You are my light; my life’s illumination: you are my refuge, O mother!
Please don’t forsake me, Virgin Mary, you abode of kindness…
So runs one of the popular film songs from my youth – and it pretty much symbolises what the Virgin means to me.
Kerala, unlike other states of India, contain a sizeable Christian population who trace their pedigree back to Saint Thomas, who is purported to have come to the state in A.C.E 52. So Christianity as a religion is as common for us Keralites as Hinduism or Islam. And in the districts where the Christians are mainly Catholics – like the town of Thrissur, where I reside – the Virgin Mary is as important an icon as Jesus Christ. Many a time I had gazed at her smiling visage, beaming down upon all human beings in unadulterated benevolence from her pedestal: for a mother’s boy like me, she was infinitely preferable to the frightening image of the crucified Christ. Also, as a Hindu, the Mother Goddess was part and parcel of my mythical orientation. It was only natural that I would identify the Virgin with her, as one of her avatars.
It was only later that I came to know that the Virgin Mary is not part of Christianity as a whole, but particular to Catholicism – that in fact, Protestants actually frown upon her worship! This was a shocker; but then I also came to know that she was worshipped even greater fervour in many other countries, like Latin America and Ireland. This whetted my appetite to learn more about her cult, especially after I discovered Joseph Campbell and the field of comparative mythology. So this book by Marina Warner was a godsend.
Ms. Warner, in Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and Cult of the Virgin Mary, gives an exhaustive historical analysis of the cult of the Virgin Mary – how it started, spread, was opposed, fought the opposition and triumphed. What it lacks is the mythological perspective, except for tracing the connections between Osiris, Isis and Horus to the Virgin and the child and for the casual references to Jung’s concept the divine feminine (which she actually debunks). For Marina, Mary is the conscious creation of the Church to sublimate the feminine into the fold of patriarchal religion.
In the gospels, the mother of Jesus is practically nonexistent. Marian knowledge is concentrated only in the two gospels of Matthew and Luke – later additions in the opinion of most scholars. Matthew crafts the story of Jesus to closely resemble the tale of the great prophet of the Old Testament, Moses: however in his gospel, Mary does not play centre stage. For that, we have to look to Luke: as the author says, “Luke’s infancy Gospel is the scriptural source for all the great mysteries of the Virgin; the only time she is in the heart of the drama in the Bible is in Luke’s beautiful verses.” Historical information (to the extent that we can call the Bible history) regarding Mary is meagre.
The cult of the Virgin was enhanced in the west was the apocryphal Book of James, “the Lord’s brother”. It is this book which sets forth the story of the mother of Jesus in romantic detail, adding flesh to all the bare bones of suggestion in the principal gospels: it is also the one which gave rise to the enduring myth of Mary’s intact virginity.
The virgin birth of heroes is actually adapted from the Hellenistic world: Pythagoras, Plato and Alexander were all believed to be born of woman by the power of a holy spirit (one can see this pattern also in the birth of the Buddha). While the pre-Christian faiths were happy with the metaphorical nature of this belief, Christianity had to concretise it, to contend that Mary was a virgin both before and after childbirth. While a virgin begetting a child was an acceptable belief in the ancient days (when the male contribution to conception was not well understood), a woman remaining a virgin after giving birth was problematic. This dichotomy is still rampant within Catholicism.
Why this insistence on virginity? Well, it’s all due to Eve.
According to the Church, sexuality and desire were the fatal flaws which lead to sin, the gateway to hell – and these entered human destiny when the first woman enticed the first man to eat the forbidden fruit. The Fathers are quick to assert that sex is not sinful in itself; rather, concupiscence which leads to lust and the “tendency to sin” is. This is the original sin not remitted in baptism, and Eve was responsible for it. (This leads to the curious conclusion that sex is OK as long as you don’t enjoy it.)
In the Christian world as well as the Roman Empire before it, the evils of sex were particularly identified with the female. As childbirth was woman’s function, and the pangs of the same God’s special punishment after the fall, the womb was evil and any child born of it was tainted with original sin. Therefore, to prevent the Son of God from being tainted by it, the Church hit upon the brilliant solution of removing the taint of sex from his mother.
Thus the elevation of Mary to purity was not due to any victory of the divine feminine: rather, it was to invest Jesus with purity not accorded to the rest of mankind, especially in the face of Gnostic threats which claimed that Jesus was just another human being.
The obsession of the church with the “sins of the flesh” was so severe that it virtually revelled in abnegation and self-torture. There is no other faith which has revelled so much in the distress of its followers. Marina writes
In Christian hagiography, the sadomasochistic content of the paeans to male and female martyrs is startling, from the early documents like the Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity into the high middle ages. But the particular focus on women’s torn and broken flesh reveals the psychological obsession of the religion with sexual sin, and the tortures that pile up one upon the other with pornographic repetitiousness underline the identification of the female with the perils of sexual contact.
So the solution for normal women, if not to attain the status of the virgin, was at least to forgo the main failing of the human race – sex, for which she was held responsible – in the hope of bliss in the hereafter. Hence – the institution of the nunnery.
Thus the nun’s state is a typical Christian conundrum, oppressive and liberating at once, founded in contempt of, yet inspiring respect for, the female sex. It is, in this regard, a mirror image of the Virgin Mary herself, the sublime model of the virginal life, the inventrix virginitatis, according to Hroswitha, and the patroness of countless orders of monks and nuns. She is a preeminent and sublime example of woman, who excites love and awe.
Thus, the myth of the Fall and the need for redemption from the same are the main drivers of the creation of the myth of the Virgin.
The arguments operating on the idea of virginity control the entire structure of the myth of the Virgin Mary. For after the Fall, God did not only curse womankind to suffer childbirth in sorrow; he also sentenced all mankind to corruption in the grave. Since Adam and Eve’s sin, sex is tainted by concupiscence, and death disfigured by mortal decay. As a symptom of sin, putrefaction is concupiscence’s twin; and a woman who conquered one penalty of the Fall could overcome the other.
Another crucial pillar to the myth Mary, in addition to her perennial virginity, is the belief that she ascended to heaven bodily. As with all things concerning the virgin, this is also mostly apocryphal. Yet over the years, the Catholic Church enthusiastically adopted it – and it is not difficult to see why. Death and its accompanying putrefaction of the physical body is one of the worst nightmares of the devout Christian. The final judgement, during which all the dead bodies will be made whole again, is an article of faith. So it is unthinkable that the Mother of God, who is without sin, will be subject to the same indignity.
In a precise and literal way, the Virgin embodies the Christian ideals of homogeneity and independence. Through her virginity and Assumption, she expresses the particular interpretation of wholeness of the Catholic Church, and reflects two of its most characteristic aspects: its historical fear of contamination by outside influence, and its repugnance to change. In Buddhism created things at their highest point of fulfilment merge and flow back into nothingness, where all form is obliterated. This is one view of wholeness. The Catholic world’s view could not be more opposite. It longs for the formal, immutable, invincible, constant, unchanging perfection of each resurrected individual. For its most sublime example, it looks to the assumed Virgin.
So the Virgin, whose tomb is still practically untraceable, is said to have been resurrected after her death by Jesus himself, in a sequence of events closely resembling his own resurrection. There she reigns as queen beside her son.
This royalty was conferred on Mary due to strictly utilitarian needs of the Catholic Church, according to the author. During the Middle Ages, the clergy was facing many threats from a variety of sources such as the iconoclast heresy. To enshrine its place on earth as God’s mouthpiece, it identified itself symbolically with the Virgin, placed her on a throne in heaven, and started pulling their theological weight. However, this policy backfired.
Secular imagery was used to depict the Virgin Mary in Rome by the popes in order to advance the hegemony of the Holy See; and her cult was encouraged because she was in a profound manner identified with the figure of the Church itself. But this triumphalism fostered by the Church was turned on its head in the later middle ages, when temporal kings and queens took back the borrowed symbolism of earthly power to enhance their own prestige and give themselves a sacred character. The use of the emblems of earthly power for the Mother of God did not empty them of their temporal content: rather, when kings and queens wore the sceptre and the crown they acquired an aura of divinity.
The faith which took off from the ideas of the seer who was against all forms of authority and money power had been appropriated by the followers of the people who sent him to the cross.
It would be difficult to concoct a greater perversion of the Sermon on the Mount than the sovereignty of Mary and its cult, which has been used over the centuries by different princes to stake out their spheres of influence in the temporal realm, to fly a flag for their ambitions like any Maoist poster or party political broadcast; and equally difficult to imagine a greater distortion of Christ’s idealism than this identification of the rich and powerful with the good.
The Virgin as Bride
The sacred marriage of the Goddess and her lover was a staple of pagan, pre-Christian Europe. The tale of the king of the sacred grove, married to the Goddess for a year after which he was sacrificed is familiar to everyone through Fraser’s The Golden Bough. By the Middle Ages, the Virgin was also transformed into the Bride of God. However, the church cleverly inverted this metaphor, following the methodology followed by the Jews.
Thus marriage was the pivotal symbol on which turned the cosmology of most of the religions that pressed on Jewish society, jeopardizing its unique monotheism. It is a symptom of their struggle to maintain their distinctiveness that the Jews, while absorbing this pagan symbol, reversed the ranks of the celestial pair to make the bride God’s servant and possession, from whom he ferociously exacts absolute submission.
Even the courtly love of the troubadours, explicitly sexual and ribald initially, transformed into the chaste love an unattainable ideal woman in the Middle Ages: this ideal slowly shaped itself into that of the Madonna, and the Virgin had yet another avatar. However, according to Ms. Warner, this transforming of earthly love into heavenly adoration was just another deception of the church, like the transformation of the virgin into the queen.
The icon of Mary and Christ side by side is one of the Christian Church’s most polished deceptions: it is the very image and hope of earthly consummated love used to give that kind of love the lie. Its undeniable power and beauty do not heal: rather, the human sore is chafed and exposed.
The Immaculate Conception
One of the biggest pillars of the cult of Mary, along with her virginity and the assumption, is the Immaculate Conception – that is, the virgin too was born without the taint of sex like Jesus Christ. From the viewpoint of a literal believer in the Bible, a woman born with the taint of sex can hardly give birth to an untainted son of God, so this transformation is reasonable. However, this became dogma only in the nineteenth century.
First originating in the apocryphal Book of James, which exalts St. Anne, the concept of the Immaculate Conception was brought to the west from the east. Jesuits took it up vehemently in their arguments with Dominicans. If one follows the history which has been fascinatingly set forth by Marina, this was one concept where myth became dogma through sheer political pressure!
Ms. Warner examines many more aspects of the Virgin as mother, the one who provides milk and tears, who wears the sun and the moon for garments, and who intercedes with Jesus and God on the behalf of sinners… in fact, each chapter of this book can be reviewed separately! The author’s comparison of the virgin with the whore, Mary Magdalene, is extremely intriguing:
Together, the Virgin and the Magdalene form a diptych of Christian patriarchy’s idea of woman. There is no place in the conceptual architecture of Christian society for a single woman who is neither a virgin nor a whore.
However, since I need to close this review at some point, I am stopping here. Hopefully I have whetted future readers’ appetite for this seminal work.
Marina Warner is not a fan of the cult of the Virgin. As I said before, she does not see Jung’s archetype of the Great Mother in Mary.
Under the influence of contemporary psychology—particularly Jungian—many people accept unquestioningly that the Virgin is an inevitable expression of the archetype of the Great Mother. Thus psychologists collude with and continue the Church’s operations on the mind. While the Vatican proclaims that the Virgin Mother of God always existed, the Jungian determines that all men want a virgin mother, at least in symbolic form, and that the symbol is so powerful it has a dynamic and irrepressible life of its own.
But unlike the myth of the incarnate God, the myth of the Virgin Mother is translated into moral exhortation. Mary establishes the child as the destiny of woman, but escapes the sexual intercourse necessary for all other women to fulfil this destiny. Thus the very purpose of women established by the myth with one hand is slighted with the other. The Catholic religion therefore binds its female followers in particular on a double wheel, to be pulled one way and then the other, like Catherine of Alexandria during her martyrdom.
The Virgin Mary is not the innate archetype of female nature, the dream incarnate; she is the instrument of a dynamic argument from the Catholic Church about the structure of society, presented as a God-given code.
She sees the myth of the Virgin enduring in the years to come, but slowly losing its symbolic power.
This book was written in the seventies. The Catholic Church, and Christianity, has come a lot of way since then. Even though there is still the lunatic fringe of Bible literalists vociferously present in the religious arena, metaphorical readings of the Gospels have gained popularity. Maybe this is why Ms. Warner says in her foreword to the new edition:
It’s a long time ago that I lost my faith in Mary, a long time since she was the fulcrum of the scheme of salvation I then believed in, alongside Jesus the chief redeemer. But I find that the symbolism of mercy and love which her figure has traditionally expressed has migrated and now shapes secular imagery and events; Catholic worship and moral teaching no longer monopolize it or control its significance.
As a Hindu child who stared absorbedly at her smiling countenance, or felt his heart wrench at the site of the weeping mother holding the body of her crucified son in her lap, I can identify with that. Totally.


Singing workshop in Abergavenny!
A workshop for singers, we will be singing nine works for Advent and Christmas which range in mood from slow
and solemn to exuberant and lively, and in difficulty from easy to more challenging.
Hosted by experienced organ scholar and choir director Emma Gibbins, whose expertise includes numerous posts
as director of music in London and Wales. This workshop is sure to be informative and engaging and the perfect
way to evoke the joy of Christmas through Music
£18 Early Music Forum member
To book you place, please contact Emma Wheelock on 01600 74 04 12
or to book online click here


The gospel was brought to Collegeville in 1932 by Bro. Fred Hewins and O. Walker of the Ensley Church of Christ. A tent was placed on the corner of 33rd Avenue and Tennessee Pike (which later became Huntsville Road and is now Shuttlesworth Drive). Bros Hewins and Walker would walk from Ensley in the evening and ride the street car back home at night. People responded to and obeyed the gospel and were baptized in Village Creek.
After the tent was removed, Collegeville’s first meeting house was a store front on the corner of 31st place and 33rd Terrace North. The Church then moved to another store front on 33rd Avenue and Tennessee Pike, where they worshiped for several years. The next move was to Bro. Sumbry’s place where the Church worshiped in the store front of the Sumbry’s home. The church continued to grow.
During the late 40s, property was bought at 3301 32nd Street where the current building was built. The sisters played an important part in helping with the inside work by painting the walls and benches. With the Lord’s help, Collegeville Church of Christ had come a long way. There were 2 elders at the time, Bro. Perry Blackmon and Bro. John Carroll.
Some of the ministers that helped carry the work on here were, Bro. Fred Hewins, Bro. O. Walker , Bro. Tom Campbell, Bro. Jessie James, Bro. Willie Turner, Bro. Simmons, Bro. Griffins, Bro. James Marcey, Bro. James Ashurst, Bro. Dewey Prince, Bro. Samuel Mahan, Bro Jack, Bro. Albert Williams, Bro Donnell Smith, Bro. Binkey, Bro. Sylvester Stokes, Bro. William Hendrix and Bro. Carter Ross Jr.
Submitted by: Sis Mary B. Thompson, a founding member.


James 1:9-11 (KJV)
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
1 Corinthians 4:7-12 (KJV)
7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (KJV)
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
After some time in the US Navy as a Sonar Technician aboard Submarines, Austin moved to Panama City to be near his ailing mother as she fought a losing battle with lung cancer. Her loss was one of several during a brief period where this young man was faced with his own weaknesses and hopelessness. During this period of great breaking, The Lord Jesus Christ transformed a prideful and perverse drunkard into a humble witness of the cross. Today by God's redeeming grace, Austin labors as a preacher, a missionary, and the pastor of Christ Evangel Christian Fellowship.


1. Since before the time of Jesus, the Jews regarded the books of the Old Testament as the Word of God. Since the days of the Apostles, the Christians regarded the books of the Old and the New Testaments as the Word of God.
2. Christians and Jews were spread throughout the world with their texts. They had no opportunity to gather all the texts and change them or destroy all the others.
3. There were to many copies of the Biblical texts in circulation to change.
4. The texts were in too many different languages for a change to be made.
5. Christians and Jews were hostile to each other.
6. Differing sects among Christians and Judaism would have disagreed with mainline groups for any alterations.
7. The Jews have never accused Christians of changing the Old Testament text. In the first six centuries of existence, no one accused the Orthodox Christians of corrupting their texts.
8. There is no motive or reason to explain why the Jews or Christians would want to change their texts to the degree it would take to agree with Muslim assertions.
9. Jesus himself held the Old Testament to be without error. He promised he would give his disciples revelation through the Holy Spirit.
10. The Old and New Testament give remarkable agreement about Jesus. The Old Testament gives precise predictions of the Messiah’s life and ministry, and the New Testament records their fulfillment in Jesus.
The Old Testament was recorded, collected, copied, and preserved carefully through the 1000 years of its revelation. The Jews treasured it and protected it with diligence and devotion. Jesus confirmed this in his devotion and obedience to it. The Christians likewise treated the New Testament with the same treasured care. They considered both books to be necessary to their Scriptures


October 9 2021 shall be a day of remembrance for generations, for we had installed and dedicated our premise (ICCE) to our Saviour and to our Lord Jesus Christ. This was a great success, because if the enemies in any form come to attack us, our LORD will deliver us for He is able. He will be the one that is going to call the shots, for He is in charge of the premise.
We would like to thank all of you who had held our arms in prayer similar to how Aaron and Hur did for Moses. We also would like to thank everyone on the ground for their help with the service. We are thanking pastor David and his family from the Assembly of God. We are thanking MEBSH leaders: Pastor Jordany, pastor Mikelson, deacon Raymond, and brother Emanor Pierre Louis for their participation. Last but not least we thank Mrs. Asher (Roseline), and her Husband and countless others for their help.


People all around the world are celebrating Christmas in a more environmentally friendly way. Celebrating a Green Christmas will not only help save the environment, it will also save you money. This ebook gives you 50 ways to celebrate a more eco-friendly (and wallet friendly!)
Why Celebrate a Green Christmas?
While we gather with loved ones to celebrate the birth of Christ, we also need to celebrate Creation and our role as stewards of the Earth. God created us as part of nature and gave us the responsibility of caring for all of God’s Creation. Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 states: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”
Our culture and televisions tell us that Christmas is about buying stuff but actually Christmas is about loving others and the promise of love, forgiveness, and grace that the Savior brings. Christmas is an opportunity to live your faith through actions. This Christmas take action to love your neighbor while loving the Earth.
HThis book is a collection of 50 ways you can easily celebrate Christmas in an eco-friendly way. It is organized by topic (gift giving, food, energy, Christmas tree, etc). Feel free to jump around and read the sections out of order.
Do not attempt to put all 50 of these green Christmas tips into practice this year. Going green is not an all or nothing proposition. Adopt a few green Christmas traditions this year and a few more next year. Honestly, I don’t do the greenest version of all the tips in this book but I do strive to make each Christmas a little greener than last year.
Gift Giving, Buy Less Stuff
Quick, raise your hand if you need more stuff in your house. If your house is like mine, you didn’t raise your hand. You only have to watch one episode of the TV show Hoarders to know that many people have a problem with too much stuff in their houses. No, you may not have stacks of newspapers dating back to WWII or a room full of broken garden gnomes but chances are that you could do with a little less clutter in your life. Contrary to what shopping culture and TV tell us, celebrating Christmas is not about buying stuff. Who cares how many shopping days are left before Christmas?
Christmas is about the birth of a Savior and the love that he embodied. So, if upon receiving a Christmas gift you ever thought “where in the world I am going to put this?” or if you would rather focus on loving others than giving them junk, then enjoy the following tips on on how to give less stuff while still celebrating the season of giving.
Give a donation in someone’s honor.
This year give someone a donation to a nonprofit organization. You will not only be avoiding purchasing a manufactured item, you will also be supporting the work of an organization striving to make the world a better place. What’s more Christmassy than that? Donate to a charity that you know your loved one is passionate about. You may already know a specific nonprofit project your loved one is involved in or a cause they are passionate about. If not, a simple web search for “nonprofit” and one of their passions should yield some useful results.
Another approach is to narrow your donation by location. Find a charity that does good work in an area of the world that the gift receiver loves. For example, your loved one may have celebrated their honeymoon in Mexico, find a charity that helps the local population. Or, find a charity that is based in their hometown or the town in which they currently live.
Below you will find a few examples that I have personally used. Give them a try or find a nonprofit on your own through internet research and discussions with friends.
Heifer International. Heifer International’s mission is to “work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth.” The project was started by founder Dan West who had a revelation while serving portions of powdered milk to orphans and refugees of the Spanish Civil War. He realized that the people needed the cow, not the milk. They needed a heifer.
Now Heifer International gives not only heifers but also sheep, chickens, ducks, pigs, honeybees, and much more. The animals (or shares of animals, a whole heifer costs $500 US dollars) are given to families in struggling communities around the world. The families not only receive the animals, they also receive training to best utilize that animal. For example, even if you are hungry a heifer should not be used for meat right away. First use it for milk, muscle (to haul stuff and plow land), manure (makes great fertilizer for growing food!) and eventually you can use it for the meat. The benefit of the animal gift and training is compounded because each recipient family pledge to pass on the gift to another family in their community. When the heifer has a calf, that calf is given to another family.
I first learned of Heifer International as a child at our church’s alternative gift market (more on that in a minute). As a kid I thought it was great fun to give four chickens in honor of my great Aunt and Uncle each Christmas. For more info visit Heifer.org.
Alternative Gift Markets. Churches have been encouraging people to give alternative gifts for a long time. Many churches host Alternative Gift Markets during the season of Advent to sell honor cards for charities. You “purchase” a donation that will be sent to a nonprofit agency and in return you receive a nice card that you can send to a loved one that says something like “a donation has been made in your honor to…”. Alternative Gift Markets often include both local and international nonprofit projects as well as handmade fair-trade crafts. You can easily find a church near you that is running an Alternative Gift Market this year. Make plans to attend and shop.
Kiva. Kiva is a micro-finance lending organization that lets the gift recipient pick which project to lend money to. Kiva is a person-to-person microlending website which enables individuals to lend money to entrepreneurs around the world. The loans are used to start or expand very small businesses. Often the loans are for entrepreneurs who live in areas of the world where they do not have access to other fair loan agencies. Kiva makes it easy to search or browse through entrepreneurs’ profiles. You can easily narrow your search by gender, country, sector (agriculture, health, education, etc), or attribute (green, youth, fair trade, etc). Loaning helps people reach economic stability and independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive emailed journal updates and track repayments as they are made. The minimum loan amount is only $25 US dollars. Your $25 will be bundled with loans from other people and then disbursed to the entrepreneur. The loans are repaid in very small monthly payments to the gift receivers Kiva account. Then, when they get all their loan money back, they can choose to re-lend it to someone else in need (doubling the impact of your gift!) or they can withdraw the cash knowing that it has already helped someone.
Over the last several years, my wife and I have made 113 twenty five dollar loans through Kiva, most by re-loaning the credit after it has been repaid.
We often give Kiva cards as gifts to friends and family for Christmas or birthdays. I encourage you to learn more at Kiva.org.
Want to see more? The entire book is available at http://www.amazon.com/How-Have-Green-Christmas-ebook/dp/B00AIEPL0M
This article was included in the September 2013 issue of PlanetChristmas Magazine.
By Henry Owen


We completed our lesson on Charlemagne by watching a short video and reading an article with questions. We moved on to the notes on the Byzantine Empire, Emperor Justinian, and the schism in the Church that ends with a split into the Greek Orthodox Church.
Mr. Halkuff has been a teacher for 15 years in both middle and high school. He is married to another teacher at FVHS and has two children.
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The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, also known as the Monastery of Mount St. Sepulchre, is a working monastery located in the Brookland neighborhood. Although the United States is home to a number of monasteries from various different orders, what sets this one apart is that it features exact replicas of holy sites, pilgrimage locations, and other places across the Holy Land.
This makes perfect sense, because, as I learned, the monks of the Franciscan order (Orders of Friars Minor) are explicitly tasked with caring for the Holy Land, and have been doing so since their founding by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209. (Religious geeks also know that there are three orders of Franciscans, the others being the Order of St. Clare for females and the Third Order for non-vow-taking members of the lay community). All members of the Orders of Friars Minor take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.
The monastery itself was originally planned for New York City (on Staten Island), as a place for Americans to get a taste of the Holy Land. These plans later changed and the location was moved to its current site; the building was completed in 1899 and in 1991 became a national historic site.
All of this and more you can learn with a tour of the monastery, offered several times a day during the week and on weekends. If you are lucky you’ll get a friar as your tour guide, although other guides have close ties to the church and many are from the Third Order.
The tour begins with the lovely sanctuary upstairs, featuring gorgeous iconography, stained glass from Germany, and a 3-dimensional mural of the crucifixion. But the real treat is descending into the basement, through a small locked gate. Here the Catacombs—900 miles of spiraling tunnels below Rome—are meticulously replicated, with details such as ancient writing and pictures painted on the walls, old lighting fixtures, and small chapels dedicated to various saints like those found in the real Catacombs. Also replicated is the Basilica of Nazareth, complete with its trademark broken column that has mysteriously withstood all these years. In addition, the underground section also has a few features unique to it, such as the Chapel of Purgatory and the bones of the child Saint Innocentius.
You should be sure to visit the gardens in the summer, which are alive with tulips and well-maintained gardens. My favorite part of the outdoor section of the monastery is the walk around it under the portico, with the “Ave Maria” written on tiles in 200 different languages, some of them ancient.
All-in-all, this monastery is not as stunning as its neighbor, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and yet is quite an intriguing, unique, and peculiar place to visit. You certainly won’t find such replicas of the Holy Land anywhere else in America. Except for Orlando’s Holy Land Experience which has a, um, different take…
To visit: 1400 Quincy St. NE, Washington, DC 20017. 202-526-6800. Tours are on the hour 10-12 and 1-3 Monday-Saturday, and on the hour 11 and 1-3 on Sundays. A 15-minute walk from the Brookland Metro stop (red line).


Welcome to New Prospect Baptist Church!
Sunday School - 9:15 AM
Sunday Morning Worship - 10:30 AM
Sunday Evening Worship - 6:00 PM
Wednesday Evening Bible Study - 7:00 PM
AWANA - 6:30 PM
ignite Youth Wednesday Service - 6:30 PM
Vacation Bible School
This year we are getting involved in the Ocean Commotion! VBS will begin Monday morning, June 13th at 8:45 AM. Parent's night is Thursday night, June 16 at 6:30 PM.
Children can be registered at https://answersvbs.com/vbs/NPBC2016/
God has blessed us with many folks serving Him here at New Prospect Baptist Church. That having been said, there are some opportunities that God is laying at our feet. Please prayerfully consider involving yourself in one of these exciting ministries!
Sunday School Needs:
Kindergarten: Teacher and Helper
Youth Boys (7th/8th): Teacher
Youth (11th/12th): Teacher
Please contact Joey Simpson (SS Director), Pastor Shane (Youth), or Karen Means (Preschool/Children's Director)
A Word from Our Pastor
Week of: May 29 - June 4
"The Model Prayer Part 1"
Matthew 6:9-10; Romans 11:36
New Prospect Baptist Church • 310 Highway 305 North • Olive Branch, MS 38654
Phone: (662) 893-6722 • Fax: (662) 895-7679 • Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
We are located just north of the intersection of Byhalia Road and Hwy 305 in the Lewisburg area of Olive Branch. Get Map Here


Personal Stories: Jade Warner's story
I Needed Someone Who Would Be There 24/7 ….. God
Jade Warner expressing her Testimony at New Life Church, Durrington on 24 September 2006.
Hi, my name is Jade and I’ve been attending New Life Church for five years. I wasn’t brought up in a Christian background, my Mum has no strong beliefs and my Dad is a Buddhist.
When I was five I started attending Girls’ Brigade because we saw a poster advertising it. Girls’ Brigade was the first place that I heard about God, and then when I was eight I started coming to New Life with a school-friend because she made church sound fun.
Around this same time, my Dad left and it really hurt, because it felt like our family weren’t good enough. I needed someone who would be there 24/7, and that was when I turned to God. Friends and family are great, but I needed a permanent companion.
A couple of years ago on Girls’ Brigade camp, I prayed for my Mum when she was having an operation. I was so scared, and that is when I really invited Jesus into my life.
I know He’s always there for me.
At a church service Graham made it so clear why I should be baptized, I love God and I want Him and everybody else to know how happy I feel knowing how much He loves me, no matter what I say or do.


Onyx of Righteousness
My name is Oluyemi Awe; I was born in September 19, 1963 in a small town called Owo in Nigeria; into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Akinyemi Falodun. My parents waited on the Lord for many years for the fruit of the womb and finally, the Lord blessed them with 2 children, a male and a female, I am the second child and the last child of the couple.
I attended University of Lagos Nigeria from 1985 -1989; and I graduated with a Bachelors degree in English Education.
When I relocated to the US in 1999, I furthered my education, I attended Miami Dade College, Miami Florida in 2000 -2003; and graduated in Nursing, I sat for my Nursing Board Examination in 2005; and I became a Licensed Registered Nurse. I got married to Mr. Olaide Awe a Barrister at Law on April 6 1991; we are blessed with children.
One day, about 15 years ago, I was walking down the streets of Lagos, Nigeria when I heard a gentle and clear voice that said to me “Do you know that deliverance is your Ministry?” I was attending one of the Parishes of Redeemed Christian Church of God in Lagos and I was a prayer warrior there.
In July 1999, I relocated to the U.S with my family and I joined a Church called New Life Pentecostal Church in Hollywood, Florida. I became one of their prayer warriors. In 2003, one of my friends invited me to her Church for an early morning prayer at 5 am every other Saturday, non-denominational, you did not have to be a member of the Church to attend; I was surprised to find such in America. I went out of my comfort zone and started attending the prayer under the leadership of Mrs. Margaret Alle and I loved it.
One day, the Pastor of my Church called me and asked me the Ministry that God called me for. I told him Deliverance Ministry. He told me to start intercessory prayer, also at every other Saturday at 5 am; he told me to be leading the prayer. I told him I have to put it before God, I put it before God and I told 3 people who also joined me in prayer, 2 out of those 3 people told me that the Lord said I should proceed.
I chose the date July 10, 2004 and presented this date before the Lord to start but I told God that if he did not speak to me directly, I will not start the prayer. Then one day, in the month of June 2004, I was praying to God and reading the Bible and the Lord directed me to Numbers 29:7 and I quote, “And you shall have on the TENTH DAY of this SEVENTH MONTH an holy convocation and ye shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work therein:” KJV. The fear of the Lord gripped me because the very same day I presented to God,( July 10) was quoted directly from the scripture by God to start the prayer.
I went back to the Pastor and told him yes; and during a Sunday service, he brought me out to the front of the congregation and anointed me for the work. The prayer started July 10, 2004 with few people from outside and within the Church, every other Saturday at 5 a.m. I did not stop attending the other one because the schedule did not clash.
In 2005, towards the end of the year, the Pastor advised me to relocate the Ministry elsewhere. I thanked God and I thanked this great man of God that advised me to relocate the Ministry because then I was faced with a lot of challenges and I moved closer to God, we started doing the prayer from one member’s house to another, a lot of challenges came from stage to stage; then, I decided on one location for the prayer. A few members left, but some stayed; and I moved closer and closer to God. Then one day the Lord appeared to me again in a dream and assured me and I quote: “I am the Lord your God, I have called you and you have answered, I will walk with you, I will walk with you, I will walk with you”. A week after this encounter, again the mouth of the Lord spoke expressly and I quote: “I will walk with you” x 3.
Since then the Lord has been putting me through, he a added Healing Ministry, which also embraced Hospital Ministration, he added a Homeless Ministry and a Ministry for the fruit of the womb. We started a yearly crusade in 2007. In 2009, the Lord spoke and changed the Ministry name from 5a.m intercessory prayer to “Onyx of Righteousness” intercessory prayer Ministry. In 2011 the Lord expanded the coast of the Ministry to Atlanta, Georgia and he gave us a standing quotation from his word “But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance and there shall be holiness, and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions” Obadiah 1:17.KJV.


- This event has passed.
Osolo Page Turners
July 11, 2022 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Join us for a discussion of “Widow of the South” by Robert Hicks.
In person meeting location is Hillcrest United Methodist Church 4206 E Bristol St, Elkhart, IN 46514. Please contact Donna Mitschelen at email@example.com for information on attending or to obtain a book, as branch construction continues at Osolo.


Father, thank You for meeting me in this space.
For letting me linger long in Your embrace.
Thank You for giving me words to shed here.
For using this outlet to draw me closer to You.
Jehovah, You astound me. Let it always be so.
You have given me the gift of writing.
And although I’ve fought it, I now humbly accept it.
Thank You, Yahweh, for allowing me to worship You this way.
And here, I give it back to You.
For Your glory. Let it be so.
So with trembling fingers I press publish,
Offering my heart to others in hopes they see You.
Although I know the words written are for You and me,
I pray You can use them for more.
Not for me, but for You. Let it stay so.
May my words speak Your name. Not mine.
May my writing be so that the author is forgotten,
But what is remembered is You.
Your glory. Your grace. Your love. Your works.
For it’s all about You. Let it remain so.
I am but a vessel.
Nothing more than a piece of clay.
Nothing less than a masterpiece.
Only You know the plan for my life. Let that be enough.
And when people stop by, may they see who made me.
May Your style resonate so that my face is forgotten.
For all they see is You.
I cannot think of a greater legacy
Than that which leaves Your fingerprints
On everything I’ve left behind.
Holy Spirit, let it be so.
Lord, make me unknown.
Known only to You.
And while You’re at it,
Can You make me okay with that, too?
To You, Abba, be all glory and honor forever. Jesus, let it be so.
This prayer of mine evolves as I continue to draw closer to Him. Feel free to stop by from time to time and see where my heart is currently at. I’d be honored to have you pray alongside me.


Gospel Music Africa (GMA) Reality TV competition is the first of its kind and Africa’s No 1 gospel music Reality TV Competition drawing over 4,000 registrations from 27 countries across Africa in 2018.
GMA presents a unique contemporary innovation that seeks to discourage the rising migration of young Gospel singers from Gospel to Secular music while promoting a lifestyle of worship, love, hope, as well as touching lives and lifting God’s name. GMA provides a platform for young gospel artistes across Africa to serve as role models for the aspiring generations. Although the focus is on inspiring and nurturing talents so as to discover the next big voice in African Gospel Music, Contestants will also educate, inspire and entertain viewers through intellectual tasks, games and other activities aimed at providing solutions to real problems in Africa.
This October, 30 contestants from across 17 African countries will converge in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria for 8 weeks, as they battle to emerge the king or Queen of Gospel Music in Africa. Together, these contestants will put your ministry in front of over 300 million viewers across the continent of Africa for 8 weeks.
|CLOSED||Arena Auditions||12 days|
|CLOSED||Audition Finals||1 day|
|October 20th||House Opens||8 weeks|
|December 15th||House Closes
GMA All-Stars Grand Concert
The GMA Daily House activities will be broadcasted 24 hours live on Our Channel “GMAETV” online and on StarTimes, while highlights of contestants’ daily activities will be edited and broadcasted on Faith TV (DSTV Channel 341). There will also be weekly Live shows every Sunday evening where contestants perform live on stage, during which contestants with the lowest number of votes are eliminated from the competition. This will also be aired exclusively on Faith TV (DSTV Channel 341).
The Gospel Music Africa Reality Tv Competition is for a great and worthy cause that will not only benefit the contestants, but also draw men and women closer to God in the spirit of true praise and worship.
Please See enclosed videos from the auditions as we look forward to working with you on this project.
God bless you.
Kindly contact: firstname.lastname@example.org or call +2348033704051


Obscure Sayin’ – Adam Clarke on the Book of Judges
I’m working on material for our Wednesday night study of the book of Judges. This isn’t going to make the cut, but it’s interesting: Adam Clarke on Judges 6 and the incident of Gideon asking for the signs of the golden fleece:
Gideon was very bold, and God was very condescending. But probably the request itself was suggested by the Divine Spirit. On the miracle of the fleece, dew, and dry ground, Origen, in his eighth homily on the book of Judges, has many curious and interesting thoughts, I shall insert the substance of the whole: – The fleece is the Jewish nation. The fleece covered with dew, while all around is dry, the Jewish nation favored with the law and the prophets. The fleece dry, the Jewish nation cast off for rejecting the Gospel. All around watered, the Gospel preached to the Gentiles. and they converted to God. The fleece on the threshing-floor, the Jewish people in the land of Judea, winnowed, purged, and fanned by the Gospel. The dew wrung out into the bowl, the doctrines of Christianity, extracted from the Jewish writings, shadowed forth by Christ‘s pouring water into a basin, and washing the disciples‘ feet. The pious father concludes that he has now wrung this water out of the fleece of the book of Judges, as he hopes by and by to do out of the fleece of the book of Kings, and out of the fleece of the book of Isaiah or Jeremiah; and he has received it into the basin of his heart, and there conceived its true sense; and is desirous to wash the feet of his brethren, that they may be able to walk in the way of the preparation of the Gospel of peace. – Origen, Op. vol. ii., p. 475, edit. Benedict. All this to some will doubtless appear trifling; but it is not too much to say that scarcely any pious mind can consider the homily of this excellent man without drinking into a measure of the same spirit, so much sincerity, deep piety, and unction, appear throughout the whole: yet as I do not follow such practices, I cannot recommend them. Of dealers in such small wares, we have many that imitate Benjamin Keach, but few that come nigh to Origen.
The thing I didn’t catch was the reference to “many that imitate Benjamin Keach,” so I googled him, which led to the wikipedia entry (I know; I’m pulling out no stops here in digging deep in search of scholarship).
I think the salient point in Adam Clarke’s little dig about Keach was that Keach was credited with what became known as Keach’s catechism. He was pilloried for it, but the crowd was said to be polite about the whole thing, even chastising the Episcopal minister who wanted to ballyrag him. (source: the Baptist Encylopedia)
But I digress – Keach’s catechism could be said to be one of those zeniths of left-brained Christianity, whereas Origen’s poetic allusions seem to epitomize the right-brained. Clarke, being a Methodist, probably saw a chance to dig at the Baptist Keach a bit.


Grow to Give Garden Ministry Forum, with Keynote Speaker Brian Sellers-Petersen
9am to 4pm
St. Francis Episcopal Church
Please join us for two other events on Sunday, April 22: Family Mass at 9:30am, Cathedral of the Incarnation with Guest Preacher Brian Sellers-Petersen and a Eucharist by the Pond, followed by a book signing and reception, at 5pm, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Cold Spring Harbor. Episcopal Ministries invites you to join us for one (or all) scheduled appearances.


Abortion is wrong there are several decisions one has to make on a daily basis for example, what they’re going to wear that day, if they’re going to take the bus. Abortion & the bible: pro-life or pro-choice but no human legislature and no human court has final authority over what is morally right or wrong. Free essay: there are several different perspectives on weather abortion is right or wrong it often becomes a controversy one way of arguing it is with. And if the answers are easy and you oppose all abortion, then what do we tell a young girl who is pregnant as the result of being raped by an older family member. Abortion any chance you could have an open, honest and judgment free chat about terminating pregnancy if it is the product of sexual abuse or an. Ethics the field of ethics (or moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior philosophers today usually. What's wrong with abortion - the case against abortion i sara has been denied the right to the bible makes it clear that it is wrong to stand by as. Antiabortionists are successfully chipping away at the right that women now possess to choose whether or not to have an abortion, enshrined in law by the roe vs wade.
Abortion refers to the spontaneous or induced expulsion of an embryo or a fetus from the womb of a pregnant woman abortion is spontaneous when the causes. Introduction to the abortion debate people who believe abortion is morally wrong use arguments like the the pregnant woman has the right to life. Citing the supreme court’s historic morgentaler decision, andrea mrozek and faye sonier show why prime minister trudeau gets so-called abortion rights so wrong. Abortion is wrong because it is a strong person taking advantage of a weak and helpless person many scriptures show god’s concern for the poor, weak, and helpless. An introduction to the abortion debate the only such right is the mother's right to live therefore abortion is wrong unless it is to save the life of.
Abortion involves the intentional killing of a human being killing human beings is often deeply wrong, so is abortion wrong if so, when and why. Chapter one the wrong of abortion patrick lee and robert p george much of the public debate about abortion concerns the question whether deliberate. Extracts from this document introduction abortion: right or wrong the topic that i shall be discussing is one that is argued about a lot, by a variety of people. Why is abortion wrong by eric hovind on february 7, 2017 in blog for the christian, abortion is not a matter of a woman’s right to choose.
The abortion debate is the denying the right to abortion can be construed the argument of deprivation states that abortion is morally wrong because. If the hot debate on whether abortion is to be allowed or forbidden cannot be anything other than ethical how, then, do we decide if it is right or wrong asks.
Is abortion wrong by matt slick the mother cries out that the life in her is part of her body and that she has the right to do with her body as she wills. Are decisions about right and wrong ultimately the province of church leaders when it comes to questions of abortion right and wrong: who has final say.
Many americans who pay taxes are opposed to abortion, therefore it's morally wrong to use tax dollars to fund abortion those who choose abortions are often minors or. Abortion, right and wrong the only thing the anti-abortion groups seem to have right is that abortion is indeed the taking of human life. Explore the pros and cons of the debate abortion right or wrong. Abortion: right or wrong steven f deaton 05/14/15 - biblical question since the supreme court decision in 1973 to legalize abortion, well over 20 million have been. Today in america there are about 4,000 abortions performed per day did you ever ask yourself if abortion is right or wrong i hope that after reading this essay you.


The Presbytery of Angus is pleased once again to host the Big Day Out 2015.
This year, the Big Day Out is picking up the themes of ‘pilgrimage’ and ‘stepping out’.
Pilgrimage suggests a journey to a place where meaningful connections may be made; to journey in a way that enables discovery along the way. Sometimes it has a destination. Other times, the journey itself is what matters.
Whether we are simply journeying, or heading to a particular place, we can’t do that without ‘stepping out’ from where we are. Like a pilgrimage, there may be a destination, or we may simply want the experience of travelling, allowing our journey to be shaped by whatever we encounter, allowing ourselves to be shaped by those same encounters. Sometimes taking those first steps is the momentous event. Other times, the momentous events happen at unexpected points in the journey.
And when God is involved, anything might happen, and the journey may not take us where we expected to go, or along paths we thought we might travel.
Come along to the Big Day Out 2015 to hear stories of stepping out, to be encouraged on our journey, to be open to new directions.
Step out with us on the 9th of May, 2015, at Arboath: St. Andrew’s and Arbroath: Old and Abbey churches.


This site is dedicated to my wife and I's personal journey through the Bible. It is designed for our own
personal use but rather than hiding everything behind logins we decided to share our journey in hopes that others
may find something of use. In March 2011, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid
Leukemia (AML). During this battle it was the Word of God that kept me strong. It was the Word, written
on the tables of my heart from the time I was a small child, that brought the rememberence of God's healing
power and my faith in Him. I'm not talking about the book/chapter/verse kind of rememberence but the
actual meaning of what has been written just for us. This site is all about diving further into the Word.
On this site you will find a King James version of the Bible and any other books or resources we can legally reproduce; riddled with links
to other information (videos, sermon notes, personal notes, and whatever else we could find) that we found useful in making studying the
word easier and more fruitful. We have made every effort to list the original author of things when possible. If you find something
that's not annotated correctly please let us know and we will fix it ASAP. Otherwise feel free to poke around and take a
journey for yourself. Not everything is here yet (it's a [neverending] journey remember) so things may change often.
Sincerely, Kenneth and Melissa Cook email@example.com
If you do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, I urge you to seek out that relationship now.
" ..work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Phil 2:12"


James Fredrick (Fred) Harris was my maternal Grandfather. He and my Grandmother lived on a small plot outside Owensboro, Kentucky in 1959.
My Father was in the US Navy and often away. My Mother took us to visit during our summer break from school that year. We, my Mother and my siblings, spent several weeks with them that summer. These visits provided us a unique vision of life without all the amenities of city life such as outhouses versus bathrooms.
It was few days before we returned home. I was in their living room and watched my Grandfather go to the front door. He opened it, leaned out, and spit. I didn’t place particular emphasis on it because I didn’t know there was blood in his spit.
My Mother and Grandmother expressed concern, but my Grandfather waved their fears away.
We returned home a few days later. I don’t remember when the call came. It was near 1 September when my Mother had my grandparents brought to our home in Beverly Manor, outside of Washington, Illinois. My Grandfather had suffered a stroke.
The Crucifix and Sacred Heart
They brought him from Kentucky and placed him on Mom’s bed. There, he laid under the crucifix and Sacred Heart pictures my Grandmother brought with her. The cross and pictures had hung over their bed in Kentucky for many years.
My Grandfather died on 3 September 1959.
My siblings and I were attending Saint Patrick’s Elementary School and could not attend the funeral. It is a sad memory I have of him lying on my parent’s bed and not moving. Knowing he would never again.
I remember my Mother brought a rose from the funeral. It was light-colored, white or yellow, and in a holder. The holder was spike-shaped like one might use to stick into soil, and filled with water. She placed in into the opening under Christ’s right arm as he hung on the cross. The rose’s stem was straight and stiff as one would expect of a newly selected plant.
I remember venturing into the bedroom and finding the rose was dead. The rose’s stem bent to bring the rose to hang over Christ’s head, like a halo. None of the rose’s petals had fallen, and none would.
I left home in 1965 after graduating high school, and the rose hung as before. I joined the US Navy in 1966, and every time I came home on leave, the rose hung as before.
My parents moved houses while I was in Hawaii in 1970. I found the crucifix and pictures now hung over my parent’s bed, but the rose was gone the next time I came home on leave.
My Mother passed in 1996. My Father gave my wife and me the crucifix and pictures a few weeks before he passed in 2001. They now hang over our bed, but without a rose halo.
I felt to share this vivid memory while I could.
Do you have a memory? Please share it through the comment form.


If you like my services, please use the form below to submit a testimonial. Thank you!
"Thank you so much for conducting services at Parkside Chapel. I hope you realize it is very homey and friendly. We look forward to you helping us again. Your sermon was most inspiring."
~Pat Parretta and Board of Directors, Parkside Chapel
"The requirements for our wedding were simple: my partner and I opted for a small, private ceremony that was between ourselves and God. Joan provided the perfect ceremony where our love, the sacredness of the event, and the warm glow of grace enveloped us as we officially began our lives together as married partners. Joan's attention to detail, heartfelt words, and guiding nature offered us the wedding of our dreams. Thank you, Joan!"
"Thank you, Joan, for covering for Reverend Alt while he was on vacation. We received many positive comments as our congregation left the sanctuary. We are always happy to have you bring us your thought-provoking messages."
~Elaine, Canadensis United Methodist Church
"Thank you for ministering at our church, St. Paul's UCC. Your sermon was very inspiring. The way you taught the Scriptures and brought the lessons to the here and now was very enlightening."
~Jill, Saint Paul's United Church of Christ
"Thank you, Joan, for preaching in my absence at Saint Paul's UCC. Everyone was touched and lifted up by the way you bring Spirit out of theology and dogma and gently make it come alive in everyday life. I look forward to sharing the pulpit again with you."
~Pastor Kenn Cathcart, Saint Paul's United Church of Christ
"Joan is never disappointing in her sermons. I try never to miss even one. I come away with more than I knew before, and I feel really good."
~Elayne, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Poconos


KALBAJAR, Azerbaijan, May 23. The Khudaveng
monastery advanced has a particular significance, Tural Aghayev,
Spokesman for the Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in
Azerbaijan, who visited the monastery advanced in Kalbajar district,
instructed journalists, Trend’s Karabakh Bureau experiences.
The spokesman famous that on May 23, along with all the principle
representatives, and leaders of non-Muslim spiritual communities of
Azerbaijan, a visit to this monastery, to start with, to hope for
peace, came about.
“This holy monastery has an historic historical past and belongs to such
an historic Christianity that for each Christian, no matter his
confessional affiliation, this place is blessed and has a particular
which means. We are grateful to the State Committee on Religious
Associations of Azerbaijan that such journeys are continually
organized, and non secular communities, each Muslim and Christian,
get to know one another higher. With every time, we’re getting
nearer to one another,” he mentioned.
On the initiative of the Alban-Udi Christian Religious Community
and with the organizational assist of the State Committee on
Religious Associations of the nation, a delegation of fifty individuals,
which included leaders and members of the Russian Orthodox,
Catholic, and Protestant church buildings, and a bunch of representatives
of the Jewish neighborhood dwelling in Azerbaijan, visited the Khudavang
monastery advanced in Kalbajar district.
Representatives of the communities carried out divine service in
the temple of the advanced, provided prayers, and lit candles.


"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1a).
We are so excited about planting SAPC! However, as important as excitement is, it alone will not build or sustain the church. Here are some specific ways we'd love for you to join us in prayer:
- Most of all, pray all our efforts at every stage of the plant and beyond will glorify our God and Savior.
- Praise God for all who have already shown an interest in this mission work.
- Pray for the Lord to draw all those He has to come to SAPC.
- Pray for the church's unity and love for one another to be solid from the beginning.
- Pray for the Lord to provide the finances needed for the various components of a church plant. (If the Lord is leading you to support SAPC financially, it is easy to give through our website. See the "give" tab at the top of this page.)
- Pray for the Lord to provide a meeting space.
- Pray that everything necessary would be in place to begin corporate worship in early August, if not sooner for other gatherings.
- Pray for all of us participating in SAPC to build relationships with unbelievers in our everyday areas so that we might introduce them to Jesus through our lives and speech.
- Pray for many to come to know Jesus through SAPC!
- Pray for Pastor Mark's transfer exam to go well and SAPC's church plant proposal to be approved at presbytery on April 27th.


The widespread use of technology is not a problem for churches useful reference. Recently, there has been a trend for churches to use mobile apps to connect with their congregations. The use of church apps by churches offers many opportunities for improving their operations. We will explore how to use church apps, engagement platforms and other tools in order to engage churchgoers better.
Church Apps and Engagement Platform allows churches to access a wide range of resources for interacting with members. This service enables churches to build their own apps, which include features like live broadcasting and prayer walls. It also allows them to add Bible study, small-group networking, online donations, and Bible studies. The resources provided by churches will help them better engage members and grow their digital footprint.
Church Apps and Engagement Platform helps you create a custom app for your congregation. To give your members an online presence that is unified and professional, you can add the colors and logo of your church. Church members can also easily stay on top of church happenings such as service schedules and upcoming events by downloading the bespoke app.
Church Apps and Engagement Platform features the ability to stream live services. Members can take part in church services regardless of where they are. It allows them to feel connected to their churches even when they’re not physically present. By using this tool, churches can engage their flocks and foster community.
Church Apps and Engagement Platform is now offering a number of additional tools for congregational engagement, such as Bible studies, prayer wall, small-group connections and donation methods. These resources allow churches to better connect with their members and foster spiritual development.


Who We Are
It all started when…
In August 2014, a group of people gathered in a bowling alley in Clayton, NC with a dream to see the gospel change our community. This video tells you a little bit more of our story! We want you to know who we are, so you can join us in fulfilling our vision of being disciple-making followers of Jesus.
Take a look at what it’s like on a Sunday morning in this short video. We would love to have you come join us in person and experience it for yourself.


Aarhus Cathedral or in Danish called Aarhus Domkirke, is for sure worth a visit when you are in the center of Aarhus.
It is the longest and highest church in Denmark with 93 meters in length and 96 meters in height. The original cathedral was built in 1190. At that time the city of Aarhus was named Aros - The original Viking name. The cathedral burnt down in 1330 when the whole city was on fire and was only finished rebuilding in 1500. With the history in mind you will be dazzled by the great architecture of the cathedral.
Inside you will find beautiful fresco paintings, golden gates and other decorations. You will discover one of Denmark's great treasures, the altar. The altar was made by the famous Lübeck sculptor and painter Bernt Notke. It was dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1479. A must see if you are interested in authentic master craft work from a long gone era.
It is also possible to get up in the church tower and enjoy the view over the city of Aarhus.
Entrance fee: 20 DKK or about 2.7 euro to go to the tower. The church is free to enter.
You might wanna visit the vikingmuseum afterwards just next to the Cathedral.
How to get to Aarhus Cathedral
You will easily find the cathedral in the center of Aarhus.
Store Torv, 8000 Aarhus C
The cathedral is closed for visits when in service otherwise find information about opening times on the website aarhusdomkirke.dk.


Former Resident of Castro Valley. Stamatina (Tula) Chlentzos passed away in Pleasanton January 15, 2013. Tula recently celebrated her 106th Birthday with her family. Stamatina Mavromatis Chlentzos was born in Christorforianika, Kythera, Greece on November 1, 1906. Her parents were Antonis Mavromatis and Giannoula Koulentianos. Her grandfather was the priest Fr. Dionisios Haralambos Koulentianos.
Stamatina had two sisters Lefkothea and Georgia and one brother Panagiotis. Stamatina came to America in 1931 when she was 25 and joined the Philoptochos Society shortly thereafter. She married Angelo Chlentzos in 1931. She has two daughters, Teddi Zes (Tikey) from San Jose and Jeanne Argiros (Jim) from Acampo, five grandchildren and eight great grand-children. Her courageous life allowed her to be a founding member of the Resurrection Church in Castro Valley, but most importantly, one of the initial stewards who assisted and registered as a member of the Ladies Philoptochos Society of the Greek Archdiocese (at the time) of North South America in 1931 (at the age of 25).
Family and friends are invited to attend Trisagion services Sunday January 20, 2013 at 7:00 PM at the Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church 20104 Center St., Castro Valley, CA. and Funeral Services Monday, January 21, 2013, 10:30 AM. Interment Lone Tree Cemetery 24591 Fairview Ave Hayward. Makaria will follow the burial service. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions preferred to: Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church Memorial Account, 20104 Center St., Castro Valley, CA 94546.
May her memory be eternal.
More info: http://www.ksoca.com/ksoca-blog/chlentzos-funeral.html
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Love as God loves you: Don't allow your feelings to dictate your action...
Love is made up of actions, not feelings. Feelings come and go, love in your heart will never go away.
The percentage of yourself that you share with others also matters. Lots of us have so much, but surrender so little to others. How many of the people you call friend would be there if you needed them? Some won't even connect with a a single note, more less a conversation. How do you react to a friend in need of nothing more than the sound of your voice...giving them some sense of peace?....True friendship is not about running away, avoiding or doing things at your convenience. Do you call people, just because you care?...Do they call or come to see you, have a simple meal and make a happy memory? Stay close to those who truly care about you, from the goodness of their heart....give your best to those who you really care about ...in your heart! Shalom.


March 15 - May 1, 2016
Curated by Christina Young
While staying with the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, during Lent and Holy Week in 2006 and 2007, Jason Hamacher experienced and documented the people, landscape, and culture of one of the oldest continuously inhabited regions in the world. In these images of Syria, we see the resiliency of a culture that has sustained for two millennia but currently faces endangerment in the midst of an ongoing civil war. Hamacher invites us to retrace his journey to these ancient sites and allows us to ponder the legacy and history that we inherit from those before us and what we forge for the generations that follow.
In the decade since these photos were taken, much has happened to the people and places documented within: many of the buildings have been destroyed and the Archbishop was kidnapped by terrorists in April 2013 and has yet to be found. This exhibition commemorates the loss as much as it prompts us to consider the current conflicts and displacement within the fabric of the country's larger history, challenging the viewer to appreciate the richness of the past while striving to preserve the sanctity of faith and life for the future.
"Never before in its history has Syria experienced any such monstrous, criminal acts. All Christian and Muslim citizens used to live in harmony, affection, solidarity, mutual help, national community … such that it was considered an Arab and world model.”
— Patriarch Gregorios III, Melkite Greek Catholic Church


Teddy was raised on the southwest side of Indianapolis and currently resides in Greenwood. He is very active in the community and truly enjoys serving others. He is a graduate of Indiana Institute of Technology in business management. He is very devoted to his wife and three children. With his background in ministry and leadership, he strives to care for people and enable them to become the best version of themselves. He strongly believes that we all have a purpose, and that we are better together. He loves investing in people and helping them realize their purpose and their dreams.


Join Calvary South OC at New Campus in San Clemente Sunday Mornings at 8am, 9:45am & 11:45am
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Join Calvary South OC (formerly Calvary Chapel San Juan Capistrano) at our NEW campus in San Clemente!
Services throughout the week include a midweek service on Wednesdays at 7pm and Sunday morning services at 8am, 9:45am and 11:45am.
A Sunday evening service is at 5pm. Children’s Ministies available at all services.
JR High and High School Ministries available at 9:45am and 11:45am on Sundays and Wednesday nights at 7pm.
For questions about our services or childcare, contact the office M-F at 949-443-2572.
Address: NEW Campus is now at 1311 Calle Batido, San Clemente
Phone for more info: 949.443.2572


European Scholastics‘ Meeting
The 4th meeting of Scholastics from the Order’s Europe Region took place on 25-31 August at Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona) attended by 25 young Brothers and Formators from Portugal, France, Austria, Germany, Poland and Spain.
The meeting formed part of the Scholasticate formation stage, covering theological and professional studies and vocational consolidation.
For a whole week, the Scholastics were able to study in greater depth the following subject areas: how to live life in terms of faith, our personal life project and vocational accompaniment, the response to suffering according to the charism of St John of God and cooperation between the Brothers and the Laity in pursuit of the same project.
The Brothers were able to visit centres of the Order in Barcelona and a number of particularly important spiritual sites such as the Grotto of Saint Ignatius at Manresa, Montserrat monastery and the Sagrada Familia.
The meeting was judged to have been very positive, and helped to strengthen bonds between the Brothers and to foster growth in communion.


The Bible has a lot to say about boy or girl treatment. God meant for children to be cared for physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually in a loving, caring loved ones setting. He intended for the mom and dad to depart an inheritance to their children. He meant for the kids to expand up into responsible citizens that would bless their current technology and generations to arrive. Here are some highlights that would do us good to get heed to in this working day of the deterioration of our households.
There is these types of a detail as family honor. The father was to be the religious chief in the property. The mom was to be the caregiver. The small children were being to be the students. The youngsters ended up to understand by principle and example. The family members was to be linked with the church and the community. God was to be range a person in anything they did in term and deed.
If spouse and children honor is not enforced with a spirit of appreciate and very good will, below are some purely natural results:
1. The small children could get in the mistaken crowd and turn out to be rebels toward their God and their culture.
2. The mom and dad could be a bad example to their young children and lead to great confusion in the residence.
3. The children could build an irresponsible lifestyle that is damaging to by themselves and some others.
4. The relatives could be defiant to the authority of God and their spiritual and political leaders.
5. The kids that are not taught ethical values will likely degenerate into immoral grownups.
6. If we give children every thing they want, they may possibly develop into self-trying to find adults.
7. When little ones are expected to be best in almost everything, they most most likely will rebel.
8. If kid’s negative behaviors are not corrected by means of right discipline, they will self-destruct.
9. When young children are not specified appropriate willpower, they may possibly want to blame others for their shortcomings.
10. If little ones are not introduced up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord,” they will slide into many destructive things-like drug abuse, spiritual darkness, ungodly existence, etc.
In a term, if we do not manual our loved ones according to Christian rules, our nation will continue to self-destruct.
We have carried out our little ones and our society a wonderful disservice when we permitted our Christian values to be sown to the winds of alter by these who loathe God. You see, we are not an “island” to ourselves. What takes place in your spouse and children is heading to affect mine. It is going to affect your neighbor, your region and your world. Because of this, our culture has a correct and duty to demand every person (citizen or alien) who is on our grounds to reside in accordance to the “Golden Rule” and The Ten Commandments as stated in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. This features honoring the triune Lord God of Glory as our Creator and Redeemer. It implies loving “God with all our coronary heart, intellect, soul and strength.” It demands that we “really like our neighbor as ourselves” and that we respect our God-honoring religious leaders as men and women of God. This will provide us back to our Bible and its complete values of proper and erroneous.
We in the United States of The united states are drastically blessed. Our Founding Fathers gave us a Christian heritage and a Republican sort of govt based mostly on The Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, “And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in our coronary heart: And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you wander by the way, and when you lie down, and when you increase up. And you shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets ahead of your eyes. And you shall generate them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.” See also Deuteronomy 11:18-21. This not a recommendation to a pick few. This is the glue that retains societies with each other.
Proverbs 22:6a tells us to “Practice up a kid in the way he should really go.” Youngsters had been not allowed to pick out a path that was destructive to by themselves, their family members or their modern society. If they rebelled, they ended up disciplined. If they continued to rebel, they ended up judged.
Fathers had been commanded to not “provoke” their young children “to wrath” but alternatively they were being to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (See Ephesians 6:4.)
1 Timothy 5:8 tells us if we do not provide for our families, we have “denied the religion” and are worse than a barbarian. Fathers are to supply for their family members. The state and our group does not have this obligation. If persons are “down and out,” the Christian thing to do is present for them until eventually they get back on their feet. This responsibility falls to the church, not to the federal government.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:6 that it would be improved for a human being to have a millstone tied on their neck and thrown into the sea than to “offend” a child that “believes” in Him. This would point out we should really support our children to arrive to God’s redeeming grace at a youthful age. This will preserve them from a host of issues in their more mature years.
Psalm 106:36-38 says, “And they served their idols: which were being a snare to them. Of course, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to devils, and get rid of innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.” Review Micah 6:7. This would strike at the pretty roots of our abortion techniques. See Ezekiel, chapters 20 and 23.
This is only a summary of God’s treatment for little ones and their families. Anybody who tries to adjust God’s rules to cater to adult men and females of corrupt minds is not only an enemy of God, but is also an enemy of our kids. They are not only abusing our children, they are also abusing us.
What do I say? It is fairly clear that abused children develop up into adults that come to be tyrants and social misfits. The Bible puts it this way. “When the righteous rule, the people today rejoice. When the wicked rule, the men and women mourn.” The only way we can have secure households in a steady culture is to have well-cared for young children. The biggest abuse of small children is to corrupt their hearts and minds by ungodly rule and college.


1. Obedience : being obedient to an adult or to a younger age or someone your age helps to cleanse yourself .Like in the Bible it says that Obedience is better than sacrifice .So brethren be obedient to anybody you meet .
2. Avoid telling lies : well we are not perfect and so we must try to stop telling lies and also we must learn to tell the truth nothing but the truth.As the Bible says there is none righteous not even one.
3 . Avoid worshipping other gods : we must not bow down to any other god apart from the Almighty God . The time is almost near.
4. Avoid sin : we should avoid sin I mean any other sin that is out there you can actually name it whiles reading and as I said the Bible says there is non righteous not even one.
5. Accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and accept that he came to die for you and if you believe in him you will have eternal life.Do all these and many more .


Discover Mount Carmel Convent School
Mount Carmel Convent School is an English Medium School founded at Master Colony, Samudrapur on 25th June 2004 by the sisters of the Congregation of Mother of Carmel (C.M.C). It is the first Indigenous Religious Congregation, which took birth in Kerala in the year 1866. From the beginning, Education has been her chosen field of apostolate. Education, it is not just a Profession but also a Sacred call. Our aim in the pursuit of academic and professional excellence is the total formation of the human person as much for her/his own enrichment for the service of the Society and the Nation in the spirit of Christ. Our Founding Father Bl.Kuriakose Elias Chavara- the great educationist, intended us to form our students for a life of righteousness and love in truth and justice. We leap to this goal through the Motto “Lead us Wisdom”…..
Mother Mary – The Mother of Christ, is the Patroness of our institution. We offer all who come to our
Institution – students, parents/guardians, well wishers and benefactors to God our Loving Father through Mother Mary, that the Eternal Wisdom may lead every one to Peace, Love and Joy.


Gethsemani – “I had wondered what was holding this country together, what has been keeping the universe from cracking in pieces and falling apart. It is this monastery.” So said Thomas Merton the acclaimed spiritual writer when he first visited the Abbey of Gethsemani. Located in rural Kentucky it is often seen as a place of mystery. Granted remarkable access Atkinson probes this mystery by examining the rhythms of everyday life at Gethsemani. The result is a compelling and unforgettable portrait of a unique way of life.
“Morgan Atkinson’s film captures beautifully the rhythms of monastic life at the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani. Weaving together individual interviews with extensive footage of the monks at work and at prayer, Gethsemani explores with respect, insight and appealing touches of humor both the unique vocation and the essential humanity of these contemporary representatives of an ancient, still vital tradition.”
Dr. Patrick F. O’Connell, editor of the Merton Seasonal and the Thomas Merton Encyclopedia
“(This) is truly one of the finest independent productions we’ve seen here.”
Craig Cornwell, director of production for Kentucky Educational Television
“Morgan Atkinson’s film of Gethsemani is a journey to a foreign place hidden in the heart of Kentucky, but a place with a message our world is crying out to hear. It is an extraordinary film about an extraordinary place.”
Dr. Paul Pearson, Director, Thomas Merton Center
“Gethsemani’ is an honest and compelling look at the monastic life. I appreciated that it neither romanticiized or trivialized this valuable vocation. ‘Gethsemani’ is a viewing experience that enriches on several levels and I’d recommend it to anyone interested the spiritual life.”
Fr. Ronald Knott, Director, Vocations Office, Archdiocese of Louisville.


ERATH - The Erath Lady Bobcats (10-9 overall) had a great week of basketball this past week.
One Abbeville councilman is tired of seeing prime acreage at the Abbeville Chris Crusta Airport not being used to its fullest potential.
Miss Jennifer Langlinais and Gregg Ryan Coyle were joined in holy matrimony on Saturday, December 27, 2014 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville.
FORKED ISLAND – A Mass of Christian Burial for Thomas James Touchet, 46, will be held at 1:30PM on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church with Fr. Keith Broussard officiating.
P.O. Box 400
Abbeville, LA 70511


As Giordano Bruno said, everything in the universe is connected. Even things that seem to be inanimate have a spiritual aspect to them or in other words, a soul. Humanity is hurting the soul of the Earth through hatred and negativity! We must pray to the Angelic forces to help humanity to change its ways and adopt light and love in place of hatred! We will ask for this in our circle.
We will also use this wonderful occasion to dedicate and consecrate the Chapel of the Archangel Michael at Magika. There is no cost to attend and participate in the circle. The only currency that I ask you to bring is the currency of love and prayer! If you can't join us in person, please join us from where ever you are by calling on Archangel Michael and the angelic forces at 3pm and join us spiritually. I hope to see you all there! Many blessing of love and light to you all !
Parking Note -- Please park in nearby public parking. There is no on-street parking at our new location. You can park for a reasonable rate at the City of Salem Lot on Bridge Street, or other public lots downtown Salem. It is a pleasant walk to our new location in the historic McIntire District, and it will be a fair day.
For directions and parking info please see: http://www.magika.org/contact-us-directions/
Rev. Lori Bruno
Our Lord and Lady of the Trinacrian Rose Church
And the Chapel of The Archangel Michael


- How do we show faith in God?
- What comes first faith or hope?
- What God says about having faith?
- What are the power of faith?
- How do you live by faith?
- How do I get faith in God?
- What is faith in a person?
- What are the three components of faith?
- How do we receive faith?
- What is the importance of faith?
- Why should we have faith in someone?
How do we show faith in God?
So here are eleven ways to implement your faith throughout your busy schedule and life.Pray throughout your day.
Read your bible.
Read a devotional.
Listen to positive and encouraging music.
Continue to be involved in your church.
Make friends with people who share your values and reach out to people who don’t.More items…•.
What comes first faith or hope?
Originally Answered: What comes first between hope and faith? Faith comes by hearing; hope is the end result of suffering.
What God says about having faith?
1 Corinthians 2:5 That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God. 1 Corinthians 16:13: Be on guard.
What are the power of faith?
Faith taps into the power of God to deliver your desired turnaround, (Luke 8:40-48). Faith calms the storms of life, (Mathew 8:23-27). It establishes peace and serenity. By faith, you live a crisis free life.
How do you live by faith?
When we put our relationship with God first, setting aside our own desires to serve Him, we “live by faith” and learn what it means to be faithful, self-disciplined, compassionate, forgiving, humble, and loving.
How do I get faith in God?
Make time each day to talk to Jesus.During your quiet time, you can read devotionals, study your Bible, pray, write in a journal, or whatever else makes you feel close to Jesus. … When you’re praying, praise Jesus for his goodness, and ask him to strengthen your faith.
What is faith in a person?
Faith, derived from Latin fides and Old French feid, is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, one can define faith as “belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion”.
What are the three components of faith?
It is helpful to consider the components of faith (variously recognised and emphasised in different models of faith) as falling into three broad categories: the affective, the cognitive and the practical.
How do we receive faith?
It is only when we know God’s will that we can believe it. So, if you want to have faith, you must hear (or read) God’s promises. Faith does not come by praying for it, fasting for it, or having someone lay hands on you to bestow it. It only comes from hearing God’s Word.
What is the importance of faith?
Faith is what helps to get us through, illuminating the pathway in times of darkness, helping to give us strength in times of weakness. Without faith, we are nothing. Here are 5 reasons why having faith is so important in life.
Why should we have faith in someone?
No one can know how life with our mates will turn out, yet we continue to have faith our relationships will last a lifetime. Faith speaks the language of the heart. … Without faith in ourselves, we would hold ourselves cheap, and without faith in others, we could never live as free people.


We are delighted that you have found our website!
It is our sincere desire that the information provided will allow you to become acquainted with what we believe and the many ways our church can serve you and your family. We cordially invite you to join us this weekend for our Sabbath services and Wednesdays for our prayer meeting.
If you are looking for a place to belong, you will find a home here at Shiloh. Special programs and classes are available for every age group. It is our sincere prayer that as you hear God's Word preached from our pulpit, you will come to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
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“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name” Psalm 100:4
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.


There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater. Be vulnerable, put your guard down. Step up, and rise above yourselves. and I realized that tonight. It was the first time I've led a song and said a prayer.. out loud. And to be honest, it felt really good. It felt good to finally step out of my comfort zone, put my guard down, and not worry about how I would sound, or how stupid I would seem. That didn't matter at all tonight, because this time, it wasn't about me. But instead, it was about God, and for Him. I guess we gotta remember that when we step up at church, as leaders, it shouldn't be for the fame and the glory, but all for God. With that being said, this, for me wouldn't have happened if it weren't for my friends, who kept pushing me, and made me strive to just do it. I guess all I needed was that extra push, for me to step up, and not doubt myself. And for that, I'm so grateful for them. You guys know who you are lol, so thanks. much ♥! My friends are the best eh? ;)
(edit) Chanced upon this while reading Eunice's note.
Take that step out of your comfort zone and be obedient to His call because, as I’m continually being taught, you never know the extent of how God will use you and what He will show you until you let Him.


Today’s Promise is Proverbs 16:2 NKJV:
“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.”
The world can rationalize the most heinous behavior, from genocide to sexual depravity. But there is only one Truth. Jesus Christ. If we truly want to be free and walk in truth, we must abide in Him constantly seeing things through His eyes. Only then can we avoid falling for a lie that will cost us our souls.
Heavenly Father, teach me Your ways, in Jesus’ name, and let me walk in Your paths. Write Your Word on my heart and let me see all things through Your eyes, that I may judge rightly, and glorify You always. Amen.
Have a victorious day in the Lord!


Have you ever been inside a Greek Orthodox Church? St. Lukes Church in Broomall is beautiful. Not only that, the Rev. Father Kontos is a super nice guy. Gary and Tracy have been together for 15 years and decided to make it official and get married, but they didn't want a big wedding with a lot of fanfare. They had a traditional Greek Orthodox wedding with their family present and then went out to lunch to celebrate. They had us photograph the ceremony and some formals afterwards. I found it all super interesting, I love learning about other cultures and their wedding traditions. Here are a few of my favorite shots from their day.