THE REST OF THE WAY

A large slice of time has passed!

2011-12-22T17:55:00.004-05:00

My blog-viewers, if there are any faithful/hopeful ones left, must have thought I had become incapacitated or left Planet Earth for Heaven! I have not blogged for SIX MONTHS!
But I am still here!
The reason for my silence has been my priority to focus all my writing strength on finishing the first draft of my latest book manuscript --the sequel to my book published the year before.
The title of this new book is LIVING THE TREASURES OF THE LAND OF MORE. I accomplished that goal with the Lord's enabling, and have been waiting for responses from reviewers before I do a final edit and send it off for publishing.
The NEW YEAR 2012 is an opportunity to re-start my blog afresh--if my time will allow. I have come to realize I can't do everything that I would like, and must look to the Lord for sharpened priorities.

My Christmas letter follows with a brief update on my life.

Dear Friends and family whose Christmas greetings and annual newsletters have been filling my mailbox:

I thought I wouldn’t send a “year report letter” this year, but so many have asked about my well-being and my doings that I owe a brief response. I do appreciate all your kind and loving thoughts and prayers in my direction.

Uppermost I always thank God for His goodness and mercy and blessings which He so generously still faithfully showers upon me in my 86^th year—unbelievable to me to write such a high number! Our 4 sons and families, 10 grandchildren, and 7 great-grands are all well and thriving—an enormous blessing. I’ve tried to express it this way:

GREAT-GRANDPARENTING

When my sons became fathers of children

that was a milestone—for them and for me.

Time passed—suddenly, it seems

my sons have become grandparents!

I sit down on that new milestone

in wonder and ponder

that God has been so incredibly good to me

blessing me to enjoy such relational prosperity

as to see my children’s children’s children—

my generational progeny! my abundant posterity!

This year I’ve had some physical challenges but mostly chronic and chronologically related—I’m coping with the not-fixables and the normal, mortal, growing limitations—for which God’s grace is super-sufficient and medical skill is helpful—but not so much!

The Christian radio station that we established and of which I am president celebrated its 25^th anniversary with celebratory events and a move into spacious facilities for studios and administration in downtown Winchester with enough room for expansion, including a sister station in the future with a different format.

No significant travel this year. Mostly I was a stay-at-home with writing focused on completing a sequel to my book published last year. LIVING THE TREASURES OF THE LAND OF MORE is slated to go to press, Lord willing, early in 2012. Lately I unexpectedly sneaked in the time to compile a limited edition of some of my contemporary poems of recent years into a little volume titled LATTER RAIN: WORDSMITHING VERSE in the Late Season of my Life which I shaped up as a Christmas gift for my families. Next year, as God enables, I’m eager to work on some other book manuscripts in process that I hope to finish.

If snowstorms don’t interfere, I anticipate joining our families in some events around Christmas and our parish family for New Year celebrations. Probably some entertaining of good friends joyfully slipped in between.

I pray that God will bless and guide you through the coming year as He unfolds more of His perfect plan for your life. Trust Him. God is always good and works for your good and His glory through your life and through the circumstances God has designed specifically for YOU.

Leona

###

SLAPDASH MUSINGS ON BECOMING CATHOLIC

2011-06-02T07:30:00.002-04:00

Posted originally on the blog "A Comforting and Disturbing Grace" by my friend in Christ who uses the writing name Friar Puck.

As an adult, he is being received into our parish church, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Winchester, VA. I have the distinct honor and privilege and joy of standing with him as his Sponsor. Each of those I have sponsored since my own reception into the Church in 2005 have been drawn by the Holy Spirit on a unique lifelong journey into a deeper fullness of the same biblical faith we have each known and loved for many years. Listen to this chosen man after God's own heart speak from his heart:

Well, it’s almost here! The big day; the day where, depending upon with whom you spoke, I am either acting in obedience or blatantly committing heresy.

I am becoming Catholic on Sunday, June 5, 2011 (Lord willing of course) and I have just been pondering the magnanimous Beauty of it, so I felt an urge to let my hodgepodge musings be posted. They are in no order and are filled with my finitely infantile pandering. So, be forewarned: the following may cause you to scratch your head or bang it against a wall; or even worse, the following may cause a severe desire to simply ignore it and hit the delete button…

I am coming into the Church not so much because of a decision I made, but rather as a response to a choice laid before me by a Loving God, Who has a real passion for intimacy.

I am not leaving the "Proddy" (Protestant) world because I have some grand grudge or axe to grind or because I loathe all the emotionalism and “Jesus and Me” mentality.

Simply put: I love God with a wild passion. And I love the Catholic Church. And if truth be told, I have always had a somewhat sordid affair with Her, one that always left both my "Proddy" and Catholic friends scratching their heads (but for different reasons). I had a profound conversion experience to Christ when I was 17 years old; I even remember the date – August 5, 1985 (8585!) – and it was a moment when the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to me in such a holy and complete way that all I could do was give Him my feeble but firm “Fiat.”

I knew then that this ‘conversion’ was not some historical event, but rather it was an initial threshold crossing, whereby Jesus revealed Himself to me and I put my hand in His and said, “Yes, I accept Your invitation to follow You (not the other way around) and to learn to trust wherever it is You lead me, knowing all of this is done in divine love.”

Then a dear friend explained to me that Catholics believe (with mucho support from Scripture) that Christians ‘were saved (past), are being saved (present), and will be saved’ (future) and that it is a lifelong journey of almost daily conversion.

Yes, that’s what I signed up for…although there are many years in the last 25 where if you told people I was a follower of Jesus they would have laughed right off the bar stool.

Which leads me to another reason I am becoming Catholic: the Catholic Church is the human face of Christ on earth and home to slobs, sinners, ragamuffin reprobates, Republicans, Democrats, heck even Green Party Socialists, lefties, right-wing nut jobs, old school (that would be Pre-Vatican II) and new school (that would include post Vatican II, the Charismatic Renewal folks, the Hippy Mass people, and a few others). Yup. All of them…um, er…us, I mean. All of us are living under one roof – the Holy Church – and I’ve said it before, only the Holy Spirit could ever bring together such diversity without mass murder occurring.

I love the Church that Jesus Christ Himself established. Plain and simple. Fifteen years ago I would joke with a dear friend of mine (who happens to be a Catholic priest) that like Luther I chime, “She may be a Whore, but she is still my Mother” (with regard to the Church.) Now I’ll defend her as I would my real mother (and let it be known I am a Momma’s boy – all 6’ 2”, 200 lbs. of me with a scrappy, streetwise background…so I’d tread lightly when mocking my Mother…Church, that is).

The Eucharist is another reason I am becoming Catholic. Because 25 years ago when I first said yes to Jesus, I read in St. John’s gospel, the 6^th chapter, when Jesus said that “unless I eat His body and drink His blood, I [would] have no life.” Or where He said that His body and blood are real food (not just metaphorical morsels). It also says in that chapter, that many, MANY, stopped following Jesus because those words were too hard to handle and scandalous in a blasphemous pagan-like cannibalistic kind of way. I love the Reality that I will be fed by Jesus literally every time I partake of the Bounty of the earth and Fruit of the vine.

The sense of Sacred Tradition is another reason. Quite simple: it is Sacred…and it is historical Tradition. It has roots – deep, fecund roots that are the very trunk of God’s life on earth and not merely the flimsy branches.

Another reason: almost every denomination of Christianity has been started because of an ego-based megalomaniacal disagreement; very few branches of Christianity were started for any other reason. But the Catholic Church is 2,000 years old and still the “one, holy, Catholic and apostolic” face of Jesus Christ on earth.

And She is about to receive another child who has wandered and traversed the spiritual world of seeking, finally coming Home to rest in the bosom of the Lord’s Bride. It is here, in the Church, that I get more and more of Jesus (and He in turn gets more and more of me) day by day.

Instead of losing, I am blessed with even more ways to know and love Jesus: the Eucharist; the Liturgy; the ‘universal’ Body globally dispersed and eternally connected; the Sacraments; and a rich and rooted Tradition steeped deeper in Scripture than any lover of Jesus could ever dream.

And as the days become hours before this fated, wonderful day, I tremble in awe and humility before the holiness of it all…and I can hear the faint whisper of the voice of Mother Church saying to me in the sacred silence: “Welcome Home, son.”

REMEMBERING MEMORIAL DAY

2011-05-30T11:32:00.002-04:00

CONVERSATIONS WITH JEFFREY # 13

“…Thank you, God, for farmers and gardens and rain and sunshine and clouds and holidays and football, oh yeah, and bless this food too. And thank you for Memorial Day when we remember the soldiers who died fighting for our country. Amen.”

“Amen! I’m always proud of you, Jeffrey, when you pray before our meals for so many special things that you are thankful to God for. I’m sure God is listening and smiling on you. You must have learned about Memorial Day at school, right?”

“I did. After the Civil War in 1868 General John A. Logan made a proclamation that people should honor both the Union soldiers and the Confederate ones. They put little American flags on the graves of every soldier in Arlington Cemetery every year on May 30. After that the idea spread all over the country. Now, I guess, they moved the date to the last Monday in May so we can get a longer holiday weekend.”

“When I was about your age, Jeffrey, we called it ‘Decoration Day’ and the veterans from other wars put flags on the soldiers’ graves in the cemetery in Iowa where I lived too. It didn’t matter whether they were killed in battle or died later. And everyone brought fresh flowers, especially Peonies and Irises and Lilacs from their gardens, to put on the graves. They decorated not only the soldiers’ graves but those of other people in their families who died. ”

“Veterans are people who came back from the war, right? I read that most cities had parades on that day. Did they do that in your hometown, Grandma?”

“Every year without fail. Bands from the local high schools marched in the parade and all the living veterans from several wars marched in the parade wearing hats that showed what branch of the military they served in. Then they had music and speeches about brave heroes. Everyone in town bought red paper poppies from the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to raise money to help families of the soldiers who died in the war. The poppies were usually made by disabled veterans.”

“How did the custom of the poppies start?”

“A soldier named John McCrae, who served in the American army in France in the World War I, wrote a poem about his fellow soldiers who died there. They were buried in a cemetery called Flanders. All of us had to memorize that poem in school.”

“Do you still remember the words, Grandma?”

“The first verse is,

‘In Flanders field the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Love and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders field.’

I guess real poppy flowers were planted between the white crosses in the cemetery.”

“When we study history in school it seems like there are always wars going on somewhere. Why do people fight and kill each other, Grandma?”

“There is not a simple answer. The leaders of some countries, but usually not the ordinary people, selfishly want to conquer other nations and take away their freedoms and their land. In the United States, our armed forces volunteer to leave their homes and families to courageously fight to defend our freedom from enemies who want to control us. Our soldiers also help to defend other countries which are threatened by enemies who want to gain power over them and hurt their people.

“Did you know some of the soldiers who went to war when you were young?”

“A lot of my uncles and cousins and boys from our high school class joined the army and navy right after they graduated. Some of them whom I knew really well got killed. Families used to put a banner with a gold star in their window to honor the memory of their son or husband or brother who got killed in the war.”

“Were any of our own family in the wars?”

“Your Great-Grandfather, Frank, my Daddy, fought in France with the American army about the same time that soldier wrote the Flanders poem. I thank God that he didn’t get killed there. When the war was over and he got out of the army, he married my Mother and a little girl was born to them—me! When I was young I used to dress up in his uniform and play soldier with my friends. Daddy was with the 313^th Ammunition Train Division which was in charge of shipping guns to the troops who were fighting on the front lines. I have a photo of him in France with a horse he rode alongside the trains to protect the shipments.”

“That’s so cool. I wish I could have met him. I’ll bet he would have some exciting stories to tell.”

“I expect you will meet your Great Grandpa Frank someday in heaven. He had Jesus in his heart too. On your Mommy’s side of the family, her father is a very high-ranking soldier in the Thailand army. He is your Grandfather whom you call ‘Kun-ta’ who comes to visit you sometime with your Grandma whom you call ‘Kun-yai’. Your Grandfather was a famous career soldier and held an important position in the army. He has retired now with the official rank of General.”

“Kun-ta is not his name, Grandma. It means ‘grandfather’ in Thai. He told me he even served in the palace of the King of Thailand. When I was little and visited Thailand, he assigned some of his soldiers to help take care of me while I was playing. He was in charge of the Cavalry and is a really good horseman. We went to see where he had to live part of the time when he was on duty. I’m proud of my ‘Kun-ta’.”

“Your Grandpa Ted, your Daddy’s Dad, who was Grandma’s husband, served in the American Marine Corps during part of his college years. He was a Specialist Interpreter with the Intelligence and was sent to China with the First Marine Division. He’ll have plenty of adventures to tell you about when you meet him in heaven too. He died before you were born so he didn’t know about you—but he probably knows all about you now and even prays for you. He must be proud of how big you are growing and how well you are learning.”

“Wasn’t Uncle Rick, Daddy’s brother, in the army too?”

“Yes. He served with the Nike Hercules Missile Division of the U. S. Army that was in charge of defending Washington, D.C. in case of enemy attack during the Vietnam War. He volunteered for the army soon after he finished high school. He learned so much about guns and ammunition in the army and that may be why he likes to teach classes now to certify citizens in gun safety for the NRA.”

“Whew! Anyone else? This is exciting to know about.”

“Your Great-Great-Grandfather Jan, (John)—who was my grandfather in Europe in what is now called the Czech Republic—was forced to serve in the army of Austria-Hungary because that country occupied his homeland. That was sometime in the mid-1800s. I have only one photo of him, and he was in an army uniform. After he got home he married my grandmother, Frantiska, and they had six children, one of whom was my Daddy, Frank, whom I already told you about.”

“I have lots of names of real family members to think about on Memorial Day, don’t I?”

“People should display the American flag and on public buildings it flies at half mast. When President Clinton was in office in 2000, he made a proclamation for a National Moment of Remembrance that we should observe at 3 o’clock in the afternoon on Memorial Day. We can either be silent and honor our military who have died, and veterans and all our friends who have died, or we can pray for them as we listen to a soldier play ‘Taps’ on a bugle or trumpet.”

“What is ‘Taps’, Grandma?”

“It is a short, slow, beautiful melody of only 24 notes which is played in military installations to signal ‘lights out’ at bedtime, or at the funerals of veterans, or at flag ceremonies. Our President goes to Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and ‘Taps’ are played. There are many versions of the words to that melody, but one of them is:

‘Day is done, gone the sun

From the lakes,

From the hills,

From the sky;

All is well, safely rest;

God is nigh.’”

“I guess there’s a lot more to Memorial Day than having picnics and eating barbecue and having a fun holiday—and watching the Indianapolis 500.”

----------------

REpeat Offender

2011-05-28T12:24:00.002-04:00

(Excerpt from Chapter 14 of “HOSPITAL GOWNS DON’T HAVE POCKETS”)

A long list of comforting RE-words helped me through my original cancer surgery REcovery. They continue to guide me while I live in this “Earth Suit.” I’m making progress through REstoration, REfreshing, REgaining, REpenting, REviving, REpairing, RElaxing—even REcreation.

I’m being REnewed by my daily REndezvous with God to build up my inner spirit.

But I REsist one word and would like to REfuse it. It is the word REpeat!

REalistically, however, many illnesses are REpeat offenders or some RElated problems. My surgeon frankly explained the strong possibility of REcurrence. It’s not unusual to go through the same or similar surgery or treatment again or REquire additional treatment. Perhaps more than once. REmission is often a temporary state.

Back to square one? I’m kept on a short leash. I circle X-ray dates and doctors’ appointments at regular intervals on my calendar. I’m suspicious of symptoms that might signal the REturn of the problem. No one can guarantee full REcovery from anything. We all go around in depreciating bodies. Thorns are part of the horticultural package in life and health as well as in the garden.

So, if it happens again…? I’ll just begin the cycle again.

If God and I successfully jumped the hurdle questions at the beginning, I hope I’ve developed my spiritual muscles and spiritual stamina to go through it again. The same questions and struggles and the same answers apply. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

God offers us the same grace and strength to match any new situation. For my good and for God’s glory is still the touchstone. God is as fully in control the second time around—or third or fourth—as He was when I went through it the first time.

Not all race tracks are configured the same. On one kind of track runners race straight ahead from the starting line to the finish line. No surprises, no curves. Another track is circular. The runner returns to the place where he started. In fact, the race may not be finished the first time around. He may have to run several laps around the same circle.

Still another is the marathon course where you run for the long haul through ordinary and REpetitious landscape: towns, country roads, hills, beside rivers and along busy highways. That’s a race for endurance. The Apostle Paul’s words are not an understatement: “Run with endurance (patience) the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:36).

Whatever kind of race track the Lord has chosen for me, my Divine Coach is cheering me on: “Run in such a way that you may win” (1 Corinthians 9:24). He was there at the Starting Line, and I know He’s waiting for me at the Finish Line. He’s the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Sooner or later I’ll report to Him, “I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”

Then I’ll be qualified to go by the Judge’s bench for my prize. “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:7,8).

I can’t lose no matter what track lies ahead in my life, if I joyfully celebrate each day of life trusting my Coach, Jesus Christ, and obediently following His instructions!

NO TICKET THROUGH THE WOODS

2011-05-28T12:07:00.001-04:00

“He makes me lie down in the shadow of trees in the deep forest…”

Oh No, Lord, that’s not the way King David wrote the Twenty-third Psalm. It’s “…lie down in green pastures and besides still waters.”

My child, let Me program the GPS of your life. The woods may be exactly where I want you to grow and flourish in your spirit, where I will be with you, My rod and My staff comforting you, and where I will prepare a festive table before you.”

**********

“How are you?”

That’s what friends ask who know something about my cancer surgery in the past, or current tests I’ve been going through—or who figure that’s what you ask someone who is pushing beyond their mid-eighties.

“Oh, I’m not out of the woods yet!” I sometimes catch myself replying.

I don’t know where that term originated, but it implies that there is some inevitable light at the end of the tunnel, that I will eventually emerge from my present woods by the path I’m on.

However, that’s not always the case. The name of this woods may be like the other “C” word that we also try to avoid. But this “C” is for “Chronic.” God’s loving answer to our prayers for healing or relief from pain or an increase in strength may be “Not yet” or even a more permanent “No.” or “I have a better plan for you and it involves continuing to live in the woods.”

That was apparently the case for the Apostle Paul. He pleaded with God three times to remove something that might have been physically painful since he called it “a thorn in the flesh.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) God knew that it was better for Paul to learn to live in the woods the rest of his life, which he apparently did. He witnesses that God’s grace and strength were sufficient for his weakness.

It is better for us not to know what Paul’s aggravating ailment or affliction was so that we can fill in the blank with our particular situation. He was in a classroom where God was teaching him to be “well content” and “most gladly boast” about his infirmity and chronic state while continuing to “live in the woods.” It was in that condition that God’s power would be manifested and perfected through him, rather than if he were to emerge healed and well and whole from his woods.

Many of God’s faithful friends live their entire lives in their unique woods with limitations, weaknesses, illnesses, unrelieved pain, disabilities, acquired or genetic, or suffering the same problems over and over again with no path through their woods but to endure.

Some of God’s precious children no matter what age are not even able to walk through their woods. Wheel chairs, even the electric kind, would find it tough going to navigate over the branches and tangles and undergrowth of their woods. Still others are bedfast and shut in only able to gaze out the window at their woods where the trees seem to stretch endlessly into the distance.

Some live in the confusion and disorder of emotional or mental woods, or relational, social, or financial dense forests. Still others, eventually all of us, unless our lives are shortened, are making our way through the wilderness of aging with all its attendant fears and uncertainties.

Blessed are we when we experience God’s healing touch and we are “made whole.” God heals now as He did through Jesus in His days on earth, when it is His will and perfect plan to do so. Also blessed are we when His loving, sovereign will for us is that we remain “unwhole” in some aspect during this mortal lifetime and continue living in the woods. We are no less His precious, beloved children whether He chooses that we should live in the woods or out of the woods.

God promises to all of us the fullness of His presence and strength. “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8:10) whatever our disabilities or limitations or problems. Living in the woods, if that is God’s will for us, is the way to holiness in this Third Millennium just as it has been through ages past. Spiritually we are already “complete in Him” (Colossians 2:10), whole, and well. In the future, in the full splendor and brilliant light of God’s eternal presence, our wholeness will be realized—no more woods in heaven with its dark and fearful shadows!

As Christians, our faith teaches us that we may answer the How are you? question with,

“I may have to live the rest of my life on earth in the woods, but there God gives me the joy of sharing in the sufferings of Christ (Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24) as well as provides me with more opportunity to lean heavily on Him, draw closer to Him, pray for fellow travelers in the woods and appropriate His ever-generous supply of strength and mercy.”

TRYING TO ADD CUBITS

2011-05-27T11:27:00.002-04:00

(Excerpt from Chapter 14 of Leona Choy’s book HOSPITAL GOWNS DON’T HAVE POCKETS!) Special June discount-book-of-the-month

I try my best to do everything right during recovery from my hospital adventure: taking my medications, going for my checkups and X-rays, forcing myself to exercise, breathing fresh air, watching my nutrition, getting enough rest, and monitoring my positive outlook. And praying a lot! I’m cooperating to the best of my ability.

As a mortal, however, I have a restricted life span and God has divinely prescribed the outer limits. We are told that every week in this country 210 men and women do reach the ripe age of 100—that’s comparatively very few and still exceptional.

Formerly, most people died a lot younger (except during the Methuselah era). Now, hopefully, we have better nutrition, medical breakthroughs, surgical procedures, and health habits which combine to keep us on this planet longer than our ancestors. On the other hand, increased pollution, chemical food additives, drug abuse, destructive health habits, fast transportation, and soft, affluent living are some negative factors pulling life expectancy downward. Heredity and accidents are contributing factors, of course.

Jesus said it realistically: "Which of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure [cubit] to his stature or to the span of his life?” (Matthew 6:27 Amplified paraphrase)

Some people do try to add to their bulk, stature, stamina, or speed by taking steroids, but it backfires: muscles, weight, and energy may increase, but as a consequence, life span is cut short or health declines. Medical science can step in to prolong life to a certain extent, but life support systems, artificial body parts and transplants aren’t always successful and don’t last permanently.

Ultimately, for me as a Christian, the sovereignty of God determines how long I will live. He calls the shots. My loving Lord sets the timer and the wake-up alarm for heaven. I’ve already settled it in my heart: absolutely nothing happens to me outside His control and tender care.

Lord, make me to know my end, and [to appreciate] the measure of my days, what it is; let me know and realize how frail I am—how transient is my stay here. Behold, You have made my days as [short as] handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight.

Truly, every man at his best is merely a breath! Selah [pause, and think calmly of that]! Surely every man walks to and fro—like a shadow in a pantomime; surely for futility and emptiness they are in turmoil; each one heaps up riches, not knowing who will gather them.

And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You. (Psalm 39:4-6 Amplified paraphrase)

We can safely say that no one is living today who was born before 1860. They are all history—as I will be. Yes, I’ll cooperate and do the best I can with who I am, what I have, who my ancestors were, where I live, and what amount and quality of life God has ordained to gives me in His plan for me.

Nevertheless, the cubits are not in my pocket—they are in God’s!

-------------

(Watch for the next post-excerpt “What if I won’t be perfectly whole?”)

ENCORE DISCOUNT BOOK OF THE MONTH

2011-05-27T10:03:00.004-04:00

By popular demand--ENCORE FEATURED BOOK on Leona's blog

Discount extended through JUNE + a Bonus gift book!

Hospital Gowns Don't Have Pockets!

Struggling with Physical Illness

Why Me? What Now?

by Leona Choy

Everyone needs this book! I may fool myself thinking that illnesses, accidents and surgeries only happen to other people. However, most of us don't live out our lives without going through an illness or hospital adventure of some sort. Few reach Medicare age without outpatient or inpatient events--a biopsy, -oscopy, X-ray, blood profile or other diagnostic goodies. It comes with the package of living our mortal life in our "Earth Suit".

Cheer up! Hospitals are ideal places not only for bodily repair but excellent classrooms for soul-searching and life evaluation.

This popular book explores whether there is meaning in physical affliction for the Christian. The biblical principles are valid whether or not the illness leads to hospitalization. The author takes the reader from initial questions and struggles when illness first strikes, through hospital adventures and the potholes and adjustments of recovery.

At the end of each chapter, the author offers thoughtful "Personal Workout" questions for reflection or group discussion based on topics just covered. Ideal for a support group or personal study.

The reader will explore questions like: Who caused my illness, God or Satan? What did I do to deserve this? Can God heal me? Will He? Should I exercise faith, oppose the devil, and refuse to accept my illness? Could my life be over? Is this a test from God? What's the worst case scenario? For what purpose might God be bringing this experience into my life? Is my illness a friend or an enemy? Why does God seem so far away when I need Him most? What if I can't get through this?

The author maintains that God has a purpose for every experience He permits us to go through. She includes a "Back of the Book" section for readers to make sure their faith in God is intact when they march through hospital doors. Also included are forms for Living Will decisions and other valuable resources.

A major part of the book deals with the Recovery Period in which the author shares sound biblical, psychological and health counsel with hints of humor. "What ifs" are met head on. No pussy-footing over questions like "What happens if I have to live a chronic 'un-whole' life with a 'thorn in my flesh' and without perfect health for the rest of my life?" "How can I please God and be useful to Him while gazing at the ceiling from my bed or from a wheelchair?"

The author knows what it is to walk in hospital slippers. Her first encounter with the O.R. was a "biggy"--lung cancer surgery--"out of the blue." A life-changing and learning experience, she claims in hindsight, that has proved invaluable.

The text is enhanced by the cartoon-like original illustrations of artist Gail Waeber, who created "GG the Bunny" especially for Leona's book. He hops through the pages with the reader while attended by "Miss Meow" the nurse--a charming, light touch for a book that wrestles with serious matters.

Some chapter titles are: Jumping Over Hurdles; No Wheeling or Dealing; Dancing in Bed; Are We Having Fun Yet? Going Through Spiritual College; Is There Life After Hospital?; Oil in My Water; Bench Warming Lessons; Can I Add Cubits?

An invaluable volume for EVERYONE! Order unlimited additional copies for other hurting, ill, or aging friends and family. Who doesn't have such people in his or her life?

Leona's bonus gift book with every order is a copy of "Are You Mad at Me, God? Jumping Illness Hurdles," (regular price $9.95) setting forth important spiritual principles of working through any illness.

This shorter book, ideal for giving to friends in the hospital or recovering at home, includes excerpts from the first section of her book Hospital Gowns.

Regular price $16.95 but a SPECIAL DISCOUNT
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BOTH books for $13 plus $3 S/H

E-mail your order to Leona: leonachoy@comcast.net

Follow Leona's blog in JUNE--posts will be special excerpts

from her HOSPITAL GOWNS book

www.leonachoy.blogpost.com

NOT SAUL/PAUL OF TARSUS--BUT CLOSE

2011-05-21T18:43:00.001-04:00

I trotted along in the footsteps of Dr. Scott Hahn for most of the several years of my pre-Catholic journey.

His denominational history, evangelical conversion, zeal for the Scriptures, academic scholarship, and personal integrity were guideposts for me as I struggled with the drastic paradigm faith shift that would eventually lead me into the Catholic Church.

Scott's story parallels that of Saul of Tarsus. Now, as a convert, his zeal for the one holy catholic and apostolic Church combined with his excellent academic preparation and experience in the Protestant world and subsequently in the Catholic context is an awesome treasure for the Church worldwide.

I am privileged to keep tapping into that treasure through his many books, CDs and DVDs to accelerate my progress in the faith and share in his biblical insights.

Meet Scott Hahn through the link below and taste for yourself the riches that this man of God so eagerly shares with others on whatever faith journey you find yourself.
Click below:

Catholic By Grace: Presbyterian Pastors Who Are Ready to Change Denominations: this one is for you

END

Topic: WILL THE WORLD END TOMORROW?

2011-05-20T13:06:00.001-04:00

CONVERSATIONS WITH JEFFREY # 23 (An imagineered series by Leona Choy for her grandson, Jeffrey D. Choy)

Grandma, people are talking on TV that the world is going to end tomorrow! Is that really true? What does that mean? That sounds so scary! Is it about Jesus coming back to earth again?

Jeffrey, don’t be afraid. You have Jesus in your heart and God is taking care of you. Jesus said that we shouldn’t try to set dates for His coming. You can read about that in the gospel of Mark in your new Bible. Look up chapter 13 and verse 32.

OK. That says, “But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come.” Does that mean that even Jesus didn’t know the day He was going to come back from Heaven?

When Jesus said that to His disciples, He hadn’t been crucified yet, or died, or was resurrected. He hadn’t gone up to Heaven yet. After He was there with God, His Father, they would know all things together then. But He was telling His disciples not to set dates or try to figure it out for themselves during the time when He was in heaven.

Then that man who is getting everyone all excited that the world will end tomorrow is doing just what Jesus said not to do?

That’s right. Jesus warned us that there will be false Christs and false prophets. This man is only one of many who tried to figure out some exact date. Several years ago he set another date and the same thing happened.

You mean nothing happened, right? Jesus didn’t come back and the world didn’t end.

Exactly. But it will happen someday. Jesus wants us to be ready anytime either for His coming again or for when He decides for any of us that it is time for our life to end and we go to be with Him in Heaven. We should love Jesus and try to live like He taught us and talk with Him in prayer and let Him guide us. Then we won’t be afraid of whatever is going on in our lives or in the world.

Grandma, you said that Jesus told us about a lot of things that would happen in the world before it would end or before He would come again. Where is that in the Bible? And are those things already happening yet?

In the Gospel of Matthew, the 24^th chapter, He told us about such things as wars and famines and earthquakes and Christians being persecuted and some people even saying that Christ has already come back. That was more than two thousand years ago and such things have been happening in every generation.

But Grandma, natural disasters are happening all over the world now. Lots of aweful earthquakes and tornadoes and the big floods and the fires out West and…remember when Daddy and I were visiting Thailand a few years ago and the tsunami came right while we were there?

It does seem that those things are increasing. God may be letting us know that we should be prepared. But Jesus said, “See that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet...all this is but the beginning of the sufferings.”

Then Jesus’ coming could be close, right? How will we know when He really does come? Won’t we miss Him if we aren’t exactly at the place on earth where He is going to arrive!

Not to worry. Jesus said, “For as lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man…and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; …the powers of the heavens will be shaken…and he will send out his angels with a great trumpet call….” There are more details that you can read for yourself. You won’t miss Him, Jeffrey!

Whew! That’s a relief! Does that mean that everyone in the world will see Him instantly all at the same time? Like the live news on TV?

Probably better than that! Only God knows the timeline when all these things will happen or exactly what it will be like. We just have to leave the details to Him. That’s why Jesus told us not to set dates.

Is that the time when those who are dead will be raised first and they will get their new bodies that won’t die anymore? And we who are still living will get new bodies too? Where are the verses about all that?

Saint Paul explains more about that for us in 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5. Remember this: for sure Jesus is coming back again. He promised. At Mass we say "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again!"

And in the Apostles' Creed I just memorized last week, "...He will come again to judge the living and the dead." It's exciting! I can't wait! I wish Jesus would really come back today. But…ok…I know, I know…no date setting, right?

Yes, it could be today--or any day. We should just be ready!

###

Mommy Life: Happy Mother's Day - funny!

2011-05-04T12:40:00.001-04:00

You want a belly laugh?

Ah, the video below is too true! We raised 4 sons...and ONCE, yes, once they surprised us--it was on our 40th wedding anniversary--by giving us a large framed studio picture. All 4 had on suit jackets (wonder of wonders!!!) and incredibly well-matched ties.

I found out later that all the suit jackets and ties belonged to one of them...could it have been that the other 3 appeared at the studio for the photo not appropriately clad?! And the one who knew his brothers well, had come prepared for every eventuality? I was never told!

One, who will remain unnamed, had a wrinkled collar and knot loosely tied but a most engaging smile! All were smiling, doubtless dutifully echoing "Cheeeeze!" A winning photo for sure! It is still up on our wall these many years. Not one of my sons has ever disclosed what went on behind the scenes or how many proofs were rejected before this one was selected.

Every holiday we go through the same routine...do other families find this familiar?
The moan in unison, "Ohhhhh no! Mom wants us all to take a picture together AGAIN!"
All group pictures of our "Gang of Four" have been casual and candid snapshots ever since that one-and-only studio event. And I love each one! What's not to love if you are a mother?

Click here to make your day:
Mommy Life: Happy Mother's Day - funny!

FOCUS ON GREEN

2011-05-03T18:54:00.001-04:00

It is quite hip to talk about green these days—politically correct, in fact.

As if to echo that, suddenly it seems that my whole world has turned green! The gray, dull, and drab of winter has given way to spring almost overnight.

When I look out the picture window from my kitchen table over the woods and vales of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where I live, abundant, flourishing greenery stretches as far as my eyes can see. After God's pyrotechnic-like display for several stormy, windy, cloudburst nights—accompanied by under-the-blanket-hiding thunder boomers, new bursts of green everywhere make it look as if I’m living in an Amazon rain forest.

I meditated on God's marvelous creation to give me eyesight and all the rest of my senses so that I can enjoy it; That was God’s idea so that I can feel the fresh green, breathe it in, smell it, feel it, hear the wind rustle through the green leaves, even taste it (in salads!). Why do I take my senses for granted? Thank You, Lord, that I am not colorblind so I can appreciate the generous, artistic splashes of color in this world which You created for the pleasure of man and then sent him to cultivate it. I praise You together with Your lavishly beautiful creation which, when You, as the Master Artist, selected Your paints for your Earth canvas, started with a background color of GREEN.

GOD MUST LIKE GREEN

Leona Choy

Obviously, GOD LIKES GREEN.
It must be one of His favorite creation colors
not only for splendor and beauty but
as a manifestation of life and growth
"essential to production of carbohydrates
by photosynthesis."
God thought up that marvelous process
without which we could not live!

Look at the generous way
God splashes green around so lavishly:
laying a verdant carpet for me to walk on
providing it for animals and man to eat
decorating trees with green in spring
displaying multi-hues of green foliage
keeping evergreens alive
to contrast with blankets of white winter snow
embracing plants and flowers with green leafy arms
providing lettuce and spinach for my salad.
What a sense of humor God must have
to grow green veggies in whimsical shapes
like asparagus, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts
swish green into seaweed in the ocean
and float watercress in quiet, fresh streams!

Yes, GOD LIKES GREEN:
"The righteous will flourish and grow
into old age full of sap and very GREEN"*
That means me!
Clothed in the righteousness of Christ
not in my own achievements
I should not be like withered leaf and brown
but full of inner vitality
flowing from His abiding in me and I in Him
flourishing like a green palm tree
bearing fruit in all seasons of my life.*
Since God is so partial to GREEN
then GREEN I aspire to be
full of Divine chlorophyll
to please Him obediently!

*****
*Psalm 92:12-15

From her unpublished work,

LATTER RAIN: Wordsmithing late-in-the-season

SPIRIT CHECKING

2011-04-30T15:47:00.004-04:00

I was startled on my regular route into the town of Winchester, VA where I live, by a huge billboard with the words in gigantic caps:

SPIRIT CHECKING

As I drove by, I glanced below the wording expecting to see some kind of religious advertisement or a sacred music event. All I could see was a series of colorful logos of local high schools and colleges. And the name of a local bank emblazoned at the bottom. (It happened to be where I do my banking.)

I thought I would inquire what that is all about the next time I do business with that bank.

SPIRIT CHECKING. Meanwhile, the wording itself caught my attention each time I made a trip in that direction. The billboard was coincidentally also positioned near the place where a state police car often "hides" behind a little hill only partially visible to oncoming or passing traffic.

SPIRIT CHECKING. What's more, that billboard stands almost exactly where two years ago I had a brief, very brief, lapse of awareness to slow down on a certain Sunday morning on the way to Church in what seems to be a deliberate speed trap. Precisely here the normal 55 mph in our semi-countryside apple orchard area divided highway suddenly is posted 45 and then almost immediately 35. This is a route I take daily to Mass and the only route I can take wherever I need to go into town--and I always dutifully slowed down! Except that ONE time....

SPIRIT CHECKING. Yes, that one and only time did cost me an unbelievably hefty $ $ traffic ticket (my first, I'll have you know!) Nevertheless, when my auto insurance came due, the company dropped my policy...Imagine! And I had a clean record on their books, always paid my premiums on time! And no accident or traffic violations on my police record either! Don't get me started on this....I don't want to talk about age discrimination.... I bit the bullet, painfully paid the fine, found another insurance company (at a higher rate, it figures!) and moved on with my life....

SPIRIT CHECKING. I do slow down as I approach the police-hiding-hill now, whether I spot the police car there or not. I am acutely aware of my driving habits. (Of course, I always was!) I'm careful not to have lapses nor even dream of accelerating just a wee bit more if I am late. I even invested in a little silver key ring thing that dangles on my rearview mirror with the inscription, "Don't drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!"

SPIRIT CHECKING. Whatever that billboard is about (and I eventually found out from a friend that there are logos of your fav sports team or your child's school that you can order printed on your banking checks) I find myself searching my own heart and conscience to see if the Holy Spirit is putting His finger on anything in my life that may be grieving Him or quenching Him through omission of one of Jesus' commands or commission--lack of obedience in some area where He has been speaking to me. It serves as an examination of conscience.

SPIRIT CHECKING. Well, that billboard speaks volumes to me. I wonder if anyone else has a prick of conscience or thinks about the spiritual implications as they drive by? Or...just maybe...God had that billboard erected just for me??

END

Catholic By Grace: Divine Mercy or Blessed Assurance?

2011-04-30T15:01:00.001-04:00

Catholic By Grace: Divine Mercy or Blessed Assurance? (Click on the link)

Since tomorrow, May 1, is our celebration of DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY, I share this post from a friend-blogger, also a rather recent Catholic Christian. I consider this a valid and sensitive biblical explanation--with which I agree--of the difference between presumption and trust in God's loving mercy.

As we sing at Catholic Mass now, and as we sang when I was an evangelical,

"There's a wideness in God's mercy/Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in God's justice/which is more than liberty;
There is plentiful redemption/in the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members/in the sorrows of the Head."

STAGE OF GENERATIONS

2011-04-30T11:27:00.004-04:00

This is an encore blog post…just ‘cause I feel like it...and it is spring!

And because CZECHING MY ROOTS is the half-price discount book-of-the-month for MAY which you may order through my e-mail address on the header. Instead of $17.95, it is discounted to $9 plus $3 S/H!

This excerpt is from the Introduction to my published autobiography, CZECHING MY ROOTS. When each new springtime rolls around, I thank God for so generously blessing me with my multi-generational life:

“Time passes so quickly. The stages of life focus in and fade out as the spotlight shines on changing dramas and new characters. How enriching are all our experiences, both difficult and joyful, if we learn to savor each moment as we live it!”

The concluding poem, STAGE OF GENERATIONS, I wrote at the end of this post sums it all up….

What’s in The Trunk?

My husband and I were the trunk of our family tree and our four sons, Richard, Clifford, Gary and Jeff, are the branches. Our grandchildren and the children they will have and the generations to come are the spreading branches.

Suddenly, so it seems, I find myself “the matriarch” in chronological age and the only remaining part of the trunk of my family tree.

Some of our branches are offspring from our own biological trunk—authentic Chinese Czechers—our sons and some of our grandchildren. But we have also enthusiastically welcomed the grafting of some new branches into our tree by extended family relationships—marriage, blended families and adoption. I embrace grafted branches just as warmly as branches sprouting from our original trunk. We treasure them equally because they were lovingly chosen. They enrich our family tree and bear wonderful varieties of fruit that our original tree could not have produced.

Our trunk is unique because it is made up of two people from two geographically and culturally separate root systems. My husband, Ted, was from the continent of Asia, from the ancient historic land of China. My heritage is from the continent of Europe, from what is now The Czech Republic. We met and married on still another continent, North America, to which my forefathers came to seek a better life.

Soon we who are part of the present main trunk will be the roots of those who come after us. Some of our branches have already become trunks in their own right and their young, extended branches before long will mature into trunks too. An entire human forest will spring up around our main trunk!

Although my generation calls itself the main trunk at present, we are the offspring and descendants of the branch systems of the past generation, in fact, of all generations that have gone before. I believe all of us are here in the plan of God and in His foreordained continuity stream of life, and our posterity will be part of God’s unfolding plan.

The Christian heritage passed to my husband and me from each of our grandparents, who spoke different languages and grew up far apart on this planet, was no coincidence. Ted and I believed it was appointed by God. We, in turn, have the joy and obligation and privilege to pass this treasure on to our children and to our children’s children as a Christian legacy throughout what remains of human history.

TRUNK DESTINY

I have roots and also branches.

I am part of what has been

and what is yet to be.

In between is me:

the trunk of the family tree.

Through me pass

generations from antiquity

who have determined

what I have become.

They are my history.

They have molded me.

From me new branches spring.

They are my posterity.

Some choice I have

to assist and incline them

toward the best

of what they might become.

Still, they are free

to grow and change

within the range

of their heredity and opportunity

and God’s special plan

arranged from Eternity.

For me, the trunk between,

I pray that I might be

a planting strong against

the inevitable storms

yet bending with the wind

passing on the best

from roots unseen

but giving branches room

to stretch and reach

upward to new heights

because I fulfilled

with the help of God

my trunk destiny.

Unfortunately, neither my husband nor I could trace our roots back very far. Both of us regret that we didn't ask our parents and grandparents more questions about their early lives and what they remembered of their roots. It is pointless to feel guilty—children rarely care about their roots when they see their more exciting futures stretching out seemingly open-end ahead of them. It rarely seems to matter to youth where they came from. They are usually concerned only with where they are going after school tomorrow.

In your youth, you view daily events up close, as through a microscope. Usually it takes the seasoning of life, the more mature years, before you think about and value your roots. Eventually you begin to see your life in a broader panorama, on a wider screen than you did in your youth. You can see further when you’ve climbed some of the higher hills of life and experienced the valleys between. You have the advantage of looking back over your shoulder to see where you've come from and forward to where you are going.

I embarked upon this creative and nostalgic adventure of writing my story in order to leave a heritage. God handed me the baton in life’s race only for my lifetime. Now I am responsible to pass it on to the next generation.

The words of a song by Jon Mohr express it well for me:

“Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

Let us run the race, not only for the prize;

But, as those who’ve gone before us,

Let us leave for those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives.

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.

May the fire of our devotion light their way.

May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,

And the lives we live inspire them to obey.

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.”

Our descendants may not fully appreciate this historical saga now, just as we would not have valued it when we were younger. But it will be available when they, too, reach the summit of some of life’s hills and long to search for and find the gold of the past.

Time passes so quickly. The stages of life focus in and fade out as the spotlight shines on changing dramas and new characters. How enriching are all our experiences, both difficult and joyful, if we learn to savor each moment as we live it!

STAGE OF GENERATIONS

I've greeted many mornings like this one:

fresh, spring mornings, year after year.

They may appear the same

because nature’s garments never go out of style

but I am not the same as I was

in those bygone springtimes.

As a child

I walked on tiptoe, wide-eyed in wonder

as if I were the first to discover nature.

Everything was new to me

although ancient as time and creation.

In my youth

nature seemed to be a setting for the private stage

on which my emotions played the leading parts.

I could hardly wait to turn another page

in the thrilling script of my life.

Then, at summer’s noonday,

I saw spring approach again

with hushed and measured steps

taking off her verdant cloak and laying it down

under the sun in my garden

so that my own son*

still bundled in winter wear

could poke at the peeping crocus in the soft soil

and laugh at the chirping robin

with anticipation in his new eyes

to see his pristine world.

Soon, ah, too soon, at prime of life

I watch my grandson* stomping his toddler feet

bouncing innocently in my tulip bed

bubbling with unsullied delight

over his chaste, new world.

And now, in life's autumn time,

I still welcome spring’s approach

with open arms and eager heart.

Generations focus in, fade out—

and what of me?

I see at last life’s harmony

in perfect panorama:

the CREATED, the CREATION, the CREATOR—

the world a splendid stage

the changing season-scenes

both neophyte players and the pros

some hiding behind gilded masks

others garbed in tattered costumes

or flaunting sequined velvet.

The stages of life may alternate

between dim, shadowy scenery

and klieg-lighted brilliance.

But over all

producing and directing

perfectly orchestrating

the ever-cycling dramas of my life

IS MY GOD!

-------

* I’m blessed by God that I’ve experienced these words in plural and gender inclusive and multigenerational = children, grandchildren, and now I’m super-abundantly blessed with great-grandchildren!

“The Lord has dealt bountifully with me” (Ps.116:7); “The Lord satisfies your years with good things” (Ps. 103:5; “May you see your children’s children…” (Ps. 128:6).

CONVERSATIONS WITH JEFFREY #22

2011-04-20T18:09:00.001-04:00

(An imagineered series by Leona Choy for her grandson, Jeffrey D. Choy.

Topic: RESURRECTION

Grandma, when we go to Mass and everybody stands up and says The Creed—what’s a “creed”?

It is a list of the really important things that Christians have believed ever since Jesus was resurrected. Christians went all over the world to tell people about Jesus so the apostles, Jesus’ followers, wanted to be sure everyone believed the true things that Jesus Himself taught.

I suppose that was a good idea so people wouldn’t get mixed up in their faith. But it seems that there are two creeds in the Missal. What’s the difference?

One creed is called “The Apostles’ Creed” and the one we usually recite at Church at Mass is “The Nicene Creed” which is a little longer and goes into more detail.

The Apostles’ Creed ends with “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” Is that something different than Jesus’ resurrection we celebrate at Easter?

Yes, Jeffrey, that refers to the resurrection of the bodies of people who have died. When we die, our bodies are buried in the ground, but God judges our souls right away according to whether we have faith in Him and how we lived our lives. That is a decision each of us has to make while we are living. We won’t have any chance to change our minds after we die.

Wow! That’s serious, huh? Our souls are the invisible part of us that lives in our body, right? So if we know Jesus then our souls go to Heaven while our bodies stay in the ground? How long do they stay there?

Just a minute—you have two questions. Yes, some Christians’ souls might go straight to Heaven, but for many of us, we may need a little stopover in what we might call “a mud room” for our souls to get cleaned up and ready to see our perfect and holy God. The Bible says that unless we are holy, we can’t see God. Whether it is a place or a condition, it is really a part of Heaven, like the vestibule or entry hall. It’s for those who are for sure on the way to Heaven. Remember, we talked about that before?

Yup, I remember. And you said that “time” doesn’t apply anymore after we die, so “how long” we are in that stopover, if we need it, doesn’t even count ‘cause everything is smooshed together in eternity…it is always “now.” Grandma, that’s kinda hard to understand.

You’re right. None of us can really understand how that all works until we get there. So we just trust Jesus because He is said He was going to prepare a Place for us to be with Him. We’ll have lots of wonderful, happy surprises waiting for us!

OK then, so when do we get this resurrection of our bodies?

When Jesus comes back to earth again. We call that The Second Coming of Christ. We don’t know when that will be. It could be anytime. In the Apostles’ Creed we say, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

How do we know what’s going to happen when Jesus comes?

In the gospel of John 5:28-29 Jesus said, “An hour is coming when all those in their tombs shall hear the voice of the Son of God and come forth. Those who have done right shall rise to a resurrection of life; the evildoers shall rise to a resurrection of judgment.” In Matthew 16:27 Jesus said about the same event, “The Son of Man [Jesus] will come with his Father’s glory accompanied by his angels. When he does, he will repay each man according to his conduct.”

Does that mean that the bodies of both good and bad people will get resurrected? Their souls and their bodies will get together again? Will we get the same body back again? Will I still be me? If a body was in the ground for a long time it would be yucky—maybe even a skeleton—how about if someone was lost at sea—or burned in a fire!

Whoa! That’s a lot of questions at once. Since God created us in the first place from the dust of the earth, He could certainly re-create your body no matter what condition it was in, don’t you think? It seems that we will really be exactly who we always were, but sort of a new model, you might say. We will be resurrected into a “glorified” body that will be like Jesus’ body was after His resurrection. Remember what Jesus could do?

Yeah, He could appear and disappear. He could go through walls and locked doors. Oh, He could also go long distances in an instant. Let’s see…but He could still eat food...and even have a barbecue on the beach for His followers. And His disciple Thomas could still see the wounds in Jesus’ hands and feet and sides.

Isn’t that exciting, Jeffrey? You’ll have a glorified body and it will be way better than that of the fantasy bionic man…or superman who pretended to leap buildings!

Yeah, but how long will that resurrection take?

You will just have to get your Bible and read some of the cool details in the entire fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Here’s a sample, “We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.” That’s in verses 52 and 53. I’ve heard that “the twinkle in the eye” is faster than even a blink!

But when we get our new resurrected bodies, will we hang around on planet earth just like we lived before?

Apparently not, because God is preparing a whole new heavens and earth and Jesus said He was “making all things new.” For sure we’ll be spending eternity with God wherever and there will be no more suffering or death and all that earthly stuff.

Grandma, this is a lot to understand!

In the book of Revelation in the Bible we have some clues and little peeks, even big peeks, into what things may be like in eternity, but it’s all more than we can even imagine with our human minds right now, Jeffrey. So we’ll just have to “Wait and see.”

God sure has big and wonderful plans for us! And all because Jesus got resurrected first and we celebrate that at Easter!

END

SPIRITUAL SPRINGTIME

2011-04-08T14:02:00.002-04:00

SPIRITUAL SPRINGTIME

I need it over and over

in the soil of my heart.

O Divine Sower

You awakened my life

at the first planting

of Your Living Seed

in my fertile heart and

it began to bear FRUIT

THIRTY-FOLD.

I continue to need

another spiritual springtime

so I welcome You

to plant more Seed

new varieties

to plow deeper furrows.

Send Your sun and rain

that I may reap again

a greater harvest

to bear MORE FRUIT for You

SIXTY-FOLD.

Each spiritual springtime

add to my depleted soil

what nourishment it lacks

break up my fallow ground

lying dormant still

in valley and on hill

pull the willful weeds

rotate my crops

contour my disorderly fields

so I may bear MUCH FRUIT

AN HUNDRED-FOLD!

". . . he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. . . ." John 15:5b

"And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop,

some an hundredfold,

some sixty,

and some thirty."

Matthew 13:8

PUT ME IN THE RIVER

2011-04-02T16:56:00.003-04:00

When I was a pre-teen attending Girl Scout summer camp, all were required to take swimming instruction. The first day we made a mad dash to the river bank eager to plunge right in and learn to swim in one easy lesson. To our disappointment, day after day we received lessons on how to float. None of us received our Beginners patch until we mastered that first stage.

In lifestyle and career style I’ve always been a swimmer—an active go-getter, setting my own goals and swimming upstream against the current like the salmon, if necessary. Floating seemed too passive for me.

It has taken long years, decades, scores of years and personal failures for me to understand that in spiritual matters the Lord is working on us, teaching us to float in the sea, which is Himself. Paradoxically, the floaters and not the swimmers get places and accomplish the important work of God’s Kingdom. It is only in floating that we can live the Spirit-filled life and realize the destiny He had in mind when He gave us life and chose us for Himself. There is a significant difference between working for God and allowing God to work through us.

I am very far from being a good spiritual floater, but now I think I see what God is getting at. I try to put it into action in the daily Morning Offering of myself to God, a lifetime practice based on Romans 12:1, 2 which, as a teen, I chose as my life verse. “I offer (present) my body as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, my spiritual worship.” I’m thankful that in my mid-eighties, for my Morning Offering I can still kneel on the floor at my bedside (and more important—get back up!) and also kneel in Church--which I guess keeps me limber! Presenting my body, soul, and spirit to God is the beginning of my prayer-offering.

Then I fill in the details of my needs for that day as I see them, with the bottom line: "I want to do Your will on earth as it is done in Heaven. Fulfill in and through my life today the purpose for which You gave me life." (Of course God already knows my heart, but I am reminding myself that I want to follow God's GPS all the way, all the day.)

I conclude with “Lord, put me in the river of your will today so that I may float with the current of Your Holy Spirit and be carried along to fulfill Your destiny in and through my life. Bring into my life today everyone and everything You desire so that I may either be a blessing to them, and/or they can bless me.” In this way I can be sure that whatever happens--whoever calls, comes, or touches my life in any way, and whatever the interruptions to my own plans for the day--is by God’s sovereign appointment and for His purposes.

Floating demands little skill; it only demands letting go and trusting the water to hold you. That is contrary to our self-preservation instincts. The more we resist relaxing, the more likely we are to sink. If we relax in the water, no matter how the waves might roll, we can safely “go with the flow.”

Spiritually, floating is to have confidence in God and His plan and His support. Like the swimming instructor, God’s strong hand is beneath our back assuring us that we will not drown. Floating is initiated by inviting God to become the absolute Lord of our lives. As the swimmer is intensely active and intent on going to a place he has chosen, the floater yields to the flow of the current. Yes, the floater is going someplace too, but his destiny is the concern of the current that carries him. God determines the goal; the Holy Spirit is the current; we are not without direction. We can confidently float in chill of “the dark night of our soul” as well as in broad daylight in the warm sunshine. It is our decision whether to swim or float, whether to plot our own way or leave everything to God.

In applying this to our prayer lives, for the most part we are swimmers—we use the strenuous efforts of our own faculties, our knowledge and intellect. We itemize to God what we want Him to do; we tell Him how to do it and when; we monopolize what should be a dialogue. We don’t seek silence and solitude so we can hear His voice, feel His impressions, and understand His mysterious intentions. We need to learn to float free and give the Holy Spirit a chance to initiate His intercession within us, to pray through us and with Him for the business of His Kingdom and the people who are on the heart of God.

God doesn’t want us be content with a Beginners patch either in the matter of prayer or absolute trust in Him. He’ll guide us out into the deeper waters, to float into the midstream of His will. When we present ourselves to the Lord each morning and launch out to float on the river of God’s will, we’ll be going somewhere that with our finite minds or human efforts we can’t predict or control. Nevertheless, if we are floaters, it will be somewhere far better than the destination and the route we could have charted for ourselves.

END

MY DESERT ISLAND BOOK CHOICE

2011-04-02T11:45:00.001-04:00

If I were to choose one book [beside the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and a GPS and a cell phone and survival food and water to sustain me until rescued!] --one book to calm my frustration and panic from being isolated on a desert island--it would be the classic from the 17th century: ABANDONMENT TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. He uses the word "abandonment" as we might use "surrender" and "Divine Providence" to identify our Triune God.

This short and intense book, a masterpiece of spirituality, is highly charged with love and passion both for God and for the reader. It has been endlessly reprinted and translated, circling the globe and deepening and changing the lives of Christians generation after generation. I have chosen to re-read it for Lent to stretch my spirit higher toward God as I press on toward holiness with Saint Paul in Philippians 3:12-14. *

Below in a paraphrased nutshell is his idea centered around what he calls "the sacrament of the present moment."

Most of us are very ordinary people with humdrum lives, work to be done, with every day filled with responsibilities and a multiplicity of trivial decisions and tasks. Our lives are made up of a stream of petty affairs, some wonderfully pleasant, many boring, a lot unpleasant and often tragic, together with much that is tedious and irritating. Caussade says that everything in life is to be welcomed as the expression of the will of God. This is well-supported in the Scriptures.

"Everything helps us to God so we must accept what we very often cannot avoid, and endure with love and resignation things which could cause us weariness and disgust. This is what being holy means."

"For most people the best way to achieve perfection toward which God would lead us is to submit to all that He wills for our particular way of life. God speaks to every individual through what happens to him moment by moment. The events of each moment are stamped with the will of God...We find all that is necessary in the present moment. We may be bored with the small happenings around us, yet it is these very trivialities, as we consider them, which would do marvels for us if only we did not look down upon them. If we have abandoned ourselves to God, there is only one rule for us: the duty of the present moment."

Caussade insists, over and over again, that we must live from minute to minute. The past is past, the future is yet to be. There is nothing we can do about either, but we can deal with what is happening in the present moment. We must realize that nothing at all happens unless willed by God, therefore, our all-important duty is to cooperate with His will. Every act, every thought of every second, is significant. He does not mean that we must approach God before every snap decision; that would be absurd and impossible. But we should have so completely surrendered ourselves to God that we are fully aware of what hangs upon every moment and that we react, as best we can, in the way God wishes.

Caussade combines intense practicality with profound mysticism. He was obsessed by one thought: the necessity of loving God and surrendering ourselves to Him completely. We need do no extraordinary works, show no unique devotion, behave in no uncommon manner. The smallest incident must be seen as willed by God and must be dealt with as such. This will bring us as close to God as is possible during our life on earth and ensure that we shall enjoy complete union in the eternal life that awaits us.

* May this spiritual selection whet your appetite for MORE. Run, don't walk, or preferably phone or e-mail your Christian bookstore or "let your fingers do the walking" on your computer keyboard to amazon.com to order a copy of this classic. You may find that used, dog-eared copies of earlier editions are best, since, in my estimation, newer reprints don't seem to have the same flavor and even format as the older ones. (Mine is copyright 1975 translated from the original French by John Beevers.)

SPRING, THE LOVER

2011-04-02T10:32:00.007-04:00

SPRING startled me today

as I shook out the dust mop.

He took me by surprise

for I didn't realize

he was around yet.

He slipped behind me

ruffled my hair with the wind

kissed my cheek with the sun

and then laughed

to see me blush.

His warm breath caressed my neck

teasing me, making me restless

as I swept winter from the porch.

I tried to get him off my mind

by staying inside at humdrum tasks.

He rustled the curtains to get my attention

and flirted with me

through the open window.

I can’t resist him!

I must run away with him

right away today, so I race

with trowel and seeds in hand

to our garden rendezvous

our "special place"

eager once more

for the touch of the rich mulch

and sweet earthy scent

of Virginia country soil.

Despite the lingering chill

of the retreating March wind

I kneel in the moist flower bed

breathing hard, delighted to feel

basic nature and the hope of life

incipient in the seed

that is about to experience resurrection!

I cast off my winter inhibition
and thrill to the ecstasy
of SPRING's embrace!

END

WHO'S GOT THEIR BACKS?

2011-03-27T16:57:00.001-04:00

IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY--WITH OUR PRAYERS!
SHEEP--PRAY FOR YOUR SHEPHERDS!

The article to which this link will lead you could apply equally to the ministers, pastors, preachers, and other leaders of Protestant and Evangelical Churches. ALL Shepherds are under attack by the evil one. The more prominent and visible they are, the more vulnerable. They are targets. We are in spiritual warfare.

My Chocolate Heart: More Clergy Allegations? Strike the Shepherd - The Sheep Need to Pray

CLIMBING JACOB’S LADDER—UNDERSTANDING SUFFERING

2011-03-27T16:19:00.003-04:00

Below is a slightly different approach to a topic on which I've written several books in the past. When someone orders a copy, I slip it into my books on coping with illness or some other physical, mental, or emotional adversity.

Have you seen the TV commercial where a man who has suffered a previous heart attack has a hospital gurney following him around everywhere? A reminder that, like it or not, some kind of medical or surgical event probably waits for us around the corner.

Regardless of whether we are Christians, none of us can go through life without facing physical affliction. Something in or on our bodies or minds or emotions eventually becomes disordered through illness, abnormality, accident, environment, or other circumstances. Suffering is a stop sign—a Whoa! Stop—Look—Listen! Our attitude and our faith in God, or lack of it, will determine whether we will treat it as a Woe! –a negative experience always to be rejected—or a Wow! –a spiritual opportunity to grow in Christ.

Our temporary bodies are created by God; they are mortal and therefore terminal—death is our earthly end in every case. Although we grow from the time of our conception, the visible part of us nevertheless starts degenerating [decaying, diminishing, being destroyed and spent, in other translations], Saint Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 describes us as being both “the outer man” and “the inner man”—the former is our body of flesh, the latter our immortal, eternal soul or spirit. Whatever the trauma we suffer in our flesh, or to whatever degree, if we put it in Christian perspective, we should agree with Saint Paul that it is a “momentary, light affliction” when compared with our eternal state in glory. The good news is that ultimately these ailing, painful, and inevitably aging bodies will be resurrected and changed!

After my encounter with cancer surgery over two decades ago, I wrote and published a book which I subtitled “Discovering meaning in physical distress.” I was at that time a sincere, Bible-believing, evangelical follower of Jesus Christ and trusting in His love and providence. I offered my readers the best I knew of spiritual and practical help to cope with the trauma of whatever illness they might be experiencing.

I am still a sincere, Bible-believing follower of Jesus Christ trusting in His love and providence—but I am now a Catholic Christian by conviction. The principles I offered my readers previously were basic and valid and biblical, but they were only the first few rungs of the ladder to understand suffering in the lives of Christians. Just as the patriarch Jacob in the Old Testament story dreamed of a ladder which reached to Heaven, there are MORE rungs to climb on the suffering ladder all the way into God’s glorious presence.

Before I climb a ladder, I need to be sure I place it where the foundation is firm so it won’t wobble or be dangerous as I ascend. My sure foundation needs to be my personal faith and trust in God. Then I can climb peacefully and without fear. In hindsight, my basic premise for the above-mentioned book was sincere but a little shaky. Along with many of my Bible-believing friends, I took for granted that illness, pain, and suffering could never be God’s will for His children. Such things were thought to come from the devil and ought to be rejected as quickly as possible. Suffering was an aberration and therefore had no meaning. It seemed clearly to be a Woe! Healing and good health were at the top rung of the ladder to be vigorously pursued.

The Catholic Church teaches, along with the apostles and Christians since the time of Jesus, that there is intrinsic spiritual value in suffering. It is called redemptive suffering and is not without meaning nor should we automatically reject suffering because we can’t imagine how it could be in God’s will. The Scriptures don’t teach that God causes suffering, but that He sometimes permits it for His divine purposes.

At the same time, God can and does heal—but not always. When He heals, we thankfully and joyfully accept His decision, although we realize it is always temporary—realistically, our bodies will eventually die. We should not be presumptuous to demand healing or pout when God answers our prayers in some other way. God is God and we are not; we are His created ones. When we are not healed, it is not necessarily because our faith is deficient. Suffering, pain, affliction, illness, disease, weakness, grief, loss, and other adversities are our common human lot in this fallen world.

Nevertheless, we can climb some higher rungs on the ladder of understanding and responding to God’s plan of redemptive suffering. The Scriptures declare that we are privileged and obliged not only “to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection” but also to unite with Him “in the fellowship of His sufferings.” (Philippians 3:10) This is another of the “both/and” mysteries to contemplate.

The “Serenity Prayer” can give us a boost up the first rung. “God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.” For the things we cannot change, there are higher rungs on the ladder of suffering to climb. The Scriptures teach that those who belong to God are interrelated members of the Body of Christ. (Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:4) The Catholic Church teaches that thus bonded to one another, we can offer up or surrender to God our suffering to benefit others who are suffering or in need of God’s mercy, strength, and love. “My sufferings for your sake” writes Saint Paul. We may not understand the spiritual logistics of how that happens, so it is one more mystery that we accept by faith.

Beyond trying to cope, stoically endure, or persevere when going through suffering, is the element of actual joy—the Wow!—another rung higher on the ladder. “Count it all joy” writes Saint James. Saint Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His Body, which is the church….” (Colossians 1:24) That is another richly mysterious declaration that we should not misinterpret. The verse does not imply that Christ’s atoning death on the cross was defective, insufficient, incomplete, or lacking in any way. No one can ever add to Christ’s once-for-all sufferings for our salvation. Nevertheless, we can share or participate on some level in His sacrifice for mankind. As Christ identified Himself with the suffering Church in Acts 9:4, so we can identify with Him through our suffering. That Colossians verse has depths to plumb that are hard to understand, but it is the inspired Word of God. Let’s simply admit that with our finite minds we can’t fathom all the infinite designs of God. Trust that God is in control and has a purpose for everything He allows in our lives.

Let’s climb still another rung higher: the Church teaches that we have accessible to us in our times of affliction not only the intercession of our Christian brothers and sisters on earth, but the prayers of our departed Christian loved ones and friends including those in Christ who lived in past ages now in the presence of God. This describes the oneness of Christ’s Body which includes not only Christians who are alive on earth today, but also Christians departed from this life who are being purified on their way to heaven, together with those who have arrived in heaven. This Communion of Saints has been an integral part of the Christian Creed since the days of the apostles and the early church. The Church teaches through the authority of the “keys” given to it by Christ through Peter (Matthew 16:19) that those who have left this life and are already in God’s presence are available to present our petitions to God the Father through our One Mediator, His Son Jesus Christ, assisted by “the groanings of the Holy Spirit that cannot be expressed in speech.” (Romans 8:26, 27 and Revelation 5:8) Let us understand that there is a difference between “mediator” and “intercessor.” People can intercede for us, but only Christ can mediate with the Father.

The final rung on this ladder is reached in Heaven when “we shall know as we are known.” The answers to the complex questions surrounding our common experience of suffering and pain endured in these mortal bodies on Planet Earth will become clear. As a Catholic Christian, I find these fuller dimensions about suffering biblical and historically, theologically, and spiritually compatible with the Scriptures and with the Christian faith I have embraced over a lifetime.

END

TWO NEW FRIENDS--A FIRST MEETING

2011-03-26T23:44:00.001-04:00

My life was enriched when Barbara Curtis walked into my home. Nearly 25 years separated us chronologically. Nothing separated us spiritually although we were meeting for the first time. We felt as if we had known one another for a lifetime. We had a dozen common bridges in our backgrounds and our foregrounds.

After Barbara pulled out of my driveway, I hurried to my computer eager to introduce her and her remarkable story, her unbelievable family, her wide national ministry, her popular books, and surprising faith journey to all my friends via my blog. I love to share my friends!

Apparently Barbara did the same. I was surprised to see the link below pop up when I clicked into her fascinating and varied blog. Once you sample it, be prepared to stay at least an hour or two. You'll be informed, inspired, and challenged by her insightful comments about anything happening in the world that's worth knowing about--from parenting to politics. I can just about guarantee that you will bookmark her blog for regular return trips!

Mommy Life: Meet my new friend, Leona Choy

NEW DOCUMENT

2011-03-26T19:42:00.003-04:00

I enjoy such a delicious feeling when I sit before my computer
and click "new document."
Something that has never been written, created, or shaped into words
from thoughts waits for me to present it on a new blank page.
I am going to create something that has never existed before!
I am going to offer to God something of myself in a tangible way
for His greater glory: ad majorem Dei gloriam.
Such a thought led me to express in verse the following poem:

It is from my chapbook "DIVINE APPLICATIONS: Thoughts on Computer Terminology and Matters of Faith."

I italicize computer terms within the text of the poem.

With any order for one of my books I will enclose a copy of the above booklet as a bonus gift.

NEW DOCUMENT

"Someday" has arrived
but I haven't.
"Just around the bend"
is here
but I'm not there.

"If only" never happened
so I didn't get it done.
"Tomorrow" drove right by
and never stopped.

What I wanted to become
has been a fantasy
and what I have become
doesn't seem
to fit my plan.

But I still have TODAY
before it turns to yesterday!

I have an opportunity
to open a new document
start a fresh page
and successfully display
on my life's computer screen
what never has been seen.

I can type it and select it
with my chosen font and style
print it for tomorrow
and save it in God's File!
*****

"For His [God's] compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22,23

DISMAL DRAB DAYS

2011-03-26T15:41:00.003-04:00

gray: a color between white and black; having a neutral hue; dark, dismal, gloomy; indeterminate, intermediate in character

Spring doesn't appear full blown one morning to announce with a shout, "Here I am!" It lingers at the threshhold of the season's door like the family cat that can't seem to make up its feline mind to come in or go out. There are melancholy gray days, misty and bone-chilling between winter and spring. So it is with the transient times of my soul when God is growing me, stretching me to reach the next level of conformity to His image.

Gray days uninvited but designed by God are not meant for me to merely endure but to embrace in anticipation of the joy and strength to come.

GRAY DAYS UNINVITED

Gray days, uninvited, slip in

between winter and spring

and bring gray moods

and mental monotones

snow birds chirp in muted notes

the season seems suspended

with winter open-ended.

Drab days endured

with passive acceptance

will always pass I know

the cycle is ordained:

gray, in-between days are always

followed by The Grand Spectacle of spring

when the somber draperies of the sky

are suddenly drawn back

and songbirds warble cheerily

heralding the splendid season

and the inevitable renewal

of every living thing.

My soul too passes through

gray times, waiting times

shrouding me in melancholy

with a certain sadness

that fogs my thoughts

tempting me to despair.

Be patient, soul! embrace

the transient testing times

welcome them assured

that you are being fortified

by gray days uninvited.

Mellowed and molded

my subdued spirit rests and waits

in the assurance of God’s time

for its dismal winteriness to be dispelled

by the predictable burst of spring.

END

You Just Keep Blessing Me, Lord!

2011-03-25T20:11:00.003-04:00

Forgive me for being so excited, but it seems that every day God brings someone or something to enrich my life! Never a boring moment! I’m reluctant to waste time going to sleep at night because of these incredible adventures. I always pray as I roll out of bed in the morning, “Lord, bring into my life today anyone and everyone whom You want in my life, or whose life You want me to touch and bless for You.”

Then I wait on tiptoe for God’s serendipity surprises!

I normally have busy days and a tight writing schedule, (that’s why, as much as I would like to, I don’t post daily on my blog) but I don’t regard anything or anyone as an interruption—I recognize each one as God’s pre-arranged appointment, actually an answer to my prayer.

Often the encounters are launched with an unexpected e-mail message (I receive up to a hundred a day) from someone who has read one of my books, or someone who wants to come visit me, or has a problem to unburden and asks for counsel, very often prayer requests, or a sharing of joys. I have the humble privilege of walking by means of cyberspace alongside many friends across the country who are on their journey into the Catholic Church or have been newly received.

Just in the past week or two the following surprises have blessed my life: a young mom in Poland saw my story on the Internet and e-mailed me asking whether I would help her with some questions concerning her spiritual journey back to the Church. A former priest in the Episcopal Church wrote me to share his joy of being received into the Catholic Church last Sunday with his entire family, and the news that he is now preparing for the Catholic priesthood. The daughter of a distant relative whom I’ve never met wrote to unburden her anguish about her abusive marriage and asked whether I would help her find faith. A well-known missionary professor from India who was a classmate at Wheaton College 64 years ago wrote me recently from London to reconnect our friendship. A former Lutheran minister in Texas wrote me that he came into the Catholic Church not long ago along with about ten of his parishioners. They’ve all read my recent book about my spiritual journey and have become prayer partners. Frequent e-mails with another new convert in Wales have bonded us as close friends although we have never met. A seasoned-in-life couple who served God with the Catholic Church in Jamaica came yesterday from a neighboring parish to have sweet fellowship in Christ.

The above is a brief sampling of what I’ve come to expect God will bring into my life to enhance my walk with the Lord. My life is never the same after each of these new encounters and many hundreds more especially during this wonderful prime time in my eighties!

Ah, one more special encounter—I love to share my friends! Earlier this week someone whom I didn’t previously know asked to visit me. God generously launched me into a new friendship with Barbara Curtis whom I want you to meet on the Internet so you too can be blessed: www.barbaracurtis.com and her blog www.mommylife.net. Don’t fail to click the STORY of her life and her RESUME. A new book, DISCOVERING FAITH, has been released this month featuring Barbara, among other prominent people, telling the stories of their conversion to the Catholic Church. Her picture is on the cover between Martin Sheen and Clarence Thomas!

She is the “mega mom” of 12 children, among them 3 Down syndrome adopted sons (in addition to one Down son of their own). Barbara is an award-winning author, political and social issues commentator, parenting specialist, media personality, columnist, public speaker, and one of the most energetic and engaging and genuine Christians I’ve ever met. Hard to believe her hippie, counterculture, radical left, drug and alcohol addictive, feminist background!

And don’t miss this: Tripp and Barbara’s youngest daughter, teenager Maddy, has recently been on American Idol—before she turned 16. View, listen, and enjoy by Googling: Maddy Curtis American Idol or any of the other sites which come up.

Check out the YouTube sites of her A.I. auditions in Boston and Hollywood, her performance at the Youth Rally for Life at the Verizon Center before the March for Life in Washington, D.C. in January 2011, and Maddy and Jonny (one of her Down syndrome 4 brothers singing the National Anthem. (Be prepared with Kleenex!) And Maddy singing "Taylor, the Latte Boy."

Here is an authentic Christian young lady who is courageous in her witness and really going somewhere for God. I can't wait to meet her!

Well, Lord, who do you have in store to bless my life tomorrow?

END

DIDN’T YOU WASH YOUR FACE, GRANDMA?

2011-03-09T18:51:00.003-05:00

Series: Conversations with Jeffrey #6

“Grandma, what’s that black smudge on your forehead?”

“It is a small cross that our priest, Father Krempa, put on everyone’s forehead at Mass this morning. Today is ‘Ash Wednesday,’ a special day once a year when we start counting 40 more days until Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead.”

“Did Father use a magic marker? Will it ever wash off? Is it like a tattoo?”

“He used a mixture of ashes and holy water. Yes, I'll be able to wash it off, but it is good to leave it on all day to remind me of what it means. And when people ask about it, I can tell them.”

“What does it mean?”

“When Father Krempa made that sign on our foreheads, he said, “You are dust, and to dust you will return.” That is what God said to Adam after Adam and Eve disobeyed and sinned for the first time. God created man from the dust of the earth, and He was letting Adam know that some day he would die because he had sinned and be put back into the earth. Before that, Adam didn’t know about death. And since then, everyone’s body has to die—but our souls will live forever! We can read all about that in the first book of the Bible….”

“…which is called Genesis, right?”

“Good, you remembered that, Jeffrey!”

“Well, where did Father get the ashes? Did he have a bonfire?”

“The ashes are from the burning of the dried up palm leaves that we were given at Church last year on the Sunday before Easter which we call ‘Palm Sunday.’ That was the day all the people who followed Jesus were happy and sang and shouted to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem by waving palm branches. It was sort of like waving flags to welcome someone special, like a king or a president.”

”Like thousands of people waved flags in Washington, D.C. at the Inauguration? I saw that on TV once. But why do we count 40 days until Easter?”

“We call those 40 days ‘Lent’ from an old English word ‘lencten’, which means spring. Easter is always celebrated in the springtime. Jesus did many miracles and taught important things during those 40 days before He sacrificed His life on the cross for us. Forty is kind of an important number in Christian teaching. After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, He went alone into the wilderness to pray and prepare for what God, His Father, wanted Him to do.”

“What are we supposed to do during Lent?”

“It's a time for us to think seriously about our Christian lives and what is really important. We should try to pray more and read books about God and ask God to forgive us for the things we have done wrong and ask Him to help us do better. We do special things to help other people. Our Church helps us to do that. Lent is also a time when many Christians decide to give up certain things they like during those 40 days. These are things that are good in themselves, or some not-so-good habits that we want to change for better ones. We want to let Jesus know that He is more important to us than foods we like and favorite things we do.”

“I had to go to school today so I couldn’t go to Mass with you, Grandma. If I did go, would Father Krempa have put the ashes sign on my forehead even though I am not Confirmed yet, and I still can’t take the bread and wine that is Christ’s Body?”

“Sure, Father would have put the ashes sign on your forehead too. The children who attend our Church’s Academy were all there, and Father put the ashes sign on their foreheads. Even on the foreheads of some little children who were carried in their parents’ arms. SACRED HEART is your Church, Jeffrey. You were baptized there.”

“Could I think about something that I especially like and give it up for Lent too, so I could let Jesus know that I love Him? But…what if I forget what I promised and kind of slip up…?”

“Not to worry. Jesus knows your heart, Jeffrey. He knows what you want to do for Him, and always lets you start over again. We don’t give up something because of a list of rules, but because we want to know God better by learning what pleases Him and what is important in life.”

## END

New Wineskin People

2011-03-02T19:25:00.003-05:00

One problem of advancing years is often dry skin because the natural lubricants of our body diminish. Creams and lotions crowd the store shelves touting miraculous results.

Psalm 92:10 is a prayer for “anointing with fresh oil.” As Christians, we’ve hopefully had our exhilarating, anointing times in the past, but fresh oil is still abundantly available to us now—and needed more than ever. The Holy Spirit is both the dispenser of that oil, and the oil itself.

Psalm 45:7 promotes the “oil of joy” as our essential oil at every age. Joy is not the predominant emotion we think of in older people. Rather, it seems that depression, sadness over losses and limitations, weakness, discouragement, and melancholy are more characteristic of aging.

When Jesus referred to “old wineskins” in His teaching, He may not have meant only institutions and traditions. Another layer of understanding is people. The Holy Spirit’s power is prophesied to come upon the old and simultaneously on the young irrespective of gender, status, or position in life. (Joel 2:28-31) The Oil of the Holy Spirit can soften hardened, dry, brittle, leathery wineskin-people so they can contain the new wine of the Spirit which is being poured out these days. God puts oil on the old wineskins to restore them to youthful elasticity and usefulness. We will find we have been stretched in our capacity to hold more of Him.

God does not limit himself to making new things and to moving by His Spirit on the young. He can, and in these last days spoken of by the prophets, may be about to move in tremendous power of renewal upon those more advanced in age. It is never too late to reach higher by opening ourselves to more of God’s fullness. For both the young and those advanced in years there is available “new every morning” refreshing and rejuvenation. There is great potential for elderly people who are not retired but refired with zeal for evangelistic witness to bring into God’s Kingdom other elderly friends.

The Gospel is not just for the young. There can be a great impartation of power by elderly Spirit-filled believers to other age groups in the church. Generations can move in power together similar to the way patriarchs passed on truth to their families in Old Testament days. God’s Kingdom has no retirement plan. We are called to go on “from glory to glory!”

MONKEYS JUMPING FROM BANANA TREES

2011-02-24T17:15:00.002-05:00

When I press the mute button on my harried life, and seek to be silent before God, chattering monkeys descend on me. It seems to be their signal to leap into my brain to distract me.

“How difficult this is!” writes Henri Nouwen. “When we sit down for half an hour – without talking to someone, listening to music, watching television, or reading a book – and try to become very still, we often find ourselves so overwhelmed by our noisy inner voices that we can hardly wait to get busy and distracted again. Our inner life often looks like a banana tree full of jumping monkeys!”

How then can we deal with such tumult that tries to prevent our concentration on God’s Presence? These thought-monkeys seek to divide and conquer the best of our intentions. Nouwen continues, “But when we decide not to run away and to stay focused, these monkeys may gradually go away because of lack of attention, and the soft gentle Voice the Beloved calling us may gradually make itself heard.”

It’s unrealistic to think we can be totally devoid of thoughts. We simply need to decide that they don’t matter. It is best if we ignore them, let them chatter away, accept them without anxiety, and not even try to suppress them. If we don’t let them distract us from our purpose to meet with God, like spoiled children vying for attention, most of them will sooner or later just go away. Firmly and quietly, when we persist and focus on God’s Presence, our spiritual concentration will be sustained. It will take practice and perseverance.

Is it worth the effort? Nouwen declares, “We simply need quiet time in the presence of God. Although we want to make all our time, time for God, we will never succeed if we do not reserve a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, or whatever period of time for God and him alone. This asks for much discipline and risk-taking because we always seem to have something more urgent to do and just “sitting there” and “doing nothing” often disturbs us more than it helps. But there is no way around this. Being useless and silent in the Presence of our God belongs to the core of all prayer.”

A high goal but a worthy, attainable desire. We tend to think that prayer is exclusively talking to God. Perhaps my own noisy chatter is as loud in God’s ears as the monkey chatter is distracting to me. My continual and sometimes trivial babbling petitions may actually hinder my sweet communion with the Divine. It is urgent that I be quiet so I can listen to His higher desires for me instead.

I understand that a shepherd never shouts at his sheep. He speaks with a quiet, gentle tone to guide them. The sheep have to quiet their noisy bleating so they will not miss his instructions when he wants to lead them to green pastures and beside quiet waters. They recognize their own shepherd’s voice among all the other shepherds guiding their flocks.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27)

END

Cultivating a JOY SPOT

2011-02-22T13:36:00.004-05:00

“What an ugly day!” A woman I didn’t know scowled as she passed me on the sidewalk as I approached an office building this morning. Her remark caught me by surprise. I didn’t have time to respond as she hurried past. Well, it certainly was foggy and misty and bone-chilling, but it was still a day to celebrate as a gift from our generous God.

I thought of the iPhone photo of my two month old great-grandbaby that my granddaughter Kara sent to my computer this morning. I had just time enough to reply to her before driving off on an errand.

“That smiley picture of Makenna you sent is a treasure! It brightened this gray day like a ray of sunshine. I have to tell you about a program I saw on TV last week. A medical doctor was telling about the importance of nourishing the JOY SPOT in a baby! He claimed that there is actually a JOY SPOT located in the brain of a baby that needs special attention during the first three months of life. If it neglected, the child will be deprived of emotional health, and the effects could last for a lifetime.

The point was that parents should try to make a baby smile and laugh and respond to their own facial expressions and sweet talk as much as possible, and as early as possible. When an infant smiles and coos and gestures, it is said to actually affect the baby's physical health in a positive way. It can ward off illnesses and speed up overall growth. You can grow your own happy baby!

In contrast, a grouchy, frustrated, even sometimes angry, or unhappy parent will be reflected in the baby’s emotions and features just like looking in a mirror. A baby can in reality feel love in the room and be nurtured by it. Or suffer for lack of it. The tone and level of voices around her affects her response. Touch, of course, has a lot to do with it; the more you lovingly cuddle and caress a baby, the healthier she will be. Rough handling and impatient treatment only aggravate a fussy, restless, or crying child.

Well, a lot of this is just common sense, isn’t it Kara? Nevertheless it is backed up by psychologists and doctors and caregivers. I’m guessing that you know all about this since your academic field has been psychological research. It’s never too late to work on that JOY SPOT in anyone’s life—child, sibling, spouse, parent, or senior adult. The Scripture says, “A merry heart does good like a medicine.” And “The JOY of the Lord is your strength.”

I think you and Brian as parents, and the rest of our doting family and friends, are doing a great job of nurturing Makenna's JOY SPOT. Wait until she giggles and belly laughs—the rest of us will join our JOY SPOTS with hers for a healthy, group laugh fest!

The frowning lady on the sidewalk who was having an ugly morning? Perhaps she needs her JOY SPOT attended to. Sadly, she might be going through some tough times. I wish I could rewind our encounter so I could have thought of a response that would have brought her some sunshine. “Lord, You know who she is, where she is right now, and what condition her JOY SPOT is in. Nurture it please!”

END

Introducing a good friend's blog

2011-02-21T16:53:00.002-05:00

Young Moms, grandmoms, and great-grandmoms (and everyone else who loves kiddos, the menfolks as well) will enjoy Monica Gill's charming blog www.lifewithgrace.net.

"Grace" has a double meaning..."Grace" is the name of her engaging little daughter, and God's "Grace" overflows in their everyday family happenings centered around spiritual lessons the entire family is learning launched by something little Gracie says or does in ordinary life situations.

Those of us who are delighted to follow her blog embrace and benefit from
those spiritual uplifters too.
Sample her archives, meet the family, and enjoy her photos.
You are sure to return!

Monica has another wing on her blog which she calls WHOLEHEARTEDLY -- a call to complete surrendered living to the Lord Jesus Christ--
where she invites guest contributors to share some gem of truth or experience.
Today, February 21, she invited yours truly to submit a vignette
of some spiritual experience which I've entitled
"Minimal Collateral Damage."

You can get there by clicking WHOLEHEARTEDLY
on Monica's header toolbar on the Home page of her blog.

Happy reading!

END

COUNTERFEIT LIFE

2011-02-17T17:37:00.006-05:00

A few years ago we had an ornamental bush in our front yard that never lost its leaves and remained exactly the same size year after year. No, it wasn’t an evergreen, and it wasn’t one of those plastic Christmas trees, the kind with limbs that fold out or have detached branches to stick into holes in the green metal trunk.

This bush used to be alive and growing. It needed watering, sun, and nourishment. But something happened; we really don't know what. Suddenly it dried up and died. For some reason the leaves didn't fall off that first year, they just turned brown.

I suggested digging it up and planting a new bush in the same spot. But my late husband Ted complained about its size, that the root system was extensive, and he wasn't keen on trying to do such excavation. Then he got an idea and disappeared to the hardware store. On a calm day with no wind he used up an entire can of dark green spray paint on that dead bush. The bush looked terrific! No one would have guessed that it wasn't alive and well. We called it our "Hypocrite Bush." A private joke, but now I've told you the secret.

Some deceiving and deceived Christians have a similar problem, even some of us in our more mature years. They may be advanced in age but not advanced in spiritual growth and maturity. As the years go by, they allowed their spiritual life to wither and dry through lack of spiritual nourishment or exposure to the Son. They may have been busy making a living, pursuing the legitimate responsibilities of this world, but concerned mostly with material things. Not necessarily bad things, but ordinary "cares of this life," in Bible terms. Such cares can gradually consume the hours and days and years of our daily lives.

Whenever my grandson Jeffrey, a sprouting eleven year old, comes to visit, he stands as tall as he can and measures himself against the basement door where we’ve marked his growth through the years. “Make a mark, please. Am I taller than last month, Grandma?”

We do well to check our growth, to measure our progress spiritually since we first became alive in Christ when we were “born of water and of the Spirit.” (John 3) Or perhaps we didn't wither and die—we were never alive; we only gave the appearance of being Christian? We may have been like artificial, plastic Christmas trees. We may have fooled other people, but we never fooled ourselves or God. We sprayed ourselves virtuous green to hide our lack of life. Or perhaps we allowed others to spray us green, people who simply assumed we had life when we didn't. Our deception is sure to catch up with us.

Any of us can, all of us should aspire to become saints in the biblical usage of the term “saint” as one who is becoming holy, a genuine "planting of the Lord." We can go directly to the Giver of Life to receive His Life and then begin to grow “...to mature manhood to the extent of the full stature of Christ" (Eph. 4:13)

When we become spiritually alive, we won't need green spray paint to camouflage our lifeless condition. John 11:25, 26, is a genuine evergreen passage with a supernaturally wonderful promise: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?'"

END

WHEN ADVERSITY SHAKES YOUR BRANCHES

2011-02-17T16:18:00.004-05:00

The apostle Paul is not specific about the nature of his physical infirmity noted in Galatians 4:13, "...it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you...." Because of the context, it is speculated that Paul might have had a severe and miserable eye problem, perhaps chronic, and he may have had to interrupt his missionary journey to stay in Galatia longer for his recovery. This may have been what he referred to as his “thorn in the flesh” for which he prayed to be healed three times but God answered otherwise in a more excellent way. (2 Cor. 12:7) Whatever it was, Paul took advantage of the prolonged negative circumstances to preach the gospel instead of indulging in a pity party. Adversity shook his tree and the Galatians benefited from the dropping of his good fruit.

In his letter to the Church in Galatia, Paul teaches and demonstrates by his life what the Fruit of the Spirit is all about. That Fruit doesn’t suddenly appear, as do the Gifts for ministry given by the Holy Spirit. It grows gradually from bud to blossom to full fruit as it does in nature. We grow the fruit of our Christian character with all those fruits or virtues itemized in Galatians chapter five. That fruit matures as a gradual process throughout our lives. To “bear fruit and more fruit and much fruit" is the express will of God for His children and doesn’t happen overnight like Jack’s beanstalk in the fairy tale.

Early fruit is usually not sweet because it isn't ripe, it hasn't matured. Time hasn't mellowed it, and it tends to be tart. The seeds it contains in the early stages are not fully developed either, and so can’t reproduce in a normal, healthy way. The longer the fruit remains on the tree connected to the flowing, vital sap of the tree, the sweeter it becomes. Mature fruit should be the sweetest.

Eventually, to accomplish the purpose of fruit bearing, the fruit has to be separated from the tree. It has to be picked, or dropped due to its ripeness, or someone or something has to shake the tree. Whatever “fruit of the Spirit” God is developing in our lives is always meant for the benefit of others, not for ourselves. Others need to taste the fruit we are bearing.

Scripture often uses the simile of a fruit-bearing tree and a faithful Christian. A bodily illness or other affliction or adversity can shake us up and result in spiritual fruit falling from our tree. That fruit can be good or bad depending on what has been growing on the tree. Hopefully, we’ve been developing good fruit.

We express through our attitude and temperament and character those godly virtues listed in Galatians chapter five: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control. All those aspects of fruit are meant to affect and nourish all with whom we come in contact. Our fruit contains seeds which God has been growing in us for a lifetime that have the potential of reproducing our Lord's character in the lives of others.

Our fruit is meant for others—for our families, our caregivers, if we are ill, or those for whom we care, our friends, those with whom we have rubbed shoulders in the public square or during common events of life, or to whom we minister. These all need to see Jesus in us even when we are hurting with pain, miserable with our weakness, suffering, losing control over normal aspects of our life through aging, or when we suffer bodily indignities through tests or medical procedures. God uses such happenings to shake our tree and dole out our fruit.

We may view all of the above afflictions, sufferings, trials, and distresses as designed by the Enemy of our souls to shake our life tree and cause our fruit to fall ineffectively to the ground. We may feel that in such circumstances we no longer have any opportunity for witness. On the contrary, the Lord may permit such harsh conditions to shake our life tree so that our falling fruit may become accessible to others. The shaking may not be a bad thing, but rather in fulfillment of God’s plan to show forth the life of Christ through us. As others “eat the fruit” that is dropping from us through our patient, loving, longsuffering, joyful attitude during our times of hardship, they are nourished and God receives the glory.

SEASONS OF LIFE

2011-02-15T10:40:00.004-05:00

Among the seasons of life is chronological maturity: aging, if you will. Even if you resist it, if you live long enough, you will slide, albeit reluctantly, into the final phase of this mortal life on Planet Earth. Some call that stage of life your “sunset years.” I prefer to call them “sunrise years”: since we are Christians, we don’t face growing darkness; instead we anticipate dawn and Eternal life with God. “The child is father of the man…The last of life for which the first was made,” wrote a famous poet.

I remember myself as a vacillating teenager always excited about something new or different, and my parents using the word phase in a disparaging way. “Oh, it’s just a phase that Leona is going through. She’ll get over it.” However, we don’t “get over” our seasons of life; we have to go through them, if God blesses us with long life. We don’t have the luxury of tripping lightly through the tulips through each chronological stage from youth to maturity. Human time is divided into seasons of life, and each phase provides its own opportunities, responsibilities, joys and challenges.

I’ve often used the term “seasoned saints” to refer to Christians who are maturing chronologically. The apostle Paul addressed all Christians as “saints” not because they wore halos, were sanctimonious above their fellow mortals, or had achieved perfection. The Bible simply uses the word to refer to believers in Christ living on earth or in heaven. Also, I don’t restrict the term to the departed who are canonized by the Catholic Church because of their heroic virtue or extraordinary holiness.

Let’s explore the treasures of that season of life that is finally approaching ripeness in wisdom, experience, and responsibility—and hopefully, holiness and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ and the Church which He established for our nurture.

Delving into the dictionary meaning of being seasoned is like discovering a mother lode of gold. The word season is a derivative of the Middle English, sesoun, Old French, se(i)on, and Latin word sation meaning “a sowing time.” That root meaning in itself is significant to the chronologically mature period of our lives:

We are seasoned in the sense of experienced. We have done a lot of living which we can generously share with others for their benefit. (But only when we are asked!)

Another meaning of seasoned is to be toughened by conditions, like wood. “Hardened and rendered immune to shrinkage, warping, etc.” We are durable because we have lived long enough to learn to endure the adversities of life through trust in God.

Seasoned also means heightened or improved in flavor by the addition of herbs, spices and the like. Good cooks add just the right seasoning in the proper amount to enhance the taste. God is seasoning us all the time, adding this and that to increase His joy in us and our pleasure in Him and our usefulness for His Kingdom. As we age we shouldn’t become like salt that has lost its savor.

A season is, of course, a time of the year—four distinct seasons in certain parts of the globe. Normally, human beings experience four seasons of life although somewhat overlapping. God expects different things of us in different time periods of life. He intends that we should live fully in the present at whatever season we find ourselves. God has allowed some of us to see many seasons come and go; we have gained a perspective that as good stewards we should sow into our posterity.

“In due season we shall reap if we faint not” the Scripture promises. Due season always seems to be illusively off in the future somewhere, sometime other than right now. We spent a lifetime tilling, sowing, watering, and cultivating. In our latter season we are more eager to reap because time does not seem to be on our side. However, God’s timing is not the same as our timing. Just as there is a due date for the birth of a baby that requires a prescribed sequence of growth to take place in the womb, so God has a due season for the fullness of some things He wants to do in us and through us in the lives and circumstances of others. Let’s be on the alert so we won’t miss our due season.

“To everything there is a season” the writer of Ecclesiastes declares. He proceeds to detail many of the milestone events of life with contrasts: “…a time to…and also a time to….” In our advanced years we acknowledge God’s wisdom to bring us through many of those opposites to balance our lives.

When a fruit is in season, it is ripe, mellow, fragrant, nutritious, and at the peak of its essence. We hope that can be said of us. We should not bemoan the fact that we are aging; instead we should revel in our opportunity to bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit according to Jesus’ desire and plan for the aging. The Psalmist compared the mature godly person with a palm tree that bears fruit into its hundredth year. “…They will flourish in the courts of our God; they will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green….” (Psalm 92:12-15)

Arriving at our “fullness of years” is no excuse to become slack in active witness for our Lord. The Scriptures exhort us to be available to speak up for Him anytime, anywhere, “in season and out of season.” despite increasing limitations perhaps of strength, health, finances, or opportunity. To advance in age does not give us license to retreat because of age.

Youth and middle age have no monopoly on seeking new horizons. Let’s emulate seasoned Caleb in the Old Testament who, although well into his eighties, didn’t accept that he was “over the hill.” He asked God for another big hill (mountain) to possess. Let’s sprinkle seasoning on one another to encourage mountain climbing rather than slipping back down our already attained hills. God has equipped us with spiritual wings to lift us over our valleys of circumstances and limitations when they try to drag us down. Our advancing years can be the most creative and productive of our lives. Let’s expect our due season right around the next corner. “The best is yet to come” can become a reality instead of a pious platitude.

If we try to turn back the clock or get stuck in the rut of yesterday, we will miss the joy of passing on to the next generation the legacy of life’s richness in Christ. Let’s join the apostle Paul in declaring, ”My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God calls me—life on high in Christ Jesus. All of us who are spiritually mature must have this attitude….It is important that we continue on our course no matter what stage [phase, season] we have reached.” (Philippians 3:14-16)

After all, we’re in the SENIOR CLASS with all its privileges and anticipations of what we're going to do after life's “Commencement” which some mistakenly call "The Finish Line"!

END

DIVINE APPLICATIONS

2011-02-13T14:19:00.003-05:00

For Word Processor Buffs who enjoy “slipping disks”

Exactly 20 years ago I published a small collection of 11 poems reflecting spiritual illustrations from the world of computers which I newly entered at that time. We had to slip a disk into the hardware to get started. How far technology has advanced since then!

When I was a child, we thought of “software” as lingerie and “hardware” as the wrenches and hammers my Dad bought at a building supply store in town. I began my book writing career pecking away on a manual typewriter, then advancing to the ultimate--an electric typewriter. I sweated with frustration to rewrite acceptable final draft manuscripts for publishers. I submitted the pages on erasable bond paper and made copies with carbon paper. I balked at the possibility that old dogs could learn new tricks, but I was finally persuaded by my four adult sons to take the computer plunge when I reached retirement age.

I spent the first few years on *Apple MacIntosh hardware and became affectionately attached to my “Mouse.” Soon I added an expanded keyboard and a laser printer. I was on my way! Then *Desk Top Publishing entered the picture. Shazzam! A whole new world was out there (in there). I was “processing words”! Now I don’t even blink when book publishers ask for my manuscript as an electronic submission.

Today’s young puppies learn to maneuver computers early in elementary school with the ease of riding skateboards. When I have a “how to” computer question, I ask a grandchild for whom it is a piece of cake! We older dogs have to keep learning new tech tricks or be forced to slink into some obscure corner and watch the world go by. We must run fast just to keep up since each new generation of computers and software seems outdated in a few months.

From the moment I stared at the magic of my display screen and tiptoed through the massive instruction manual, I was captivated by more than just the potential of word processing. As a Christian, I found the spiritual applications fascinating. During that early, fresh sense of wonder I wrote a collection of poems. They reflect terminology peculiar to *Apple users because I began by sitting under the Apple tree, although I didn’t stay there.

I will share occasional poems from this collection on my blog hoping to evoke common feelings and thoughts in computer user friends who know The God Who created not only the natural world, but Who presides over the exploding worlds of technology. The Designer of All Systems has permitted man to explore incredible things. To Him be the glory!

*Apple terminology is copyrighted.

In my poems I italicize computer terms.

I will enclose a copy of my booklet DIVINE APPLICATIONS as a bonus gift with any order for my books.

WORD PROCESSING

(Computer Terminology Reflections)

Lord, I'm available

to be Your Word processor.

You have committed to me

the privilege of communicating

Your ways to men

by displaying in print

the Word Who become flesh

to dwell among us.

May the words I process

quicken the hearts

of those who read

those who need Your living touch.

Help me to faithfully

process Your thoughts with clarity

and write Your Truth with charity

not obscuring its purity with my verbosity.

While I process Your Word

may I be cleansed by You

to become the open channel

of Your glory and grace

and not displace

Your preeminent message

with my own ideation.

I want to magnify Your WORDS

in shift lock CAPS

with 24 point type

boldface style, underscored

and keep my own byline

reduced to 9 point italics.

*******

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. . ."

John 1:14; Eph. 4:15; 5:26

END

IN PURSUIT OF DREAMS

2011-02-12T08:29:00.003-05:00

I have some dreams, Lord

leftover from early years

just hanging there in midair

whose strings I can't let go

some goals that I can't meet

plans I can't complete.

I wonder now—

were they even meant for fulfillment?

Perhaps some are my own foolish fantasies

hot air balloons of self

launched from the platform of my puny pride.

Is my chief distress

that they'll come hissing down

to my embarrassment

without accomplishment?

Then teach me relinquishment

to cut the strings

of those inappropriate dreams

and self-ambitious things

to let them go and not despair

to surrender them to Your sovereign care

and be content to leave them there.

Yet—if perchance the dreams are meant

by Your Divine intent

to come to reality

for Your glory and not mine

inspire me, enable me, my Lord

to pursue them relentlessly

if need be

all the way from here to Eternity!

END

WRITING YOUR LIFE STORY

2011-02-11T14:43:00.008-05:00

Whether you want to write your life in a few pages
and make copies for family and friends
or publish an entire book,
Leona guides you step by step.

Leona Choy has written this HOW-TO-DO-IT book
just for you.
Here's the help you've been looking for!

She takes you through the enjoyable process of walking down memory lane to retrieve your recollections, the story of your life, the testimony of your faith, the struggles you have overcome, and the joys you have experienced.
Leona makes it easy!

Share God's leading in your life with family, friends,
or the public at large.
She provides inspiration, motivation and practical suggestions
all the way to the finished product.

Regular Price: $8.95 plus $3 S/H.
SPECIAL DISCOUNT PRICE FOR MARCH
$5 plus $3 S/H
ISBN # 1889283-17-7

How to order

By phone: 540-877-1813. Or by E-mail:leonachoy@comcast.net
Or send your check directly to:
Golden Morning Publishing
P.O. Box 2697 Winchester, VA 22604
Virginia residents only: Add 5% VA sales tax per copy.
Make checks payable to: Leona Choy. Sorry, no credit card orders.
Print your name and address clearly for shipping.
No limit on quantities ordered.

DO YOU HEAR WHAT (WHO) I HEAR?

2011-02-11T10:30:00.004-05:00

Am I a fully mature ewe (ram) or a wobbling lambkin?

In John 10:4 and 27 Jesus said that His sheep would know His voice and follow Him, and a stranger they would not follow. One Scripture scholar pointed out that the Greek word for sheep which Jesus used in this passage literally means “fully mature ewes.” The lambs don’t recognize the shepherd’s voice in the beginning because discernment takes time and must be learned by experience. The young lambs gradually develop an ear to distinguish the shepherd’s voice by paying attention to whose voice the mature sheep of the flock respond to.

More of my private prayer time should be spent listening to God, not in asking God to listen to me. But how do I know that what I think I’m “hearing” is really from God and not just my own thoughts or imaginations?

God can speak aloud if He wants to, but He usually doesn’t. At times in salvation history it would seem that He spoke aloud to the prophets and the leaders of His chosen people. One way God speaks today is through impressions. Christians need experience in recognizing the voice of God for personal guidance. In matters of morals and ethics and theology, however, it is not a matter of our private discernment or interpretation. God’s truth is not up for grabs at our every whim and desire. Jesus knew the capricious and vacillating heart and mind of man so before He ascended to His Father, He established the “pillar and foundation of truth” which would mandate that truth for ages to come.

Is that foundation the Bible? Not according to 1 Timothy 3:15. The New Testament canon was not formally defined and adopted until A.D. 350. The Church preceded the Bible in the form we know it today. “The Church of the living God” was to be the pillar and foundation of truth and a sure way of continuing to hear His voice on earth. As Catholic Christians, we don’t depend on guesswork or private interpretation or “everyone doing that which seemed right in his own sight” as they did in the times of the Judges in the Old Testament. Jesus gave the keys of His Kingdom to the apostle Peter and his successors. (Matthew 16:16-19)

The Magisterium, the teaching body of the Church composed of the Pope and the bishops, guards the New Testament revelation and passes it on faithfully through the generations. It cannot and does not invent anything new. Neither do we have to reinvent the wheel to keep up-to-date with our times to decide what is or is not God’s truth. Based squarely on the inspired Holy Scriptures and in line with Sacred Tradition, which is the oral teaching of the apostles on which early Christians relied before the canon of the New Testament was officially formed, we are on solid ground when we check our impressions. The greater our familiarity with the Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the better our chance of discerning God’s voice from among other voices and interpretations of Scripture we may hear. God has provided us with ample and reliable “hearing aids”!

Granted, sometimes an impression could come from my human spirit or from the realms of evil and not from the Holy Spirit. I must always square the impression carefully with what God said in His Word and in His Church because God never contradicts Himself. As I bring the Scriptures into my prayer time and ask for the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, I learn to recognize the sound of God’s voice; my fear of mistaking His voice lessens. The degree of my surrender to the Lord and my sensitivity to the Holy Spirit are vital factors in my listening perception. The more I submit and commit myself to obey the Word and will of God, the more discernment in hearing God’s voice I will develop.

I’m at some disadvantage when I try to enter the spiritual world by prayer. I’m only one-third spirit, as it were, and I’m attempting to communicate with God who is all Spirit. I almost immediately meet resistance from my physical body which operates in the flesh and from my soul. My soul operates through my senses and emotions and is not comfortable in the spirit world; in the natural it resists entering the unknown realm of God’s presence where feelings are not the dominant medium. However, my spirit is alive and well! I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit by virtue of my baptism. Jesus emphasized many times, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And that means us because we do now have spiritual ears to hear God’s spiritual voice.

END

LORD, KEEP ME FROM BEING FOOLISH!

2011-02-10T12:10:00.011-05:00

PRAYER FOR MATURE WISDOM

God, grant me the wisdom of mature years:

Help me circumvent the foolishness of aging.

When You see me playing in the spiritual shallows,

Lord, beckon me out of the wading pool into deep waters.

If I feel bogged down in meaningless routine,

turn the plain water of my daily life into “the best wine saved until last.”

When I tend to resist change and settle in my comfort zone,

grant me an open spirit and a growing, receptive mind.

If I’ve lost my get up and go,

show me how to “rise and take up my bed and walk.”

When my leaves are withered and dry,

revive me to be “full of sap and very green.”

When my fruit is scanty and sour,

show me how to “flourish like the palm tree”

If the embers of my first love for You are growing cold,

fan them into flame by Your Holy Spirit.

When the noise of my activity drowns out Your still small voice,

quiet me to wait on You in contemplative silence.

If the soil of my life is depleted and lies fallow,

break up the clods, supply fresh nutrients, and make straight my furrows.

When my prayers seem unanswered and my spirit is arid,

open the floodgates to let Your Rivers of Living Water flow again.

Where my life is out of balance and I lose my footing,

help me restore eternal priorities to keep from stumbling.

When my vision for Your Kingdom has grown dim,

touch my eyes to see again Your destiny for me.

If I’ve become slow of speech to declare Your message,

open my lips to boldly proclaim Your Good News.

If I have difficulty hearing Your voice clearly,

send Your Holy Spirit to be my hearing aid.

If my mind and memory begin to slip,

help me remember that You never leave me or forsake me.

When I’m weary from the length of life’s journey,

draw me close to Your bosom to find comfort and rest.

If I’m laboring to bear scarcely 30-fold fruit,

teach me to abide in You to effortlessly produce 100-fold.

Where good seed of Your Word still lies dormant as I advance in years,

send Your latter rain so I can bear an abundant late harvest.

When I am tired and lack motivation to press on,

restore iron to my soul, strength to my weak knees and limp arms.

When I drag my feet to do Your will,

energize me with the adrenalin of Your Holy Spirit.

When I’m short of breath from life’s fast pace,

inflate my lungs with Your Breath of Life.

If I grip material possessions too tightly,

teach me to hold loosely the things of this world.

If I open my mouth to speak foolish words,

show me how to put a watch on my lips.

When I’m afraid of the darkness around me,

take my hand to walk with You in Your Light.

When my emotions roller coaster out of control,

teach me to set my affection on things above not on things of earth.

When anxiety about the future threatens to overwhelm me,

remind me of Your great faithfulness in years past.

If my appetite becomes jaded by the world’s junk food,

give me Yourself as my Daily Bread in the Eucharist.

When I think I’ve reached the limit of my endurance,

help me persevere in Your strength to run the last mile Home.

When thoughts of my mortal end cause me fear,

remind me that You are preparing a place for me

in Your Father’s House.

END

MOLTING AND RENEWING MY SPIRITUAL FEATHERS

2011-02-09T16:27:00.004-05:00

“They who wait for the Lord (hope in the Lord) will gain new strength (will renew their strength); they will mount up with wings (sprout wings) like eagles (soar as with eagles wings), they will run and not get tired (not grow weary), they will walk and not become weary (walk and not grow faint).”

Isaiah 40:31 (Combined New American Standard Bible and The New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition)

Below are some QUOTED INSIGHTS from my Bible research as I explored the above verse in various commentaries.

“[Shall renew their strength] The Hebrew word commonly means to change, to alter; and then to revive, to renew, to cause to flourish again, as, e.g., a tree that has decayed and fallen down (see Isa 9:10; and Job 14:7 – 9 Be sure to check out this excellent comparison!). Here it is evidently used in the sense of renewing, or causing to revive; to increase, and to restore that which is decayed. It means that the people of God who trust in him shall become strong in faith; able to contend with their spiritual foes, to gain the victory over their sins, and to discharge aright the duties, and to meet aright the trials of life. God gives them strength, if they seek him in the way of his appointment—a promise which has been verified in the experience of his people in every age [and at every season of human life].

“[They shall mount up with wings as eagles] One translation is 'They shall put forth fresh feathers like the moulting eagle;' and in the note on this passage, 'It has been a common and popular opinion that the eagle lives and retains his vigor to a great age; and that, beyond the common lot of other birds, he molts in his old age, and renews his feathers, and with them his youth.' He supposes that the passage in Ps. 103:5, 'So that thy youth is renewed like the eagles,' refers to this fact. This was a common and popular opinion among the ancient biblical writers. The opinion was, that at stated times the eagle plunged itself in the sea and cast off its old feathers, and that new feathers started forth, and that thus it lived often to the hundredth year. In accordance with this opinion, the Septuagint renders this passage, 'They shall put forth fresh feathers [pterofueesousin] like eagles.' Vulgate, Assument pennas sicut aquiloe.

“The literal meaning of the Hebrew is, 'they shall ascend on wings as eagles,' or 'they shall lift up the wings as eagles;' and the image is derived from the fact that the eagle rises on the strongest, most vigorous wings of any bird, and ascends apparently further toward the sun. The figure, therefore, denotes strength and vigor of purpose; strong and manly piety; an elevation above the world; communion with God, and a nearness to his throne—as the eagle ascends toward the sun.

“[They shall run and not be weary] This passage, also, is but another mode of expressing the same idea—that they who trust in God would be vigorous, elevated, unwearied; that he would sustain and uphold them; and that in his service they would never faint. This was at first designed to be applied to the Jews in captivity in Babylon to induce them to put their trust in God. But it is as true now as it was at that time. It has been found in the experience of thousands and tens of thousands, that by waiting on the Lord the heart has been invigorated; the faith has been confirmed; and the affections have been raised above the world. Strength has been given to bear trial without complaining, to engage in arduous duty without fainting, to pursue the perilous and toilsome journey of life without exhaustion, and to rise above the world in hope and peace on the bed of death.

Leona’s comment: Catholic teaching emphasizes the need for detachment from sin and negative lifestyle (molting our tired, worn, old feathers) and attachment to God’s eternal truths and a holy lifestyle (renewing our spiritual strength.) Many biblical passages affirm the need for this double-edged action: “Put off the old man, put on the new nature; put aside the works of darkness, walk in the light, etc.” Practical lists of the “put offs” and “put ons” (attachments and detachments) are given in Scripture, so we are not left in doubt of what God wants us to do.

In our advanced years, we have accumulated a great deal that needs to be put off by virtue of how long we have lived. We have a lot of molting to do! But the rewards are wonderful: Youth renewed! Soaring closer to God! New strength and vigor for the rest of the way in the toilsome journey of life!

END

MY SECURITY GUARDS

2011-02-09T12:44:00.004-05:00

I’m definitely not publicly prominent or politically important, but I am so thankful I have security guards assigned to me!

Have you watched a televised shot of the president of the United States when he goes out in public, especially in a crowded situation? It’s interesting to watch the security guards who are assigned to his safety—if you can spot them. They are usually dressed in plain clothes and blend into the surroundings, but their eyes behind special dark glasses continually dart back and forth on the alert to spot anything out of order or anyone who might pose a danger to the president.

As Christians, we are secure in the care and protection of God's angelic messengers sent to minister to His children—no matter how old His children are. The promise of Scripture is that God sends His angels "to guard me in all my ways" (Psalm 91:11). All my ways includes everything that concerns me, every detail, problem, and decision, every ache or pain or weakness or limitation or suffering I may be going through. As I acknowledge God "in all my ways" I can be certain that He will direct my paths. (Proverbs 3:6)

Those angelic security guards don't go off duty after they’ve put in their allotted hours; they are on duty 24/7. Nor do they take coffee breaks at some heavenly “Star”bucks, fall asleep on a soft cloud, or forsake us in our latter years. We are given to understand in Scripture that a guardian angel is assigned to little children, and there is nothing to indicate that it is not a lifetime job. There is no hint that they leave their assignment when we become old enough to take care of ourselves.

On the contrary, the time may come when we are too old to take care of ourselves. We need their services even more as our years increase because, in the natural, as we chronologically advance, we are in greater danger of stumbling, slipping, and falling physically or drifting spiritually or losing our emotional balance by being assaulted by adversity, pain or suffering. We need our security guards from the time we are toddlers to the time when we are totterers. They provide us with lifelong intensive care. What a comfort to know that we are surrounded by these ultimate caring, intelligent, supernatural beings sent directly from the Father's loving heart to shield us so intimately!

Most of the time they are invisible to us. But sometimes they appear as special people God sends to care for us in illness or accident—doctors, nurses, technicians, and Hospice helpers, with their knowledge and skill who attend to the needs of our mortal bodies. They also come to us in the form of our loved ones with their tender concern and encouragement. There are providential times when these heavenly beings actually take visible human form temporarily for God’s special purpose on our behalf. At the close of our earthly lives, God dispatches angelic transport companions assigned to accompany us on our final journey to The Father's House.

We don’t know how many miles we still have left to travel or how many hills we must climb before those Heavenly Gates open to receive us and our Welcome Celebration begins. "I go to prepare a place for you," said Jesus. The precise day and time we should arrive is filled in on God’s invitation card, but that is kept from us in a sealed envelope. We only know that our mortal lives are fragile, "our times are in His hands," and His time is always perfect.

Doubtless our security guards will be given a heads up so we don’t have to worry about R.S.V.P. We just need to be living in a state of grace and be ready to meet our Bridegroom with oil in our lamps.

END

AM I "IN THE BOX"?

2011-02-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

I recently had a hearing test, a common part of our physical checkups in later years. I found the procedure quite high-tech. First the audiologist had to determine whether I had a wax buildup that would hinder my hearing. Then I was given a headset and situated before a monitor which registered on a curve my ability to receive speech without the distraction of peripheral noise. The technician pointed out two outlined boxes on the screen representing each ear. My hearing level was recorded as “in the box or outside the box.” In the box is within normal range. Many of my friends of similar age are already outside the box and wear hearing aids.

Spiritually, if I am distracted with the affairs and cares of this world, I can’t hear God distinctly. It takes quietness and contemplation to listen to God’s voice. Old sheep as well as young lambs need to have acute hearing to recognize and heed the voice of the Good Shepherd and avoid the growl of prowling wolves. “My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me....” The Gospel of John chapter 10.

I was somewhat relieved that my hearing was still normal since my audio curve registered “in the box” for both ears, although the line curved downward. But the hearing specialist followed this test with a more sophisticated one in a sound proof booth with more fine-tuned electronics. I didn’t come out as successfully on that one—apparently I was audio challenged—that exam recorded that I have considerable hearing loss! I was missing many of the higher levels of speech in a normal conversation, and most of it if I found myself in a situation with peripheral noise.

Jesus concluded many of His teachings with “He who has ears to hear let him hear.” He must have been referring to more than having our physical ear appendages. We may have less than perfect spiritual audio reception and not even be aware of our deficiency. We may be hearing but not listening and subsequently not obeying. We may not discern certain commandments because our ears are plugged with the wax of many years of incomplete obedience and blocked with preconceived ideas, unspiritual habits, or selfish desires of the flesh. By His divine touch Jesus restored the hearing even of the deaf during His ministry on earth. I need His touch.

Lord, keep this aging sheep “in Your box” (in Your safe Sheepfold) and close to Your side so I can clearly hear Your instructions even when You whisper them in “a still, small voice.” I need Your Holy Spirit as my Hearing Aid even more as I grow older so I may hear Your words more distinctly. Filter from my ears the distractions of the world whose siren sounds seek to draw me outside Your Fold where I would become prey to the wiles of the evil one who prowls about seeking to devour me.

END

QUAH-KAH-KA-NUM-AD

2011-02-07T17:26:00.000-05:00

Yup, that’s what I would like to have my friends (and others) say about me. It is what the Potawatomi Indians called Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne. It translates as “Woman-who-prays-always.”

Saint Rose was born in France in 1769 and as an adult entered the Visitation Order in the midst of the French Revolution. Because of the turmoil and warfare the sisters were expelled from their convents, and she spent many years caring for the sick and poor, helping fugitive priests, visiting prisons, and teaching children. All the while she prayed for the day she might go abroad as a missionary, although time passed and it did not seem possible.

While serving in the Sacred Heart Order after the Revolution, God honored her patience and trust in His timing and granted her desire. At the age of 50 she enthusiastically answered the bishop’s call for nuns to go to the United States as missionaries. From Louisiana she was sent to Florissant, Missouri where she opened a school, then built a convent, an orphanage, a parish school, a school for Indians, a boarding academy, and a novitiate for her order.

Saint Rose duplicated many of those works in St. Louis, and at the age of 72 founded a mission school for Indian girls in Kansas where she spent much of her time nursing the sick until her death at 83. Her energy and ideas were prodigious in spite of encountering all the hardships of pioneer work. She was rightly called the “missionary of the American frontier” and was canonized in 1988 by Pope John Paul II.

Although her works were many, Saint Rose was best known for praying for those whom she served. Her works may have disappeared in the passing of generations, but her intercession for the people is even now bearing eternal fruit. I too want be make myself available as a “Quah-kah-ka-num-ad.” When my friends, my family, even virtual strangers, or those with little Christian background ask me to pray for them, as they often do, I want to be “instant in prayer, in season and out of season.” To pray is such a great privilege!

Many people contact me by e-mail. May I make full use of instant communication and respond by praying immediately and at times when appropriate writing my prayer in reply. I try to avoid saying “I will pray for you” but do so on the spot. I believe that Saint Paul would have used e-mail and the various other media we have today to pray and to preach and to teach.

I am confident that my prayer thus sent off into cyberspace is simultaneously transmitted by Angelic Messenger Service in less than a nanosecond to Our Father Who is in Heaven. On the way my prayer passes through His Son, Jesus Christ, the One Mediator between God and man. It is sped on its way by the “groanings which cannot be uttered” by the Holy Spirit Who knows the mind of God and His will. He edits my prayers however necessary to make them conformable to the perfect plan of God. Scripture assures me of that. (1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 8:26-28)

Saint Rose didn’t have recourse to the modern means that I have at my disposal, but I believe her prayers reached the Throne of God in the very same way as quickly and efficaciously as mine do. Prayers are everlasting. Once released to God, Who is The Eternal Now, they don’t diminish, or lose strength, or go astray, become obsolete, or end up in some heavenly wastebasket even with the passing of generations. Our eternal God always answers all prayers although not necessarily in the way we may expect. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your editorial blue pencil to make my prayers good and acceptable and perfect before they reach God!

END

TOUCHING JESUS' PRAYER SHAWL

2011-02-07T17:17:00.000-05:00

In the sequence of the gospel readings today at Mass, the passage from Mark 6:56 sent me to research Jewish culture and traditions at the time of Christ. Why were sick people pressing upon Jesus trying to touch His clothing to be healed?

Biblical scholars tell us that some translations need more accurate rendering. It was not simply the hem of His ordinary garment which the woman with the issue of blood reached out to touch. More correctly translated in some versions, it was the fringe, or tassels on His Prayer Shawl. As a Rabbi, Jesus would have worn one most of the time over his ordinary clothes and around His shoulders. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention this. Definitely Jesus would have worn it when He “went apart alone to pray” or when He taught in the Synagogues. It was called a “Tallith.”

When I was traveling in Israel, I bought a modern one which was quite elaborate. A Tallith today is made of silk or wool, usually white, interwoven with threads of blue, gold, and silver. Each color has some significance. The “zizith” are the fringes or tassels of entwined threads at the four corners of the shawl which the people were reaching out to touch for healing. Smaller tassels are in series of 10 representing the 10 Commandments. Often a representation of the tablets of the Commandments is embroidered on it, as well as the 7 stick candelabra. Hebrew words from the Torah, for instance “The Lord our God is one God” and other quotations are embroidered on it. The tassels at the ends are blue or purple and longer than the others. A Rabbi or Messianic Jewish friend might tell us more about the spiritual and traditional significance of the designs.

In the Old Testament in Numbers 15:37- 41 and Deuteronomy 22:12 God commanded Moses to initiate the custom for the men of Israel with specific instructions how they should be made and what would be their significance. The tassels at the corners were to remind them to keep the Commandments of the God. They became the symbol of Jewish obedience to the Law. Jesus condemned the Scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites in Matthew 23:5 for making their tassels overly long to publically display their piety while their actions didn’t measure up.

In Israeli society then as well as now, there was little alone time because people lived so crowded together. Jesus often felt the urgency to separate Himself from the crowd, even from His disciples, to listen to His Father. When a Jewish man wanted to pray, he could do so anywhere and anytime by putting his Prayer Tallith around his shoulders or over his head. Immediately, whether there was a crowd around him or not, he was “praying in secret” as Jesus said. Some biblical scholars say that “entering into your closet to pray” could also have referred to creating a private place for prayer by putting on the Prayer Shawl.

These days in our society privacy is at a premium as well. Our cities are crowded and at home we are often surrounded by family members. Friends, work associates, and the general public press in upon us when we are away from home. Quiet time to pray is hard to come by. Nevertheless we can and should “pray without ceasing” throughout the day under any circumstances. God is always with me and in me by His Holy Spirit, and Christ indwells the believer. I am never separated from Him. However, some people may find it helpful during their private prayers to use some tangible symbol to make such time special. Some people may light a candle. It can be a reminder to approach the presence of God in silence and with a spirit of reverence and awe.

Of course there is nothing magical about putting on a prayer shawl of whatever kind when I set aside a regular time for prayer. We don’t have to use an authentic one such as Jewish men, and women too, use today during prayer. It can be a scarf around my shoulders or a veil over my head, as a symbol that I am separating myself from distracting things around me as I devote myself to prayer. When Susanna Wesley, mother of 18 children (including her famous preacher and hymn writer sons, John and Charles Wesley) wanted privacy for prayer, she pulled her work apron over her head. Whether she was in the kitchen or the bedroom, her children, even the youngest ones, knew and respected her quiet time with God.

However we reach out to touch Jesus for healing, wisdom, strength, or provision of our daily needs, the promise is “Draw near unto God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) No matter what crowd is pressing around us, how our circumstances push us to the wall, how we long for personal space, how much we desire healing and wholeness of body, mind, or spirit, we can touch Jesus. “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. (Psalm 145:18, 19)

END

PRIME EXPOSITOR OF THE CATHOLIC CATECHISM

2011-02-05T16:30:00.003-05:00

I diligently explored the official teachings of the Catholic Church for four years expecting to expose error and deviation from the Bible. Most of my research was to find out what the Church actually taught. Listening to the teaching of Scripture scholar Father John Corapi on TV, whose textbooks were the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, was a significant part of my search. What I did find was that the official teachings of the Church were unmistakably true to the Scriptures. To maintain my integrity I would have to make some decision. (See a review of my recent book on my blog for January 2011 titled "One of the most unlikely convert stories I've ever read.")

Father Corapi's life reads like dramatic fiction. The story of the Prodigal son that Jesus told is the script which was fleshed out in his roller coaster lifestyle--from Hollywood to Holy Orders, you might say. From millionaire to a homeless destitute on the streets to four earned doctoral degrees and Christian media ministry--you will find that truth really is stranger than fiction. Listen and view a condensed version of his remarkable testimony at the site below.

http://julieahoffman.blogspot.com/2009/04/fr-corapi-conversion-story-condensed.html

END

THE MINISTRY OF TREES TO SHRUBS

2011-02-05T14:37:00.007-05:00

From a work in progress by Leona Choy:
PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM AND OTHER IMAGINEERED ALLEGORIES
* See note below

"Phew! It's hot and dry!" Green Tree shrugged the dust from his leaves
with a swish. "Time for another drink." The ground crackled as he
stretched his roots imperceptibly deeper under the earth toward
riverbank. "Ahhh!"

Parched Shrub, drooping nearby, shook his brittle branch stubs and
glared up at Green Tree whose leaves were verdant and healthy. "You
think you're somebody special, don't you? If you were down here close to
the hot sand you wouldn't act so high and mighty."

"We're in it together, friend," replied Green Tree surprised. "My roots
are in the same desert. Besides, I'm nearer the sun and that's even hotter."

"Well, I'm waiting for Mortal Man to water me. He promised to come when
I needed him. He'll probably arrive by Prosperity Bus," mumbled Parched
Shrub.

"How late is he?"

"Oh, a few months--give or take a few weeks."

"We live in Uninhabited Salt Land," reminded Green Tree. "Didn't you
remember that Prosperity Bus stopped running the Good times route a
long time ago?"

Parched Shrub was silent for a long while. Only his wheezing breath
broke the stillness of the desert. Finally, "How do you get along so
well through the drought? I even see fruit up there in your dense foliage."

"My hope is in Lord God," replied Green Tree. "He told us when He
planted us that we shouldn't trust in Mortal Man. He said He would look
after us Himself and never forsake us. He...."

"There you go being preachy," coughed Parched Shrub. "You Green Trees
are all alike. You think you're better than everyone else--some kind of
special apples in God's eye."

"That's not true. Lord God doesn't play favorites or keep secrets. He
told all of us Greenery Things, you included, where to send our roots."

"Aw, I just don't trust 'im. I gave up that stuff when I was little."

You're still little," observed Green Tree, not intending offense. "I
started out your size. You too can...."

"Preaching again?" Parched Shrub pretended to be angry, but one hot tear
trickled down his bare branch, splashed on the sand and rapidly soaked in.

Green Tree was moved with compassion. He bent his chlorophyll-laden
leafy branches low over Parched Shrub. "Come under my shadow, friend.
I'll shelter you from the hot sun. It's really not far under the desert
to stretch your own roots to Riverbank. You can do it, I know you can.
Lord God pointed us in the direction of water."

Parched Shrub snuggled up under Green Tree's luxurious foliage. "You'd
help ME? Even though I've made fun of you and turned away from Lord God
so many times? Do you think there's enough water for both of us?"

"Absolutely! Lord God said that Rivers of Living Water, cool and pure,
flow nearby."

"Oh, I'm dying of thirst!"

"Come on then! Come to The Waters!"

"Do you have to pay much?"

"Naw, Lord God paid for it. It's free now!"

"Let's go then," Parched Shrub's prickly stubs stirred with new hope.
"Don't leave me, though. Show me The Way...."

**********************

A personified allegory based on Jeremiah 17:5-8 from various
translations and versions of Scripture. Also reflective of Psalm 1:1-6;
Revelation 22:17; Isaiah 55:1.

"Thus says the Lord, cursed is the strong man who trusts in mankind,
in frail, mortal man, and makes weak, human flesh his strength, and
whose heart and mind turns away from the Lord. For he will be like a
bush or stunted shrub in the desert, like a person naked and destitute,
with no hope for the future. He will not see when prosperity comes and
good times pass him by forever. But he will live in stony wastes, in
parched places in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitants.

But most blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope and
confidence are in the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the
water, along a riverbank, that extends its roots by a stream, and will
not be bothered when heat comes, nor anxious in a year of drought, but
goes right on producing luscious fruit."
--------

*The above is one selection from my unpublished book manuscript.
I use the format of parables, allegories, fables, dialogues with God and
personifications in prose and verse. I coined the term "imagineerings" since
I develop them from metaphors and similes, essentially symbolic narrative.
They are life-contemplations that carry subtle spiritual applications which
are hopefully obvious to the reader. These pieces reflect my personal responses to life and to God. I create my own style to express principles and truths from the Scriptures by making use of humor and contemporary analogies, interweaving narrative and modern verse in sense lines. For each piece I offer a single life-topic and tie it to relevant biblical references or foundational truths which are generally the sources for my ideation.

END

UNTAMED SHOOTS IN MY LIFE

2011-02-05T14:19:00.003-05:00

Excerpt from Leona's book:
LIVING IT UP! Prime Time is NOW
For a book review see Leona's web site: www.goldenmorning.com

Are you pruned regularly? No, I'm not asking if you eat prunes for
breakfast. I mean "pruned" in the way that the gardener clips shrubs,
grapevines, and especially fruit trees. He breaks off selected branches.

Pruning gets rid of unwanted extras, the undesirables. It is not because
the little sprouts or new twigs are not inferior or bad. They are healthy and
strong. But if the gardener allows all the natural branches to develop
simply because they look good, or he feels sorry to cut them off, he
limits the strong main growth. The life of the tree or vine would be
dissipated into too many branches. The gardener shows wisdom and skill
as he says no to certain shoots and yes to others.

Does it hurt the tree to be pruned? Certainly not in the emotional sense
of pain. The greater gain resulting from the elective surgery is worth
it. The gardener does a favor to the tree by his apparent rough
treatment as he breaks off little branches. If the tree could speak, it
might not say, "Thanks, I needed that!" when the sharp clippers nip off
an apparently healthy little branch. It might not understand the need
for such pain, perhaps even yelling "Ouch! What did I do to deserve that?"

Jesus illustrated the process in John chapter 15. He made the point that
pruning was for the flourishing, good vine, the already fruit-bearing
vine, not punishment for a bad vine. Pruning is done to produce more
fruit and then much fruit.

He applied the procedure to our spiritual lives. He said that God, the
Father, is the Vinedresser, the Master Gardener. Jesus is the vine, and
we are the branches. He taught that abiding in Him and He in us was
indispensable to fruit-bearing. Branches must have their wild shoots
dealt with. If they aren't pruned, the vine becomes a tangled mess of
unfruitful, unruly shoots.

What are these untamed shoots in our lives that must be broken off? They
are different in each of us. Some people have many popping out all over.
I do! Some have fewer. They may be good things in themselves: good
works, good ideas, good talents, even good ministries. But if we allow
all of them to remain and mature in their natural way, they will make a
jungle out of our lives and our witness for the Lord.

We do not always know which branches should be broken off and which we
should permit to develop. Only God knows. If we do not prune the
unproductive shoots ourselves, He takes over and breaks off certain
branches. Painful? Yes, often. Resisted? Probably. Not understood?
Generally.

The Lord breaks off our branches by closing doors of opportunity,
removing certain people from our lives, teaching us to say no to some
things which appear good but are not God's best for us. He provides us
with the gift of discernment to lay aside the unproductive. Sometimes he
lays us aside for a time to teach us how to get our priorities straight
so we can do His mainline will without wild shoots.

By submitting to God's pruning, we will joyfully flourish and produce
heartier fruit. So "Hey, look me over, Lord, and do what You need to
do to increase my fruit bearing for Your glory."

END

BOOK REVIEW and DISCOUNT OFFERED

2011-02-05T13:32:00.008-05:00

Hospital Gowns Don't Have Pockets!

Why Me What Now?

Struggling with Physical Affliction

by Leona Choy

"Nobody doesn't need this book!" I may convince myself that illnesses, accidents and surgeries only happen to other people. However, most of us don't live out our lives without a hospital experience of some sort. Few reach Medicare age without outpatient or inpatient events--a biopsy, -oscopy, x-ray, blood profile or other diagnostic "goodies." It comes with the package of living our mortal life in our "Earth Suit".

Cheer up! Hospitals are ideal places not only for bodily repair but excellent classrooms for soul-searching and life evaluation.

This book explores meaning in physical affliction for the Christian. The principles are equally applicable to illnesses that don't necessarily lead to hospitalization. The author takes the reader from initial questions and struggles of illness through "hospital adventures" and the potholes and adjustments of recovery. At the end of each chapter, the author offers thoughtful "Personal Workout" questions for reflection or group discussion based on topics just covered. Ideal for a support group or personal study.

A major part of the book deals with the recovery period in which the author shares sound biblical, psychological and health counsel with a hint of humor. "What ifs" are met head on. No pussy-footing over questions like "What happens if I have to live an un-whole life without freedom from pain for the rest of my life?" "How can I please God and be useful to Him gazing at the ceiling from my bed?"

The author knows how to walk in hospital slippers. Her first encounter with the O.R. was a "biggy"--lung cancer surgery--"out of the blue." A life-changing learning experience, she claims in hindsight, that has proved invaluable.

The text is enhanced by the cartoon-like illustrations of artist Gail Waeber, who created "GG the Bunny" especially for Leona's book. He hops through the pages with the reader attended by "Miss Meow" the nurse--an charming, light touch for a book that struggles through serious matters.

An invaluable volume for . . . everyone!

See Leona's new "A Taste Of...." book Are You Mad at Me, God? Jumping Illness Hurdles, setting forth important spiritual principles of working through an illness. These are excerpts from the first section of her book Hospital Gowns.

Available in paperback $16.95

ISBN 1-889283-04-5
Receive a 50% discount when you purchase this book this month!

E-mail Leona: leonachoy@comcast.net

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TODAY!

2011-02-03T07:57:00.004-05:00


This great-grandma (me, Leona!) is headed “over the river and through the woods” to my newest
great granddaughter’s home in Baltimore today.  Makenna Lee Humes is my 7^th GREAT-GRAND and is
about 6 weeks old. I haven’t seen her yet because of winter road conditions and transportation.  The second of
my four sons, Cliff, who is the “Grandpappy” of Makenna, will come from Frederick, MD to fetch me.
"If the crick don't freeze" and the weather forecaster won't be wrong as usual.)

              It is traditional to visit families with a new baby and bring them a symbol of the animal which is
being celebrated in the Chinese calendar of the current year.  That happens to be the "Bunny Wabbit"
for this year 2011!

               In Chinese mythology, the Year of the Rabbit symbol represents longevity and it is believed
that the Rabbit enjoys a close relationship with the moon. Westerners may refer to the  man in the moon,
but when the Chinese peer up at the moon, what they see is the Rabbit standing by a rock, holding a cup
that overflows with the elixir of immortality. /(Eternal life in Christ in Christian terms!) As symbols go, the
rabbit symbol is considered one of the finest.

               It is the custom for visiting guests or family to bring something RED to friends
at CHINESE NEW YEAR, for instance, something to wear or to eat.  TEA is also shared,
 especially flower-tea. Children are given small red and gold paper envelopes with money
as gifts. (Substitutions are acceptable--like greeting cards! )

                Instead of celebrating each person's birthday on his actual "birth" day, in China
 on CHINESE NEW YEAR everyone--child and adult, even a newborn baby--becomes one
 year older. (That messes up  birth certificates, passports and official documents!)  Well, we'll
see how far we can carry out some of these customs. I won't bring any firecrackers with me
though--another NY custom.

     Since VALENTINE'S DAY is so near, I guess we’ll also throw in celebration for that
day today.

     This will be Makenna Lee's (BTW, her middle name is after me, which is the nickname
 my friends called me in my school years) first Chinese New Year and first Valentine's
 Day. Woo-hoo!

"The celebration of the Chinese New Year is a centuries old tradition. It marks the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs. The Year of 2011 is the *Year of the Golden Rabbit*, which begins on *February 3, 2011* and ends on January 22, 2012. The Rabbit is the fourth sign of the Chinese Zodiac and is considered a lucky sign. As Christians we don’t pay attention to horoscopes, but it is generic fun to learn about cultural traditions.
According to Chinese tradition, those born in the Year of the Rabbit are friendly individuals who enjoy the company of good friends. They are good teachers, counselors and communicators, but also need privacy and their own space. According to Chinese tradition, the rabbit brings a year in which we all can catch our breath and calm our nerves. It is a time to focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children. Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise. (That's good, huh?) Sounds like a perfect year to appreciate the most important things in your life and to protect those closest to you. So be a rabbit this year and take a calm and introspective approach to the decisions you make."
(I stole the above wisdom from some Google web site! )

Oh! This is written in a hurry! I hear the toot of a horn—we are on the way! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR again to all my blog friends. When we lived in China and other places in Asia, we celebrated it big time…in the West it is soft-pedaled except that folks may go out to a local Chinese restaurant and indulge in goodies. Good idea? Enjoy!

END

AN OVERVIEW OF LEONA'S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

2011-02-02T11:50:00.006-05:00

You can SEE, HEAR, and READ some of my background life experiences leading up to the writing of my current book by following the links below.

I don't hesitate to tell my age. Long life is a blessing from God! I've lived under His loving, protective care through the ups and downs of life, times of adversity and times of joy and privilege for "80-something" years.

My 31st published book was my autobiography: CZECHING MY ROOTS—the heritage saga of my life and my ancestry, lived entirely in the evangelical Protestant context. I published it in when in my late seventies, so I thought I was finished with my life of adventures and spiritual service opportunities. After all, what more could I expect? Little did I know of incredible surprises and changes yet to come!

You may go to my publishing web site www.goldenmorning.com, then to "Biographies" if you'd like a review of my life story from the above book. There you will also find reviews of my other published books.

Upon returning from my promotional speaking tour for my autobiography, a surprise paradigm shift in my spiritual journey took place. It seemed that I was not finished living or writing after all! Eventually I would need to chronicle that spiritual tsunami experience and the reasons leading up to it for those who were as surprised/shocked as I was. My life story continued to unfold in wonderful, unbelievable ways until I was received to my great joy in 2005 into the Catholic Church—something I would never have imagined possible! Read a brief account of that experience by going THIS ROCK magazine: www.catholic.com/thisrock/2007/0709dr.asp The September issue, Vol. 18 #7 of Damascus Road carries my story.

To listen to my one-hour, live, international interview on one of the largest TV networks in the world click on www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp. My interview is #213, November 13, 2006.

If you'd like to view my JOURNEY HOME interview program, a DVD is available from the Religious Catalogue at www.ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com.

I completed writing the sequel to my original autobiography titled MY JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF MORE: Evangelical to Catholic. The book was published in mid-2010 by THE COMING HOME NETWORK P.O. Box 8290, Zanesville, OH 43702. Read the full story by ordering the book through www.chresources.com or 1-800-664-5110 or directly through me by e-mail: leonachoy@comcast.net, 540-877-1813.

In 2011, Lord willing, I’m writing another sequel to that book tentatively titled LIVING THE TREASURES OF THE LAND OF MORE.

The August 14-20, 2008 issue of the ARLINGTON CATHOLIC HERALD which covers 68 parishes in 22 counties of the Virginia diocese featured my story in their series "Journeys in Faith."

I welcome anyone who is interested to dialogue more with me about my faith journey and theirs. You can find my blog at www.leonachoy.blogspot.com. and I also blog on www.cna.com (Catholic News Agency) in their Catholic Womanhood department.

TRYING TO WALK IN SANDALS TOO LARGE

2011-02-01T18:24:00.003-05:00

St. Francis de Sales

Patron saint of writers. The Feast Day for St. Francis de Sales was last week, January 24.

I never heard of Saint Francis de Sales, or any of the other Catholic saints during my evangelical lifetime. We had our Christian heroes who were eloquent preachers, missionaries, and writers, mostly of the last few centuries, but we didn’t call them saints. Upon becoming Catholic and learning about his story, I discovered a special kinship with de Sales.

Born in France in 1567, he is the patron saint of writers and those in media, whose name I chose at my Confirmation because of my own calling from God. It seemed a natural for other reasons as well. My father’s name was Frank (Frantisek), a derivation of Francis, my paternal grandmother’s name was the feminine spelling, Frances, as was my middle name and that of various aunts and cousins.

During the so-called Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, de Sales was known for his apologetic apostolate of preaching, publishing, writing letters, spiritual direction, and one-to-one witness. Coming from nobility he kept his call from God to the priesthood secret while he became a soldier and earned a doctorate in law and waited for God’s time to answer that call.

Apparently de Sales was neither a natural pastor nor a gifted preacher. Some reported his ineptness to the bishop. De Sales turned his attention over the mountains to Switzerland which was Calvinist territory and planned an ambitious evangelistic expedition to try to bring 60,000 Catholic defectors back into the fold. Everyone thought it was a bad idea, and his entourage turned out to be only himself and his cousin. After three years of incredible hardship trudging through the countryside on foot and enduring personal suffering with doors slammed in his face and rocks thrown at him, even his cousin left him. Not a single person had converted.

Not one to give up, and since people wouldn’t open their doors to him, de Sales decided to reach them by approaching them under their doors. He copied his own sermons by hand (the printing press was only in its beginning stage) and slipped them under doors—he was the forerunner of modern tract distribution. People felt less threatened to read his apologetic truth in private, gradually responded enthusiastically to his message, and returned to the one true Church. He is said to have been the catalyst for the conversion or restoration to the Catholic faith of 40,000 (Butler’s Lives of the Saints says 72,000!) Protestant-Calvinists.

In 1604 his friendship with a godly widow, Jane de Chantal, who came to him for spiritual direction, led to both of them embarking on a deeper life of holiness and mystical union with God which gave focus and power to their personal lives and led to the establishment of an order and convent of Visitation nuns which continues to this day.

As I studied de Sales’ strategy of witness, I learned that with his gentle humility, sincere compassion, and genuine goodness of heart he poured himself out to the poor in spirit and the poor in worldly goods as much as he did to the noble in high places; he was as much at home in the courts of kings and princes as he was in the humble cottages of peasants. All were given his prayers and insightful attention and spiritual direction without measure.
It interests me that he influenced people primarily through writing letters, as I am doing, although I use e-mail and publishing. In fact, he wrote his most famous book, Introduction to the Devout Life, as letters to a Christian lady in the secular world to show that the pursuit of holiness applied equally to busy people in the mainstream of public life or involved in family life as to religious contemplatives in cloisters.

At one time he wrote, "I have more than fifty letters to answer. If I tried to hurry over it all, I would be lost. So I intend neither to hurry or to worry. This evening I shall answer as many as I can. Tomorrow I shall do the same and so I shall go on until I have finished." What a good example of patience and steadfast purpose! De Sales didn't even have a typewriter or computer, printer, copy machine, fax, ballpoint pen, e-mail, an Internet web site, blog, texting, cell phone, iPod or iPad or even a reliable snail-mail service. I believe he would have used all the modern technology and media if he were living in this age.

He is said to have been overworked and often ill because of his workload of preaching and instruction. He believed spiritual direction was his first duty as a bishop. His vigorous occupation didn’t weaken his inner spiritual life or disturb his peace. On the contrary, he believed that his mission from God was to encourage lay people whose lives seemed ordinary that they could and should live lives of holiness to the same degree as monks and nuns. He advised busy people, “Retire at various times into the solitude of your own heart and talk to God, even while outwardly engaged in discussions or transactions with others.”

He died at the young age of 55 longing for the contemplative life but more in demand than ever by the Pope and even by king Louis XIII.

Since I have begun my Catholic journey at such an advanced chronological age, I certainly don’t expect the spectacular results in my apologetic apostolate as de Sales had. Nevertheless, I ask for his intercession for my writing and publishing, that I might be granted wisdom to carry out my calling from God in my sphere of life and at my season of life. May I be as faithful in the opportunities God gives me as he was.

Saint Francis de Sales, pray for me.

One of my favorite pieces of counsel from Saint Francis de Sales follows:

Be at Peace

Do not look in fear at the changes of life;

rather look at them with full hope as they arise.

God, whose very own you are,

will deliver you from them.

Since He has kept you hitherto,

He will lead you safely through all things;

and when you cannot stand it,

God will carry you in his arms.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;

The same everlasting Father who cares for you today

will take care of you then and every day.

He will either shield you from suffering,

or will give you His unfailing strength to bear it.

Put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination;

Be at peace.

END

IF YOU CRAVE CHOCOLATE AND LOVE JESUS, TASTE THIS

2011-02-01T18:14:00.001-05:00

For your enjoyment in this VALENTINE MONTH go to the site below:

My Chocolate Heart: Unfailing Love and a Heart Like Mine

By Jennifer, a regular contributing writer for CATHOLICONLINE
From the blog: mychocolatehart.blogspot.com/2010/04

ARE WE THERE YET?

2011-01-31T18:00:00.001-05:00

Some years ago on my return trip from Europe on Swiss Air flight # 128 , I experienced for the first time the unique personal video display screens mounted on the back of each passenger’s seat for the benefit of the passenger behind. The screen showed a full color panorama of the land and ocean over which our plane was flying. It was continually changing. I could follow the small icon of our plane as it made its way from Zurich, our point of departure, to our destination.

The display kept us informed of the changes in altitude, the temperature, distance already covered, the distance remaining to touchdown, the plane’s speed, the actual hours in flight, present location, and the projected time from point to point. Intermittently the scene flipped to expand for us the entire scope of the world and our little plane icon proportionately displayed as a moving dot. We could see the seascape, the landscape, the atmospheric conditions, and the updated estimated time of arrival. As the hours passed, we could follow our gradual descent in altitude, and when we landed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after nine hours in flight, the monitor informed us how many miles we had traveled.

We experienced times of “fasten your seat belt” turbulence and some stormy weather, but as passengers we always knew exactly how far we were from our destination. Unless some catastrophe occurred to abort our flight and we crashed into the sea, we could count on the precise time of arrival.

That is not the case with our earthly lives. Most of us know the approximate time of our birth but the time of our arrival at our destination, our spirit’s departure from Planet Earth, is veiled from us by God. We ask in vain, “Are we there yet?” as our impatient children so often whined on a road trip. Most of us would like the luxury of viewing our lives on a display screen as a little icon moving along so we could plan our lives accordingly—to accelerate what we still want to accomplish or experience if we know our time is short or—to relax a little more if we know that generous time still lies ahead.

When we do reach an advanced age, we can speculate quite accurately that the arrival at our destination can’t be too far in the future. One hundred percent of humanity dies; it is absolutely certain that each generation will pass away.

Like the ten wise virgins in Matthew 25, we are always to be ready for the coming of The Bridegroom although we don’t know the ETA of His arrival. In the case of our earthly lives, whether we are young or old, the sight of our Bridegroom may be heralded either when we draw our last mortal breath or when Jesus Christ arrives at His promised glorious Second Coming. In either case, our lamps should be full of oil, symbolizing the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and our wicks trimmed to burn brightly. Like the oil in the lamps of the tent of meeting in Exodus 27 outside the veil, burning from evening to morning, the lamps require clear, pure oil from beaten olives to enable them to burn continually. Our oil is to be combined with spices and fragrant incense (of prayer and praise and worship) as we wait for our Bridegroom. Daily, continually, we should seek to be anointed with fresh oil (Psalm 92:10) so that our cup is continually running over. (Psalm 23:5)

Then our question, “Are we there yet?” will be answered by the Father’s welcome, “Well done, good and faithful servant; Enter into the joy of your Lord!”

END

MOMS AS FOOD PROCESSORS

2011-01-31T17:47:00.001-05:00

Well, we made it again from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Years! Food preparation and hospitality were high on our priority list. Seasonal goodies tempted us at every turn. Ethnic food traditions delighted us. Moms are usually the ones who made it all happen.

Who doesn’t overindulge on all those sumptuous delicacies? As a consequence, our New Years’ resolutions seemed to zero in on diet and exercise. How well have we done with all our hopes and goals?

Scripture has much to say about eating and our attitudes toward food.

Don’t you imagine that Jesus loved to eat? He always seemed to be going to dinner parties! Many of His parables revolved around food. He even invited Himself to dinner at Zaccheus’ house. (I’ll bet His Jewish Mamma Mary was a good cook and so was His grandma Anna!) He said of Himself, “The Son of Man comes eating and drinking….” (Matthew 11:19) Many events in His life and His divine declarations took place in the context of food. Jesus declared that He is The Bread of Life. (John 6:35)

After His ascension to the Father, we have a glimpse in Acts 2:46 of how His apostles ate: “…they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God….” What a good model for us!

These days we even see promos in the media reminding us that to have a happy family we should eat our meals together! So what else is new? Past generations took that for granted. For Christians, to share food expresses fellowship, celebration and thanksgiving. What an incongruity that most of the world beyond our shores prays for enough food to eat, and we pray for God’s help to limit our food intake because we are overweight!

The following is not a prayer for you to teach your family before diving into the food you serve so abundantly on your table—Cries may come forth, “The prayer is too long! The food is getting cold!”

I offer it as a Bible study and for your own private mother-heart meditation in some quiet corner perhaps after holiday festivities when you might be thinking about the dreaded four letter word: DIET. As moms, we are the chief food processors and servers and hospitality givers, so we bear a heavy responsibility for our Christian households.

A Mother’s Meditation on Food

Dear Lord of all I am, including my mortal body which belongs to You not to me, (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20) I want to eat and drink to Your glory. (1 Cor.10:31) May every meal I prepare for myself or for my family be a truly spiritual event.

Lord God, You declared that everything You created is good (Genesis 1) including food, and nothing is to be rejected, if we receive it with gratitude as those who believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy 4:3-5) Thank You for providing the food which I prepare. Bless and sanctify it by Your word and by this my prayer. I offer to Your Lordship my appetite, the good digestion of the food, and its nourishment for my body and for the health of my family. (Romans 12:1)

Scripture declares that Your will for me is to prosper and be in health, even as my soul prospers. (3 John 2) Help me to wisely keep my body, soul, and spirit in the best condition so that I can daily walk in divine health to please and serve You. (Ephesians 5:10)

You said that man [and woman too!] does not live by bread alone, that the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy. (Romans 14:17) Teach me to watch and pray when I choose foods; show me how to eat only food that is nutritious and needful for me (Proverbs 30:8) lest I yield to the temptation of the flesh. You know, O Lord, that my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. (Mark 14:38) Nevertheless, I can do all things, even controlling my food selection and portions, through You who promised to strengthen me. (Philippians 2:13)

Help me eat only as much as I need for my body’s health. (Proverbs 25:16) In order to be a better witness for You, if I need to shed the weight that so easily besets me through poor eating habits, (Hebrews 12:1) may I grow the Fruit of the Spirit in temperance and self-control. (Galatians 5:16, 22-25)

Whenever I eat, may it be with joy and gladness as a celebration because You, gracious Father, have given us richly all things to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17) Give me a merry heart so that I may have a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15)

Lord Jesus, You were known in the breaking of bread whereby You revealed Your real presence. (Luke 24:30, 31) When I come to Your Eucharistic Table, I receive Your Body and Blood indeed. You, in turn, promised to be at our daily table to eat with me and my family. (Revelation 3:20) I acknowledge and welcome Your presence and preeminence among us who gather to eat. (Proverbs 3:6) May our conversation over food be pleasant as a honeycomb, sweet to our souls, health to our bones, and pleasing to You. (Proverbs 16:24)

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN

END

CONCERNING TREES

2011-01-31T16:57:00.005-05:00

I write this in the depth of winter when the leaves have fallen off the huge oak tree outside my picture window. I see just a few hardy leaves still dangling and dancing on the branches. Even those are being snatched off by strong winds that are harbingers of the coming freezing rain which is forecast to turn into a snowstorm.

Why do the trees in this climate lose their leaves at this season? With omnipotent foreknowledge, our Creator God designed trees to lose their leaves in winter so that when heavy snow and ice cling to the branches, they won’t break with the weight. Trees stand naked and to all appearances seem to be lifeless. In God’s marvelous cycle of the seasons, they are fully alive and awaiting their spring resurrection.

               God employs similes and metaphors to point us to truth about Himself and about us.
People of faith in Scripture are symbolized as sheep, buildings, fishermen, grain, children—
and trees.  "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and
whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers" ( Psalm 1:3).

God’s choice of a tree to illustrate a growing Christian is not specific to any chronological age, although the context of certain verses like Psalm 92: 13-16 describes God’s expectations for the aging believer in God. “The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow. They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bear fruit even to old age; vigorous and sturdy shall they be, declaring how just is the Lord, my Rock, in whom there is no wrong.” Vigorous and sturdy and flourishing are not ways one usually describes a person advancing in age, but that is God’s expectation for our spiritual lives. An insightful note from the NAB Catholic version on the above verse is, “Planted: the pious are so steadfast in attendance in the temple that they can figuratively be said to be rooted there.”

Other tree verses are found in Jeremiah 17:7, 8, “For he [the blessed one who believes in, relies on, hopes in and has confidence in the Lord] shall be like a tree planted by the waters, that spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not see and fear when heat comes, but his leaf shall be green; he shall not be anxious and careful in the year of drought, nor shall he cease from yielding fruit.” (From the Amplified version) The application is clear. The Christian must stay close to the Water of Life. And if there is no surface river, he can stretch his roots still deeper to an underground river, an “aquifer” of water far beneath the ground. It can’t be seen but is the invisible source for wells and springs. In drought time and in the heat of adverse circumstances, our lives and our witness, watered well, will still flourish and bear fruit and grow green leaves.

What is the significance of “their leaf shall not wither”? Leaves of a tree or plant have multiple functions. They receive and absorb nutrients from the sun and the atmosphere to nourish the whole process of fruit bearing. Leaves serve as a gentle protection and a covering for the developing fruit. They hide the fruit from predators. Leaves provide shade from the heat and shelter for people. Leaves help to identify the variety of tree even before fruit develops. People can’t see whether a root is healthy, but they can monitor our leaves and draw an accurate conclusion by observing whether our leaves, our actions and our words, are green and supple. If our leaves are dried up or withered, something is obviously wrong either with our root system or the environment. The application to our spiritual lives is obvious. Advancing age is not an excuse for allowing our spiritual lives to wither or become dry in contrast to the normal decline and withering of the human body.

               It's impossible for a tall tree to have high branches without having strong, deep roots.
It would become top-heavy and topple over in a storm.  The same is true of Christians.  It's
impossible to grow in the Lord without entwining our roots around His Word and deepening
our relationship with Jesus in order to be “steadfast and unmovable” as Scripture commands
us.

               May our roots grow deep in your Word, Lord, and may our branches reach ever higher to
praise You.  When winds of adversity come, help us to remain strong. It will be said of us, "They
will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor"
(Isaiah 61:3).

END