Raiders of the Lost Spark

This is simply beautiful…

In my bleak moments, he would tell me that everything was God; God was found everywhere. I read about Corrie and her sisters, grateful for the lice and the fleas infiltrating their barracks in the concentration camp. Rather than be dismayed, they were grateful as the vermin meant the guards would not come in and they could study the Bible in peace. What a miracle to have these books enter my life. God knows the reason!

This is wild!… and SO inspiring

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The late Pope John Paul II was moved a major step closer to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church on Friday when his successor approved a decree attributing a miracle to him.The move by Pope Benedict means that John Paul, who died in 2005 after a papacy of nearly 27 years, will be beatified. Beatification is the last step before sainthood. The ceremony will take place on May 1 in Rome. Church officials have said the miracle attributed to the intercession of Pope John Paul with God concerned Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, a 48-year-old French nun diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, from which Pope John Paul himself suffered.

She said her illness inexplicably disappeared two months after his death after she and her fellow nuns prayed to him. Church appointed doctors agreed that there was no medical explanation for the curing of the nun although last year there were some doubts about the validity of the miracle.

Another miracle occurring after the date of the beatification ceremony — which will confer the title “Blessed” on John Paul — will have to be approved before he can be canonized, or made a saint. Crowds at John Paul’s funeral on April 8, 2005 chanted “santo subito” (”make him a saint right now”). In May 2005, a month after his death, Benedict put John Paul on the fast track by dispensing with Church rules that normally impose a five-year waiting period after a candidate’s death before the procedure that leads to sainthood can start.

(Editing by James Mackenzie)

This upsets me on more than one level. I am clearly not a Catholic… The only intercessor between human beings and God is Jesus Christ. Praying to a priest equates to FALSE IDOL.

The Letter of James has THE BEST (in my opinion) advice for anyone desiring to lead a Christian life. It is simple, concise, and beautifully worded. It speaks to my mind and opens me heart. It is truly a blessing.

• “whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it a joy” (1:2 NSRV)
• “if any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God” (1:5 NSRV)
• “blessed is anyone who endures temptation” (1:10 NSRV)
• “let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger” (1:19 NSRV)
• “a person is justified by works, and not by faith alone” (2:24 NSRV)
• “show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom” (3:13 NSRV)
• “who, then, are you to judge your neighbour” (4:13 NSRV)
• “be patient, therefore, beloved” (5:7 NSRV)

Sometimes life seems to go it’s own direction without any rhyme or reason, but I don’t believe it’s ever truly random. I believe the Lord is simply working through me; the Holy Spirit is touching my heart. Although baptized as a child in the Catholic church, the Spirit spoke to my heart and I was guided to be born again in the Baptist church. It was an incredible moment, a day of inspiration. i feel very guided on my quest to experience God, and feel intense passion for this journey.

Max Lucado 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV)

xposted to http://www.theyeschallenge.com/

“Devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes it possible.”

If I take that to heart and truly believe in it, would it not be reasonable to have the belief that (if considering the possibility that I brought on my fibromyalgia by my thoughts) that devoting my thoughts to removing it would be possible? It’s time to reflect on my faith… and reflect on the word itself. Do I have faith that I can reverse or remove my “condition”? I must!

In the interest of research purposes for my thesis, I decided to attend a Christian Science service to experience it first-hand. It was unlike any service I have ever attended – an interesting mix of Christianity and Metaphysics. One quote in particular stood out to me:

“Devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes it possible.”

I’ve finally selected my topic for my Master of Metaphysical Science Thesis: Christian Science.

Proverbs 31:10-31

It gives me something to aspire to!