the Lord himself.

We are members of the Mystical Body of Christ, by virtue of our water Baptism. We are in a dynamic personal relationship with the glorified Lord Jesus and one another. We are all the Body of Christ. This truth is the foundational truth in which we begin our intercession for another person or group.

The night of the Resurrection the glorified Jesus, who had already ascended to the right hand of the Father appears and says, Peace be with you! (Shalom!) It is done! I have accomplished it all! It is over and done with! Jesus gives the disciples and us the full experience of the Paschal Mystery. He breathes on them and says: “Receive the Holy Spirit…”, and commissions them to do also with others what he has accomplished and gives to them, and he will do it in them! In Romans chapter 8 it says, that both Jesus and the Spirit do intercession for us.

When we express our sorrow for the person we are praying for, we immediately leave our mere human desire and place ourselves in the heavenly plane; in total union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have just entered the supernatural realm. We then picture the person or group we are praying for and we enter into union with our glorified Lord and all that this means in light of that event, the Lord does the actual intercession, reparation, atonement prayer in which we are with him for he has accomplished it all!

So when we take limitless responsibility we are doing so in union with the Lord. So we should never take on the negative or destructive attitudes of the one we are praying for. So as we say, “please forgive me” it is the Lord who is acting in power. When we say I love you we are doing so truly with our human ability but now joined with the love of the Lord for that person. In this is the power we have of sharing in a miraculous power of love to change and heal another human being. And when we say “I thank You” we are “divinely” acting to affirm and identify the full purpose in which God has created that person.

This prayer of “power focused prayer” is a ministry and mystery of Love! When this procedure is a Spirit-led Experience and performed primarily with the heart, one will actually feel the powerful presence of the Lord working in a mysterious manner. Now, this is so good! When one does this prayer of cleansing, the individual will also feel the cleansing and healing going on in oneself. Therefore, while we are doing this mission of love for another person, the Lord is doing a work of tender healing and cleansing in the one praying. “Two sides of the same coin” The way to really learn the experiential truth of all this is by practice, practice, practice! The more we do this the more we are drawn into the power and the more we experience the cleansing power in our own life.

Unbound Ministry: An approach to healing and deliverance that fits well in Catholic Life: The approach to healing and deliverance which seems to fit best in the ambient of the Catholic Church is the ministry developed by Neal and Janet Lozano entitled “Unbound Ministry.”

It follows a similar approach to the general basics of praying with individuals for healing and deliverance. However, its uniqueness consists in the fact that the ministry operates from a position of “non-confrontational deliverance,” and the recipient of the ministry does the renunciation and takes personal authority of the specific aspects of personal evil. It uses common sense and the exercise of practical wisdom, which does not permit one to fight with evil spirits, but ministers truth in love to the recipient. In short, it is a ministry of evangelization, which provides deliverance from personal evil, and also aids the recipient in receiving spiritual healing and the gift of genuine freedom. Essentially it involves the “five keys to spiritual freedom”:

  1. The first key is to stand in the experience and truth of faith and practice life-giving repentance.
  2. The second key involves forgiveness: seeking forgiveness from God, forgiving others, and forgiving oneself. It also means giving forgiveness to others in all situations of life where I have been hurt or offended. The follow through in this key is after forgiveness then let things go and surrender them to the Lord, the icing on the cake is praying for those who have sinned against and hurt me. The fourfold features of completed forgiveness. Because all four are exercised it brings closure in the process of forgiveness.
  3. The third key is the acknowledging and renouncing in the name of Jesus, the identified attitudes and the spirits of darkness, which have been oppressing, harassing and working in one’s life.
  4. The fourth key is taking authority in the name of Jesus over these entities and commanding them to leave.
  5. The fifth key is finally praying with the recipient for the Father’s love and blessing. This blessing confers grace for the recipient in which they experience that they are a beloved son or daughter of the Father, and they are especially loved by God.

Fire Groups: A source for helping people make changes in their life, and living the Christ-Life.

Fire by its very nature has the ability to make changes in things. However, it is primarily used symbolically in Scripture. One may recall Moses seeing the bush on fire but not burning up; representing God’s awesome holiness. It purifies one from the dross of sin. It illuminates the mind and enables one to see what is pleasing to God. In the human person, the symbol of fire illuminates the mind, energies of the will, and gives strength to the soul. In relationship to personal holiness, it inflames us with love.

In the recent past in this country FIRE was used as an acronym to identify changing ones life and living a new life in Christ. At this time it is useful to identify a flexible small group opportunity that meets occasionally to help one another grow more deeply in the Lord.

A salient feature in a small fire group is this:

F stands for Faith; I stands for all the forms of Intercession. R stands for life-giving Repentance. E stands for Evangelization and doing mercy work. These four topics are joined as one, and they represent a process of opportunities for growing in Christian maturity. So FIRE represents a small group fellowship. These groups could be made available to those who are interested. These groups would be useful for spiritual growth, formation, and transformation

Merciful Christian Fellowship Groups: Fields of Compassion.

I served at Franciscan University of Steubenville from 1968 until 1990. In those years the Friars, members of the faculty, students, and members of the lay community worked together to develop spiritual renewal. Individuals at that time were trying to grow in holiness and serve others to grow in holiness and human maturity. Many were talking about “eating right” and losing weight and bemoaning the frustration of consistent failures in their sincere attempts. Someone mentioned about a group program started in the Boston area that claimed to be very successful in achieving the goal of weight loss. It was called, “Diet, Discipline, and Discipleship.”

Some decided to research and then provide the opportunity for those who desired to develop this approach of small groups, where individuals kept track, openly reported results and failures, and were held weekly accountable. The results were amazing! Individuals lost weight easily and consistently. The success of this communal relational endeavor was quite impressive. One of the lessons of this group centered accomplishment was the huge success that happened when individuals quit trying on one’s own and joined in a group effort.

The Church in this country is just beginning to appreciate the value of small fellowship groups developed to aid one in growing in Christian holiness and maturity. “Evangelizing Catholic Culture” Podcast will eventually be providing two types of small group fellowships for the purpose of growth and support in the Christian life. The first one is FIRE Growth Groups mentioned above, and the second one is Merciful Christian Fellowship Groups. The Merciful Christian Fellowship Groups are designed to help individuals grow in living a committed Gospel form of life. The MCFG’s are designed to provide a flexible formation experience as a modern penitent, to assist individuals to grow and share one’s faith, and training to do some type of evangelization or mercy service. Who may want to take a look at this opportunity?

  1. Anyone who has a personal relationship with Jesus, and feels called to deepen their skills in prayer and outreach to others.
  2. Anyone who wants to grow in the use of the spiritual gifts and qualities of mercy by practicing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
  3. Anyone who enjoys prayer and desires personal transformation, and formation in the life of grace.
  4. Anyone who wants to grow more comfortable and skilled in sharing their personal faith story.

May We Pray!

Lord, we trust in your abundant Mercy and ask that you would fill our hearts with the desire to grow in holiness. May the Holy Spirit move us to become aflame with a desire to bring your love and mercy to those we serve. As missionary disciples give us a willingness to reach out to those who are suffering and struggling to live a happy life in this post-modern world. Let the joy of the Gospel and our humble acts of mercy bring your goodness and love to others. We ask this prayer of our Father who is ever ready to lead us more deeply into a union with Jesus Christ, his beloved Son. Amen,

 

 

Special Replay:Blind Faith vs. Real Faith

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Blind faith is not what is required of us. We should question and wonder in our walk with the Lord, but truthfully while we believe without seeing, it is far from blind faith. #podcast #christianpodcastBlind Faith vs. Real Faith

Blind faith is not what is required of us. We should question and wonder in our walk with the Lord, but truthfully while we believe without seeing, it is far from blind faith. In this episode, we will think back to the time of the Ressurection of Our Lord and what we can learn from the scriptures that can be applied to our lives.

Thanks to our sponsor Media Angels and the book, One More Child – download a free chapter at MediaAngels.com

Jesus did not call us to blind faith – because he has opened our eyes!

Luke 21-24:

When I think about those who doubted I think about doubting Thomas. I wonder, would I have been any better? I hope the answer is YES!

In John 20:24-29 we read about the way that Jesus appeared to Thomas.

Are we the blessed who have not seen and yet believe? This is something to think about to journal about and to really consider when we look at our lives. In this podcast, I ask a lot of you! And, I’m so happy for all of you who listen, because this is a lesson for us all!

There were many signs and miracles that happened after Jesus rose – and we learn more and more as the story unfolds.

Because of the witness of the faith of the twelve so many people were converted into believers.

In Acts 5: 1-14 we read a tragic story of those who followed but on their terms. They followed half-heartedly and allowed greed to get in the way of blind faith. They wanted to believe, but on their terms, like many of us!

Our faith should grow every day, if we are not going forward we are not just stagnating we are regressing. We see the works of the Lord all around us if we look – even though Jesus rose over two thousand years ago we see the witness of this faith. We see it in the men, women, and children that go to church each week. We see it in those who honor the Lord in their dress and their speech. Who proclaim Jesus and give him all the glory and the honor on the sports field.

We are the people who witness now. How can we do this?

  1. Smile – that goes a long way in letting strangers know we have something special.
  2. Praise God in conversation. Give God the glory. (I share a story about my husband here.)
  3. Tell others what God has done for you, in your life.
  4. Ask others to share their story – I’d love to hear yours!
  5. Tell people the good news – if you see someone is depressed who seems to be without hope ask them about their faith, invite them to church.

Remember to be able to witness we must first, fill up! Are you filled to overflowing with the love of Christ? We are the witnesses as believers. As we gather in prayer, as we gather as a faith community, as we share what the Lord has done for us.

Be sure to spend time this week in prayer and with your journal in recording how your faith has sustained you.

Let’s pray:

We will pray in the Trinity – in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Dear Lord, we thank you for giving us faith – the faith that believes without seeing. Oh, how I would have loved to be with you and talk to you when you lived upon the earth, but Lord, I know that you are more present now, through the Holy Spirit and the graces your death and resurrection have purchased for us sinners. I am so blessed Lord that you opened my eyes to the Christian faith and that you are so ready to deepen my faith if I just ask! Please help me to be a Christian witness to others for your glory, Lord! And, Father God thank you for your love in sending your Son and the Spirit – please hear our prayers … I praise you my God for all you have done and for all you will do in my life, and I pray this in the name of the Almighty God. Amen!

 

Lead By Example

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

When we lead we show and we demonstrate often without words – a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi says, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.”Today our topic is one that may cause you to think that leading by example means being perfect and no one is perfect this side of heaven – but, there is more to leading and we’ll explore this topic in this podcast!

For immediate download: A Few Minutes with God plus study guide

Truth Seekers Mystery Series – Entire Set and Study Guides

One More Child: Book

Sometimes our leader’s let us down and when we see this we lose heart and think this is it! The world is ending tomorrow… but Jesus said, Matthew 28:19-20

New International Version

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

He didn’t say go forth and be perfect as I am perfect! When we look at leadership we see that there is much that is expected and rightly so… but it also means that we must look at what we can do and not where others have fallen short. In college, many people thought I needed saving. I was a Catholic and in my mind a Christian. But, my Christian friends thought I had something lacking in my walk with the Lord. So, they asked me to pray a salvation prayer and join a Bible study. I read the salvation prayer and thought – sure, I already believe this and a Bible Study? Why not? But it was still you need to do this and that – and this is the way, the only way.

Good people who mean we’ll want to help others as the Lord has urged, to make disciples of all nations. If we sit together and chat I am sure that many of us come from different denominations and may say their church is the only way. But here is the thing, how are you leading and how are you giving others an example of the love of God in your heart?

When we lead we show and we demonstrate often without words – a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi says, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.” There are those who say that Francis never said this and we may never know, but I’d like to believe that he did and I heard this taught by my own parents at an early age, St. Francis being one of our favorite Italian saints who denounced his worldly wealth and went on to preach the gospel all his life.

When we have God’s love in our hearts and we are in communion with him there is no need to use words, there is no need to tell people what to believe or do – there is only a need to show and we do this first and foremost with our own family and our friends. Why is it that we hurt the people we love the most? We hurt those who care for us and who are immediately there in case of need? Is it because we know they will understand? It is not the way we should be or live our lives.

I had a good friend in fact we co-authored some books together and she was a science genius, an amazing mom, and a cook. She was just good at whatever she did, and I would tease her often about her joy and her vocabulary. She talked about utensils (you mean forks and knives?) she talked about “play structures,” you mean a swing set? I would tell her I was her translator because she was on another level! She loved the Lord and before we began the writing projects we would launch into prayer, she’d grab my hands and begin praying and praising God, and yes from time to time I’d open one eye and see she was still going strong, so I’d close my eyes and focus on the words and the Spirit of God – she was an Evangelical Christian and we got along famously because of our mutual love to the Lord even if she was just a tiny bit more –okay allot more—vocal about her praising God. The reason I share this wonderful memory – because Jill went to be with the Lord right after Christmas in 2007, is that wherever we’d go people would stop her and say those golden words to any Christian who wants to share the gospel –
“What is different about you – or You are different, or “I want what you have.”  Jill lead people to the Lord at our printing company where we had our books printed, at the grocery store, and even at the gas station. In fact, she never even realized she did this until I pointed it out to her. She didn’t go around saying anything. Or wearing a huge cross or even a t-shirt that says, Got Jesus? She just smiled and was joyful to everyone she met.

So, we start by asking the Lord for that SPIRIT of Joy and we begin in our own homes and then we ask God to give us the gift of evangelism if that is our calling how DOES HE want us to share the gospel? Is it to learn all we can in the quiet of our home? Is it to reach out to someone at church, or in the grocery store? I look around me and people are afraid. It is a spirit of fear that holds people ransom and the evil one feeds on fear – if you are fearful there is no way you can be an example or lead… Pray this prayer –

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear must do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

Ask the Lord for an infilling of HIS love – and ask the Lord for a deeper relationship with him. We can lead only the Lord requests it.

Let’s Pray – Dear Lord I ask you for that spirit of Joy to overcome any negativity or fear in my life and in the NAME of Jesus I ask that you take away any fear, any anxiety, anything that is not of you and put it at the foot of the cross. Dear Lord I ask for you to fill me with the opposite the spirit of hope, of love, of peace and joy – and I ask for the following needs in my life…. And I pray this in Jesus precious Name. Amen!

Special Replay: Take Jesus With You

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.


Take Jesus With You | Is Jesus with you each and every day? Learn how to notice God in your life | #podcast #christianpodcastTake Jesus With You

Many times people feel alone and forgotten but you can take Jesus with you each and every day. In this episode, we are reminded that God is always with us until the end of time. We are not alone!

So, how do you take Jesus with you and why is this a strange concept to so many? We learned as children that Jesus is always with us – we are told in the Scriptures after Jesus resurrected that the disciples were asked to go to the mountain in Galilee where they found the Lord – and he instructed them before he went to heaven. This is known as the “great commission.”

Matthew 28:16-20

  1. The eleven went to find Jesus
  2. Some doubted
  3. The great commission – make disciples of all nations
  4. The Trinity: Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
  5. Teach them to obey
  6. …I am with you always, to the very end of the age

Jesus is with us … always … to the very end of the age…

We should be shouting and rejoicing in the streets – hallelujah the Lord is with us – He is here – He is always beside us. OR… if we are not sure of our relationship with God it may be a little bit intimidating.

Each of us has a different relationship with the Lord. We worship in our own way. Some in private, other’s in the community, some lifting their hands and worshipping in song and others on their knees in the privacy of a church chapel or home. Yet we should work on our communication with the Lord.

Is Jesus with you each and every day? Is he right

Dear Jesus, thank you for always being with me, until the end of time – thank you for giving me the grace to believe you are here – that you are with me. I repent of any way I have not allowed you to work in my life, anything I have done that is not pleasing. I ask you, Lord, to come into my life in a renewed way – to see your hand in the little things in my life, to honor my prayers and to go with me, wherever I go. I praise you and I thank you, Lord! Thank you for answering the prayers that I ask of you now…

You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and I give you all the honor and praise as the one true God and I pray this in Jesus Name – Amen!

Bestow A New Anointing

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Bestow a New Anointing - The next two podcast shows are probably the most important ones that will appear in my podcast listings or shows.Bestow A New Anointing Episode 39

The next two podcast shows are probably the most important ones that will appear in my podcast listings or shows (evangelizingcatholicculturepodcast.com).  The overall topic I will be discussing in this show is the Church’s Grace of Renewal. I would like to start by reviewing a bit of history of this topic. Immediately after the close of Vatican Council II in 1965 a wonderful spiritual grace began happening in the Catholic Church. This grace manifested itself in various renewal programs which provided individuals the opportunity to receive a powerful transforming grace of spiritual renewal. The one approach that I am most familiar with is the happenings in the Charismatic Renewal. In the 1960’s some of the young leaders in the movement wondered what to call this movement. After consulting with several Catholic theologians, they decided to call it the Charismatic Renewal. The reason for this title resided in the fact that what was manifested experientially was some of the charisms listed in the scripture. The anointing that individuals were powerfully experiencing they entitled the “Baptism of the Spirit”. This experience initiated a tremendous spiritual change in one’s Christian life. This identification of the anointing was probably unfortunate for several reasons. First it easily led to the “haves and the have nots”. This reality led to many negative experiences. Secondly, the word “baptism” led to some confusion between this actual grace of anointing with the reception of water baptism, which is a very different thing. The baptism in the Spirit is simply an actual gift of grace give by God for a current conversion of life. Water baptism is the reality of the Divine indwelling of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the gift of eternal salvation. It is easy to see why this tension and confusion arose among Christians.

What seems to be the present situation? About 65 years have passed since the initial emergence of the Renewal appeared right after the close of the Council in 1965. Many years have passed and what was fresh, new, and exciting has waned. At the beginning there was a flurry development of prayer groups all over the world, especially in the United States. Today most of them have discontinued or usually consist in a few older people in the later years of life. Some individuals have left go of the initial empowerment and no longer consider themselves a part of the movement. Many have gone home to the Lord. In short, many things have changed in society in relationship to moral principles and behavior, and in the Church, which is experiencing a tremendous amount of downsizing. Plus, the fact that the neo-pagan social religion of “secularism humanism” has brought a huge amount of “spiritual darkness”, moral confusion, and unfaithfulness among Catholics who were formerly committed to their religion and its practice. For example, a statistic I read awhile back maintains that 70 percent of those raised Catholic leave the Church or the practice of the Faith by the time they are 27.

Where do we go from here? Quite frankly I believe we need to view the past anointing of the Spirit experienced through prayer and various spiritual renewal programs as the first installment of a much greater outpouring of the Spirit. At this point instead of looking wistfully at the beautiful empowerment of the Spirit in the past. For example, the Baptism of the Spirit identified in the Charismatic Renewal. We should humbly desire a fresh second empowerment that bestows a new fresh anointment of the Spirit for the current needs and spiritual desires of individuals, and the powerful grace to meet the mission of the Church to establish the Kingdom of God now! A new impartation of the Holy Spirit at this time could set on fire many souls for greater holiness. Equip individuals with the tools for fighting against the modern forms of neopaganism in our society. For example, current attempts to destroy Christian family life in our American culture. And stand for the truth revealed by the Word of God and the authentic moral principles of the Church (check out the last podcast)

Are there any individuals who may have a strong desire to develop an organized movement to unfold prayer, study, and action to humbly attempt to investigate and possibly initiate possibilities in a new spiritual direction? What would be some of the considerations necessary to discern any planning about these matters in the days ahead?

  1. First is this conferring of a second empowerment of the Spirit need to be something that God wants to bestow on His People?
  2. What sort of gathering could exist or come into existence that some may see it necessary to evaluate these possibilities?
  3. Is there anybody who really believes in this possibility, and is willing to put some effort forth to consider making this happen?
  4. We want to hear from you in order to initiate a good discussion about these matters.

 

May We Pray!

Dear Father, we approach you in your Son Jesus because we have many serious and painful concerns in our hearts. The spirit of negative secular humanism is rapidly growing in our society. Many of those accepting this new social religion are working against the revealed truths of a Christian way of life, and they are promoting a spiritual darkness and abandoning the wonderful teaching of Jesus and his way of salvation. Immorality and violence are increasing in our culture. Fear, mistrust, and hatred abound in many sectors of our society. Families are suffering greatly. We know that there are many good people who desire to live in a spirit of love, honesty, and service for others. We pray with a trusting and humble heart that in your goodness and mercy you would pour out you Holy Spirit anew among those whose hearts are open to receive a divine impartation which would equip many to serve to embrace the liberating freedom of holiness, enlightened truth, and the zeal to serve brothers and sisters in need of your goodness, mercy, peace. We pray this prayer in Jesus most holy name. Amen.

When will the seed produce a harvest?

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

When will the seed produce a harvest?When will the seed produce a harvest? Listeners fall into 4 groups in regards to how they receive and respond to the gospel. Each group is uniquely different and response to the message is acted upon at various velocities. I discuss the characteristics of these groups in today’s message.

Meet Jay Dee Schurz, Pastor, Certified Kingdom Advisor™, Certified Stewardship Instructor, and Host of the “Revolutionary Stewardship” podcast

Jay has dedicated his life to providing education to those people seeking to align their faith and values with their stewardship. Jay spent the early part of his life serving in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman for 12 years and has served in the financial industry since 1996.

Do you have a question? Email jay at jschurz@vanderbiltsecurities.com

Visit my website here www.kingdomplanadvisory.com

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mykingdomplan/?ref=bookmarks

What are you doing to Glorify God?

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

What are you doing to Glorify God? Great things are happening globally in regard to spreading the Gospel. There are missionaries risking their lives to save souls in all nations.What are you doing to Glorify God? Great things are happening globally in regard to spreading the Gospel. There are missionaries risking their lives to save souls in all nations. Unfortunately, many Americans allow attending a church to define their Christianity. We have lost our vision. We have lost our drive to be part of the Christian Revolution. As believers, you can have a major impact on yourselves, your families, and those abroad by being good stewards. It’s time to be proactive, obedient, and aware of the different aspects of our financial stewardship.

Meet Jay Dee Schurz, Pastor, Certified Kingdom Advisor™, Certified Stewardship Instructor, and Host of the “Revolutionary Stewardship” podcast

Jay has dedicated his life to providing education to those people seeking to align their faith and values with their stewardship. Jay spent the early part of his life serving in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman for 12 years and has served in the financial industry since 1996.

Do you have a question? Email jay at jschurz@vanderbiltsecurities.com

Visit my website here www.kingdomplanadvisory.com

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mykingdomplan/?ref=bookmarks

Biblically Responsible Investing

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Biblically Responsible Investing aligns a person’s beliefs with their investments by avoiding those companies that profit from and support issues contrary to their moral compass.As an obedient steward, you have an opportunity and obligation to honor God with your investments. Biblically Responsible Investing aligns a person’s beliefs with their investments by avoiding those companies that profit from and support issues contrary to their moral compass. You can choose to own investments that mirror your theology and beliefs. As a steward, you are either honoring God or rebelling against God in how you manage those assets entrusted to you.

Do you have a question? Email jay at jschurz@vanderbiltsecurities.com

Visit my website here www.kingdomplanadvisory.com

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mykingdomplan/?ref=bookmarks

Listen to more episodes here!

Could I Accuse You of Being a Christian?

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Could I identify you as being a Christian by reviewing your financial stewardship? How we handle or mishandle God's assets is very important regarding our obedience to God.Could I identify you as being a Christian by reviewing your financial stewardship? How we handle or mishandle God’s assets is very important regarding our obedience to God. Has debt, materialism, coveting, and addictions invaded your financial stewardship and preventing you from being content? Are you obedient with your investments? Do they profit from or support issues contrary to your moral compass? In this episode, we discuss the financial trail we leave as good or poor stewards.

The content presented is strictly for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional investment advice or construed as an endorsement or recommendation. Those seeking individual advice should contact a licensed investment professional for information that may be applicable to a specific situation.

Do you have a question? Email Jay Dee Schurz at jschurz@vanderbiltsecurities.com

Visit my website here www.kingdomplanadvisory.com

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mykingdomplan/?ref=bookmarks

Find episodes here: https://ultimatechristianpodcastnetwork.com/revolutionary-stewardship-podcast/

Introducing Your Host, Jay Dee Schurz

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Meet Jay Dee Schurz of Kingdom Plan Advisory, the host of Revolutionary Stewardship Podcast.

Meet Jay Dee Schurz, the Host of Revolutionary Stewardship Podcast

As your host, I think it is important for you to know my background and my personal testimony. God has led me on a very interesting path. As a young adult, running a drug suppression team in the Republic of Panama during the height of the cocaine smuggling from South America to the United States. Supervising a SuperMax prison, while serving on a hostage extraction team. 24 years in the Financial services arena while adhering to a Faith Based financial planning approach and pastoring a church for the last 3 years.  You will have a better understanding of my faith, my obedience, my focus on glorifying God  in this episode of Revolutionary Stewardship.

The content presented is strictly for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional investment advice or construed as an endorsement or recommendation. Those seeking individual advice should contact a licensed investment professional for information that may be applicable to a specific situation.

Do you have a question? Email Jay Dee Schurz at jschurz@vanderbiltsecurities.com

Visit my website here www.kingdomplanadvisory.com

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mykingdomplan/?ref=bookmarks

Find episodes here: https://ultimatechristianpodcastnetwork.com/revolutionary-stewardship-podcast/

The Birthday

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Birthdays – Everybody has them! Praise God! And this week, we celebrate with Shauna as she graciously endures another birthday. Birthdays – Everybody has them! Praise God! And this week, we celebrate with Shauna as she graciously endures another birthday.

We are talking all things birthday, from annoying birthday parties to annoying birthday people. Choose this day which one you will be!

Shauna gives us the inside scoop on what to get her for her birthday, where to get it, what size, shape, and style. We also gather around the water-cooler to discuss how annoying other people’s kid’s birthday parties are, amen?

Shauna shares her recent experience at a birthday party depot for kids, nearly ending the night in her usual fist-fight with an old lady.

We also learn fun facts about the world during the year of our Lord, 1972. From Dawn dish soaps debut to the Carnival Cruise line’s maiden voyage, all things groovy are discussed.

Do you know what the top song was on your birthday? How about the number one movie when you were born? Those and much more will be discussed!

Don’t miss a second – and be sure and wish Shauna a hearty Happy Birthday – just don’t awkwardly sing happy birthday to her…

 

Please check out the new series: “Daily Universal Media Broadcast” featuring the latest and dumbest news stories. You can find the vids on the YouTube page and anywhere Shauna’s social media pages are located.

 

Be Shauna’s friend on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/shauna.lopez

 

Follow Shauna on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/seriouslyshauna/

 

Like and Subscribe to the YouTube page:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCceXy254XYIoTi1ftOnqUnA?view_as=subscriber

 

Don’t forget to visit Shauna’s website for more information and to contact Shauna directly:

https://seriouslyshauna.com

The Joy of the Lord

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

 The joy of the Lord is YOUR strength. WIll you pick it up and use it today? New on the Fruit Pursuit PodcastWhat exactly is the joy of the Lord?

Nehemiah 8:10
“Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

 

In this story, Ezra found the book of the Law and read it to the people at their request.  When they heard all the things they were supposed to be doing and weren’t they were tempted to be discouraged and sad. But Nehemiah pointed out that this was a holy day, because they had found and understood God’s word.  He encouraged them to celebrate.

 

What exactly is the joy of the Lord?

Just in case you want to separate it from happy, here’s what the word really means in Hebrew:
chedvah,” meaning joy or gladness.

Why is it my strength and how do I use it?

The true joy of the Lord creates possibility, hope, and life.
It is our motivation to keep going.

How do I use it?

First, you can consider the techniques I discuss in these other episodes:

In Episode 20: A Secret to Easy Joy, we talked about how joy is a bi-product of other actions you take:

Keep your commitments

In Episode 21: The #1 Joy Sapper and How to Stop It we talked about joy sappers we allow in our life that block us from it coming in, even though it might be there waiting for us.

In Episode 22: Happy Living, we discussed practical ways to enhance joy, make it more fulfilling, and teach our brains that we actually like it.

This episode is primarily to help you see that joy IS your superpower in Christ.
If you want the energy to persevere, if you want the courage to take a risk, if you want that dead set lock on that relationship no matter what the other person throws at you, the joy of the Lord is your strength and shield.

Paul and Barnabas showed joy as they sang in the jail- along with countless others who have done the same over the centuries.  Their joy was the superpower that bolstered their faith in the midst of severe difficulty.

What was the alternative?

Discouragement? Hopelessness? Cynicism? What possible fruit will those attitudes bear?

Pride- I’m right, this is awful.
I’m right, this is someone else’s fault and there’s nothing I can do.

If I claim Defeat, I may be miserable, but I absolve myself from any responsibility. I can sit back, and slack off. No courage must be mustered.  No perseverance is necessary. Circumstances may happen to me and I am no longer required to participate.

When we grow weary, this is tempting.  Even in our discouragements, we long for any action to be someone else’s responsibility.

 

Ah, but friend, if you are a Christian, then like it or not, you are telling others by how you live your life what is and isn’t possible in the strength of Jesus!

Unbelievers can’t exactly tell when you are deciding simply not to pick up the tools and weapons you have available, or whether they just don’t appear to work.

If you are a believer, you are called to live a life of testimony of Christ’s work in you!

Pick up your weapons!  One of them is the joy of the Lord! It is the muscle behind the punch, the energy behind the walking, the running, the getting back up when you fall.

How is it joy of the Lord your STRENGTH?

Last year was one of the hardest, most stressful years ever, and yet, you can ask my husband- I was thriving?  Why? Because of a steady focus- a choice I made over and over again to continually focus on the joy of the Lord- on his power, on his workings, on his goodness, and collecting ever scrap of evidence that he was working in my life.

Practically, what does that look like?

– I sat down on the couch one night in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep and created a new playlist on my phone of uplifting music- songs that brought me focus on the greatness of God, who I am, what is possible, how he’s in charge, and some peppy tunes.
Then, every time I was alone and my mind started to wander towards worry or panic, I hit play.

 

– I took regular time to talk to God- tell him what I needed, what I longed for, and then thanked him for the ways he had met our needs.

 

– I bought a giant post-it pad and pasted pages to my bedroom wall.  One said God’s abundance doesn’t disappear just because my circumstances changed. Another was a growing list of ways God showed up, needs met, things I was thankful for. (It wasn’t in a journal, locked away. It was on the wall- where I couldn’t not look at it every single day.)

– I focused on the way God was meeting the needs of others and thanked him for their success. I had a list of other people in my life that had seen God do a mighty work in their life.

– The joy of the Lord is something that God provides, but we must choose to take hold of it and use it. Just like a soldier is issued a weapon, but he gets to choose whether he just lugs the thing around all day behind him or whether he picks it up and shoots the enemy.

The joy of the Lord is YOUR strength.  Will you pick it up and use it today? How?  What’s one way you will choose to apply the joy of the Lord to your life today?

One way you can take action is to apply for one of our Joy and Peace Breakthrough Calls.  We have a few spots left. Get on a call with me that is specifically designed to help you get clear on what practical joy and peace can look like in your family life in the year 2020.  Discover the #1 thing stopping you from having that regular happiness, and Complete the call with excitement knowing the EXACT next steps to take to have the happy and content family you desire!

SImply apply for a call at maryaldrichcoaching.com/apply . But hurry, there are only a couple spots left and you’ll want to get started on the game plan we create right away.

As a bonus for applying, I’ll send you a FREE digital copy of my Daily Fruit Juice Journal.  It has 365 days of simple journal prompts to help you apply the fruit of the spirit more practically to your everyday life.  Use it with your kids, too.  The prompts make great conversation starters for valuable discussions.

Again, that’s maryaldrichcoaching.com/apply

How to Prepare for the Upcoming Season

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Today on big dreams we are talking about how to prepare your child for the upcoming season! When it comes to preparing your kids for the upcoming season of sports, how parents play a major role, and how creating a routine can bring value and balance to your young athlete. So, grab your coffee and your headphones and check me out on Big Dreams Sports Tv.

Find us on:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

More podcast episodes

Are You Interested In Playing Sports?

Join your host, Andrew Layton.

Andrew Layton loved playing football and devoted his life to playing until he took a wrong turn because of finances. Now he wants to help student-athletes to make to take the higher road.

Andrew is a personal trainer, former professional athlete, and currently the Head Football Coach at Canterbury High School in Ft. Myers.

Andrew is determined to help at-risk kids just as he was at one time, now he encourages athletes to stay on a better path, and avoid the cycle of despair that he fell into. He saw the affects on the lives of other young men and women who grew up in similar communities, including his late mom.

Andrew was a star football player at Estero High School and he entered Georgia Military College. His mom died during his first year in 2000. He later attended Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Although a pulled hamstring barred him from the NFL draft, he started a professional football career in the Arena Football League, playing for the Greensboro Prowlers.

Andrew was recruited by the first-string Dallas Desperados and elated to be making money doing what he loved. Now he shares his story and insider tips and advice to all of you athletes who want to Dream Big on his Big Dreams Podcast! Join Andrew Layton weekly.

Prayer of Faith – Part 14

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Join Lucia as she talks about how to put your faith into operation through the prayer of faith.  Join Lucia as she talks about how to put your faith into operation through the prayer of faith.  There are different kinds of prayers we can pray: the prayer of praise and worship; the prayer of agreement where two or more people agree together; the prayer of binding and loosing; the prayer of intercession; and the prayer of petition or the prayer of faith.

The prayer of petition is the most common prayer, and this is where we ask Father God to do something for us or give us something.  There are laws that govern its operation, and if we don’t operate according to the laws that govern it, it won’t work for us.

Mark 11:24 is a great example of the prayer of faith.  The Good News Translation reads, “For this reason I tell you: When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for.”

This is one of the most important statements in the Bible and could be the solution to every challenge you may ever face.  Your faith is released through prayer and this verse is the key that unlocks doors to walk in victory.

Jesus says when you pray for your desires, believe that you receive them when you pray, and you will have them!

It doesn’t matter what your heart desire, the technique to get it manifested in your life is the same for whatever you desire.

Everything we receive from God we receive by our faith.  The technique or principle of faith is this: when you pray, believe that you receive them when you pray, and you will have them.   If you don’t believe you receive them when you pray, you are not going to receive anything!

 

LuciaClaborn.com

Faith Builders for Victorious Living

Faith to Please God

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Lucia continues her study of faith in this week’s podcast by sharing you must have faith to please God. Live the victorious life! #podcastLucia continues her study of faith in this week’s podcast by sharing you must have faith to please God.

She references Hebrews 11:6 in The Passion Translation which says, “And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who give all their passion and strength into seeking him.”

And Hebrews 3:7-12 in the New Living Translation tells us it’s important to walk by faith. That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.  There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years.  So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me.  They refuse to do what I tell them.’  So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’  Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.”

A key statement in this verse is “Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving.”  Paul is telling us that an unbelieving heart or a heart that is not full of faith is considered to be evil!!

If you want God’s Word to work for you, you must mix it with your faith.  The Word of God can be preached; people can hear the Word; and it will not profit or produce for them because they don’t mix their faith with the Word of God.

Walking in faith causes you to live the victorious life!

LuciaClaborn.com

Perfecting Your Love Walk, Part 3 – Overcoming Offenses

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

In today’s podcast Lucia finishes her series on Perfecting Your Love Walk and discusses how to overcome offenses.In today’s podcast Lucia finishes her series on Perfecting Your Love Walk and discusses how to overcome offenses. Even though you’re walking in love, you’ll have countless opportunities to get offended every day. 

People who become offended are usually trapped as they go about their normal, daily routines, and suddenly find themselves pulled into an offensive situation that causes hurt and resentment that grows until the person being offended decides to strike back. 

Offenses will come, but you can overcome them and not let them rule your life.  The important thing to remember is that it’s not the trap itself that is the offender; it’s the trapper who sets the trap.

Whenever Satan brings a scheme to cause an offense, he’s setting you up for destruction.  The proper response to an offensive situation is to respond the same way Jesus did!  Rebuke the devil!  That does two things for you.  First, you’re exercising your authority, and this stops the devil from hurting you. Second, it helps you recognize that it’s the devil and not people who sets up an offensive trap for you.

Satan’s plan is specifically designed to fit your weaknesses because he’s after your testimony. He wants to immobilize you and distract you from your destiny.  It’s time to put on the full Armor of God, stop blaming someone else for what they did, and take responsibility for your own actions! 

You can totally change your life by operating out of God’s love; and you can overcome offenses by choosing to forgive so you can live the victorious life God created you to live!

LuciaClaborn.com

Authority – Part 1

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Do you realize as a born-again believer that God has given you power and authority to enforce Satan’s defeat in your life?  Listen to this!Do you realize as a born-again believer that God has given you power and authority to enforce Satan’s defeat in your life? Do you know what your God-given authority is? Why you have authority?  Why you need authority? Do you know how to use your authority?

Join Lucia as she answers these questions and explains the authority that belongs to you once you make Jesus Lord of your life. She will teach you that you have authority, or power, over Satan’s tactics against your life, and you can enforce his defeat in every area of your life!

God created you to reflect His image, and as the reflection of God, you have His creative power on the inside of you. When you speak God’s Word in faith, those words release creative power into your circumstances and situations.

God spoke the universe into existence with His words, and Holy Spirit made it come to pass. God has given you that same power to speak words to influence the outcome of your life and create your future. All the creative power you possess is released with your words. Words that bring life or words that bring death.

This message will be good news to you if you’ve never been told God has given you power and authority over Satan and his plans for your life. It will change your perspective on how you live your life, and how you pray once you realize your God-given authority, which will enable you to live the victorious life God created you to live.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

LuciaClaborn.com

God’s Love For His People

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast or listen to this here – online. You can download this talk on your computer or you can listen on your phone. Share this podcast with a friend.

rsspodcast itunespodcast

God's Love For His PeopleGod’s Love for His People

Episode 1

God’s love for His people will astound and bless you — in the scriptures, He says, “Beloved let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God is revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love. Not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.” (1 Jn. 4: 7-12)

“… who remains in love remains in God and God in him.” (v. 16)

We are called into a  love relationship with God in Jesus Christ through the power and life of the Holy Spirit. We live a covenant relationship in Jesus Christ in the New Creation. Those committed to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ live in a relationship with him in the Father and the Holy Spirit.

We have been created for God

We have been created to naturally live this life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and come to completion or perfection as a human being in the dynamic of this triune relationship of love. In the book of Revelation Jesus says “Behold I make all things new”! Jesus is the source of the New Creation

By love, we become a new creation, a new man or woman in Christ. Jesus invites us into the New Covenant of Love through our Baptism in water

(The story of Dianne) — listen to the podcast for more.

God’s love for His people is unending!

The only way we can grow in love is by the power of God’s love Therefore we are called into a relationship where we are willing to embrace a process and journey of changing. Sometimes change is easy sometimes it is hard, “unless a seed falls to the ground and dies it remains just a seed, but if it dies it bears much fruit.” (Jn. 12) The story of Jimmy Cohen – a little book entitled Love of God by Charles Colson,  in a chapter entitled “Whatever Happened to Son.”

If God is love and lives in us, we need to love others. The basic call of our vocation is love. A successful and meaningful life is a life of love: giving our life away, giving our love away, and giving our death away! Our transformation and growth in divine love and human love brings spiritual happiness and also human maturity.  (The story of Alex Bombara)

Love is a gift from God, both divine and human love, a fruitful life. A fruitful life lived in the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit brings forth in our transformation generosity and gratitude. In humility we need to be patient, learn to appreciate and accept ourselves as we are, and trust in God’s merciful love to achieve all He has planned for us.

The Last Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth – Part II

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.
The Last Supper - The Mass as Heaven on Earth - Part 2God had a loving plan for us, to bring us back into communion with Him. He gave His Son for us, who, through obedience fulfilled His Father’s plan. The result of God’s Love and Jesus’ Obedience burst forth on the Cross, in the Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian relationship allows us to participate spiritually and physically, renewing this covenant, each day, every day, in the Holy Mass, the greatest act of worship the world has ever known!
 
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:51
–Photo by Chad Greiter on Unsplash

Welcome to Authentic Faith and Live with Dr. Sue Ellen Nolan!  Sue Ellen grew up the youngest in a large non-Catholic family and always wanted to be a guidance counselor. Today her life mission is guiding people towards the healing Truth and Love of God.

A convert, Sue Ellen was challenged to find God in the Catholic Church, and discovered the wealth and depth of Catholic Theology and the Tradition of the faith that led to formal study; and a lifelong commissioning in a healing ministry. Through a series of mystical events she was lead through key points in her life to a life of service for God, and to “be about the business of the Church.”   The Identity Series, a cap-stone of her work is drawn from her dissertation based on our Christian Anthropology, from the writings of St. John Paul II, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Teresa Benedicta.

Dr. Nolan has many years of experience teaching in Adult Faith Formation through workshops, retreats, and lectures. Additionally, she has a background of working with adult survivors of abuse, Adult Children of Alcoholics, codependency issues, and a ministry with the divorced and separated.  Sue Ellen is the Coordinator of Adult faith Formation at Our Lady of Light Catholic Community and has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology-with a counseling Minor; A Bachelor of Science in Human Services-and an Addiction Minor; Masters in Theological Studies from Ave Maria University; and a Doctorate in Pastoral Counseling.

Click Here to Visit Her Website, Authentic Faith and Life!

The Last Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth – Part I

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.
The Last Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth  - Part 1 with Authentic Faith and LifeWe can participate in Heaven on earth!  The Hebrew people believed God became present to them in the Passover celebration-the memorial meal. We have God’s same presence with us as He renews His covenantal relationship with His people, on the altar, in the Mass!
 
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33

Welcome to Authentic Faith and Live with Dr. Sue Ellen Nolan!  Sue Ellen grew up the youngest in a large non-Catholic family and always wanted to be a guidance counselor. Today her life mission is guiding people towards the healing Truth and Love of God.

A convert, Sue Ellen was challenged to find God in the Catholic Church, and discovered the wealth and depth of Catholic Theology and the Tradition of the faith that led to formal study; and a lifelong commissioning in a healing ministry. Through a series of mystical events she was lead through key points in her life to a life of service for God, and to “be about the business of the Church.”   The Identity Series, a cap-stone of her work is drawn from her dissertation based on our Christian Anthropology, from the writings of St. John Paul II, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Teresa Benedicta.

Dr. Nolan has many years of experience teaching in Adult Faith Formation through workshops, retreats, and lectures. Additionally, she has a background of working with adult survivors of abuse, Adult Children of Alcoholics, codependency issues, and a ministry with the divorced and separated.  Sue Ellen is the Coordinator of Adult faith Formation at Our Lady of Light Catholic Community and has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology-with a counseling Minor; A Bachelor of Science in Human Services-and an Addiction Minor; Masters in Theological Studies from Ave Maria University; and a Doctorate in Pastoral Counseling.

Click Here to Visit Her Website, Authentic Faith and Life!