The great men of Athens were not long in learning of the presence in their city of a singular teacher who was setting before the people doctrines new and strange. Some of these men sought Paul out and entered into conversation with him. Soon a crowd of listeners gathered about them. Some were prepared to ridicule the apostle as one who was far beneath them both socially and intellectually, and these said jeeringly among themselves, “What will this babbler say?” Others, “because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection,” said, “He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods.”
Among those who encountered Paul in the market place were “certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics;” but they, and all others who came in contact with him, soon saw that he had a store of knowledge even greater than their own. His intellectual power commanded the respect of the learned; while his earnest, logical reasoning and the power of his oratory held the attention of all in the audience. His hearers recognized the fact that he was no novice, but was able to meet all classes with convincing arguments in support of the doctrines he taught. Thus the apostle stood undaunted, meeting his opposers on their own ground, matching logic with logic, philosophy with philosophy, eloquence with eloquence.
His heathen opponents called his attention to the fate of Socrates, who, because he was a setter forth of strange gods, had been condemned to death, and they counseled Paul not to endanger his life in the same way. But the apostle's discourses riveted the attention of the people, and his unaffected wisdom commanded their respect and admiration. He was not silenced by the science or the irony of the philosophers, and satisfying themselves that he was determined to accomplish his errand among them, and, at all hazards, to tell his story, they decided to give him a fair hearing.
They accordingly conducted him to Mars’ Hill. This was one of the most sacred spots in all Athens, and its recollections and associations were such as to cause it to be regarded with a superstitious reverence that in the minds of some amounted to dread. It was in this place that matters connected with religion were often carefully considered by men who acted as final judges on all the more important moral as well as civil questions.
Here, away from the noise and bustle of crowded thoroughfares, and the tumult of promiscuous discussion, the apostle could be heard without interruption. Around him gathered poets, artists, and philosophers—the scholars and sages of Athens, who thus addressed him: “May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? for thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know thereof what these things mean.”
In that hour of solemn responsibility, the apostle was calm and self-possessed. His heart was burdened with an important message, and the words that fell from his lips convinced his hearers that he was no idle babbler. “Ye men of Athens,” he said, “I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you.” With all their intelligence and general knowledge, they were ignorant of the God who created the universe. Yet there were some who were longing for greater light. They were reaching out toward the Infinite.
With hand outstretched toward the temple crowded with idols, Paul poured out the burden of his soul, and exposed the fallacies of the religion of the Athenians. The wisest of his hearers were astonished as they listened to his reasoning. He showed himself familiar with their works of art, their literature, and their religion. Pointing to their statuary and idols, he declared that God could not be likened to forms of man's devising. These graven images could not, in the faintest sense, represent the glory of Jehovah. He reminded them that these images had no life, but were controlled by human power, moving only when the hands of men moved them; and therefore those who worshiped them were in every way superior to that which they worshiped.
Paul drew the minds of his idolatrous hearers beyond the limits of their false religion to a true view of the Deity, whom they had styled the “Unknown God.” This Being, whom he now declared unto them, was independent of man, needing nothing from human hands to add to His power and glory.
The people were carried away with admiration for Paul's earnest and logical presentation of the attributes of the true God—of His creative power and the existence of His overruling providence. With earnest and fervid eloquence the apostle declared, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” The heavens were not large enough to contain God, how much less were the temples made by human hands!
Among those who listened to the words of Paul were some to whose minds the truths presented brought conviction, but they would not humble themselves to acknowledge God and to accept the plan of salvation. No eloquence of words, no force of argument, can convert the sinner. The power of God alone can apply the truth to the heart. He who persistently turns from this power cannot be reached. The Greeks sought after wisdom, yet the message of the cross was to them foolishness because they valued their own wisdom more highly than the wisdom that comes from above.
In their pride of intellect and human wisdom may be found the reason why the gospel message met with comparatively little success among the Athenians. The worldly-wise men who come to Christ as poor lost sinners, will become wise unto salvation; but those who come as distinguished men, extolling their own wisdom, will fail of receiving the light and knowledge that He alone can give.
Thus Paul met the paganism of his day. His labors in Athens were not wholly in vain. Dionysius, one of the most prominent citizens, and some others, accepted the gospel message and united themselves fully with the believers.
Inspiration has given us this glance into the life of the Athenians, who, with all their knowledge, refinement, and art, were yet sunken in vice, that it might be seen how God, through His servant, rebuked idolatry and the sins of a proud, self-sufficient people. The words of the apostle, and the description of his attitude and surroundings, as traced by the pen of inspiration, were to be handed down to all coming generations, bearing witness of his unshaken confidence, his courage in loneliness and adversity, and the victory he gained for Christianity in the very heart of paganism.
Paul's words contain a treasure of knowledge for the church. He was in a position where he might easily have said that which would have irritated his proud listeners and brought himself into difficulty. Had his oration been a direct attack upon their gods and the great men of the city, he would have been in danger of meeting the fate of Socrates. But with a tact born of divine love, he carefully drew their minds away from heathen deities, by revealing to them the true God, who was to them unknown.
Today the truths of Scripture are to be brought before the great men of the world in order that they may choose between obedience to God's law and allegiance to the prince of evil. God sets everlasting truth before them—truth that will make them wise unto salvation, but He does not force them to accept it. If they turn from it, He leaves them to themselves, to be filled with the fruit of their own doings.
“The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.” 1 Corinthians 1:18, 19, 27, 28. Many of the greatest scholars and statesmen, the world's most eminent men, will in these last days turn from the light because the world by wisdom knows not God. Yet God's servants are to improve every opportunity to communicate the truth to these men. Some will acknowledge their ignorance of the things of God and will take their place as humble learners at the feet of Jesus, the Master Teacher.
In every effort to reach the higher classes, the worker for God needs strong faith. Appearances may seem forbidding, but in the darkest hour there is light above. The strength of those who love and serve God will be renewed day by day. The understanding of the Infinite is placed at their service, that in carrying out His purposes they may not err. Let these workers hold the beginning of their confidence firm unto the end, remembering that the light of God's truth is to shine amid the darkness that enshrouds our world. There is to be no despondency in connection with God's service. The faith of the consecrated worker is to stand every test brought to bear upon it. God is able and willing to bestow upon His servants all the strength they need and to give them the wisdom that their varied necessities demand. He will more than fulfill the highest expectations of those who put their trust in Him.


...for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure (Isaiah 46:9,10)
So, what is God's pleasure? What does God want? What is the "end" God has declared from the beginning? There are answers to these questions. God has a plan in place. When complete, His plan will achieve all that He wants. As we study the plan we will see that God allows the world to be the way it is now - with evil, war and suffering - for good reason; there is a purpose for allowing evil to continue for a while. And we will see that there is, in fact, a very special meaning and purpose for our lives.
Let's begin with the "big picture": with a look at where we end up when all is said and done, when God's plan is fulfilled. Near the end of the last book of the Bible the apostle John paints the picture with these words:
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:1-4)
Out in the future, there will be a new heaven and earth, replacing the heaven and earth we have now. "Heaven" here means everything - everywhere - in the physical universe above the surface of the earth. There are Bible verses, for example, about "the fowls of heaven" (vultures, hawks, eagles in the air), "the clouds of heaven" and "the stars of heaven." Although the word heaven does occasionally refer to the "place" where we like to think God lives, it often refers only to the physical realm above the earth.
God's goal, as revealed above, is to "dwell with" us and "be with" us forever. His plan, when it is complete, is to live with us. What God wants - and is looking for - is men and women He can live with forever! God, as we will see, is doing more than looking for men and women He can live with; actually, He is creating them. Creation is not finished: the most important part of creation is in process, now! God, through Jesus, is creating family that He can live with forever. Part of the gospel, the good news Jesus brought, is that each of us can be redeemed to God and then take part in this creation process... if we are willing.
Forever is permanent; it has no end. God - who knows our heart even better than we do - will very carefully choose those to whom He will grant eternal life, to dwell with Him forever. It has been said we can choose our friends, but not our relatives... but God can - and will - choose His relatives, His sons and daughters. A few verses later John wrote:
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:7,8)
As you can see, there will be some - perhaps a great many - that will not be accepted as God's sons and daughters. They will perish forever in "the second death" - a permanent death without hope of return to life.
The verses above mentioned overcoming. This ties right back to the creation process: overcoming is required for change, for the creation of the special sort of men and women God wants. Each of us changes only when we are willing. To repent is to recognize that changes are needed and to be willing, with God's help, to make those changes. We must be resolved to change, to overcome.
Overcoming is not easy, but we are each called to it: it is the "narrow way, which leadeth unto life":
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Jesus, in Matthew 7:13,14)
Jesus said "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3 and 5). Outside of repentance and the creation process there is neither hope nor future for us. We will not be part of God's family. We can not be part of God's plan.
If we are willing to change, God is ready to lead us. He will dwell in us and guide us, bringing to mind the ways we need to change, much as a good parent will guide a child. The apostle Paul quoted God's promise:
I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:16-18)
Through a right relationship with God can we overcome and grow in godly character. The apostle Paul urged the Ephesians to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). God is creating character based on love and on a right relationship with Him. By knowing, obeying and abiding in Him we gain insight into His character: His perfect humility, love and righteousness. He promised to "manifest" or reveal himself to them that obey Him (John 14:21). With that insight we see how to proceed on the "narrow way, which leadeth unto life."
Now you can see why Jesus, when He summarized the commandments, stressed loving God; it is the only way we can fit into God's plan!
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)
Many have been taught that God just wants us to love our fellow man. God does want us to love each other, but Jesus showed that loving each other comes second to knowing and loving God. The only way we can fit into God's plan is through a right relationship with Him; that relationship, producing life-long growth through overcoming, creates the character God is looking for. God is looking for - creating - people He can live with forever.
Good works are not the purpose of a Christian life: they are the result of it. Through a right relationship with God, He leads us to build loving, righteous character; then we will automatically produce good works.
I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (Jesus, in John 15:5)
What does God want? God wants us as family. What does God want for us? Jesus said "...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). What does God want from us? God wants us to be repentant: willing to change and overcome and grow in godly character through a right relationship with Him. Without that relationship we will be excluded from eternal life with God; we will be lost.
So, how can we learn to love God, as Jesus taught? How do you "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" and become a part of God's plan, living with Him for eternity? We learn to love God and develop a right relationship with Him through a spiritual process: salvation. Some use the word conversion, but to many that means nothing more than an intellectual acceptance of doctrine. Salvation goes far beyond this, and beyond changing the way we act. It is about changing the way we relate to God and it is about changing what we are: becoming the "new man" Paul wrote about, "created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).
|home:||What God Wants...|
|next:||What is Salvation?|
|The Kingdom of God|
|God has a Plan|
|other topics, in no particular order:|
|Are you "saved"? Understanding redemption and salvation|
|Are the unsaved tormented in hell forever?|
|The Ten Commandments, attitude and obedience|
|Did Elijah go to heaven?|
|Did the apostle Paul expect to go to heaven when he died?|
|An historian writes about the Kingdom of God|
|Three days and three nights?|
|Jesus, paradise and the thief|
|Lazarus and the rich man|
|The Garden of Eden|
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|International missionaries have the opportunity to have a tour at Salt Lake City Temple Square. Here is the Conference Center. It is where every General Conference is held.|
Friday, February 26, 2016
Hereon are my proceedings and dealings of my life as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am assigned to labor in Vanuatu Port Vila Mission, particularly in New Caledonia Mission Region speaking French language. I enter at Missionary Training Center Provo, Utah last January 26, 2016. Im staying here for 6 weeks. MTC is so great! I learned a lot here. I'll miss this place when I leave for Vanuatu.


There are different kind of retreats. The Garden of Gospel Peace Retreat Center offers the infrastructure for a retreat, but the retreat is made by the retreatant itself.
Personal Retreat (single or small group)
A personal retreat in our Retreat Center is a time of solitude. The retreat is held in silence. The retreatant tries to find inner peace. Reflection, prayer or meditation are the main exercises during the retreat. The guest is free to participate in community prayer and Holy Mass. For guests who wish to have some spiritual accompaniment there is a Franciscan priest available for individual talks in English, Thai and Indonesian language. Accompaniment in Thai language is available on request. Please contact the Retreat Director.
A group retreat is organized, with one or more preachers. Usually the retreat has a specific topic. Groups who come to the Garden of Gospel Peace Retreat Center bring their own preacher. If you do not have a preacher, the Franciscan Friars are available but with a prior request and confirmation.


Christian dating is he the one
We’ve been through a lot together–hard things that I wouldn’t have made it through if he wasn’t by my side.
The dilemma I am having is do I overlook the bad in him and accept him or should I move on with my life?
The problem of course is that as a single Christian man, not only are you going to marry a sinner, but are a sinner as well.
It’s something that the person who is inquiring, needs to deal with in a very intentional and mature manner.If there is always that possibility, then you must ask yourself whether this person has the qualities you will need in a husband. Ask yourself these questions: How strong is his relationship with Jesus Christ? How passionate is he about reading God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers in a biblically solid church? However, in Ephesians Paul compares a husband’s role toward his wife with that of Christ’s role toward His Bride, the Church, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, the she might be holy and without blemish,” (Ephesians -27, emphasis mine).Christ’s role and a husband’s role do differ because only Christ alone can truly cleanse us.And if he is not ready to be a husband, dating him could only have a sorrowful outcome.Marriage is a covenantal bond between a man and a woman where there is dependence—to a certain extent.


Christmas reminds us that hope can rise in darkness, from nothing. Born “illegitimate” to refugees in poverty, he changed the story. His life ripples through time in a way that continues to affect so many of us. There is hope in the cold of winter, in the darkest times, in displacement, and in the muck. Birthing that hope requires journeying and pain, but these holidays and rituals serve to remind us of the truths in life that are worth the struggle.
Hope comes again.
Peace comes again.
Joy comes again.
Love comes again.
Let us be willing to make the difficult journey to bring them forth. Let us fall on our knees and hear the angels singing. Bring divinity into the world.


Since 2014, when the Vatican revealed what the world believed to be the true extent of sexual abuse in the Catholic church, a steady stream of revelations has continued to emerge.
This time, amid uproar sparked by an article from the Vatican’s women’s magazine, Women Church World, Pope Francis publicly admitted for the first time that nuns have suffered years of abuse by Catholic priests and bishops. What really caught the world’s attention was his description of one example of such abuse as “sexual slavery.”
The Latest Clergy Sexual Abuse Revelation to Take the World by Storm
In the February issue of Women Church World, editor Lucetta Scaraffia denounced the sexual abuse of nuns by priests, “made even worse by the fact that abuse of women brings about procreation and is therefore at the origin of forced abortions and children who aren’t recognized by priests.”
Last week, the pope was asked by a reporter how he plans to confront the issue.
Francis stated that when it comes to the sexual abuse of nuns by the clergy, “It’s not that everyone does this, but there have been priests and bishops who have.” The pope also noted that abuse continues to go on because it takes more than a simple realization of widespread abuse for it to end. Meanwhile, the Vatican has suspended some clerics, sent others away and dissolved certain orders of nuns that were caught up in cycles of abuse.
Then, praising Pope Benedict XVI for taking action in 2013 against the founder of a French religious order, Francis said the order’s clergymen had subjected the nuns to “sexual slavery.”
To date, much of the clergy sexual abuse scandal has focused on minors. But according to Scaraffia, the sexual abuse of religious women – and the abortions that sometimes result though Catholicism forbids it – has long been a problem, too. And it’s happening all over the world. Sadly, she noted, nuns have been silenced for years for fear of retaliation.
Her story follows a statement published last November by the International Union of Superiors General (U.I.S.G.), an organization that represents women’s Catholic religious orders, which denounced the “culture of silence and secrecy” that prevents nuns from speaking out.
“If the U.I.S.G. receives a report of abuse, we will be a listening presence,” the statement said.
While advocates for abused nuns are relieved the problem is finally gaining more attention, they say it’s been a long time coming. The pope added the Vatican will do more to protect nuns, but will it?
The Abuse of Nuns Has Been Overshadowed in the Past – What About the Future?
The pope’s comments come as he and the Vatican prepare to address the long-running issue of the clergy’s abuse of children. Similar to those cases, one expert told the New York Times, the abuse of nuns occurs in relationships of spiritual guidance where the priest grooms the nun over time. In other cases, sexual favors are required of nuns who rely on priests financially.
The pope attributes this to the church’s problematic roots in “seeing women as second class.” The traditional subservience of nuns has bred a culture that leads priests to believe themselves the higher authority. In fact, many members of the church suffer from a “medieval mindset,” the New York Times notes, and consider abusive priests themselves as “victims of seductive temptresses.”
Experts say there’s no data on how widespread the problem is. Yet nuns all over the world have submitted private reports to the Vatican on issues regarding rape, sexual harassment and forced abortions since as far back as the 1990s.
Unfortunately, the church has long shown a tendency for inaction. In the United States, survivor advocates have criticized the Vatican’s slow response to major scandals and lack of transparency about how they’re investigated. The pope himself has been criticized for dismissing past accusations against bishops. If the church “continues to close its eyes” to the abuse of nuns, too, wrote Scaraffia, “the condition of oppression of women in the church will never change.”
So far, the Vatican has at least sought to clarify what the pope meant by last week’s comments.
“When the Holy Father, referring to the dissolving of a congregation, spoke of ‘sexual slavery,’ he meant ‘manipulation,’” the pope’s spokesman, Alessandro Gisotti, said in a statement.
For her part, Scaraffia is confident that “the pope understands the problem.”
“This is surely the first step,” she added. “Finally, now many women will have the courage to come forward and denounce their abusers.”
The pope is expected to further address the issue in an upcoming meeting in Rome, Feb. 21 to 24, where he will cover the broader global issue of clergy sexual abuse.


Welcome to Camp Lutherland!
2023 Summer Camp – save the dates:
Kids Camp: (ages 8-10) July 9 – 13, 2023
Youth Camp: (ages 11-14) July 16 – 20, 2023
About Camp Lutherland:
Camp Lutherland is located on the Qu’Appelle lakes, these beautiful grounds are available year round, except for weeks where summer camp programs are running.
To honor God with Camp Lutherland as a place where all God’s children can build memories of eternal hope in a loving Savior.
People need the opportunity for physical rest and relaxation. Christian people also need and wish for the added opportunity for spiritual rejuvenation, Christian fellowship, and the communion of God. The purpose of Lutherland is to provide Christ-centered programs which complement the ministry of the Church by offering opportunities for growth through planned activities in an outdoor environment so that people, particularly the young, may:
- Learn to know God and His love in Jesus Christ more fully.
- Explore who the are in God’s sight and contemplate their role in life as God’s children.
- Grow in their relationship with other people.
- Strengthen family bonds through opportunities for family camping.
Get in Touch
214 Lake Rd, Pasqua, SK, Canada
General Inquiries: 306-550-2659 (Note: Please make reservation requests by email – no text messages accepted)
The camp is available for church groups, family gatherings and other events. If you are interested in a tour of the facility please contact the Camp Administrator.
Fort Qu’Appelle, SK S0G 1S0
Copyright Camp Lutherland – All rights reserved


David, although born in Chicago, was raised in Austin, TX and, like most children in the South, grew up in the church. It wasn’t until he was 16 years old, however, did he make the independent decision to follow Christ. It was at his church youth revival that he was saved under his youth pastor Rodney D. Walker. From this moment on David was zealous about following God and disciping others. Soon after getting saved he learned diligently as much as he could about his responsibility as a follower of Christ and also eventually started a bible study at his high school. His desire to minister to others about God throughout his walk over the years has most recently lead to the founding of Truth or Culture.
David is a Texan Southern University alumnus with a Bachelor of Art in Media Studies. When he is not spreading the Gospel of Christ he is working in video production, along with his brother. He has also been the recipient of the Best Documentary of the Year award at the HBCU Film Festival (2006) for his film production covering survivors of Hurricane Katrina.


In an increasingly secular world, how are Christians called to live?
In this book, I take readers back to the first few centuries of the church to show how the earliest Christians engaged their culture. Looking to great theologians like Augustine, Origen, and Tertullian, I discuss the ways the early church approached politics, family, public life, and more. From these examples, I draws lessons for practicing authentic, pious discernment in how we engage with the wider culture.
Following in their footsteps, we can sanctify our society through social witness. Readers anxious about shifting cultural tides will be left with hope in the already-present kingdom of God and the promised resurrection.


The Holy Rosary devotion is a chain of prayers that go through the entire life of Jesus Christ. It covers the Annunciation, the Visitation of Our Lady to Elizabeth, the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Finding of the child in the temple in the 5 joyful mysteries. The sorrowful mysteries cover the agony in the garden, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion. The Glorious mysteries are the Resurrection, the Ascencion, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption and the Coronation of Our Lady as the Queen of Heaven. The Mysteries of Light were recently added, they are the Baptism of Our Lord, the Wedding at Cana, the proclamation of the Word of God, the Transfiguration and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist.


In early December I started mulling over the one word I would focus on for 2013. I haven’t done this an official way before though in this past year God was speaking to me so clearly through the idea of “making me new.” The idea that newness was coming gave me courage to push through, not settle for janky living, not lose hope.
For 2013, as I prayed I believe the Lord led me to the word: Establish. I’m praying this year is about establishing new habits, establishing our home, establishing our marriage, establishing new parenting skills, establishing our finances, establishing ourselves. Establishing something is laying root, giving foundation to that which is new. My year of establishment is building on all that God has wonderfully resurrected in me in these past few years.
Establishing, root laying, digging out a basement, foundation laying, etc. they all happen beneath the surface. As I ponder this word, I am keenly aware that what God is calling me to this year is preparatory in nature. It’s prep work, it’s the hard labor, it’s the foundation of the house that only He can build.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us-
yes, establish the work of our hands.
Establishing is not the exciting stuff, the flash in the pan stuff, nor the adventurous stuff. (i.e. the totally lame stuff) Establishing something -painstaking as it can be- is what provides long-term sustainability. Long-term health, growth & peace. That’s what I need, and that’s what this little family of mine needs: a good foundation to build on.
I suspect everything about the pursuit of establishment is going to feel just a little bit icky, a little bit off, a little bit scary. This is I know, if in a year from now all my “big rocks” are in a healthy, established, thriving place I’ll be truly ready for whatever is next.
Tell me, peeps do you have a word you’re milling over for 2013? If you want to learn more about it, go check out #OneWord365 or @oneword365 over on Twitter. Sit. Think. Dwell. Get your word for 2013. You deserve it. If you have it, please share it here!


Asked about the attack that killed 12 people at the offices of Charlie Hebdo – targeted because it had printed depictions of the prophet Muhammad – he said: “One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith. “There is a limit. Every religion has its dignity … in freedom of expression there are limits.” He gestured to Alberto Gasparri, who organises papal trips and was standing by his side, and added: “If my good friend Dr Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s normal. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.” Cautioning against provocation he said the right to liberty of expression came with the obligation to speak for “the common good”.It seems no matter how many times I point this out I always end up needing to repeat it again: "Freedom of speech means freedom for those who you despise, and freedom to express the most despicable views." Anything else is simply not free speech. The problem that Pope Francis has here is that his beliefs and his institution has enjoyed a position of privilege for a very long time. Oh, I grant you that they struggled for recognition in the beginning as the Roman Empire wobbled back and forth between Christian and pagan beliefs but eventually the matter was settled by law and sword that Christianity was the official religion and all others were eradicated. In its golden age after the fall of the empire the Catholic Church was still the supreme power in the Western world (and perhaps the entire known world if it hadn't been for those pesky Persians) making kings and their kingdoms dance to their tune. There was a time when even suggesting anything contrary to official church dogma could earn you a visit from an Inquisitor and if you didn't recant quick enough you'd be lucky to get away with your limbs intact, let alone your flesh unburnt.
|We no longer live in a world where the Church can terrorize the average citizen with torture or death with impunity, but that assumption of privilege is still there. Today in the secular world you can criticize art, fashion, news, parenting, politics and just about anything else that we interact with, but woe betide those who dare to criticize religion or religious beliefs! "You cannot make fun of the faith of others." Actually, yes. Yes you can, and you should. There is no idea, no concept, no institution or practice that is so sacred that it should not be held up to scrutiny and criticized. It doesn't matter if your religion is Buddhism, Christianity, Islam or Zoroastrianism, your beliefs are no better than anyone else's and if you think otherwise you are invited to show us how. We've been waiting for that evidence for thousands of years, and I'm not holding out hope that any will be forthcoming in the next few thousand years.|


Also an interesting aspect of Santeria is that it is so closely tied to Catholicism. Churches dedicated to Catholic Saints attract both Catholic and Santeria pilgrims because the Saints exist in both religions. On top, is a statue representing the Black Madonna in the Church of Regla in Havana, Cuba on August 3, 2016. The Church of Regla is a sanctuary for La Santísima Virgen de Regla worshiped in the Catholic faith as patron Saint of mariners and worshiped in the Santería religion as Yemayá, the Spirit of water and the oceans. Below, is the Church of Rincon, outside of Havana dedicated to the Catholic Saint, Lazarus, who is patron saint of healing. In his Biblical story, he is a poor man with crutches who is risen from the dead by Jesus and cured of all his ailments. Lazarus is represented by BabalÃº Aye in Santería as the Spirit who heals health problems.


The new Trinity Northside Drop-In Center, previously known as Trinity Episcopal Soup Kitchen, continues New Bethany’s work to build a community of support for people experiencing poverty, hunger, and homelessness.
“A few years ago, Trinity Soup Kitchen’s largest funding source ended due to the closing of its primary philanthropic benefactor. At that time, Trinity Church sought out New Bethany as a potential partner to keep the Kitchen serving its guests on the north side of Bethlehem,” said the Rev. Dr. Pamela Payne, Trinity Episcopal Church. “New Bethany’s vision of a northside center coalesced with Trinity’s need to address some long-term building issues, so the movement of the Trinity Kitchen to another location serves both long-term goals very well. Trinity Episcopal Church is delighted to remain connected to the Kitchen and grateful for the vision of New Bethany.”
Christ Church UCC is a service-oriented congregation that offers many other social services, including a bagged delivery lunch program and emergency overnight shelter in winter, both operated by Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering, and clothes and toiletry distribution operated by S.T.A.R. Bethlehem. With this move, guests of the Trinity Northside Drop-In Center benefit from the convenience of all of the programs offered at this location.
“It’s our mission at New Bethany to serve the entire population of Bethlehem and Lehigh Valley at large, and the new drop-in center allows us to provide the same life-changing assistance to residents in the Northside as we’ve been in the Southside,” said New Bethany’s Associate Executive Director Veronne Demesyeux, LMSW.
Trinity Northside Drop-In Center offers the same resources and follows the same schedule at this new location, providing hot takeout lunches daily from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.


I am a wife, sister, mother to seven adult children (3 biological and 4 non-biological) and grandmother to fifteen grandchildren and great grandmother to three great grandchildren.
Whilst, I'm currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa I have lived and studied in both South Africa and the United States. As an educator and minister I have acquired over 40 years experience in both the Education field and Christian Ministry.
Nine years ago, I felt personally called into the pastoral realm and in 2015 I was officially ordained as a pastor.
As an ordained pastor, I further undertook additional studies and have since been certified as an Abundance and Life Coach as well as being an Neuro Linguistics Practitioner.
Pastor, Christian Counselor, Life Coach
Setting Personal Goals
Life Coaching & NLP Practitioner
"The journey towards a healed and whole life begins with the level of vulnerability we are willing to let ourselves experience in the presence of our loved ones and moreover our Creator
From here we begin your journey to healing."
Having lived a full life (without disclosing my age, of course) I, like so many of us, have experienced life's toughest challenges.
Challenges in the form of loss, grief, depression, divorce and brokenness. And I have seen the power of the mind, and the mind's ability to re-calibrate and align itself for success. I have also seen the innate desire within us all to get back up, to fight again, to reignite our spirit through sheer determination, grit, connection with others, to love and be loved.
More importantly, I have witnessed God's goodness and grace sweep across my life and the lives of so many others to restore our brokenness and take us from ground to glory.
My mission is to passionately empower women from all different walks of life to reach their full divine potential through personal pastoral counseling.


NCU Graduate to Deliver 114th Commencement Address
Northwest Christian University (NCU) is pleased to announce that alumnus, Dr. E. LeRoy “Roy” Lawson, will deliver the commencement address at the 114th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 11, 2013.
Dr. Lawson joined the full-time faculty of Emmanuel Christian Seminary in January 2012, after an association with the seminary that goes back to its first year of classes in 1965. He has served as trustee, adjunct professor, visiting lecturer, and now serves as professor of Christian ministries with special emphases in church administration and leadership, spiritual formation, and preaching.
Prior to his tenure at Emmanuel, Dr. Lawson served as president of Hope International University in Fullerton, Calif., from 1990 to 2003. During his first nine years at Hope, he also served as the senior minister of Central Christian Church in Mesa, Ariz., a position he held from 1979 to 1999 while the congregation grew from an average of 490 in 1978 to around 4500 in 1999.
In 2004, Dr. Lawson returned to Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMFI), a leading mission organization associated with Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. He had been candidate secretary for the agency in 1964-1968 and then a long-time board member. As international consultant, he speaks and writes on behalf of CMFI, advises churches regarding their outreach programs, represents CMFI in national and international Christian leadership meetings, regularly visits mission fields to conduct seminars and encourage missionaries, and acts as consultant to the executive director and staff.
Earlier ministries included youth director with St. Johns Christian Church in Portland, Ore.; founding pastor of the Tigard Christian Church in Ore.; teacher at Tigard Union High School; assistant professor of English, department chair, director of Humanities Program, administrative assistant to the president, and vice president of Milligan College in Tenn.; and senior pastor of East 38th Street Christian Church, Ind.
Dr. Lawson holds bachelor’s degrees from Northwest Christian University (1960) and Cascade College, a master of arts in teaching from Reed College, and a doctor of philosophy in English from Vanderbilt University.
While a student at NCU, Dr. Lawson served as student body president and met and married his wife, Joy (Whitney) Lawson.


*Disclaimer: I didn't take any of these pictures. I keep forgetting to bring my camera with me :)*
~The view of Y Mountain. Practically anywhere on campus you can look up and see the Y. I really like that because it is just a simple reminder to me and helps me stay focused on "Y" I'm here. It also reminds me to stay curious and to wonder about things. :)
~The people here are all so friendly and willing to help you. All the professors and staff and even the bookstore employees are so nice. Even during the huge textbook rush they had a smile and cheerful hello for you. I'm just surrounded by good people and I love it!
~The hourly bell chimes. Every hour they play the first line of "Come Come Ye Saints" followed by the hour chime. Every time I hear it, the words go through my head: "Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear; but with joy wend your way." It is such a good reminder that we are all (or most of us anyway) saints of God, members of the church working towards our educational goals. It is also good because I get that uplift and reminder that a college education requires a lot of hard work, but that I can do it. I don't need to shrink from the workload; I should face it head-on and with the Lord's help, I can do it all.
~The duck pond! This is my new-found place of solitude, meditation, peace and tranquility. I love sitting under the shady trees and watching all the ducks walking around, swimming, sleeping, bickering, and talking back and forth. They are very tame and will walk right up to you. I just think it's so fun!
~Incorporating the Gospel into secular discussions. It is so cool to be able to freely incorporate the Gospel and our testimonies into comments in class! Some of my professors even use quotes from the Prophet and General Authorities in class or before the lesson to set the tone. It's great!
Anyway, there are some of my favorite things. As my American Heritage TA said, "It's terrific! The Gospel's true!" (Of course he was talking about the football game but...) I feel my Savior's love in all the world around me! :D


Okay, guys. I know I’ve been gone for 10 days. But I’ve got a great excuse, I promise! From the time of my last post until this past Monday I was busy, busy, busy sewing up cornhole bags for our church and doing all the shopping and packing that goes into getting ready for a week at church camp. Then on Monday we headed up to Big Ridge State Park for Walridge Baptist Church Youth Camp 2014. It was an AMAZING week! The devil was working hard to throw distractions in our way, but we had 13 souls saved, and tons of decisions made in service of the Lord! We got back yesterday afternoon, and tonight we had our camp meeting at church.
It was my plan to have some posts pre-scheduled – unfortunately there just wasn’t time. But I’m back now, and I can’t wait to get back to posting!


Archival Pigment Print by Kenneth Jarecke
Printed by the artist.
Image size: 6 x 9 on 8.5 x 11 matte paper.
Image size: 12 x 18 on 17 x 22 matte paper.
Signed on the front. Signed and dated on the reverse.
About the image:
Built by Emperor Justinian in 547AD, Our Lady of Saidnaya is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world.
It is home to an icon of St. Mary attributed to St. Luke. The monastery is revered by both Christians and Muslims.
I made my first pilgrimage back in 1993. One of the nuns whispered to my wife that she was with child, and sure enough our daughter Shadya was born less than nine months later.
All of the proceeds from this event will be donated to International Orthodox Christian Charities and will be used to directly help the people of Syria.


A few weeks ago I tried, in my feeble way, to express why I fell in love with the Catholic Church. I received many gracious and grateful responses from others who felt the same way, some of them converts like me.
Inevitably, there were also a few jeers, directed not so much against me as against the Church. Some dredged up old scandals of wicked popes, or supposedly shocking utterances of Catholic saints, or mere clichés of traditional anti-Catholic polemics. Most of these were meant to embarrass, not to persuade; the usual ahistorical nuggets.
What is startling is the perpetual passion of anti-Catholicism. You’d think that by now people who reject Catholicism would calmly ignore its teachings as old and irrelevant superstitions. After all, the Church has none of her old political power, adherence is now totally voluntary, and she has enough trouble getting her own children to listen to her.
But Catholicism still has a strange moral authority, and many people are unable to achieve a calm and assured disbelief. They are still driven to discredit the Church — perhaps for the same reason so many of us believe in her.
Catholicism offers a complete and comprehensive morality, one which most of us still recognize as the faith of our fathers. Bit by bit, the world, including other churches, has abandoned much of this morality; the Church continues to teach it, even when some of her own priests scandalously violate it.
A few generations ago, nearly all Christians shared the same sexual morality. They abhorred artificial birth control, for example. Many state laws banning the sale of contraceptive devices in this country were passed by Protestant majorities while Catholics were politically weak.
Gradually, however, Protestants ceased to oppose contraception, and Catholicism almost alone continued to condemn it. What had long been a consensus became censured as a “Catholic position.” We now see the same process well under way with abortion and homosexuality.
If cannibalism ever becomes popular, and the rest of the world, led by its progressive-minded intellectuals, decides that anthropophagy is a basic constitutional right, opposing cannibalism will become a “Catholic position” too. Catholics will once more be accused of wanting to “impose” their “views” on everyone else (even when they are far too weak to do so), and the reformers will cry, “Let’s keep government out of the kitchen!”
I don’t defend the Church’s morality because I am a Catholic. I became and remain a Catholic because the Church maintains a consistent morality — while the rest of the world keeps veering off into moral fads. My conviction that she is right is only strengthened by the world’s strident demand that she change along with it, as if it were a sort of moral duty to change one’s principles, like underwear, with reasonable frequency.
“The world” includes many nominal Catholics who side with the secular world against their own Church. These are the Catholics you are most likely to see in the major media. They deny the Church’s authority to keep teaching what she has always taught, yet they can’t rest until she approves their pet vices — contraception, sodomy, same-sex marriage, and all the rest.
Notice that the proposed reforms usually have to do with sex. When the Church refuses to change, she is accused of being “obsessed” with sex, when it’s really her critics who are obsessed with it. Catholic morality recognizes seven deadly sins, of which lust is only one; but this happens to be the one the modern world can’t stop thinking about. Nobody demands that the Church “change its outdated teachings against sloth.”
At any rate, the Church can’t change. She can no more change her teaching about lust than her equally emphatic teachings about pride, gluttony, and sloth, because God has made the world as it is and no human will can repeal its moral order. These aren’t the Pope’s personal opinions; they are objective truths.
Powerless, hardly able to keep her own flock in line, and betrayed by many of her shepherds, the Church is still treated as a threat. All she really threatens is the false comfort of the dormant conscience; but this is enough to make bitter enemies.
After all, her Founder warned her not to expect gratitude from men for trying to save their souls. She is the mother of Western civilization, and to this day, all too often, she is blamed for everything and thanked for nothing.


May this be a morning of innocent beginning,
When the gift within you slips clear
Of the sticky web of the personal
With its hurt and hauntings,
And fixed fortress corners,
A morning when you become a pure vessel
For what wants to ascend from silence,
May your imagination know
The grace of perfect danger,
And the wheel of repetition,
To reach beyond imitation,
Deep into the call of all
The unfinished and unsolved
Until the veil of the unknown yields
And something original begins
To stir toward your senses
And grow stronger in your heart...
Excerpt from the blessing, 'For the Artist at the Start of Day' in the books, Benedictus (Europe)
30 years ago, probably almost to the day the Director of Ordinands of Coventry Diocese was holding a POTTY - training session for us new curates. POTTY standing for ‘Post Ordination Training’. He said this: ‘Have you ever considered that the reason you are here now, as newly ordained people, is because it was the only way God could think of to keep you in the Christian Way.’ I have often thought of that during these years in ordained stipendiary ministry. And there is some truth in it. A role that keeps you coming back to the bible on a weekly basis, if only because of the requirement to preach on Sunday, has meant that I have engaged with Holy Scriptures much more than I would have done left to my own devices.
Then there is prayer. The railing against, pleading with, seeking out, of prayer, has kept my relationship with God on the agenda. Too many stories that could be told – but one was when on one Christmas Eve – I heard the news that a young man who lived with muscular dystrophy had died unexpectedly and I knew I had no choice but to go and visit the family – because there was a personal connection, our daughter Liz was going out with that young man’s brother. I remember making my way towards the house – between the Crib Service at 5pm and the Midnight Service that was due to start at 11pm – telling God in no uncertain terms that his timing was lousy and what on earth could I say that would be of any help. So many times, I have found myself without a clue what to do or say. So many times, I have heard afterwards that those moments proved to be turning points for good for the individuals involved. I have thought more than once about the grace of a God who seems to manage to reach into peoples’ lives despite not because of the best efforts of the church and her clergy. As I said, there are too many tales to recount here – but when I have finished my memoir, I will be sure to send you a copy!
It has been a privilege to be vicar of Swindon and Himley during the last few years of my stipendiary ministry. I hope that there will be future opportunities to preach and lead worship – but they will be on a different basis.
This past, nearly six years, have been a blessing to Ian and me – and our wider family. Being in a half time post has meant that I have been able to attend art school – which I hope has brought added value to my ministry here – it has certainly felt like a gift to me to be able to do that. I have appreciated the willingness of people to participate in Alpha courses, study courses, and try new things in worship. I am aware I am not the most organised person – something I now know is because I am an artist! I attend an Art School full of well intentioned but somewhat disorganised people like me. So, for churchwardens and organists past and present I imagine it has been a trial enduring my last-minute planning. For the current holders of those offices, Olwyn, Keith, Caroline in Swindon, Frank, and Caroline in Himley, – I salute your endurance. And more, I have appreciated your friendship and support and the role of a half time vicar would not have been possible without your commitment.
Ian, Liz and Emily, my family, who also began this journey with me, thank you for being willing supporters. And in more recent years – they have been joined by Matt, Hope and Eowyn – a great asset to the vicarage family. I could not have made this journey without you.
This puts me in mind of the poem by Robert Frost – The Road Not Taken.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Image: Hinksford Woods.
Over Christmas some words I saw on social media struck me which were offered in the face of the worsening news about Coronavirus and in the context of the Christmas story –
“we are drawn by hope, not driven by fear.”
May that be true of each one of us as we journey forward into our unknown future.
You will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers – we will not be moving to our house in Warwickshire until sometime in February – so you may still see us around. I arrived as a stranger to be vicar, but I hope that as we leave, Ian and I are experienced as friends – and that those friendships continue in some shape or form.
Thanks, you again for allowing me the privilege of being your parish priest, and your kindness towards me in the final years of my stipendiary ministry.
God’s richest blessing to you for 2021.


'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 'Give us this day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.]'
Church of the Sequoias ~ Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks, CA
Email Contact for Pastor Harry email@example.com


"The (Roman Catholic) Church is profoundly and irrevocably committed to reject all anti-Semitism and to continue to build good and lasting relations between our two communities."
Benedict sparked anger last month when he lifted excommunications on Richard Williamson, an ultra-traditionalist bishop, who denies gas chambers were used in the Holocaust, and three other bishops.
Benedict has said he was not aware of Williamson's denial of the Holocaust when he lifted the excommunication orders.
The Vatican has since ordered Williamson, a member of the Society of St Pius X, to publicly recant his views.
Thursday's conference was Benedict's first meeting with Jews since the row began in January.
He recalled his own visit to the death camp at Auschwitz in 2006, saying: "It is my fervent prayer that the memory of this appalling crime will strengthen our determination to heal the wounds that for too long have sullied relations between Christians and Jews."
Rabbi Arther Schneier, in an address to Benedict at the conference, thanked him for understanding their pain.
"As a Holocaust survivor, these have been painful and difficult days, when confronted with Holocaust denial by no less than a bishop of the Society of St Pius X," he said.
'Pain and anguish'
Schneier said victims of the Holocaust "have not given us the right to forgive the perpetrators nor the Holocaust deniers. Thank you for understanding our pain and anguish ...".
He and Benedict both said they hoped dialogue between the two faiths could become stronger.
Benedict also announced he was preparing to visit Israel, which would be the first papal visit since John Paul visited in 2000.
The Vatican said the trip is expected for May.


YOU FOR VISITING
I am so glad that you stopped by to visit my website. I have been blessed with several gifts, but I am extremely grateful that God has called me to minister His Word, write books that will encourage, inspire, entertain and challenge readers along with assisting other authors in publishing their books through my company.
A three-fold cord is not easily broken.
Feel free to take a moment to visit each page of the website. There's sure to be something for you to participate in and please feel free to share the information with someone else.
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Stephanie McKenny named 2011 Jeweled Ministries Author of the Year
Stephanie McKenny named 2011 Jeweled Ministries
Woman of the Year
January 22, 2011 Interview


Calvary Hospital was founded by the Little Company of Mary in 1951. They reluctantly withdrew from the Hospital in 1978 and the Catholic Diocese of Cairns agreed to take responsibility for the complex. On January 1, 1979 the Diocese assumed control of the Hospital. The Sisters of Mercy (Brisbane) provided three nursing and administration nuns from that date until the Little Company of Mary returned to work in partnership with the Diocese in January 1984 until 1997. Unprecedented support from the people of North Queensland for the Building Fund resulted in the construction of the main building of the Hospital which was opened in June 1981 with 130 beds. Development has continued over the years to provide patients with a high standard of accommodation, advanced medical equipment and excellent patient care. On the 16th Sept 2001, Calvary Hospital celebrated its 50th Anniversary.
Calvary Hospital was purchased by Ramsay Health Care on 11 November 2002 and changed it's name to Cairns Private Hospital.
Cairns Private Hospital has recently expanded its capacity to 150 beds.


Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives
Identity: American priest and pedophile
Born: 1945; Napoleonville, Louisiana
Major Offenses: Eleven counts of aggravated crimes against nature;
eleven counts of committing sexually immoral acts;
eleven counts of taking pornographic photographs of juveniles; and
a single count of aggravated rape, sodomizing a child under the age
Locale: Broussard, New Iberia, Abbeville, and Henry, Louisiana
Sentence: Twenty years in prison; served ten years
Born in 1945, Gilbert Gauthe (GO-tay) grew up near Napoleonville, Louisiana. He attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette (now known as the University of Louisiana, Lafayette) before attending Immaculate Junior Seminary for one year. He transferred to Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, where he completed his theological studies. While a seminarian, he was active with various youth organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, and was well liked by the families of children with whom he worked. Gauthe was ordained by the Roman Catholic Church in 1971. He served several churches within the Diocese of Lafayette, where he was popular with both children and adult parishioners.
Gauthe's career as a pedophile spans that of his entire priesthood. He admitted that he began having sexual contact with children in 1971, the year of his ordination. While serving as an associate pastor in Broussard, Louisiana, from 1971 to 1973, he molested at least four boys. He was confronted by parents of those boys and, consequently, sought psychiatric help. He received approximately eight sessions of therapy before being transferred in late 1973 to a church in New Iberia, Louisiana, where he admitted to molesting sixteen boys. In 1976 he was once again transferred to another church--this time in Abbeville, Louisiana--where he served until 1977. Gauthe admitted to molesting boys at this church before receiving his final transfer to a church in Henry, Louisiana, where he admitted to molesting twenty-two boys before being suspended from pastoral duties in 1983. Gauthe, unsure of his final victim count, readily admitted to at least three dozen; other estimates place this number closer to one hundred.
Legal Action and Outcome
Gauthe entered a plea of guilty to thirty-four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of child pornography. At least twenty-five civil lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Lafayette, claiming that it failed to protect the public. In response, the diocese opted to thwart Gauthe's actions by moving his first-floor bedroom to the second floor of the rectory, so boys could not climb in and out of windows, and instructed Gauthe to make confession and pray. More than twenty-two million dollars were paid to plaintiffs.
Gilbert Gauthe's trial marked the first time in U.S. history that the details of a priest's alleged sexual abuse of children were made widely public. His trial served as a test case for prosecuting pedophiliac priests. After his conviction, dozens of other priests in Louisiana and around the United States were accused of child molestation, and various dioceses were sued for alleged coverups and gross negligence in handling decades of abuse allegations. In 1986, Gauthe's attorney, along with two priests, drafted a document informing the Roman Catholic Church how best to address allegations of sexual abuse by clergy and estimating its prevalence and potential monetary damage. This document was presented to the U.S. Conference of Church Bishops in 1986 but was not taken up by Church authorities until 2002.
Berry, Jason. Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children. New York: Doubleday Press, 1992. An authoritative examination of both the Gauthe case and church policy on celibacy and homosexuality.
Investigative Staff of the Boston Globe newspaper. Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church. Boston: Little, Brown, 2002. A chronicle of the events that led up to an international crisis of pedophiliac priests and church officials who were accused of ignoring complaints about sexual predators.
Jenkins, Phillip. Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. An academic and dispassionate review of sex scandals within the Roman Catholic Church and other religious institutions. This book reviews the role of the media in influencing public perceptions about crises.
Rachel Kate BandySee Also
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Tahisha is a certified makeup artist based in the greater Fort Lauderdale, Fl area. Her desire to see women feel good about themselves initially sparked her interest in makeup. At a young age, she fell in love with the ability of perfecting her own imperfections through the "power of makeup".
In 2014, She answered the call of God to become a makeup artist. She quickly realized that her mission was to become a makeup artist like none other. She knew that if she was going to walk this journey, she had to do it and be used for The Kingdom of God. Over the years, Tahisha's craft and clientele grew exceptionally. She began to get requested by some of the most influential voices in the Kingdom of God. Working along side the likes of Author, & Daughter to Bishop T.D Jakes, Cora Jakes Coleman, Gospel Recording Artists, Jonathan Nelson, Kim Burrell, Chrisette Michele, Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist & Author Dr. Jasmin Sculark aka Dr. Jazz, St. Louis Rams Rodger Saffold, and Minister, Motivational Speaker, Entrepreneur, & Best-Selling Author, Henry B. Fernandez.
Tahisha puts much attention into providing clients with a fresh, and natural applications across the board. Tahisha specializes in beauty makeup for Weddings, Photo shoots, Marketing, Media, and Promotional work.


We offer Faith Formation classes for students during the school year, both K-8 and high school sessions. Classes are also available for adults. Please contact the parish office for more information.
Phone number: 607-754-2330. Fax: 607-785-6947.
FAITH FORMATION CLASSES REGISTRATION FORM 2012-2013
Please print out the above form and either bring it with your child to class or mail it to: St. Ambrose Church, Faith Formation Program, 203 Washington Ave., Endicott, NY 13760.
First Holy Communion: On Sunday, May 5, parish children received their First Holy Communion. Please keep the children, Madison Allen, Carmen Jorgensen, Nathalie Judkiewicz, Julia Maher, Liliana Masso, Anna Miller, Natalie Pirich, Stanton Ramil, Tyler Sprague, Sean Taylor and John Volpe, as well as their families in your prayers. May God bless the children!
Reminder to teens and families: Be sure to check the www.youcat.org website for information about and discussion of the question of the month.
[Updated May 16, 2013]
2012-2013 Classes run weekly from Sept. 23, 2012 through April 28, 2013.
2013 Confirmation: We welcomed Bishop Robert Cunningham to the 12:05 p.m. Mass on Sunday, March 3, for the sacrament of Confirmation. Please pray for the Confirmation candidates and their families: Mandy Maria Esposito, Christopher Thomas Fabian, Jonathan Michael Hranek, Christopher Christopher Jackson, Brittany Cecilia Miller, Jennifer Elizabeth Milspaw, Michael John Murray, Courtney Marie Ray, Zachary Ezekiel Riley, Christine Isabella Swartz, Sarah Phoebe Swartz and Garrett Anthony Veruto.
First Reconciliation ~ February 4, 2012: Teacher Dianne Brunner poses with students Erica Cioci, Morgan Folli, Carly Kirtland, Nicole Limer, Monica Link, Julius Marchuska, Ethan Morales, Luke Rinkavage, Ashely Szwalla, Emma Taylor, and Ashleigh Turnbull after receiving the sacrament.


Hawkins was the brother of Edwin Hawkins, Daniel Hawkins (Marcia), Feddie Hawkins Smith, Carol Hawkins Kemp and Lynette Hawkins-Stephens. Bishop Hawkins was married to Tramaine Hawkins, they had two children, a son Walter “Jamie” Hawkins, Jr., who is married to Myiia “Sunny” Davis-Hawkins, and a daughter Trystan Hawkins. Bishop Hawkins also had a granddaughter, Jahve Hawkins, and a grandson, Jamie Daniel Hawkins.
Bishop Hawkins started his career in one of his brother’s chorales, “The Northern California State Youth Choir” of the Church of God in Christ. Later, he accompanied his brother Edwin and founded The Edwin Hawkins Singers. This collaborative effort produced the hit song “Oh Happy Day”, which became one of the first gospel songs to cross over onto mainstream music charts.
Walter Hawkins left The Edwin Hawkins Singers in the early 1970s to establish the Love Center Church in Oakland, California. He and his Love Center Choir had considerable success with their “Love Alive” series of recordings, which sold well over a million copies from the 1970s through the 1990s. “Love Alive IV”, released in 1990, was No. 1 on the Billboard Gospel Album charts, where it stayed for 33 weeks. In all, Walter Hawkins produced and/or collaborated on 116 hit songs which were listed on the Billboard Gospel Music charts.
Walter Hawkins and his groups were frequent musical collaborators, and recorded with Van Morrison, Diahann Carroll, Sylvester, Jeffrey Osborne, among many others.
One of those who regularly attended the Love Center church was Sylvester, who had been introduced to it in the early 1980s by Jeanie Tracy.


Ministry 313 Kick-off!
We are excited to announce another new way of encouraging one another in the Lord…
Hebrews 3:13 says, ‘But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.’ The word ‘exhort’ means to ‘encourage’, to ‘bring along side’, to ‘lift up’ another.
The purpose of this blog is to encourage those familiar with our church by receiving occasional updates about the new and exciting things taking place through the ministries of First Baptist Church and the efforts of its members. Because of the willing spirit of many of God’s people, there are many things going on every week, and many of us are completely unaware or have forgotten that some of these events, ministries, and testimonies even exist!
Yes, we are looking forward to keeping you updated on all of the exciting goings-on in and around First Baptist Church!
If you have given your email address to the church office, you should have received an email summarizing the content and linking you to this blog. If you do not wish to receive these occasional updates, you may unsubscribe to the emails at the bottom of the one(s) you received. If you did not receive an email and would like to, we may not have received your address, or we may have your address transcribed incorrectly. In that case, kindly send an email request to firstname.lastname@example.org or see Bro. Joseph or Bro. McIntyre and you will be added to the list promptly.
If an article was a blessing to you, please leave a comment and share it with others (see the links below). We hope to send you another encouraging update soon!


In a one-page resolution passed at its annual summer meeting, the DNC called on Democratic politicians to recognize and celebrate the contributions of nonreligious Americans, who make up one-third of Democrats. This was hardly a new argument. Conservative Christian leaders have been repeating some version of this claim for years , and have often called on religious conservatives and Republican politicians to defend the country against a growing wave of liberal secularism. Over the course of a single generation, the country has gotten a lot less religious. Today, however, nearly one in four Americans are religiously unaffiliated. That includes almost 40 percent of liberals — up from 12 percent in , according to the General Social Survey.
The Christian Right Is Helping Drive Liberals Away From Religion
3 Things Christians Do That Non-Christians Despise - sexyandfunnystuff.com
Let's remember, as others on the board keep promoting the horrible deaths of a few Christians, there are a few facts:. Christians slaughtered native Americans. Christians brought slavery to America. Christians have raped and abused their own parishioners.
Why Christian conservatives supported Trump — and why they might regret it
The problem has been around awhile. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. The challenge is they do. There are more than a few issues entirely within our control that give us a bad name with people outside Christianity. Another two minutes on social media will reveal Christians and preachers condemning unchurched people for their sexual habits and preferences, life-style choices and even political views.


Lord, today I come to You with the broken pieces in my life that I have been hesitant to deal with. Take my hand and lead as I walk past my fears and doubts to the refuge of Your forgiving arms. Please take what is broken and transform it into beautiful. Please free me from the lies that have me shackled in silence and that keep me from believing that Your forgiveness can be mine. Help me to trust that You can redeem and restore every area of my life. In Jesus name! <3
- Danika: *text* Dude pick up your phone.
- Me: ....Kim? Did our phone just ring....? *looks at room phone and red light is on so presses the button next to the red light*
- Danika: *through the receiver* ........hello?
- Me: hello...? *picks up the phone*
- Me: helloooo?
- Danika: derlyn?
- Me: wowwww! Hi! :)
- Danika and I: ahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahah
- Danika: We're such dorks.
- Danika and I: hahahahahahhahahaha
but I’m in my room singing along to musical soundtracks :D like a bamf.
@DANIKACHOO AND I ARE WATCHING HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL XDD


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Table of contents
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- Christianity in the Second Century: The Case of Tatian - CRC Press Book
- The Case of Tatian
Retrieving Nicaea. Khaled Anatolios. Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers. Christopher A. The Canon Debate. Lee Martin McDonald. What Is Theology?
Michael Horton. Women in the Church Third Edition. Thomas R. Catholic Theology. James J. Origen : Scholarship in the Service of the Church. Ronald E. A Theology in Outline. Robert W. Joseph W. One True Life. Kavin Rowe. The Eucharistic Communion and the World. Metropolitan John D. Learning Theology with the Church Fathers. Judith Lieu. The Holy Trinity in the Life of the Church. Martyrdom and Noble Death. Friedrich Avemarie. Beyond Gnosticism.
Ismo Dunderberg. The Trinity. Hans Schwarz. Timothy A. Theodore of Mopsuestia. Frederick McLeod.
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Gnostic Religion in Antiquity. Roelof van den Broek. Journey Through Christian Theology. William P. Christian Dogmatics. Michael Allen. Grace AloneSalvation as a Gift of God. Matthew Barrett. Philosophical Works. Joseph C. Paul and Ancient Rhetoric.
Stanley E. Gregg R. Andrew Gregory. Martin Laird.
The Theology of John Zizioulas. Douglas H. A Clear and Present Word. Mark D. John Fletcher Hurst. Incarnation and Inspiration. This spirit is the image of God in man, and to it man's immortality is due. The first-born of the spirits fell and caused others to fall, and thus the demons originated.
The fall of the spirits was brought about through their desire to separate man from God, in order that he might serve not God but them. Man, however, was implicated in this fall, lost his blessed abode and his soul was deserted by the divine spirit, and sank into the material sphere, in which only a faint reminiscence of God remained alive. As by freedom man fell, so by freedom he may turn again to God.
Christianity in the Second Century: The Case of Tatian - CRC Press Book
The Spirit unites with the souls of those who walk uprightly; through the prophets he reminds men of their lost likeness to God. Although Tatian does not mention the name of Jesus, his doctrine of redemption culminates in his Christology. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For other uses, see Tatian disambiguation.
The Case of Tatian
Christianity portal. Syriac Biographical Dictionary.
go Vanderbilt University, Princeton University. Retrieved 30 August Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Author s : L. Barnard Source: Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. New York: Oxford University Press. Clement of Alexandria. New York: Ardent Media, p.
- Inorganic Syntheses, Vol. 14!
- My Shopping Bag;
- China Green Development Index Report 2011!
The basis of the theory [ex nihilo] was Platonic, though some of the terms were borrowed from both Aristotle and the Stoics. It became itself the basis for the theory which ultimately prevailed in the Church. The transition appears in Tatian [ca. Goldhill Simon ed. Gonzalez Justo L. A History of Christian Thought. Nashville : Abingdon Goodenough E.
Amsterdam : Philo Goodman Martin. Gordon R. Image and Value in the Graeco-Roman World.


Thursday, August 22, 2019
Who Are We?
Where Are We?
What Do We Believe?
New Knoxville United Methodist Church services can be listened to LIVE Sundays at 10:00AM EDT. Archive recordings of the services are also available by clicking on the below links.
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Copyright (c) 2019 New Knoxville UMC


James Valentine works in environmental services at Norton Women and Children. A couple of years ago he found himself in an unhealthy rut. He turned to food as a way for him to deal with depression. Fast food and soda made up a large percentage of his diet and he was not physically active. To add to this, he didn’t have any motivation to make improvements. As a result of his unhealthy lifestyle, his blood pressure was high, blood sugar was in the pre-diabetic range and he was 30+ pounds overweight. He thought he would feel better if his unhealthy choices would lead to a cardiac event and end his life.
Unexpectedly, James lost his daily ride to work. His only option was to walk 2 miles to NWCH . During these walks to work, he was experiencing shortness of breath, he repeatedly needed to take breaks. This was exhausting and he became tired of being tired. Around this same time, he was invited to a bible study group where he began a relationship with Jesus Christ and found fellowship with other people. He learned that his purpose and reason for living was Jesus Christ.
One day at work he heard about Omada, an N Good Health program that offered resources that would provide more energy, weight loss support and education on managing blood sugar. Now that his reason to live was to grow his relationship with Jesus and to help others, he signed up for the program and was impressed with the coaches and the tools the program offered. The communications from the program were helpful plus the mobile app and included blood pressure cuff offered tracking and the ability for the coaches to provide feedback. With their guidance he reduced his sodium and sugar intake (bye bye soda!), began drinking more water and eating better.
James said it was hard to break out of his routine but it paid off when he saw the results of his efforts at his last N Good Health physical. He has surpassed his goal weight and improved his biometrics! Next, he wants to start toning up with strength training and he feels terrific with plenty of energy! He raves about the support of the Omada coaches but gives all the glory of his health to Jesus.
For more information about Omada for chronic condition care, please visit NGoodHealth.com.


6 edition of St. Therese, The Little Flower found in the catalog.
by Tan Books & Publishers
Written in English
|The Physical Object|
|Number of Pages||158|
St. Therese's biography, written for children. This book is a wonderful addition to any child's library and tells the story of the Little Flower. Suggested Donation: $ St. Thèrése, Little Flower Catholic Church, is an active parish on the north side of South Bend, Indiana dedicated to a life of prayer and a life of service to others. Parish News - St. Therese, Little Flower Catholic Church.
Therese of Lisieux: Is the Little Flower the most dangerous of saints? Christ the King is not an absentee landlord who abandoned his property at his Ascension, promising to . They had been saying a novena to the Little Flower, and my rose was the answer they sought. The student entered the order that following summer. My devotion to St. Therese continued through my years at school, mostly due to Sister Luke's passionate devotion and my recollection of that special spiritual moment in which I had played a : Crossroad Publishing Company.
In , when she St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, came upon a book that really impressed her. In her autobiography, Story of a Soul, she recounts how her father was loaned this. National Shrine of St. Therese is located at Bailey Road, Darien, IL National Shrine Museum of St. Therese is located at Bailey Road, Darien, IL Mass takes place at the National Shrine, Monday through Friday at AM. There is no Mass on weekends.
The making of Shakespeares First Folio
Authentic narrative of the death of Lord Nelson
Few remarks on the question of land and labour in Saint Lucia.
Now it can be told.
Aspects of Celtic Mythology.
Interest rate changes and industry returns
new world of gold
The true bride
For the Relief of Fayette L. Froemke (H.R. 8234)
Israel before Christ
Health or health Service?
Ordinances, rules and bye-laws, for the government of the alms-house, and house of employment, of the city of New-York
introduction to matrices, sets and groups for science students.
out of 5 stars Saint Therese,The Little Flower the Making of a Saint-John Beevers,Precious Book. Reviewed in the United States on Ap This book is a beautiful small little book, on a look back at the life of St. Therese, Beautiful example about Beautiful and /5(4). Society of the Little Flower - US.
Spreading Devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux. Cart Checkout. Therese and Her Little Way; St. Therese and Love; St. Therese and Family Life; The Little Flower Children's Book item # Suggested Donation: $ Story of a Soul: St. Therese Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux (the Little Flower) [The Authorized English Translation of Therese's Original Unaltered Manuscripts] Paperback – Janu by Therese de Lisieux (Author), John Clarke (Translator) out St.
Therese 5 stars ratings. See all 2 formats and editions. Hide other formats and editions/5(). Therese had decided that she would change her ways and try to please God by doing whatever He asked of her. This is a true story of what happened when little Therese Martin set out to become a saint.
I would recommend this chapter book for grades /5. Upon completing this book, Lessons from Saint Thérèse: The Wisdom of God’s Little Flower, I offer one personal conclusion which has already been discovered by countless others over the past century: Saint Thérèse is a beautiful soul.
Her heart is pure, free, expressive, gentle, unwavering, perceptive, and imbued with overflowing charity. The Circles of the Little Flower for the Women of St. Therese is made up of dedicated women working together to help our parish as well as other organizations with spiritual and financial assistance.
Martha’s Circle is a ministry hospitality and service. The women of this Circle serve St. Therese in many ways, such as Coffee Hospitality. The Story of a Soul (l'Histoire d'une Âme) is the autobiography of Thérèse of Lisieux, a French Discalced Carmelite nun, later recognized as a saint.
NOTE TO THIS ELECTRONIC EDITION. This electronic edition of the autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (The Story of a Soul) includes much, but not all, of the content of Soeur Thérèse of Lisieux (London: Burns, Oates & Washbourne, ; 8th ed., ), edited by Rev.
T.N. the translated writings and sayings of St. Thérèse contained in that book are in. Therese of Lisieux, also known as "Therese of the Child Jesus" and "The Little Flower", was the last of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin, at France in She was often anxious and depressed in childhood, as she suffered the early death of her mother.4/5(2).
Therese The Little Flower book. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. She lived 24 years and was an obscure nun for nine of those.4/5(29). Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St.
Thérèse of Lisieux (the Little Flower) Thérèse of Lisieux (the Little Flower) Two and a half years before her death in at the age of 24, as Thérèse Martin began writing down her childhood memories at the request of her blood sisters in the Lisieux Carmel, few could have guessed the eventual outcome.
Therese of Lisieux – 9 Day Novena This nine day Novena is an excellent way to prepare for the the feast day of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, one of the greatest saints of the modern era.
Saint Therese, also known as the Little Flower, commonly gives roses or flowers as a sign to those who receive miracles by her intercession. Therese as the “Little Flower” Saint Therese’s autobiography, “The Story of a Soul,” started with a question of why God created all those flowers of varying elegance and beauty, while He made the others, like those simple wild flowers in forests and fields, go unnoticed.
Welcome to St Therese Little Flower Catholic Church, a small urban core Roman Catholic Church with a big heart, located in the Blue Hills neighborhood of mid-town Kansas City, Missouri.
We are a very faith-filled, diverse, spirit-led community that is small enough to be a very intimate and close knit family, yet large enough to accomplish the. Stanley Avenue • Niagara Falls,Ontario • L2G 7B7.
St. Therese, Church of the Little Flower, Minot, Minot, North Dakota. likes 69 talking about this were here.
Therese, Church of the Little Flower is one of the four Catholic parishes 5/5(6). -St. Therese of Lisieux. Our Prayer. Little Flower of Understanding-True to your Carmelite heritage, You allowed the wisdom of Jesus To be revealed through the Beauty of God’s creation.
As the image of your garden unfolds, And you gather and embrace The unique quality of each blossom-You challenge us to release, From our own judgments.
Prayer book st therese lisieux little flower paperback the mother of little flower sister st therese tells st therese the little flower making of a saint by john beevers thoughts of st therese the little flower carmelite.
Whats people lookup in. The Little Flower: A Parable of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is the story of a little flower who learns that in God's eyes, it is not the size of the doer or the deed that counts, but the greatness of her love.
This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to. Saint Therese of Lisieux has many names such as the little flower, the saint of the little way, and the greatest saint of modern times. Her message of simplicity and childlike trust in God, our merciful father is timeless and lives on in many hearts as a spirit of courage and hope.
InPope Pius XI declared her the universal co-patron of. The Fr. Hamman Scholarship is for students entering grades for the school year at any Archdiocesan high school. Students must be active in a ministry at St.
Therese Little Flower. Click here for the application, which is due by April 1. The Patricia Quinlin Education Fund is for students entering grades for the Litany of St.
Therese of the Little Flower. For Private Use Only. Lord have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us. St. Therese, flower of Carmel, pray for us.
St. Therese, converter of hardened hearts, Who desired always to be as a little child, pray for us. Who taught the way of spiritual childhood.St.
Therese the Little Flower Catholic Church, Lebanon, Ohio. 1, likes 43 talking about this 45 were here. Preserving and promoting the Catholic Faith for the salvation of 4/5(11).