".....fanning the flames of the Holy Spirit."
chicken a la carte
April 17, 2009April 17, 2009
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (Most Viewed) :
POPULAR (Best Rated) :
VIRAL (Most Shared/Linked) :
UNDISCOVERED (Must View) :
FILM-MAKER’S CHOICE (Best Art) :
Chicken a la carte. The Filipino film that won international acclaim. The film mirrors our brothers journey in life. Thank you J. Jalbuena for sharing it with us.
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte
Bright Lights in a Dark World; Love Worth Finding.-Adrian Rogers
April 13, 2009
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)
We are called to be the salt in the world! Salt and light … just what does that mean?
-When salt is applied, it dissolves inward and disappears. The salt speaks of the inward part, the character of the Christian.
-Jesus also described His people as being like light, which is on the outside. The light speaks of the testimony of a follower of Christ, revealing and illuminating the truth.
Let’s now look at the Scripture and ask: who, what, and how.
Who
Jesus was speaking to a crowd of just ordinary folks. Yet Christ said to them, “You are the light of the world.” And today, you are the light of the world. That’s how God intends to get his work done on earth today: through you!
And that’s how God intends to get his work done on earth today: through you! It’s not just pastors and missionaries who are the light; it’s everybody who loves the Lord.
You see, the world doesn’t understand. The world looks at Christians and thinks, “They don’t count.” God takes an ordinary person and uses them to share His message to people who needed Him. When we share our faith, we spread His light.
What
Jesus describes what we are in this passage - the light of the world, not the light of the church. That means we have to get beyond the church walls and take the light out to where it is dark.
You were saved to shine! Don’t hide your testimony or be ashamed to take your Bible to work. Don’t be afraid to pray over your lunch at school. Let others know that you love the Lord Jesus.
Jesus also talked of the strength of collective light. Each house in a city with its lights on cast a glow across the sky. As Christians come together, there is a glow for the Lord that we cannot create individually. We shine brightest when we shine together.
How
How can we shine for God? Jesus says that we are to let our lights shine before men in such a way that they will see our good works and glorify God. That’s how we do it. We live for God.
We have to surrender our lives to Him completely. Christ says we are to “let” our lights shine. In other words, when you get right with God and are filled with the Holy Spirit, He will simply shine through you. You can’t help it; light just pours forth. Are you willing to burn brightly for the Lord?
How can you become a bright light in a dark world? As we begin a new year, here are a few thoughts and questions to begin letting your light shine.
1. What does it mean to be “light”?
-Where do I find myself being light?
2. What do I do to cause my light to shine?
-Where do I struggle being light?
3. Why do you suppose God chooses to use ordinary people, rather than a few specially selected people, to reflect His light?
-Where does the world look for light, and where do they find it?
4. When am I tempted to conceal my light?
-What opportunities do I have for sharing my light with others?
So, now that you have a better understanding about your part in reflecting God’s light, take a few minutes and write a short testimony that you can share with non-Christians. Don’t just go over it in your head. Write it down, so that you know what you want to say. It should be about two minutes in length, following this outline:
-What was your life like before you met Christ?
-How did you meet Him?
-How has He changed your life since then?
“NEW LIFE” – AN EASTER SUNDAY SERMON
April 12, 2009
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This sermon was preached
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1. Resurrection Life - Future Hope?
Let me ask you one of those huge life, the universe and everything questions –
What do you think about the future of this world?
Do you think it has one??
When you look at how the human race is going, are you hopeful,
or do you despair of what will become of us all?
· When you look at the apparently endless cycles of evil and retribution, of selfishness and suffering in the world, do you despair about the human race ever rising out of the mire of self seeking?
· When you look at the predictions of global warming spiralling out of control and threats of nuclear proliferation, do you despair about the very continued existence of our human race and planet earth?
· When you face (as we all must ultimately face) your own physical death, do you see that as a final defeat in the struggle against extinction?
Mary despaired. Her world had come to an end.
It seemed that the cycle of evil and retribution had indeed triumphed and the grave had triumphed.
But then Mary hears the Gospel - Christ is Risen
Life is stronger than death - Light overcomes darkness
Love will conquer evil and hatred.
The resurrection isn’t just about one man 2000 years ago in Palestine –
it is about the whole way the Universe works –
The resurrection says:
· There is more to life than this world -
Which means that even if we manage by global warming or nuclear lunacy to destroy our very planet and everything on it, still we have hope!
· There is more to life than this world –
Which means that when we approach our own death (as one day every one of us will) we will find that the way of death is not a road to oblivion but a road to new life.
Vera Brittain in her autobiography “Testament of Youth” tells the horrors of WW1. She describes her own blackness and devastation as one after another those dear to her were killed in the war. In 1916 her fiance Roland Leighton was killed in France.
Vera Brittain describes the Easter Sunday morning following his death. She says she went to Church and sat beneath a painting on the wall.
It showed the tragic figure of Hagar from the book of Genesis, exiled in anguish in the wilderness.
And the title of the painting was “Watchman will the night pass?”
And Vera Brittain, describing the darkness of that Easter Morning, clearly identified with Hagar in her anguish, and says that for her too the day was still dark and she just hung on hoping that indeed the night would pass.
Our lives & indeed our whole world can sometimes seem very dark- and God does not promise us that we will not sometimes struggle in the long night watches –
But he does promise us the dawn.
Watchman will the night pass? –
Yes the night passes, for the light of Christ conquers death and evil.
So if you are struggling with bereavement
or if you are facing the death of a loved one
or your own imminent death –
well hear the Easter message –
What may seem hopelessly dark from a human perspective
is but a new beginning –
the darkness before the dawn.
2. Resurrection Life - Here and Now?
But let me say one other thing.
Some people make the mistake of thinking that is the resurrection is only about the future -
But Jesus did not say “I will be the Resurrection and the Life”
He said “I am the Resurrection and the Life”
As Christians we need to grasp the wonderful fact that we can know glimpses of heaven, glimmerings of the glory of life in all its fullness here in this world.
When you are in tune with God, that is heaven –
when you are out of tune with God, that is hell –
(Heaven and hell are not spatial destinations, they are ways of being)
I guess most of us know at least something of
“hell on earth” and “heaven on earth”.
John Robinson once said that life has a grain running through it, and the grain goes in the direction of God’s love.
To try to live your life with or against the grain of God’s love
is like trying to plane a piece of wood with or against the grain.
According to how you live,
you will know something of heaven and hell on earth.
I remember having a great debate with an earnest Christian lady about universal salvation. I said that I so believed in the overwhelming and unlimited and eternal love of God in Christ that I hoped that every member of the human race (including those who had rejected Christ in this life) would ultimately – in the next world if not in this world - be drawn by the leading bands of love into God’s loving embrace.
The lady I was talking to was horrified.
But, she said, if we are all going to be saved after we die anyway, what is the point of being a Christian now?!
What is the point??!? Being a Christian isn’t just a slightly unpleasant duty we have to get through in order to earn our air miles to heaven!!
No – we follow Jesus because in so doing
we begin to feel the chains of our captivity loosening,
we see the light beginning to seep over the horizon
we are vouchsafed a foretaste of the heavenly banquet
Resurrection life, life in all its fullness, is starting right now.
The party is already beginning -
why on earth would we want to wait until we die before joining in?
So let us hurry with Mary to the empty tomb.
There the Risen Christ is awaiting us
Let us bring with us our sins and sorrows,
our fears and our heartaches
Then shall the miracle begin –
as the darkness and despair of our life
is brought into the glorious light of his presence
Then as the sun rises in our life,
let us cry aloud – Christ is risen Alleluia!
Now is the time to live!
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April 11, 2009We are in the process of forming an Editorial Board to define the nature and contents of our website, Please bear with us.
LSS
The St. James Renewal Movement’s Life in the Spirit Apostolate
is inviting everyone to the
Catholic Life in the Spirit Seminar No. 25
The preparation for the LSS weekend starts with the:
Salubungan on April 24 (Friday),
to be followed by
four pre-shepherding sessions every Friday evening until May 22.
The LSS weekend will be on May 29 - 31 at the St. James Parish Church.
For application forms and further details, you may call the Renewal Office 807-6001, the Saint James Parish Office 842-5140 or 807-1623, and the LSS 25 Secretariat 809-2948 / 0917 853-1021
