Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity is the foothills
affiliate of Habitat
for Humanity International. We serve the mountain areas of western
Jefferson County, Clear Creek County and parts of Park County near
Bailey. We are a Christian ecumenical housing ministry that assists
low-income families building and buying their own homes. Habitat
welcomes all people, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or any
other difference, to join us and build homes for people in need of
a decent, affordable place to live.
Today Blue Spruce has hundreds volunteers, who contribute
a total of 4,000 hours per home. We have built 29 homes locally, and
built homes for an additional 47 families through our annual tithe
international work. We will build another duplex this year (2012) in
Kittredge for two hardworking families who need a decent home in which
to raise their children.
Habitat homeowners are local residents, living, working, attending
church and having children in school here in our mountain community.
They include day care providers, school bus drivers, wait persons,
web site designers, housekeepers, carpenters, preschool teachers and
others. It is the mission of Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity to live
out our principles of faith and compassion by building simple decent
affordable homes and providing education and resources through community
partnerships offering families an opportunity to realize their full
How the Program Works:
Habitat for Humanity is a homeownership program. Homes are not given
away. Hardworking families go through a rigorous selection process
and purchase their home with an affordable mortgage and at no
profit to Habitat. Their monthly mortgage payment is set at
25% of their gross monthly income, allowing families to spend more
of their income toward other necessities like reliable transportation
or health care. Each adult in a Habitat homeowner family puts
in 250 hours of sweat equity labor into building their home, and
the homes of others.
builds pride, dignity and a strong sense of ownership. Families
also take workshops to prepare them to be successful homeowners. It’s
a program that works! Habitat homes provide a lasting solution
to a families housing crisis, and enables them to break the cycle of
poverty and grow into their God-given potential. Habitat’s
impact is felt for generations to come.
Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity depends entirely
on local support. Volunteer or donate and
be a part of changing our community, one home and one family at a time.


The Desert Fathers
Jeff Kaiser: Quartertone Trumpet, Laptop
Gregory Taylor: Laptop
ONLY AVAILABLE DIGITALLY
1. Visions (Saint Anthony) 31:14
2. The White Monastery (Saint Shenouda) 26:02
Recorded direct-to-disc 4.27 and 4.28.07 at the Boise Experimental Music Festival
CD art, mix and mastering by Jeff Kaiser
© 2007, Gregory Taylor, BMI and Jeff Kaiser Music, ASCAP
For more information:
www.pfMENTUM.com • PFMCD050
The Desert fathers—a collection of ascetics, monks, and hermits—fled the persecutions and chaos of the Roman Empire in the third century AD and settled in the deserts of Egypt, seeking safety and solace in loose-knit refugee communities at the margins of civilization. When the persecutions stopped, they remained-drawn as individuals by the solitude, privation, and self-discipline borne of desert life.
Born the son of wealthy landowners, orphaned, and later disciple of a local ascetic, St. Anthony the Great is noteworthy as the first to actually pursue an isolated (anchoritic) life in the desert itself. His biographies describe in vivid detail the afflictions and visions of his isolation—torments from which he emerged enlightened, serene, and healthy. After this, he moved further into the wilderness even as his fame grew, founding his own monastery where he dedicated himself and his disciples to prayer and the discipline of manual labor.
Shenouda the Archimandrite first visited the White Monastery (so named for the color of limestone of its outer walls) located near the Upper Egyptian city of Souhag as a boy. He remained there as a result of a vision granted to the monastery’s abbot, and eventually served as its abbot during its heyday as a thriving ascetic community.
Anthony and Shenouda were both canonized after their deaths as saints in the Coptic Orthodox Church. As monks, they combined their own individualized practices with regimens attuned to their lives in a desert environment and introduced elements of shared communal practice (the sharing of meals and liturgical practice) into their communities that laid the foundations for what we now think of as Christian monasticism.


Welcome to the Thomas More Center for Preaching and Prayer
The Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica
MERCY TO ALL…
A SPECIAL YEAR…
What’s It all about? See Sr. Joan’s blog on this site.
The Holy Year symbol of God's mercy chosen by Pope Francis
IT IS HERE: the document everyone is talking about.
ON CARE OF OUR COMMON HOME
The pope’s Encyclical is called “LAUDATO SI”. These are the opening words of St. Francis of Assisi from his famous “Canticle of Creation.” Pope Francis begins this important encyclical:
Praise be to you my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Most Papal encyclicals from the past were all written in Latin and were directed primarily to the bishops and hierarchy. Consequently most of us lay people found them boring and we could easily dismiss them. This document of Pope Francis is different. It is written in plain everyday Italian because the pope wants it accessible to all. This means that our English translation of the Italian is exactly what the pope wants to say …..to us!
We urge you to read this important message. Pope Francis continues his challenge to the rich and the wealthy of this world (most of us) to take seriously the dangers of climate volatility which more often than not negatively affects the globally poor.


Did God intend for the Sabbath day to be observed forever? Reasonably, anyone who claims to be a believer should care more about obeying the commandments of God than being concerned with the traditions of men, but recent years has shown that not to be the case, regardless to the admonishing of believers to “…let God be true, but every man a liar…” and to obey God rather than man (Romans 3:4 and Acts 8:29). The Sabbath day has been confirmed as an everlasting covenant by both the Old and the New Testament, yet so called believers insists that God has either changed or done away with the Sabbath commandment. From the beginning, the Sabbath was given as a memorial of creation. As the first example of Sabbath keeping, God blessed the Sabbath and rested from all his labor.
The Sabbath Day. What Were You Taught? (Sabbath Part 2)
The Sabbath Day. Is it for everyone? (Sabbath Part 3)
Sabbath Day or Sunday? Understanding Apostle Paul (Sabbath Day Part 4)
The Sabbath Day. The Primitive Christian Church and the Sabbath Day. (Sabbath Day Part 5)
- There are many people who do not support Sabbath keeping, yet they insist that they believe in the whole Bible. Why do people attack the Sabbath day?
Sabbath keeping has often been condemned based upon its connection with the Law, which many conclude was done away with; however, Jesus in his own words declared in Matthew 5:17-20:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least command-ments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Phari-sees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
In short, neither Jesus’ life nor his death was dedicated to the destruction of the Law of Moses or the Sabbath observance. For this reason, it is inconsistent with scripture to conclude that God gave the Sabbath as an everlasting covenant, then, nail it to his Jesus’ cross, only to restore it in the new heaven and the new earth, especially when God declares in Psalms 89:34 that he is not a covenant breaker.


A Femen burst on Monday, topless, in the giant nativity scene of Vatican St. Peter’s Square.
The Christmas festivities in the Vatican were disrupted on Sunday and Monday by the Femen movement. On December 25, an activist was arrested by the police on St. Peter’s Square (Rome) as she seized the santon of the baby Jesus placed in the Christmas nativity scene.
“God is woman,” she said, topless, after jumping over the barriers. The facts took place around 10 am, two hours before the blessing “Urbi et orbi” of Pope Francis pronounced from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in front of 50,000 people.
The day before, two Femen activists had, they, managed to pose in front of the Nativity. On their bodies was painted the inscription “#Me Too: Assaulted By Church” (“#Me also: assaulted by the church,” ed.). Posing as “a free and modern virgin Mary”, they expressed their opposition to “patriarchal religious institutions and their aggressive and oppressive practices towards women,” activist Inna Shevchenko, a leader of this group.
The Femen movement, born in Ukraine and opposed by topless actions to the former pro-Kremlin regime, to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Orthodox Church, has spread to Western Europe, where it has also attacks the Catholic Church, which he accuses of being retrograde in the field of women’s rights.
In the line of #MeToo
Inna Shevchenko called for continuing the global movement of speech liberation born after the revelation of the Weinstein scandal.
“The #MeToo hashtag has been a revolution. It allowed women to express themselves freely. He demonstrated that together we could change the world. It has raised a collective awareness about the sexual violence that women experience every day. Mary urged us not to stop there and continue to denounce all forms of violence against women, “added Inna Shevchenko.
On December 25, 2014, another activist of the movement managed to carry the santon before being arrested. Its purpose was to protest against the Church’s opposition to abortion and free union.
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A sure and steadfast anchor for the soul
• Normally, on holdays we stay in the same place, a holiday house we own near Port Macquarie, and just sort of hang out. But a few years ago, went for a car holiday to Tasmania. Now the thing about a car holiday is that you have to drive, often for lots and lots and lots of hours. Sometimes the driving is pleasant – went though Cradle Mountain national park, spectacular wilderness terrain; other times the driving is dull, even hard, through difficult, even oppressive territory – went through Queenscliffe, old mining town, it’s a nuclear wasteland, not a living thing for miles, just red seeping out copper and iron mines. And when you’re driving with a young family and the scene is dull, there is a question that you inevitably face. You will face it quickly and you will face it often; it will be asked as though there were a legal obligation to ask it; it comes to irritate you the same way fingernails down a blackboard do – you know the question: “are we there yet?” The answer is always the same – why would you think we are there, when we are still driving 100km/h? Why would you think we are there when there is no living thing in sight? But still, it comes. But imagine going on a trip and saying, “We’re not there yet. We won’t get there today, and we won’t get there tomorrow. In fact, our whole life is going to be this journey. We are headed for the most sensational destination conceivable, and we have complete assurances about our ultimate arrival – but not yet.”
• sometimes in the Christian life want to stretch your seat belt out, lean forward and ask, even shout, ‘are we there yet?’ And the answer is still always the same. One author described the life of faith as a long obedience in the same direction, and that’s pretty good. At the start, can seem like one big exciting adventure, and like the first hour of a trip, the first portion of the Christian journey can be an exciting blur. For some, that goes on for 40 or 50 or 60 or even 70 years, and then they die, a clear straight line of spiritual satisfaction. But not for most of us. For most of us, what was once simple and easy and enjoyable, becomes laborious and draining. You find yourself not wanting to pray; it is difficult to know the love and purpose of God for you; the Bible feels dull; doubts and confusions seem more common than rock solid faith; temptations that you thought you had overcome begin to look good again. There are ups, moments of triumph in yor life, but there are also downs, and they leave real scars on your soul, suffering you hadn’t anticipated, failures you didn’t expect, relationships that don’t go according to the script. For most of us, the trip that we’re on wanders through some rough terrain.
an elderly couple lies in bed. She is not satisfied with the distance between them. She reminds him, “When we were young, you used to hold my hand in bed.” He hesitates, but in a few moments, a wrinkled hand snakes across the bed and grabs hers. She is not satisfied. “When we were young, you used to cuddle right up next to me.” More serious hesitation now. But eventually, with a few groans, he laboriously turns his body and cradles her as best he can. She is still not satisfied. “When we were young, you used to nibble on my ear.” Loud sigh. He throws back the covers and bolts out of bed. She is somewhat hurt by this. “Where are you going?” “To get my teeth!” It’s one thing to nibble on an ear when you’re young and in love and the nibbling is easy. It’s another thing when the ear doesn’t hear so well and contains a hearing device and you have to go and get your teeth first.
1. The paradox of present and future
deep at the heart of the Christian way is a paradox, a mystery, a combination of two things that in the ordinary course of events don’t belong together, but in the power and grace of God, find their fulfilment in one another. On the one hand of this mystery is the way that the gospel of Christ announces that all is done, as Jesus shouted out from the cross “it is finished”, that God has achieved a great victory in his Son the Lord Jesus Christ and that your role is entirely that of a spectator to this triumph, you don’t contribute to it, you can’t detract from it, you don’t add to it, you don’t confirm it or effect it in any way. It is done, it is in the vault, it’s locked away and safe as houses. This is why Christianity is not really a religion. A religion says ‘do’, do something, make sure you behave well enough or pray enough or do enough good deeds to satisfy God or karma or fate or whatever, a religion hammers you into conformity; but Christianity doesn’t say ‘do’ it says ‘done’, Christ has died for you and been raised from the dead, he has done all that’s needed so that we can be utterly and perfectly and completely right with God. That’s one side of the mystery.
but on the other side of the mystery is the fact that Christianity is completely forward looking, completely future oriented, all about the glory that is to come and which isn’t here yet. You can see why I say this is a paradox, because this is all about how things are not yet done. But it’s crucial to get this part of the paradox. And the reason is that this says in the strongest clearest possible way that the bad stuff that happens in the this world really is bad, that God hates it every bit as much as you do – which of course is a silly thing to say, he hates it infinitely more than you do, he hates the way that war and hatred and bigotry and earthquakes and abuse and lovelessness all scar and ruin and destroy lives, he hates it with a perfect hatred – he hates it and is totally committed to doing something about it, in the future. He is not content, he is not finished his work, and ultimately he will fix up the mess. And this is why, like kids in the back seat, we say or sometimes we groan and other times we even scream out on our journey through life, ‘are we there yet’, precisely because we want things to be very very different.
now, here’s the thing. Both sides of this paradox are vitally important. One without the other is spiritually crushing.
If you so focus on the fact that God has done everything for us in Jesus, and that there’s nothing left to do, in effect what you’re saying is that the present is about as good as it gets, and you end up making a mockery of God. I read a story the a week or so ago about a 13 year old girl in Somalia who was raped by some government soldiers, and when she told her dad, he reported it to the authorities. For this act of defiance, the girl was arrested, accused of adultery, and sentenced to death. In front of a crowd of 1000 onlookers, she was buried up to her head and then in the name of religious law 50 men stood around her and pelted her with stones until she was dead. When some of the crowd tried to stop the murder, the soldiers opened fire and a young boy was killed. It made me sick to read it, I couldn’t get it out of my head for ages – and you know what, it makes God sick too, utterly sick, he hates the evil of that act and those men, and he will have his justice, we will put all the wrongs of this world to rights. Can you see why the future matters so much? Can you see why for that girl’s father, the future matters so much, for there is no justice available for him in the present.
But the same applies on the other side as well. If we lose our grip on the fact that the great victory is won in Jesus, that his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead really are the triumph of God over evil, then it places an unspeakable burden on us – suddenly it’s up to us to create the future, it’s up to us to bring about justice and right the wrongs, we have a yearning for the journey to be over and to arrive in a good place, but no real confidence or capacity that we will do that.
it is holding the 2 together, the triumph of God in Jesus as a present reality and the glory of righteousness to come, that we can live a life of spiritual health and energy. Let go of either end of that, and your will find yourself spiritually adrift on an ocean either of disinterest or despair. Our pastor knows this well, caring for and writing to this group of Christians who are being hounded and persecuted for their faith. And so he shows them how to hold the present and future together, and he does so by going back to where it all started, to Father Abraham, 6. 13:
2. The example of Abraham
13 When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.
the problem with the future is that it is uncertain. It may or may not happen the way you want, and one of the ways that we try to tie down the future is by making promises; in making a promise, you bind the future, you say that all sorts of things may turn out all sorts of ways, but this thing is going to turn out this way, you can rely on that and even take risks based on it. But we all know that this process of promise making can be abused, that people make promises they don’t in fact keep and never intended to, they go back on their word. And so we strengthen promises, by adding to the promise an oath, a grander statement on the authority and power of some greater thing, that if it doesn’t happen the way I have promised, then there will be bad consequences for me – or as the author puts it, v. 16:
16 Human beings, of course, swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all dispute.
well, adding an oath to a promise to make the promise utterly sure, and to end all reason for doubt is exactly what God did for Abraham. To this old man, utterly past it, and his old barren wife, totally and utterly past it, God promises the blessing of children and children and more children. And eventually he gets a single, solitary son, Isaac, the promise hanging on by the bearest of threads. And after God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son, in other words, to throw it all away, he gives to Abraham a great blessing – his oath, sworn by himself since there is nothing greater by which God can swear by, “I will surely bless you and multiply you.”
and that is all Abraham needs. He has God’s promise and God’s oath, sworn by himself, and so he is able to walk the bridge between the present and the future, what our pastor calls patient endurance. He can handle the pain of the present, the disappointments, the frustrations, the failures of others and his own failures, he can handle them all with a long obedience in the same direction, faithful to the God who is faithful to him, because he has the promise of the future guaranteed in the present, by oath.
3. The presence of the future – hope
and the reason our author tells us about this is because we have exactly the same thing, v. 17:
17 In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us.
what we who have believed in Jesus have is even more clear, even more obvious than the oath God swore to Abraham, so that we can do exactly the same thing he did, grab hold of the hope that God has given us with both hands, cling onto it for dear life, and never, not under pressure, not under temptation, not under complacency, never let go. It is clear because God has sworn an oath to us as well – and what is the oath? I think you see it in v. 19:
19 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
this is the oath that God has sworn, this is the hope that we have, that Jesus,, crucified on that cross, raised with unimaginable power and authority, is now at home, now in glory, he is at the right hand of God, he has entered into the very presence of God, symbolised in the Jerusalem temple by a heavy curtain, Jesus is there, already.
• and there is where the present meets the future, it is rock solid, locked away, guaranteed, but it’s not yet here. But it is certain, our hope that God will put all things to right, that he will fix the mess up, that his kingdom will come, and that his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven is as certain as the resurrection of Jesus. And so we have this sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. So often life batters us about, we flap and flail around in the breeze, not quite sure where togo and what to do. But here is our fixed point, anchored in glory, Jesus. And the promise of God confirmed with an oath is that if you keep holding onto the rope of faith and never let go, you will find your way home.
Conclusion: Living with a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul
Do you see what this enables you to do – to live in hope.
it was this sure and steadfast anchor that led a man by the very old fashioned nae Horatio Spafford to write the hymn that we are about to here. He had sent his wife and children on a ship to England for a holiday after playing his part in the rebuilding of Chicago after the terrible fire of 1871. They never made it, and the ship went down, and Spafford’s 4 daughters were lost. He caught the next ship across to be with his wife, and when he got to place where the ship went down, he penned these words
When peace like a river, attendeth my way;
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
• listen to a man whose soul knew its sure and steadfast anchor.


This is the third article in a series entitled, The Relevancy of the Seventh-day Sabbath. The series seeks to address issues that have been raised in dialogues concerning the Seventh-day Sabbath doctrine. This article first seeks to lay out the possibility that previously cherished viewpoints may function as blinders that will prevent one from gaining insights from other sources. This is followed by a section opening the reader to the concept of descriptive and prescriptive verses and passages. It then moves into a consideration for the span of days within the Genesis creation narrative.
THE POSSIBILITY OF A DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT BEING CORRECT
Once we have allowed our minds to adhere to the construct that will develop and enhance our biblical worldview it is then time to deal with whether or not it allows for differing viewpoints concerning doctrines. At this stage it is important to realize the danger that exists with being quick to write off differences as heretical. There are viewpoints that should be quickly disregarded and appropriately categorize as damming and from the “bowels of hell.”
However, the argument can be made that it is better to err with an understanding and non-judgmental tone. Disagreement doesn’t require a harsh view and/or reply with what or whom that is being disagreed with. In other words, it is better to walk the fine line of gentleness and embrace the all-powerful: “it is better to err on the side of mercy.” For some this may seem passive, unassuming, unconvinced and undetermined. But oftentimes “truth” has been ignored simply because consideration wasn’t given.
DESCRIPTIVE OR PRESCRIPTIVE
One Element that has often being left out in discussions concerning the relevance of a seventh day being set apart for worship is whether a verse or passage is being descriptive or prescriptive. In the case of a descriptive passage the objective is to give a description of something that took place. There are, of course, spiritual lessons to be had from such description, however it is not prompting readers to literally do what is being described.
Using the Sabbath we can look at a few examples of what can be considered to be descriptive verses. In Luke 4:16 Jesus is said to have gone “to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). Going to the synagogue is said to have been his custom. However, it can be argued that there is not a common being given here. Neither is it a command when Paul is said to have observed the Sabbath day (Acts. 13:14, 17:1, 2; 18:4). The thrust of the passage seems to be on Paul’s usage of the synagogue for missional purposes, as in to reach those gathered to worship there, as opposed to an exhortation for worshipping on the seventh day.
A prescriptive verse and/or passage may also have descriptive sections (or be located within one), however it is clear that there is something that must be done. A prescriptive passage may also call for the avoidance of something. Some examples of literal prescriptions are baptism (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38) , communion (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:24-27), and prayer (Matt. 26:41; Phil. 4:6). Although there are parts of the Bible that function as descriptions of these examples it is important to make the distinction of when the passage is descriptive or prescriptive and what sections can be divided along these parts. This important consideration will aid in understanding the intention of the passage.
THE SABBATH IN THE GENESIS CREATION NARRATIVE
It has often been presented that the biblical sabbath originated in the Genesis creation narrative in which God shaped and filled Earth (and the surrounding celestial bodies) in six days. The issue that comes at hand is the assumption that the six days of the Genesis creation narrative should be interpreted as six literal 24 hour time periods—equivalent to the time periods in which we operate.
The possibility exists that this interpretation is faulty and that there are different ways of interpreting the six days. One of these is that the six days may be literal but within God’s time frame. This is based on 2 Pet. 3:8: “but, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” This is written within a destruction-new creation context. An allusion is made to the flood as being a type of the destruction that is to be experienced by the ungodly.
The usage of the thousand years here is often attributed solely to the period that it might take for God to act in reference to man. Peter argues that although a thousand years may have elapsed the way man view time is not how God views it. What if it is also true that it may be an indication of how time is viewed from God’s perspective literally speaking? It is generally understood within almost all conservative christian circles that God’s revelations come in language and imagery that are not God’s method of communication within Himself, but, rather, in a manner that is understandable to those that are being communicated with. Therefore, it can be argued that God’s view of time is not like ours.
God could have created within a twenty-four hour time period but He could have also created within the span of thousands of years. The literality of it may depend on whether or not one chooses to use time in reference to how modern man understand days or in terms of how Peter has stated a day is like to God.
This interpretation would change the view of the Sabbath in relations to the Genesis creation narrative. The 7th day would be the commencement of another thousand-year period and not a reference to a literal 24-hour day. This is similar to the “broad concordist theory” which states that “the seven days represent seven long ages.”
Richard Davidson. “The Genesis Account of Origins,” In The Genesis Creation Account and Its Reverberations in the Old Testament, ed.Gerald A. Klingbeil (Berrien Springs, Michigan.:Andrews University Press, 2015)


Born in the Tuscan town of Caprese in 1475, he was one of the greatest exponents of late-Renaissance art, and together with Raphael, founder of the styles of Classicism and Mannerism. He learned the basic rudiments of painting and sculpture with Domenico Ghirlandaio and Bertoldo di Giovanni, a pupil of Donatello respectively. He quickly threw himself into his artistic work, creating his first noteworthy statues: the "Virgin of the Steps" (1490-92) and the "Battle of the Centaurs" at the Buonarroti house in Florence. He then moved to Bologna for a time, and in the Church of St. Dominic he sculpted "St. Petronius", "St. Proclus" and an "Angel" (1494-95) as the crowning part of a marble arch. He then went to Rome, where he created "Bacchus" (1496-97), now at the Bargello Museum in Florence, and the world famous "Pietà" (1496) in St. Peter's (see under pietà), in which the intense grief of the Virgin is realistic, just as the muscles, nerves and expressions are"real". From a slightly later date is the "Virgin and Child" (1498-1501) at the Notre-Dame church in Bruges, and the "Pitti Virgin" (1503) at the Bargello Museum, an excellent example of bas-relief on a tondo, the circular shape he later used for some of his paintings, suchas the famous "Doni tondo" or "Holy Family and St. Giovannino" (1504) at the Uffizi. This last work, along with the no longer surviving frescos of the "Battle of Cascina" in the Palazzo Vecchio, worked on alongside Leonardo da Vinci's "Battle of Anghiari" cartoons, also lost, and the "Taddei tondo" in the Royal Academy in London is one of his most perfect painted works, an artform he later concentrated on after having mastered the art of sculpture.The later work, the "Deposition in the sepulchre" (1511) now at the National gallery in London, has been attributed to him, despite much uncertainty. He also worked on the extraordinary frescos in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, painting the "Scenes of the Genesis, Prophets, Sybil and the Naked" (1508-12) and the "Final Judgement" (1536-41), then in the Paolina Chapel he painted the "Martyrdom of St. Peter" and the "Conversion of Saul" (1542-50). In these admirable examples of his maturity Michelangelo created monumental figures of great plasticity, realistic giants with emotions, feelings and pain, with their twisted bodies in accordance with the Mannerist style, and pastel-toned robes wrapped around their bodies as if they were Greek statues. His works of sculpture include the magnificent "David" (1501-04) at the Accademia Gallery, a worthy heir to the classical athletes of Polycletus, Praxiteles or Lisippo, "St. Paul", "St. Peter" and "St. Pius" (1503-04) in Siena Cathedral. For Pope Julius II he sculpted "The dying slave" (1513), now at the Louvre, "Moses" (1515) in St. Peter in Chains Church in Rome, with its solemn power, and the "Prisons" (1530-34) at the Accademia in Florence. The great artist reached the peak of his splendour with the the Tombs of Giuliano and Lorenzo de' Medici in the church of San Lorenzo (1525-34), where he also architected the new vestry (also in Florence he built the Laurenziana Library), with the "Pietà" (1550-55) in Florence Cathedral and the "Rondanini Pietà" (1552-66) at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, as well as with the Campidoglio Piazza and the Farnese Palace in Rome (both were built between 1544 and 1550) and with the Building of St. Peter (from 1546 on). This extraordinarily talented late-Renaissance Italian artist died in 1564.
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I remember the Wednesday night youth group so vividly, for some reason. I was in late high school or early college, that part is a little fuzzy. But I’d recently received a new Bible. I said something about it being new at our youth group meeting and a couple of guys in the group (older than me) wanted to see it. To ‘approve’ it.
One of the guys asked, “You’ve already written this much in it??” Another guy grabbed it, looked at it and said (while tossing it back to me), “Nah. She just copied it all from her other Bible.”
I felt immediate, and yet unexplainable, shame. They’d ‘busted me’.
I have thought of that interaction a few times over the years when I’ve purchased a new Bible. As I sit and copy my notes and underlinings from old to new I think, ‘Big freaking deal!! I LIKE reading my old notes. I LIKE that at one point in my life a scripture meant one thing and at another point in life it means something slightly different. I LIKE comparing my growth and understanding! Why did I have to feel any amount of shame for that?!
I love the stubborn SO WHAT that happens as we mature through life. Calling out someone’s BS, even decades later and only in the presence of yourself, is still therapeutic.
For some reason, the little tear in the leather cover of my current Bible became a huge mess during our recent move. The whole front cover is torn up and even though I’ve tried to ‘work with it’, I came to the conclusion the other day that I would certainly need a new Bible sometime soon.
I looked on my bookshelves for a different Bible to use and saw, sitting there, my mother’s Bible.
A sacred piece of my mother who is now gone – renewed to new eternal life after fighting the stupid disease of Alzheimer’s for the last eight years of her life.
My mother. The spiritual giant. The Sunday school teacher. The prayer protector. Her Bible was a sacred book that I’ve cherished having on my bookshelf.
I pulled her Bible down from the shelf and looked it over. It’s been awhile since I’ve flipped through the pages. The thought began to percolate. ‘Could I just use her Bible?’ Would it be impossible to make it my own? Would it feel wrong – like committing the cardinal sin of rummaging through her purse without asking first?
Mom used a red pencil to underline important scripture. (A crossover from her career as a 7th grade English teacher, perhaps?) I usually use a mechanical pencil. Plain ol’ gray lead. I very quickly decided I would adopt her Bible as my own.
So as I have always done, I first transferred my notes and underlinings. Time after time after time I would flip through to the correct reference and, pencil ready in hand, I would start to underline only to find the thin red markings of her own hand. The same scripture. The same yearning to mark this passage as important and timely. What was she experiencing at the time that she underlined those words? What life event was she praying about or worrying her way through? The lump in my throat grew harder and harder to swallow.
It was no surprise to me that she was a Bible-reading, passionate-praying mother of two daughters and four grandchildren. I know full well that our lives have been covered by her petitions before God.
But to write in my handwriting next to her delicate penmanship felt like joining hands together. It felt like an adult woman and an adult woman, combining forces to pray as one for the same people they hold dear. It was invigorating to imagine her struggles and confusion and developing understanding of grace and love from a Father who loves us both. Same ages. Different times.
I began to understand that the thing I was saving as precious and sacred was not the book with the onion-skinned pages, but the cries and struggles and triumphs of the red-lined words from the woman who forged the way before me. It is her spiritual journey that is sacred, not the book that housed the words. The God she served is the same one I turn to in complete frustration as well as amazement and awe. Her imperfection is what stood out to me as I held our now bonded book of promises. Her perfection was always clear and obvious in life. But to imagine her insecurity and imperfection as a mother, a wife, a child, sibling and believer – that is what I needed to see. Uncertainty and falling short – that was something with which I could relate.
Sacred moments are so often dusty and dirty and completely unexpected. They are found in the tiny places in our lives, not in the grand moments of success and accolades. The sacred is quiet and holy and unquestioningly saturated in love and understanding. Sacred is a red pencil in the hands of a faithful believer.
I have looked forward to returning to ‘our Bible’ this week. I imagine her thoughts as I read stories of characters who walked the earth in a much earlier time but that experienced the same moments of humanness that we are still going through today.
I cherish the book, her Bible from years past. But it is her selection of certain passages due to the journey she chose to follow – that is the sacred moment of eternity as I run my own fingers over her red-penciled life.
Finding the sacred among the ordinary. That was the unexpected gift I received as I now hold the same book of truth she held and pray for all those that come behind us. Sure, may they find us faithful. But may they also find us flawed and bruised and worried – but continuing to believe in a God who saw our brokenness, and loved us all the more.
POEM OF THE ONE WORLD
the beautiful white heron
was floating along above the water
and then into the sky of this
the one world
we all belong to
sooner or later
is a part of everything else
which thought made me feel
for a little while
quite beautiful myself.


Beginning on September 15th we will begin an 8-week worship focus inviting reflection on this question. The series of sermons is part of the work of the Stained Glass Jesus Taskforce, which has been charged with inviting a deeper look at the white stained glass
Jesus in our sanctuary. The goal is both to build community while enabling us to grow in our understanding about the place of art and our congregational commitment to antiracism.
The sermon series begins with an invitation for each of us to reflect on the window through the use of a simple poetry form called a cinquain. The congregation will be invited to use this short form to describe what they see. Sometimes our familiarity can keep us from seeing what is there. Imagine you are encountering this image for the first time, like Nathaniel encountering Jesus. Four or five members will be invited in advance to write and read their poetry. An open invitation will be given to the congregation to share what they have written.
Pastor Tim Johnson will share his own journey with Jesus from a child
into adulthood and today. The journey includes an influential painting from his
childhood in his hometown church. It is a painting by Warner Sallman, the Swedish,
Minnesota-born artist who painted the popular head of Jesus image. The particular
painting from Pastor Tim’s home church is an image of Jesus hovering over the
disciples as he ascends into the heavens. Tim will reflect on the way this image
influenced his own understanding of Jesus and how that understanding has changed.
September 29, October 6, October 13, & October 20
Each Sunday will be dedicated to a central image of Jesus and paired with one of the Gospels. A diversity of scholars and theologians will be drawn upon in presenting an overall portrait of Jesus.
The major themes for each Sunday are drawn from the work of Jesus scholar, Marcus
Borg, and can be found in his book “Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time.” Copies
of the book will be made available. The themes include the following: Mark – healer &
liberator, Matthew – wisdom teacher, Luke – social prophet and movement founder,
John – mystic. Each Sunday will be paired with an image reflecting Jesus as a person
of color and which captures the theme of that Sunday.
The theme is “Seeing Jesus Again and Again and Again.” An image of
Jesus reflecting the perspective of a community of color will be projected on the
sanctuary wall. We will return to cinquain poetry as a vehicle for engaging our own
Fellowship Hour Conversation
Books reflecting a diversity of images of Jesus will be placed on the fellowship hall table so that friends and members can engage them at their leisure during fellowship time.
Beginning on Sunday, September 15, at 9:00 a.m., “Zealot/The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth” by Reza Aslan will be the focus of discussion. From the jacket, “Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of Jesus of Nazareth, Life and Mission. The result is thought-provoking, elegantly written biography with the pulse of a fast paced novel: a singularly brilliant portrait of a man, time and the birth of a religion.“ Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Who Is Jesus? – Sunday School and “Families Exploring Spirituality.”
Each second and third Sunday, children and youth will be invited to consider their own portrait of who Jesus is for them. On Sunday, November 3, the 9:00 a.m. “Families
Exploring Spirituality” will have the question “Who Jesus Is” as its focus. This session
will be led by members of the Stained Glass Jesus Taskforce and members of Faith
More To Come
The timetable remains open for continued reflection and discussion about the stained glass Jesus, art and our congregational commitment to antiracism. The Taskforce welcomes your input and ideas for continued discussion and reflection. When the time is ready, the taskforce will provide a summary to the Council with possible actions steps about the window and art in the life of Cherokee Park United Church, remaining open to wherever the Spirit leads. If you have any questions, please speak with members of the Council or Taskforce members: Phyllis Andrews, Okogyeamon Perkins, Jerome Graf, Chris Smith, Joy Sorensen Navarre, Tom Liddle- 2013/14 Pastoral Intern, and Pastor Tim.
(Image: Copyright 1999, artist Janet McKenzie www.janetmckenzie.com )


in C.A.C.G.M. faith Works center, we have made effort
to create an environment that will accommodate people
from all works of life as there is no Jew nor Greek in
the sight of God: We are all one in the presence of God
and so we should be able to worship together for we are
children of one family. Heirs of the father and joint
heir with the son.
you will like to join us, I would encourage you to take
advantage of our new members’ class, which normally
holds on a Saturday afternoon from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm.
In this class, you will learn about the operation of the
church, our visions, programs, and policies, and the benefits
that you can receive as a member, so that you can have
a sense of belonging to this family of God.
As you continue to worship with us, you will learn from
assimilating, why the church is called FAITH WORKS CENTER.
It is God’s will that you should live a life free
from all of life’s problems, such as sin, poverty,
sickness, curses, setbacks, non-achievement, marital problems,
depressions, confusion, and all forms of demonic oppressions.We
are here to help you discover how you can build up your
faith that will take you to a level where you will no
longer be a victim but A VICTOR


Weds, Feb 8: We won’t have Bible study tonight.
We’re canceling the Christian Discussion / Bible Study on Weds, Dec. 28, 2016.
Paul, Henry, Audrey
We have Wednesday evening discussions with a Biblical Christian perspective in the Semiahmoo Library Meeting Room in South Surrey on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-8:30pm. Everyone is welcome!
Don’t live in the area? You can join us in our live chat! Just use the pop-up in the bottom-right corner of this page, or click the Chat menu option.
Note that we won’t be meeting on holidays. To check a particular date, please view our calendar.
If you live in the Cloverdale area, consider visiting the Neighborhood Bible Studies in the Gathering Room at the Wired Monk (16811 60 Ave) on Wednesday nights from 7PM to 9PM. Check with Stan (phone 604-897-0643) first, to make sure somebody will be there!
If you live in Burnaby, look into the Burnaby Bible Study on Wednesdays at 7:30pm.


Yesterday my husband and I were discussing when to buy a new home. With the pros and cons of adding on vs. buying a new house, I thought something that has been plaguing my mind over the past year: how much is too much to spend on things? Should I cap it at a certain amount?
We were shopping a while back at the mall. We were in gymboree (which I love) and looking at a cute outfit that would make my daughter look like a bear. Adorable I know. It was around $40. I was debating on buying it and my husband said, “Do you like that as much as feeding a child in Africa for a month because you could for that amount.” Of course, I love gymboree, (I am actually an affiliate) and did end up buying something else from them (they have great sales and coupons.) But I couldn’t bring myself to buy that specific item.
I didn’t feel guilty. I have long since discovered that I am going to have to spend money and not donate it all away to live. However, I know my money is not my own. Thus, the question comes back to how much is too much to spend on things.
This is such a gray area. For your family it may be different, but here is my mentality towards money. I want to walk you through how I am using the Bible to view money. These verses about money are ones that really influence how I feel about money and help me remember what is important.
We are Rich
Compared to the rest of the world, we are rich. In the US or other developed countries, we may not be considered rich, but since most people in the world are living on $2 a day, we are very wealthy. So, every verse in the Bible that God talks about wealth and wealthy people, we need to really listen to it. It applies to us.
James 5:1-6 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
When I read this verse, it is clear that God is warning, my family! I don’t want to not heed the warning. I don’t want to look up after decades have gone by to realize that my wealth has rotten away my soul, and I did not use my money for others. I held back more than I should have and could have given it more freely. That is why it is so important to know the verses about money that relate to rich people (me).
We have a Choice
So, I know we need to make a choice.
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Pretty much, God or money? If we put the decision off, it is clear what decision we keep making. So, I need to know that every time I buy something, I am ultimately deciding, is this going to better God’s kingdom.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
My family wants to be generous and ready to share our wealth. We don’t want to “be conceited or fix [our] hope on [money]” (1 Tim. 6:17) we do have because “wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” (Prov. 11:4).
We need to understand how to do this.
So, I knew all this information already. Yet, it is easy to slide back and buy something you don’t need or forget what you really want. So, how do we go from spending to saving?
Contentment with what we have is the answer. I want to be content with what I have so that I can give more. I don’t want to just save to make sure my retirement fund is large enough. I want to save so I can go on trips to different countries and help others.
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Living in contentment in prosperity is difficult because you have money to get things. You can buy whatever you want.
We Can’t Think We are Poor Just Because We Overspend
Like I said, we are rich because we live on more than what most people in the world live on ($2 a day). Many people in the world are truly poor. I could probably walk around town and find $2 in change. That is how wealthy we are.
I don’t ever want to think that I am not in prosperity and need to learn to be content with humble means. I think this is where Satan traps us. If he can convince the rich people that they are poor and are learning to live with humble means, every time they buy something it is a gift from God and a reward for living with humble means. So when you go to Starbucks or McDonalds, you think it is a reward for all the times you didn’t go. Not only that, but we are too poor to give now, so we need to keep trying to get more money in a hopes for having excess to give later.
This thinking happens though because you aren’t using your money wisely and you are not living within your means (even though they aren’t humble means) and you feel poor even though you are rich. Your debts, mortgage payments, car payment, spending sprees each month leave you feeling poor.
So because you don’t have enough money to spend on debts or desires, you feel poor. It is easy at this point to believe that if you increase your income, it will fix the problem.
Proverbs 23:4-5 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
This verse is confusing because I think, I don’t think about money. I don’t focus on having money or being wealthy. This next verse is what clears in up in my mind.
Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
This says to be on your guard about all kinds of greeds. In the US, churches talk about one type of greed the most (gaining money in the physical form). This is a glaringly obvious form of greed. The thing is that Satan is sneaky. He gets us to want new things or enough money to attend this type of school or money to do something or money to do things with friends or family or…..Fill in the blank. Once we get it we want more. It is not that we want a lot of money in our bank account sitting there. We want it to spend.
That is what I don’t want to be like. I don’t want to wake up and realize that I could have given more away, but I spent it on stuff or activities for me and my family. I got caught up in what the American dream is and forgot what life is about..
Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
I don’t want to constantly be looking for more money to have more comforts. While I would love to have a new love seat, do I need one that is more expensive just because it is the exact style I want. Can I settle for one a couple hundred cheaper? Is that a right view of how to spend money? Or better yet, how long can I live without getting a new one? Do I even need one right now? I have a perfectly, ugly couch to use.
Psalm 62:10 ..if riches increase, do not set your heart on them
If I make millions of dollars, how large of a home is too large? Why would I ever need a mansion? At what point should I cap how much I spend on a house compared to my income? If my income increases, I don’t feel like that means I should be willing to always buy a bigger home or more expensive home. At some point, I may even say, well we could build a school in a third world country for how much that house costs.
How should we view how we spend out money then?
Our Money is God’s Money
I am never going to stop spending my money wrong if I don’t change the way I view how I spend my money. Many people say that since it is actually God’s money, we should spend it right and that is how you should view spending your money.
Obviously God gave us our money. Every Christian is force fed this concept like if we just get it, we will stop spending money wrong. The problem doesn’t come from viewing spending money as spending God’s money, the problem is that the viewpoint like this is incomplete. It still does not help me spend money any wiser or less.
I know every penny I spend was given to me by God, that helps me to be thankful. (Thankful for whatever I do spend it on). It also helps me realize that I need to spend it the right way. That is it.
1 Timothy 6:6-12 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
I want to be Content with What I have
It comes back to contentment. People don’t want to have money just for money sakes. They want to have money to spend money. They want to have money for security. They want money for what money does for them. While this isn’t all bad, when it leads you into temptation it is wrong. Even if it leads you to buy a Starbucks drink that was really unnecessary. (I keep using that analogy because I just drank Starbucks drinks! Clearly I am not completely against Star bucks, their drinks are amazing.)
Being happy with not less money, but less activities, less vacations, less “me” time, less fun time. The I will spend less.
Because meal planning, couponing, shopping deals, etc, is a lot less fun than going out to eat and being served.
Because it is a lot more fun going to the movies than watching a movie from home.
Because it is more fun to have free time and less accountability than having to budget and plan out where your money is going.
At least, that is the mindset that Satan wants us to have. I want to be content with being financially mature. I want to be content with doing some things at the beginning of the month with my finances that may not be “fun”. I want to start thinking that it is not about entertainment or experiences, it is about serving God.
But I also don’t want to be a penny-pincher that forgets that the reason I am doing it is to give more. I want to spend less on me and more on what God wants.
So, what is the answer to the question: how much is too much to spend on things?….You’ll have to come back when I post my next post on the topic which will also include a lot of verses about money. Actually the Bible has so many verses about money because it is an important topic to God. It is one big way we can help God’s kingdom, so I want to make sure I understand it. Writing posts like these helps me state “for the record” what I believe and solidify that I need to walk the talk.
If you liked this post, and it made you think (since you just stepped into my thought process), stay tuned for more post where I am going to dive into this topic of finances for God. Sign up to my email subscribers to remember to check back for the latest posts.


Exodus 1 vs 4-12
In the course of the study, I have already established the fact that the first thing that matters in life is to make a decision to come into God kingdom, though we were born into sin and in sin our mother conceived us just like the Israelite that was born in slavery and was subjected to it, we also, was born into sin and under is bondage. As i begin to meditate more on this issue , i saw Pharaoh anger kindling more and more about the people of God.I begin to wonder why is he so furious at this people to the extent of killing innocent children,1 Peter 5 vs 8 flash through my mind and i realize that the man (Pharaoh) is still around and still angry against the people of God till this moment.However, i saw that Pharaoh was angry not because of their fruitfulness or increment in their population but because of what might happened in the future.He sensed that a day is coming when these people will demand freedom from him and we want to be free from the bondage they are subjected to. Then i realized why many a times the devil brings so many things on the way of a believer,i begin to see why he will brings temptation and different weight upon a believer not because of the present but because of what the believer might become tomorrow.When Jesus went to the wilderness,he went to tempt not because of anything but because he sensed the havoc he would caused to is kingdom. If you are a believer, Don’t know that obnoxious challenges you are passing through, i don’t know that temptation he is putting on your way, i don’t know what has happened to you and you think why is this happening to me.I want you to know that he is doing all this thing because of your tomorrow maybe as a youth, you have made up your mind to keep yourself from immorality and your friends laughs at you,they make jest of you,even sometimes they avoid you when they want to discuss some issue because you have make up your mind to live for God. Don’t worry,You are securing your future from the hand of the enemy. Pharaoh was roaring like a lion and he is still roaring looking for someone to devour, looking for a life to destroyed because he is afraid of what God will make out of the life if the life is for God. Therefore,no matter what you are passing through,no matter the challenges,no matter the impediment coming your way,don’t be discouraged. Always remember that all things work together for them that loves God and are called according to His purpose and no matter what you are passing through bible says your other brethren in the world are passing through it too.GOD BLESS U.


I am reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and I finished Day 2 a couple of days ago and I wanted to share the poem by Russell Kelfer on page 26 with all of you. This poem has remained in my mind and heart since I read it and I hope you will take something away from this post.
You are who you are for a reason. You're part of an intricate plan. You're precious and perfect unique design, Called God's special woman or man. You look like you look for a reason. Our God made no mistake. He knit you together within the womb, You're just what he wanted to make. The parents you had were the ones he chose, And no matter how you may feel, They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind, And they bear the Master's seal. No, that trauma you faced was not easy. And God wept that it hurt you so; But it allowed to shape your heart So that into his likeness you'd grow. You are who you are for a reason, You've been formed by the Master's rod. You are who you are, beloved, Because there is a God!
I have been giving my purpose and reflecting a lot lately on my WHY. Please feel free to visit my most recent reflection and leave your comments below.


My heart is so heavy this week for some friends of ours that are suffering. Two families that we are very close to are going through most likely the toughest time in each of their lives this week. Us and a few other couples met last night to pray specifically for each family.
God's word tells us in Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them." I believe in this passage of scripture and love to pray for people as a group. God hears our prayers and I pray He heard our cries for these sweet, precious families last night.
Pat and Sarah Fries are one of the first couples that we met when we began to attend our church in Springdale. They took us right into their already large small group and made us feel welcome and loved. They love Jesus and love people. They have two sweet children, Lynlee and Owen. This past Monday, Jan 31, Sarah was diagnosed with a brain tumor on her frontal lobe. She will be traveling to MD Anderson in the coming days for an operation. Sarah and Pat have been updating about her situation here.
Some of our favorite people, Rich and Renee also experienced tragedy this week. They found out that their precious baby boy that was due in March has gone to be with Jesus. You have never met a sweeter, more genuine couple than these folks. They both work with Adam and have become dear friends of ours. They have a sweet little princess named Sallie that is 2. My heart is so broken for this family. I have no idea what they are going through but I hope they know that many are mourning with them and praying for them.
Only God can comfort in times like these. Sure, I believe he puts people around to love on those going through trials, but only his love and mercy can take away the pain. I have no idea how people who do not have a relationship with Him make it through tragic circumstances like these. I am so blessed to know that both of these families are believers and will no doubt turn tragedy into triumph for our Savior.
Please pray for these families today.
5 hours ago


Mr. Peter Julian (Burnabyâ€”New Westminster, NDP): Mr. Speaker, November 2 is a day of celebration in Burnaby. It marks 100 years of continuous presence of All Saints Anglican Church as a key member of our community and our faith community situated on the south slope of Burnaby since 1912, with 100 years of service to families, children, seniors, ministering to their spiritual and social needs, welcoming lovingly persons of all persuasions to its many programs.
I rise today to honour this important anniversary. Generation after generation our community has had the good fortune to benefit from the Parish of All Saints
Anglican Church leadership and guidance. We are also very grateful for that and for its setting a high standard of service and dedication.
This week, the church will celebrate with a series of events that honour past accomplishments and the service and commitment to the people for 100 years.
Congratulations on behalf of my constituents of the rich and diverse community of Burnabyâ€”New Westminster. Congratulations for 100 years of faith and fellowship in Burnaby


You are not forgotten
By Hayli Lindgren
Do you ever feel sometimes that God has forgotten you? Perhaps that everyone around you is doing greater, more important things. Have you ever wondered “What about me lord?” Well you are not alone, you are in company with many of the historic characters in the bible.
David was the youngest brother, of little significance, sent to look after his fathers sheep while his brothers did something “far more important” in the worlds eyes. His own father didn't even think about calling him when Samuel came to anoint the next king. Even after he had been anointed future king (at around 17) he maybe felt like God had forgotten him, as it wasn't until he was 30 years old that he began to reign as king...


Category Archives: Pictures
Image by plums_deify
The bathroom also carries a number of aspects from the original set; toilet, shower, etc.
Fuzzy yellow thing from Belleville, I’m sure. Instruments from BrickForge.
Olivia’s House 2.0 is inspired by the Olivia’s House in the first wave of the Friend’s line. You’ll see bits and pieces of borrowed from the original set as a bit of a homage. This house, just like the Friend’s house, is designed to come apart, room by room, with all of the furniture and bits removable.
I began building this in January 2012, and the last BL order to finish arrived yesterday. So January to September to get this built.
Paris – Latin Quarter: Église Saint-Séverin – clerestory stained glass
Image by wallyg
Église Saint-Séverin (Church of Saint Severin) is dedicated to Séverin, a hermit monk who lived and worshipped on this spot on the Left Bank at the end of the fifth century. After his death, a small basilica was constructed over his tomb, but eventually destroyed by the Vikings. In the 11th century, a Romanesque church was built on the site but by 1200 the small edifice was no longer adequate for the expanding neighborhood.
The new Gothic structure was erected at the beginning of the 13th century, consisting of a central nave accompanied by an aisle on both the north and south sides. By the end of that century, the burgeoning university nearby necessiated further expansion, and in the early 14th century a second aisle was added on the south side of the church.
During the Hundred Years War and under the English occupation in 1448, a massive fire destroyed three quarters of the structure. In 1452 the archpriest of Saint Séverin Guillaume d’Estouteville, later archbishop of Rouen, undertook rebuilding of the church in the stunning late Gothic flamboyant style, with the addition of a new side aisle on the north. In 1489, the church was lengthened toward the east, and a semi-circular apse now replaced the earlier flat end wall, featuring a double ambulatory marked by the striking progression of columns that culminates in a mysteriously coiled central shaft. At the beginning of the 16th century construction began on the chapels along the outer aisles, once more expanding the size of building to provide additional space. By 1520 this work was completed and Saint Séverin assumed the basic appearance it enjoys today.
A second sacristy was constructed in 1643, and in 1673 the royal architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart built the Communion chapel on the southeast outside corner of the church. In 1684 Charles le Brun, decorator of Versailles, undertook modifications in the interior design of the choir, tearing down the rood screen that then separated choir from nave and making other decorative changes, such as marble facing added to the apse columns. This work was financed by Mademoiselle de Montpensier, cousin of the king and member of the Saint Séverin parish. In the 18th century the blind triforium encircling the nave was punched open to be filled with glass, admitting ever more light into the interior.
Until 1790 Saint-Séverin was the seat of the southern archdeaconry of the pre-revolutionary diocese of Paris. During the Revolutionary period the Church was closed to worship, the noble structure assigned to store gunpowder and animal feed. Under Napoleon, as anti-religious restrictions were reversed, the church reopened in 1802.
Both lateral facades of the church are richly decorated with pinnacles, gargoyles and flying buttresses. The west entrance façade is dominated by an expansive flamboyant rose window. The soaring bell tower dates from the first Gothic construction in the early 1200’s; the oldest bell was cast in 1421. The large Gothic portal on the north façade under the bell tower, showing a relief of St. Martin dividing his cloak, was transferred here in the mid-19th century from the church of St-Pierre-aux-boeufs on the Ile de la Cité when it was demolished.
Internal highlights include a set of seven modern windows by Jean René Bazaine, inspired by the seven sacraments of the Catholic church; a deambulatory composed of 10 double spans of pillar-palm trees; ; the oldest triforium in Paris; and one of the oldest organs in Paris, dating to 1745.
The upper windows around the church were created from the late 14th to the 15th century, and they allow sunlight to illuminate the church vividly throughout the day. The windows nearest the entrance, to right and left, are the oldest, along with the central choir windows.
In the triforium level below, 19th century windows in the choir describe scenes from the life of Christ, while those of the north nave depict saints. Figurative windows in the side chapels of the nave likewise date from the 19th century
Image by Thikrie, Indian Mirror Mosaic Art ( Mirror Palace)
Handpainted Housekeeper’s Cupboard
Image by ChalonHandmade


Families & Youth In Eckankar
Eckankar, the Path of Spiritual Freedom, offers youth and families many exciting opportunities for spiritual discovery and understanding, including a complete spiritual study program for youth through age 17.
Would You Like To Know More?
We invite you to explore Eckankar’s extensive resources to help parents raise their children with the spiritual principles and teachings of ECK at Adventures In ECK Parenting.
Grow spiritually as a family while you explore our Youth Study Materials, with spiritual exercises, tools, and values based on God’s love for all.
Utah Youth Study Programs And Resources
For more information about available classes and activities for individuals, families, and youth in Utah, please contact us.


|It’s a simple gift-filled shoebox.
But the impact each Operation Christmas Child shoebox has when it’s opened by a child somewhere around the world is anything but ordinary. In many cases, the box is life-changing because it goes to a child who has never received a gift before, and never had the opportunity to learn who Jesus is.
Each box tells a boy or girl they are loved, they matter, and God loves them as His children.
All that in one simple shoebox. What gift from you could have more impact than that?!
Now is the time to be shopping for and packing your Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes! Invite your friends, family, co-workers, or your church to pack boxes too so even more children in the world can get the gift of a lifetime through an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.
For everything you need to know about how to pack a shoebox—including what NOT to pack—and what to do with your shoeboxes once you’ve packed them, click here:


Did you know that more than 40% of people in Jackson, Tennessee struggle to provide basic needs for their household? This means that for many, hunger is a constant companion. This is a real struggle for many people in our community. But your investment into our mission can change the story of hunger for them.
When you give to RIFA, you let thousands of people in need know that there is hope, because someone cares enough to take action.Donate Money
Food donations help us fight hunger. Food, however humble, has the power to transform lives.Donate Food
Your donations to our Thrift Store help fund ministries that feed the most vulnerable members of our community.Donate Items
RIFA is a team—many people working together to meet physical, spiritual and relational needs. Be the hands and feet of Christ by volunteering at RIFA.Donate Time
Provides food and basic necessities to individuals and families.
Provides kid-friendly, easy-to-prepare, nutritious food to school children who have little or no food over the weekends.
Serves a hot meal 365 days of the year to the hungry in our community.
Distributes food to other local nonprofit agencies in Madison County and seven surrounding counties.
Provides gently-used, donated clothing, furniture and household items at a low cost to the community.
Here’s how YOU made a difference in our community in 2019.
Food Lbs Donated
RIFA is a refuge for so many.-Paul Reed, RIFA volunteer
RIFA is part of the reason that my baby, Isaiah, is here because they fed me in the Soup Kitchen while I was pregnant and didn’t have food.- Angela, Soup Kitchen patron
RIFA is thrilled to announce Canstruction 2023: An Evening with The Cleverlys, presented by Foundation Bank. The 18th annual event will be held on Thursday, September 28th, 2023, at the Carl Perkins Civic Center. The Cleverlys are a one-of-a-kind comedy/music...Read More
September is Hunger Action Month! Every year, Feeding America leads this campaign to raise awareness and inspire the public to take action on behalf of people facing the impossible choice of hunger. Did you know that 48% of all households...Read More


Constantine's decision to cease the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was a turning point for early Christianity, sometimes referred to as the Triumph of the Church, the Peace of the Church or the Constantinian shift. In 313, Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan decriminalizing Christian worship. The emperor became a great patron of the Church and set a precedent for the position of the Christian emperor within the Church and raised the notions of orthodoxy, Christendom, ecumenical councils, and the state church of the Roman Empire declared by edict in 380. He is revered as a saint and isapostolos in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and various Eastern Catholic Churches for his example as a Christian monarch.
About the time of the midday sun, when the day was just turning, he said he saw with his own eyes up in the sky and resting over the sun, a cross-shaped trophy formed from light, and a text attached to it which said, "By this conquer." (τούτῳ νίκα) Amazement at the spectacle seized both him and the whole company of soldiers which was then accompanying him on a campaign he was conducting somewhere, and witnessed the miracle.
The accession of Constantine was a turning point for early Christianity. After his victory, Constantine took over the role of patron of the Christian faith. He supported the Church financially, had a number of basilicas built, granted privileges (e.g., exemption from certain taxes) to clergy, promoted Christians to high-ranking offices, returned property confiscated during the Great Persecution of Diocletian, and endowed the church with land and other wealth. Between 324 and 330, Constantine built a new city, New Rome, at Byzantium on the Bosporos, which would be named Constantinople for him. Unlike "old" Rome, the city began to employ overtly Christian architecture, contained churches within the city walls, and had no pre-existing temples from other religions.
Faith can do amazing things to a person. Even the worst villain can redeem themselves after gaining a little bit of faith in God. A Heel–Faith Turn is a situation where a villain turns good because of a deep religious experience, possibly preceded by a My God, What Have I Done? moment or a Heel Realization. As a result, the former villain often becomes a Good Shepherd and/or Badass Preacher and an Atoner.
I must confess that writing posts on Hollywood conversions can be terrifying. We Catholics tend to get excited when an actor says something about the faith. Sometimes we are even quick to elevate them to the status of models of the Christian life. Soon after, they come around and start spouting out rubbish and, naturally, we feel disappointed. I am going to be clear then, that with this post, it seems that Wahlberg is a sincere Catholic, and has been for some time. He gives a very positive testimony of his faith and it is great to see him sharing it so openly.
Converts to Islam also have a tough time. Black Muslims are actually somewhat more likely to return to prison than other ex-inmates, says researcher Fareed Nu'man of the American Muslim Council. In contrast, 20 years ago, Muslims hardly ever went back to jail, he says. But there were more extensive support programs then.
3. For our identity. Perhaps you are not in a crisis of faith, but you have taken your identity in Christ for granted. When we are converted we become more fundamentally Christian than anything else we might have in common. Meditate on this amazing truth. And remember: Biblical assurance is not based merely upon an examination of our conversion, but also upon an examination of our life from that moment on.
Like Americans in many other religious groups, a substantial share of adults who were raised Muslim no longer identify as members of the faith. But, unlike some other faiths, Islam gains about as many converts as it loses.
63. The Catholic faith of many peoples is nowadays being challenged by the proliferation of new religious movements, some of which tend to fundamentalism while others seem to propose a spirituality without God. This is, on the one hand, a human reaction to a materialistic, consumerist and individualistic society, but it is also a means of exploiting the weaknesses of people living in poverty and on the fringes of society, people who make ends meet amid great human suffering and are looking for immediate solutions to their needs. These religious movements, not without a certain shrewdness, come to fill, within a predominantly individualistic culture, a vacuum left by secularist rationalism. We must recognize that if part of our baptized people lack a sense of belonging to the Church, this is also due to certain structures and the occasionally unwelcoming atmosphere of some of our parishes and communities, or to a bureaucratic way of dealing with problems, be they simple or complex, in the lives of our people. In many places an administrative approach prevails over a pastoral approach, as does a concentration on administering the sacraments apart from other forms of evangelization.
260. In this final chapter, I do not intend to offer a synthesis of Christian spirituality, or to explore great themes like prayer, Eucharistic adoration or the liturgical celebration of the faith. For all these we already have valuable texts of the magisterium and celebrated writings by great authors. I do not claim to replace or improve upon these treasures. I simply wish to offer some thoughts about the spirit of the new evangelization.
"People seek mental health services for many reasons. Accordingly, it is fair to assert that lesbians and gay men seek therapy for the same reasons that heterosexual people do. However, the increase in media campaigns, often coupled with coercive messages from family and community members, has created an environment in which lesbians and gay men often are pressured to seek reparative or conversion therapies, which cannot and will not change sexual orientation. Aligned with the American Psychological Association's (1997) position, NCLGB [NASW's National Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues] believes that such treatment potentially can lead to severe emotional damage. Specifically, transformational ministries are fueled by stigmatization of lesbians and gay men, which in turn produces the social climate that pressures some people to seek change in sexual orientation. No data demonstrate that reparative or conversion therapies are effective, and in fact they may be harmful."Position Statement, "Reparative" and "Conversion" Therapies.
You have given us a great gift in Your Church. But some people choose to turn away from Your friendship and to leave the fold of Your Church. Those who have left Your Catholic Church to follow another sect of Christianity are in need of the grace of conversion.
There are many ways that we all fall short during our lives and many opportunities for sin. But some of Your people have specifically chosen to turn from You to pursue a pagan life in direct opposition to You.
Some scholars have questioned whether the term conversion is appropriate for what happened to Paul when he became a follower of Jesus. The terms convert and conversion are usually used to describe how a person turns from one religion to another, or from being non-religious to religious. Scholars who object to using this term for Paul emphasized that Paul did not think that following Jesus meant abandoning Judaism for some other religion, a brand-new thing called Christianity that contrasted with Judaism.
Conversion involves both turning away from a past life and turning toward God, resulting in an interior transformation of the person. Conversion can mean turning from sin to repentance, from laxity to fervor, from unbelief to faith, from error to truth. It includes the initial turning toward God away from atheism, turning toward moral virtue from vice, and turning toward belief in Christ from non-Christian religions.
Remember, though, that Judaism is a faith of good deeds [and other ritual observances], not forced creeds. There is more concern in Judaism that you act morally than that you have specific beliefs [at least among liberal Jews]. All Jews share a passion to make the world a better place. It is difficult to provide a brief summary of basic Judaism. To get you started, though, here are some general Jewish beliefs that are widely held among Jews:
Nineteenth century America contained a bewildering array ofProtestant sects and denominations, with different doctrines, practices, and organizational forms. But by the 1830salmost all of these bodies had a deep evangelical emphasis incommon. Protestantism has always contained an importantevangelical strain, but it was in the nineteenth century that aparticular style of evangelicalism became the dominant form ofspiritual expression. What above all else characterized thisevangelicalism was its dynamism, the pervasive sense of activistenergy it released. As Charles Grandison Finney, the leadingevangelical of mid-nineteenth century America, put it: "religionis the work of man, it is something for man to do." Thisevangelical activism involved an important doctrinal shift awayfrom the predominately Calvinist orientation that hadcharacterized much of eighteenth-century American Christianity. Eighteenth-century Calvinists like Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield hadstressed the sinful nature of humans and their utter incapacityto overcome this nature without the direct action of the grace ofGod working through the Holy Spirit. Salvation was purely inGod's hands, something he dispensed as he saw fit for his ownreasons. Nineteenth-century evangelicals like Finney, or LymanBeecher, or Francis Asbury, were no less unrelenting in theiremphasis on the terrible sinfulness of humans. But they focusedon sin as human action. For all they preached hellfire anddamnation, they nonetheless harbored an unshakable practicalbelief in the capacity of humans for moral action, inthe ability of humans to turn away from sinfulbehavior and embrace moral action. Whatever their particulardoctrinal stance, most nineteenth-century evangelicals preached akind of practical Arminianism which emphasized the duty andability of sinners to repent and desist from sin. ConversionThe core of nineteenth-century evangelicalism was theexperience of conversion. Conversion was compelled by a set ofclear ideas about the innate sinfulness of humans after Adam'sfall, the omnipotence of God--his awful power and his mercy--and,finally, the promise of salvation for fallen humankindthrough Christ's death on the cross as the atonement forhuman sin. But what students need to understand is thatconversion was an experience. It was not simply something thatpeople believed--though belief or faith was essential to it--but something that happened to them, a real, intensely emotionalevent they went through and experienced as a profoundpsychological transformation left them with a fundamentallyaltered sense of self, an identity as a new kind of Christian. As they interpreted it, they had undergone spiritual rebirth, thedeath of an old self and the birth of a new one thatfundamentally transformed their sense of their relationship to the world. Conversion consisted of a sequence of clearly mapped-outsteps, each of which was accompanied by a powerful emotion that led the penitent from the terror ofeternal damnation through redemption to the promise of heavenlysalvation. The process of conversion characteristically began ina state of "concern" about the state of one's soul and "inquiry"into what were called the doctrines of salvation propelled by thequestion "what can I do to be saved?" This led to a state ofacute spiritual "anxiety," marked by deep fear over the prospectof eternal damnation, which in turn grew into an unmistakablesense of "conviction," the heartfelt realization that one stoodjustly condemned for one's sins and deserved eternal damnation. Conviction was the terrifying point of recognition that no matterhow much one might desire it, there was absolutelynothing one could do to earn salvation. But there wassomething the penitent could do, indeed, was bound to do. Thatwas to fully repent and surrender unconditionally toGod's will to do with as he saw fit and to serve him fully. Itwas this act of repentance, surrender, and dedication to servinghis will that Finney meant when in his most famous sermon heinsisted that "sinners [are] bound to change their own hearts." This moment of renunciation of sin and the abject surrender tothe will to God was the moment of conversion, if it was to come,the moment at which, through the promise of Christ's atonementfor human sin, a merciful God would bestow his grace upon therepentant sinner. Guiding Student DiscussionIt is important to stress to your students the importance of theemotional state that signaled that one had receiveddivine grace and was a converted Christian. People recognized thefact of conversion by the power and character of the emotionsthat accompanied it, that made it an emotional catharsis, aheartfelt rebirth. Most characteristically, conversion, oftenaccompanied by tears, provoked a deep sense of humility and peacemarked by an overwhelming sense of love toward God, a sense thatone had entered a wholly new state of being--defined as a stateof regeneration--that was the utter opposite of the state ofwillfulness, torment, and anxiety that had accompaniedunregeneracy. The convert entered a new spiritual state referredto as regeneracy and sanctification in which the paramount desirewas to do God's will, a desire expressed almost immediately inactive concern for the conversion of family, friends, and evenstrangers who remained unconverted. Indeed, the most importantsign of sanctification was the degree of one's willingness toenlist in the ongoing evangelical campaign to convert the world.(For further discussion of the evangelical convert's role in the world see under Nineteenth Century, Evangelicalism as a Social Movement.)Revivalism and the Second Great AwakeningA second distinguishing feature of nineteenth-centuryevangelicalism was its approach to religious revivals. Thephrase "religious revival" was originally coined in theeighteenth century to describe a new phenomenon in which churches experienced an unexpected "awakening" of spiritual concern, occasioned by a special and mysteriousoutpouring of God's saving grace, which led to unprecedentednumbers of intense and "surprising conversions" that "revived"the piety and power of the churches. In the early nineteenthcentury, however, as "the revival" became a central instrumentfor provoking conversions, it became as much a human as a divineevent. In the terms of Charles Grandison Finney, a revival wassomething preachers and communicants did. It was a deliberately orchestrated event that deployed a variety of spiritual practices to provoke conversionsespecially among the unconverted "youth" (men and women between15 and 30) in the community. The new, self-consciously wrought revivals took severalforms. They first emerged at the turn of theeighteenth century with the invention of the camp meeting inwestern Virginia and North Carolina and on the Kentucky and Ohiofrontier by Presbyterians, Methodists, and Baptists. At thesemeetings, the most famous (or notorious) of which took place atCane Ridge, Kentucky in 1801, hundreds and sometimes thousands of people would gather from miles around in awilderness encampment for four days to a week. There they engaged in an unrelenting series of intense spiritual exercises,punctuated with cries of religious agony and ecstasy, alldesigned to promote religious fervor and conversions. Theseexercises ranged from the singing of hymns addressed to each ofthe spiritual stages that marked the journey to conversion,public confessions and renunciations of sin and personal witnessto the workings of the spirit, collective prayer, all of whichwere surrounded by sermons delivered by clergymen especiallynoted for their powerful "plain-speaking" preaching. Thesecond, major variant of the new revivalism consisted of the"protracted meetings" most often associated with the "newmeasures" revivalism of Finney but which by the late l820s hadbecome the characteristic form of most northern and westernrevivalism. "Protracted meetings," ordinarily conducted once ayear at a time when they would be less disruptive of ordinarylife, usually lasted two to three weeks, during which time therewould be preaching two or three times each day, addressedespecially to the anxious penitents who would gather on an "anxiousbench" at the front of the church to be prayed for by thecongregation, and prayer and counseling visits by newlyconverted Christians to the concerned and anxious. Once a personhad gone through the experience of conversion and rebirth, he orshe would join the ranks of visitors and exhorters, themselvesbecoming evangelists for the still unconverted around them.One important result of the new revivalism was a furthererosion of older Calvinist beliefs, especially the doctrine ofpredestination. (For information on Calvinism and predestinationsee under Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Puritanism and Predestination.) Although some evangelical clergymen did notabandon the idea of predestination entirely (the idea that Godhad preordained who would be saved and who would not was, afterall, a logical extension of the conception of God as an eternal,omniscient, and omnipotent being), in practical terms they held outwhat amounted to an idea of universal salvation. Most Methodistclergymen came pretty close to embracing the idea of universalismwhich held that Christ's atonement was potentially universal,available without restriction to all who would repent andsurrender to God. Alexander Campbell, the founder of the Churchof Christ, made universalism the hallmark of his doctrinalsystem. This new style of evangelicalism consisted of more than adoctrinal and devotional emphasis and a set of proselytizingstrategies. It has to be understood as a vast and powerfulreligious movement. By the l820s evangelicalism had become oneof the most dynamic and important cultural forces in Americanlife. It is here that another important term comesinto play--the Second Great Awakening--the term evangelicalleaders adopted to talk of the revivalism and evangelical fervorthey found themselves in the midst of. The label sought todescribe a broad religious phenomenon that transcended sectarian and denominational boundaries. Mostclergymen (and communicants as well) had specific denominationalaffiliations. But just as the seventeenth-century Puritanssaw their Massachusetts Bay experiment as the spearhead of abroader movement to reform Protestantism itself, so too did nineteenth-century evangelicals consider themselves participants in a much broader spiritual movement toevangelize the nation and world. Secondly, they used the idea ofa Second Great Awakening to signify their participation in an extraordinary religious phenomenon. The label linked them directly to a special heroic history, namely the greateighteenth-century spiritual outpouring (which they themselvesfirst designated the original or First Great Awakening)associated with such figures as Jonathan Edwards, GeorgeWhitefield, and the Tennants. Theirs, too, seemed a period markedby a special and extraordinary outpouring of God's Saving Grace,a period that placed a special burden of responsibility onministers of God and saved Christians alike to enlist themselveswholeheartedly in the work of extending God's Kingdom. Finally,this sense of participation in and responsibility for the vast outpouring of Saving Grace promoted a sense ofdirect connection to the ultimate teleological goal of Christianhistory, namely, the millennium. They came to believe that itwas given to them and their generation of evangelical Americansto prepare the way for Christ's Second Coming (which JonathanEdwards had predicted would take place in the New World) byworking unrelentingly to bring about the thousand-year reign of righteousness that would precede his return to earth. More specifically, what this meant was that they andtheir communicants were to enlist themselves in a broad set ofcampaigns to reform American society. (For more onthe importance of millennialism in nineteenth-century religionsee under Nineteenth Century, Mormonism and the American Mainstream, African-AmericanReligion in the Nineteenth Century.) 2b1af7f3a8