SCRIPTURE READING: MATTHEW 5: 14-16
FOCUS: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5: 14)
MEMORY VERSE: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8: 12)
In our Focal Scripture, Jesus proclaimed that we are the light of the world. Jesus made mentioned of light that will light up the entire world. Notice that in Genesis 1, when the light bodies were created, God Himself set them in the firmament of the heaven, to give light to the entire earth. The light that was to give light to the entire earth, was positioned by the hand of God. Put differently, the hand of God helped the lights to shine to the world.
Friend, hear me as I hear the Lord: in 2023, you are that light that will shine by the hand of the Lord. You are a global light. You are that light that will shine beyond your city and nation. You are that light that will shine because Jehovah is involved. You are that light that will shine by the orchestration of divinity. You are that light that will shine supernaturally. You are that light that will shine beyond the calculations and expectations of men.
When a man becomes the light of the world, no single person can boast of empowering him to shine. When God is the foundation of your shining, no circumstance can dim your light. Hear me as I hear the Lord: you are that light that will not go dim. You are that light that will not be blown off. You are that light that will not be cut short. You are that light that will not expire in time. You are that light that will shine, shine and shine.
There are lights that are made for the house, and there are some for the city; but you are that light that was made for global recognition. You are that light that was made to shine and show forth the glory of God to your entire generation. Let the mantle for global visibility come upon you. Let the mantle of global recognition come upon you. Let the power to go global come upon you. Let the mandate of global greatness come upon you.
Don’t be counted amongst the global lights that preferred to play local. Arise, take your place in the firmament, and shine to your generation.
FURTHER READING: JOHN 8
- I am a global light; I enjoy global visibility, in Jesus’ name!


PRESS RELEASE: Active in Scotland
Posted on March 8th, 2013 at 8:42AM
Text of Press Release as follows:
Acts435 Gives Fast Financial Help for Struggling Families in Scotland
The Christian online giving charity, www.acts435.org.uk, has just started helping families in Scotland as well as England.
The first participating Church in Scotland, Whiteinch Church in Glasgow, yesterday posted their first request on the website. The request was for £50 for an electric cooker for an individual who had secured accommodation after some time being homeless.
Within hours of the advocate posting the request, £40 had already been raised. Acts 435 is offering fast financial help to those struggling in the UK at a time when other options are disappearing.
Acts 435 was launched in England in July 2010 and was registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator in August 2011.
Whiteinch Church of Scotland, Glasgow, has recently launched a Christians Against Poverty debt centre in partnership with other churches as well as a Food Bank. 81% of people in Whiteinch are dependent on benefits or child tax credit and double the average children in the area receive free school meals. Whiteinch Church was keen to get involved with Acts 435 to complement the other work they are doing to help those struggling financially in their area.
Acts 435 Advocate James Renwick who is also the Christians Against Poverty Centre Manager, said: “I love what Acts 435 is about. It’s such a great idea”.
Margaret Sentamu, Chair of the Trustees said: “It is great news that Acts 435 is now serving people in Scotland as well as England. I hope that many more churches will want to join us in bringing real help to those in need. It is important that we show Christian love through practical actions.”


20“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people 3 and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’” ~ Deuteronomy 20:1-4
The other day the choir came into my room to practice their songs for church and one song I had forgotten as I have not heard it for a very long time. It goes something like this:
I sat in my chair in the computer lab at my school and smiled from ear to ear. As a veteran myself I think it is an awesome song. I also think it ties in great with our faith because let’s face it, if you serve you have to believe that you will survive your service. For me it was about family, it was about having a family, I had an idea of kids, a wife, and a house with a white-picket fence. I thought my children would be waiting for me at the front door when I came home from my service. For many of the men and women who service this is a reality, and it is a beautiful one. But to also have God in your heart and to feel secure within your service then you really have something there. So to all the veterans I wish you well and hope all your dreams come true, I shall pray that God blesses you daily for all that you do for this great and wonderful country.
For all my Listening Faithfully Followers please click on the link below and submit your wishes to all our veterans. MY PERSONAL FACEBOOK
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As we head towards the season of Thanksgiving it is important to take note of all that we have to be thankful for. Like the disciples who learned all things are possible through the love and compassion of God so to can we the many sons and daughters of Christ make miracles happen for those who are in need and thus in our own way feed the multitude. I urge you to support inner city children through the gift of education by clicking the following link.
Support the Boy’s & Girl’s Tech Team Click Here for more details and to show your support.


By Ndahi Marama – Maiduguri
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Borno State Chapter has demanded “teaching and employment of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) in both primary and secondary schools” in the State.
CAN also pleaded with the Borno State Government to rebuild all churches demolished by the Borno Geographic Information System (BOGIS).
This is even as it appreciated the effort of the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum for his prompt action in ensuring that justice is done and for identifying with the family of the deceased, late Ezekiel Bitrus who was shot dead by a security attache of BOGIS when youths of EYN Church Moduganari attempted to halt the Agency from demolishing the church.
In a press statement issued and made available to Journalists in Maiduguri yesterday, the Coordinator Borno Concerned Christian Youth Forum, Mr Ezra Bulus, said resolution and demands of the Forum were made during the remembrance service for the late Ezekiel Bitrus last Sunday.
Mr Bulus said: “As we all know that we are here to remember our brother, late Ezekiel Bitrus who died on the 5th of August 2021, when a local church branch of EYN Moduganari was demolished by BOGIS, led by its Executive Secretary, Engr Adams Bababe and for launching and dedication of album left behind by the deceased. “
The Forum apologised to Borno CAN Chairman, Bishop Mohammed Naga and his Executive for the Youths reaction and attack on his personality as well as the destruction of CAN office, saying that the youths acted on earlier information which was later discovered to be false.
Continuing, Bulus said:” May we draw the attention of Borno State government on the following areas of great concern as indigenes of the State; Rebuilding of all churches demolished by BOGIS.
“Building of place of worship for Christians in tertiary institutions as done for our Muslim counterpart.
“Teaching and employment of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) in both primary and secondary schools in Borno State.
“This will give opportunity for good moral upbringing among the Christian youths and children.
“Establishment of Directorate of Christian Affairs in the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Currently, there is no representation of Christians in the Ministry.”


Radio Adoración a Cristo 97.3 Radio en vivo
Gracias por tu opinión.
Radio Adoración a Cristo 97.3 is a Christian radio station based in Barahona, República Dominicana. The channel is primarily aimed at the local population of Barahona, but its powerful signal can reach listeners across the surrounding regions. The station broadcasts 24/7 and offers a wide variety of Christian music, preaching, and talk shows. The schedule includes daily bible readings, prayer sessions, and sermons from prominent pastors and evangelists. In addition to its on-air programming, Radio Adoración a Cristo 97.3 has an active online presence, with live streaming available on their website. Their goal is to spread the word of Christ to people of all walks of life and to inspire listeners to live a more meaningful and spiritual life. Tune in to Radio Adoración a Cristo 97.3 for a soulful listening experience.


Alibei your wrong, so Fucking wrong. PROTESTants are protesting the Catholic Church and you are a PROTESTant. My faith is so strong it would kill you it is so strong. My friend and I have more than 500 crucifixes in our homes. Fuck that bitch. My Church is the ONE true HOLY CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC CHURCH. And I think he is Catholic. And Saint Peter was the leader of the one Church. Thats why the Pope's names are the Vicar of Christ, Supreme Pontiff, and Vicar of Peter ECT.
Justin is a christian because in his album my world both of them actually he thanks Jesus Christ. Now I know some of you are saying "Well, Catholics believe in Jesus" While that is true they also worship and pray 2 the virgin Mary and god is displeased because he calls this idolatry and it's not rite. Catholisim is witchcraft. Why pray to Mary when you can pray to the true god lord Jesus Christ. I luv day im a christian
hes catholic i'v know him befor he was famous because im his cousin lmfaoo and its not sooo cool everyone wishes they were his cousin but hes still the same justin to me:) soooo there is your answer hes catholic. not christian even though i dont see the difference between them.:D
I have no idea what religion he is but I would like to tell everyone that's put "he's a Christian" that Christianity isn't a religion nor a denomination. So Justin maybe a Christian but that's not his denomination. There can be Christian Catholics, budhists, baptists, and so on and so forth.
Hey Guess what if you're Protestant you're not Christian according to your definition. The Catholic church or any other breakaways are all technically Christian, why because they all believe that Jesus was the messiah and that he is the son of God.
The French religion is Catholic The French settled in Canada and most Canadians are Catholic and Guys he went to a CATHOLIC SCHOOL!!! So i'm pretty sure he's catholic!! Thank God! We can get married lol i wish!!
justin bieber is obviously not a christian. if he was, he would not sing songs about how wonderful a girl is, where as if he were a true christian, he would give all his glory to God, the one true God...it Should matter to you if the person who is singing your favorite song truly believes in God or not, so don't say "it doesn't matter". and Christianity is about having a personal relationship with God and Jesus, and knowing that Christ came to die for our sins and the Holy Spirit lives in us, but Christianity is not about whether or not you wear a cross necklace or pray well. i believe that he would express his love for God in a different way if he were a Christian. and if you say he's a Christian, you need to think again if you really are a Christian, or if you just want him to be. and i don't believe we should idolize anyone enough to say that we 'love' them, when we don't even know them, the only One we should idolize is God.
I have never really liked Justin Bieber.......In many sites I see,it says he is a Christian by the song or movie Never Say Never.....And he also has been interviewed saying that he is a Christian!If I knew he is a true Christian,faithful to God,and not ask God for stuff....he wouldn't be that bad to me.I don't care if he isn't but I hope he is and I will pray for him(yes i am a Christian).
Also,I don't care if you do or don't vote for me as best answer.I'm a Christian and I get what I deserve.Have Faith in God!
he is christion im gonna go a lil of topic i was just listening to his old and new song he changed so much but i still love him i just hope he doesnt change anymore it makes me sad cuz he was so lil when he sang common denominator


Here are two verses that come to mind for Fathers' Day.
See the kind of love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are! (1 John 3:1, Evangelical Heritage Version)
I have no greater joy than when I hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 4, Evangelical Heritage Version)
A blessed Fathers' Day to all our fathers out there.


Service. Prayer. Justice. Vocation. Community. Leadership.
These are the core values that shape and inform every aspect of an Episcopal Service Corps Year. It’s these values that set us apart from other post-graduate options. And it’s these values that drive our Corps to engage the transformative power of an ESC Year.
Are you a young leader 21-32 intrigued by the idea of devoting a year of your life to creating change in the world, and in yourself?
Join ESC for an online Open House on March 3 at 7 pm Eastern/6 pm Central/5 pm Mountain/4 pm Pacific.
During the hour participants will hear from current Corps members and alumni about what their ESC Year meant to them. It’s also a time to ask questions about the application and discernment process.
Know someone who might be discerning an ESC Year? Forward a link to this event to them with an invitation to participate.
Register using the form below:
Every year, Episcopal Service Corps hosts a number of Open Houses for potential Corps members to hear from current Corps and alumni about their Service Year, meet program directors, and ask questions.
Open Houses are upcoming on the following dates:
Wednesday, January 5, 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central/6 pm Mountain/5 pm Pacific – Click here for detailsThursday, March 3, 7 pm Eastern/6 pm Central/5 pm Mountain/4 pm Pacific
Watch this website for more details about these upcoming events.
ESC Corps members and Alumni are invited to enter our contest to design the 2021-2022 Corps t-shirts.
ESC Alumni and Current Corps members are invited to a networking event designed to put you in touch with working professionals in the fields of: Public Policy, Healthcare, Ministry, Social Services, Education, and more.
Join us for this event March 9 at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central/6 pm Mountain/5 pm Pacific.
Register now: Online Form – Alumni Networking March 2022Powered by Formstack
Every year, young adults from 21 to 32 are invited to apply to serve as a member of Episcopal Service Corps (ESC) for the upcoming service year. Understanding that applying can feel a bit overwhelming, this article is intended to help potential applicants understand the process.
Johnson Service Corps (JSC) started over 20 years ago as a ministry at Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. JSC’s namesake, Margaret Johnson, a longtime Chapel of the Cross parishioner, was passionate about young adults and spiritual formation. After she passed away, Johnson left funds to the church. Following a lengthy discernment to find the best use for money, in 1999, the Johnson Intern Program, JSC’s predecessor, was formed.
Giving of yourself for the benefit of others is quite possibly the most rewarding thing a person can do with their time on Earth. No one benefits from a wholly isolated, insular life devoid of giving back. Whether a person is religious or not, helping others can be one of the most positive life choices that one can make.
The difficult task of getting six total strangers to not only live together for a year but also devote a majority their time helping their community is no easy task – but it’s one at which Episcopal Service Corps (ESC) members excel.
ESC is now recruiting for the 2021-2022 Service Year. In this video, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry invites young adults 21-32 to discern if they are called to serve.
Program directors and staff were deeply moved by this icon’s legacy and were inspired to dedicate at least a portion of 2020-2021 ESC formation activities to learning more about Pauli Murray and the ways that Murray’s story inspires us to leadership and activism.
A program of Christ Episcopal Church, Cody, and a Fresh Expression of the Diocese of Wyoming, WSC will offer Corps members a contemplative environment in which to discern their greater place in the world as well as opportunities to explore the extraordinary natural and social world around them.
Responding to local conditions, a number of ESC’s 14 network programs quarantined in their house while others went off-site to a nearby camp or conference center where Corps members could remain physically distant during a quarantine period and gather safely outside, as appropriate.
by Austin Hays, LEVN – Lutheran Episcopal Volunteer Network
Of all the multifaceted ways of living throughout this year, by discerning the call of God and developing a discipline of prayer, while living in community, I have experienced that service is a natural outpouring of these ways of living.
Circle of the Beloved welcomed me warmly and wrapped me up in their community from day one. If it wasn’t for Circle, I would have been floundering about to find community as the only Visitation intern this year. Whether it is sharing meals or participating in Sunday compline, we are working together to foster authentic community at Liberty House.
Community was a key component of my return to the Christian faith. The recognition of need for a nourishing, rooted faith community led to my eventual stumbling into an Episcopal church.
I decided to cobble this interview together from different service corps members in the spirit of joining our different yet similar experiences during the quarantine. Hence the title of this interview series “Joining The Viewpoints”.
I am still, in all honesty, quite new to the discipline of regular prayer and I feel a bit out of my element writing this post. For much of my life my presence in prayer was tightly tied to feeling.
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, sends his greetings and gratitude for Corps members serving during the current outbreak of COVID-19.
In contemplating the call of God, I see two aspects. First, that a call must have voice, therefore God speaks. Second, that creation must respond.


Collects, Epistles, and Gospels for Ascensiontide - Whitsuntide
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Apostolic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
The Sunday After Ascension
O GOD, the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. AMEN.
THE end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
The Gospel St. John XV26, and part of XVI
WHEN the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.


the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Aug 18, 1995
Over the last few decades, a movement has arisen in Latin America which has come to be known as liberation theology. For revolutionary Marxists, religion has always been one of the main obstacles to the mass of the workers and oppressed in their battle for self-emancipation. Christianity, for example, offers them the illusion of eternal life after death, if they submit on earth and accept the powers that be. The Catholic Church has fulfilled this function since its inception in Latin America, offering consolation to the Indians as their land was stolen and they were pushed into slavery, blessing the rapacious landlord class and later the capitalists. The church opposed every struggle for liberation in Latin America, supporting Spain at the time of the fight for independence, taking the side of the old regime and the hacienda owners during the Mexican revolution.
Liberation theology, which announced itself to the world at the September 1968 meeting of 146 Latin American bishops at Medellín, Columbia, expresses ideas which seem to contradict the traditional stance of the church. The conference declared a "preference to the poorest and most needy sectors." Of course, the church also condemned, once again, "the Marxist system," but this time it also condemned "liberal capitalism" and called for "authentic liberation." The theology of liberation tells the poor not to wait for a better life until they go to heaven, but to change conditions on earth, not to submit to oppression but to challenge and remove it. This is a far cry from the statement of the bishops of Nicaragua in 1950, "when you obey the government ... you perform acts that constitute obedience to God," which was typical of the 500 years of Christianity in Latin America.
Liberation theology was initiated by the literary effort of the Catholic Church's best theologians and proclamations by bishops at the top of the hierarchy of the Latin American church. But it also includes many thousands of the lower clergy and a couple of million poor activists organized into Base Ecclesial Communities. An example of how these activists' thinking has changed after contact with these communities can be seen in interviews done by Madeleine Adriance, as reported in Opting for the Poor. New members were asked why they were poor. They responded: "the will of God," "because of our sins," "suffering is the test of our faith" – all traditional answers that we'd expect from Christianity. Members who had been in the same community for some time responded: "There is no rain because the rich people are destroying the forests – the drought is caused by lack of trees." "There are two classes – the rich and the poor. The poor are exploited, humiliated, forgotten; the rich create this situation; the landowners care only for themselves."
It was not an accident that the Medellín conference took place in 1968, the year of the massacre of students in Mexico City, the May-June events in France, the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia, the Black uprisings in the United States and the Tet Offensive in Viet Nam. A section of the Catholic Church responded to the new radicalization that had developed around the world, including in Latin America.
At first, when the church responded to the new social struggles, it was primarily as an attempt to resolve its own problems. The Catholic Church has always had tremendous influence over the poor masses of Latin America. But by the 1950s and early 1960s, the church was failing to attract the poor in the rapidly growing cities, due to competition from unions, nationalist movements, left-wing parties, and protestant churches. For a church heavily dependent on its clergy, the crisis was felt through a shortage of priests, which meant that not every parish could be covered. Moreover, many of the priests were focused on the education of the children of the ruling class, which left the whole church even more removed from the poor.
The Cuban revolution of 1959 caused the church to fear that similar revolutions would spread and displace it. Following the Cuban revolution, students and intellectuals had turned to guerrilla groups or other forms of leftist activity. They fought against U.S. imperialism and the local ruling class that presided over miserable poverty. And the radicalization in Latin America extended to other layers, especially among the workers and peasants, giving rise to mass strikes, land occupations and other social struggles.
Many students from upper class backgrounds began to despise the church, seeing it as siding with the oppressors of the people, so the church was losing its grip even among the sector it had focused on. This serious crisis in the church led many of the clergy to feel the urgent need to change if it were to survive. It had to reestablish its influence among the poor population and offer an alternative to communism. The international head of the Jesuit Order, General Pedro Arrupe, put it sharply, "the battle against atheism is identical in part with the battle against poverty which was one of the causes of mass exodus of the working class from the Church." Substantial portions of the clergy in most of the Latin American countries began in the mid-1960s to organize among the poor.
Brazil was the country where liberation theology first took shape as a movement among the poor. The years from 1961 to 1964 were marked by radicalization and polarization in the society, especially in the impoverished rural Northeast. A Catholic left in the student and union movements was swept up in this radicalization and worked with the outlawed Communist Party. Meanwhile the upper and middle classes in the cities were in a right-wing mood, and clamored for the military to crack down. The hierarchy moved between the Catholic left and right, calling for agrarian reform and promoting Christian rural unions as rivals to the Communist ones. In November 1960 the National Council of Brazilian Bishops chose Natal in the Northeast for a new initiative. The bishops set up treatment centers to combat disease and malnutrition and, in order to promote the faith, proposed a program of literacy. In doing these things they could not avoid having almost immediately to discuss social problems. Church activists used the teaching methods which Paulo Freire called "conscientization", a method filled with "lessons" like the following: "The peasant is a man of the land. He works the land. He gathers the fruit of the land. Does the peasant have land? Does he have all that he needs to cultivate the land?"
The bishops also turned to the national government of Janio Quadros, which gave them 1.5 million dollars for the church's Basic Education Movement. Using this money, the church was able to open 1,400 radio stations which delivered basic education, but also soon added the Mass. In numerous communities, groups of poor people gathering around a radio to listen to the broadcasts, effectively attended a Mass delivered by the bishop. The church found in these meetings a solution to the absence of priests. By 1963, these meetings were being turned into what the church called, Base Ecclesial Communities, groups of 20 to 30 people, usually poor, who studied the Bible and sang hymns, but were pushed, if only by the situation, to intervene in the social struggles going on at the time.
At the time of the 1964 coup, most bishops thanked the military for saving the country from communism. They tried to enter an alliance with the new regime. But the military repaid the church's efforts by coming down on the clergy involved in the Basic Education Movement, closing its radio stations, censoring its newspapers, arresting, torturing and even killing some priests. Several of the conservative bishops took a stand against the government in defense of their priests and lay people. Furthermore, as trade unions, student groups, and the press were repressed, the church soon became the only institution in the country with the ability to speak out. In line with its goal to reach out to these organizations, to strengthen its influence among the poor, the church found itself the spokesperson for these groups. Many activists from the unions and other social movements found the church the only place where they could maintain their activity. When they eventually moved back into the unions, they had been influenced by the church; thus the church extended its reach to the poorest layers of society.
As a consequence of all this, a part of the hierarchy became radicalized. In 1967, seven bishops published a message which declared that true socialism is Christianity integrally lived, that wealth must be shared by all, and that revolution was, in some cases, necessary. In the following years under the military dictatorship, the Base Ecclesial Communities grew to some 80,000 or 100,000 in Brazil, with an estimated one to two million members. And those who left for exile brought their ideas to other countries.
The church attempted to turn toward the oppressed in other countries of Latin America in the mid-1960s. But when sections of the clergy turned to the poor, they were confronted, as they had been in Brazil with the class struggle and the necessity to choose sides. As the Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez said, "class struggle is a fact and neutrality in this matter is impossible. The class struggle is part of our economic, social, political, cultural and religious reality." Their former students came back from the universities after discovering Marxism or dependency theory, which addressed the problem of imperialism and poverty in Latin America. Many of the clergy felt these ideas offered an explanation of poverty which they could draw upon.
The Cuban revolution appealed to them because it appeared able to carry out tasks that mere charity could not even contemplate. It threw the United States out of the island, instituted a thoroughgoing land reform and promoted literacy, health and social programs. The Cuban revolution inspired the priest Camilo Torres in Columbia to organize a United Front of peasants, slum dwellers and workers. This led him to sharp conflicts with the hierarchy. He renounced the priesthood, joined the guerrilla Army of National Liberation, and was killed in 1966. In the eyes of many Christian activists, he was a martyred saint who argued the futility of reform and the necessity for violent revolution. They established hundreds of "Camilista groups" in Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia which read his writing and speeches, and repeated his proclamation, "The duty of every Catholic is to be a revolutionary. The duty of every revolutionary is to make the revolution."
At Vatican II, the 1962-65 meetings of the world Catholic hierarchy in Rome, the 600 Latin American participants met together to discuss their common problems. In the following years some of the bishops and professional theologians synthesized their new experience and the first successes they had made in reestablishing their influence among the poor. They drew up a program, which led to the theology of liberation documents presented at Medellín in 1968. Within the next couple of years, large numbers of the clergy and Catholic activists throughout Latin America grabbed hold of these ideas. The Base Ecclesial Communities spread, enrolling somewhere between two and four million members. Out of the church's crisis over its loss of influence it had turned to the poor, bringing a significant section of the clergy and lay activists to join the radicalization of the time. The theology of liberation was a broad movement, with a wide spectrum of views, with some people traveling considerably further leftward than others. Some never called for socialism. Others did. For example, a group called Christians for Socialism in Chile, supporting the Cuban revolution and Allende, claimed, "there is no middle ground between capitalism and socialism." A small minority went as far as guerrilla warfare. A number of them, even in the high levels of the hierarchy, like Archbishop Romero of El Salvador, went much further than they expected. A conservative when appointed to his post, Romero wound up defending the violence of self-defense by the poor and was murdered by the Salvadoran death squads.
The theology of liberation is an attempt to address the causes of poverty in Latin America, critiquing capitalism and showing support for the struggles of the oppressed, all within a religious framework. It posits the cause of poverty in the social system. But its ideas, far from raising the consciousness of the oppressed, confuse and obscure it.
For example, a group of eighty Chilean priests in 1971 declared that poverty was the result of "the capitalist system, which is produced by the domination of a foreign imperialism and abetted by our own country's ruling class." But behind this social system they found ... sin! As Gustavo Gutiérrez, the most famous of the liberation theologians, said, "Sin, the breach with God, is not something that occurs only within some intimate sanctuary of the heart. It always translates into interpersonal relationships... and hence is the ultimate root of all injustice and oppression – as well as of the social confrontations and conflicts of history.... In describing sin as the ultimate cause we do not in any way negate the structural reasons and the objective determinants leading to these situations. It does, however, emphasize the fact that things do not happen by chance and that behind an unjust structure there is a personal or collective will responsible – a willingness to reject God and neighbor. It suggests, likewise, that a social transformation, no matter how radical it may be, does not automatically achieve the suppression of all evils." The liberation theologians stick to god, sin, prayer, salvation ... and the divinely inspired role of the church hierarchy!
Liberation theology is marked by its "preference for the poor." Gutiérrez says of Jesus, "He addressed his gospel by preference to the poor. He lashed out with invective against the rich who oppressed the poor and despised them." The liberation theologians claim to borrow from Marxism, which they regard as a social science tool. But there is an abyss between the social conceptions of Marx and these people. Marx never saw the working class as a suffering class. He recognized that it has the power, due to its social position, to transform and reorganize society. Liberation theology gets its emphasis on the poor, not from Marx, but from Christianity, which has always expressed a concern for the poor – as an object of charity – while propping up the social systems that gives rise to poverty.
Liberation theology can even agree with the necessity to abolish private property. As the Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff said, "The kingdom of God is not to be in another world but is the old world transformed into a new one." And what does it look like? Gutiérrez said, "only by eliminating private ownership of wealth created by human labor will we be able to lay the foundation of a more just society... We must hence opt for social ownership of the means of production." But liberation theologians are careful not to speak of communism. Above all they do not see the proletarian revolution as the way to get to socialism. As radical as they might be, as involved as they are in the different social and political fights in the different countries of Latin America, they never crossed this demarcation line, which is the decisive criterion for judging the class character of any political current in our epoch.
The liberation theologians simply joined the movements going on. They didn't advocate their own political party, such as was developed by the church earlier in this century. Instead they joined with secular militants, including socialists and communists, in popular campaigns and movements such as unions, slum dwellers' organizations, and peasant associations. In so doing, they were reestablishing the church's influence among these sectors of the population and, whether consciously or not, were acting in consonance with the aims of the church hierarchy, which had been so important in impelling their movement. The most radical of the left Christians, who joined socialist parties and in smaller numbers the guerrilla groups, supported the mainstream of what the Latin American left put forward as socialism, including Castroism in Cuba, the Allende government in Chile, the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, the guerrilla movement in El Salvador and the Workers Party in Brazil. They and the movements they joined were focused on Latin American liberation, not on the world proletarian revolution. By supporting these movements, they took on all the limitations of these various claims to socialism, which, no matter how radical they might be, never went beyond nationalism, and which, by not fighting for proletarian power, ultimately left the power of the world bourgeoisie intact.
So it was in the Nicaraguan revolution, where liberation theology had some influence. A priest, Gaspar Garcia Laviana was killed leading an armed attack on December 11, 1978. Other left-wing Catholics entered the Sandinistas, who led the successful struggle to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship. The first Sandinista government included four priests and some bourgeois ministers. Even after the latter were forced from the government, the regime protected the bourgeoisie's ownership of the land, the means of production and capital. The Sandinista regime constantly pushed the bourgeoisie to invest, at the same time it tried to take a part of the bourgeoisie's wealth for social programs. But in a country as miserably poor as Nicaragua, the bourgeoisie refused to give up anything. Under attack from U.S. imperialism, with its support for the Contras, and from the bourgeois opposition, supported by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Sandinistas wound up pushing austerity on the workers and peasants. Of course, the left-wing Christians in and outside the government had nothing different to propose than did the rest of the Sandinistas. The theology of liberation's socialism, like Sandinismo, proved to be an attempt at reforms within a bourgeois society that couldn't afford them.
Liberation theology grew up in opposition to the military dictatorships of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador and Argentina. But, in the last decade, there has been a return to a fragile bourgeois democracy in these countries. The collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe caused some of the liberation theologians to question their assumptions about collective ownership. The radicalization of the 1960s with which liberation theology grew up has been replaced by a strong turn to the right, and liberation theology has changed with the times. Just as in the past they entered the existing radical movements, having nothing special to offer them to carry the struggles further, now when these movements receded, they retreated with them. Today their emphasis is on working within bourgeois democracy. They are not sure that socialism will work. They place a heavier emphasis on spirituality. Liberation theology continues in most Latin American countries and some of its supporters still see themselves as socialists and revolutionaries, but the center of gravity of the movement has shifted to the right.
One example of this was the role played by the left wing of the Catholic Church in the Workers Party of Brazil, which it was involved in building in the early 1980s. The left-wing Christians were in Articulation, which was the right wing of the Workers Party. Articulation called for wage restraint by the workers in union negotiations, deals with bourgeois parties and the transformation of the Workers Party into a more social democratic party. Articulation also worked to expel the revolutionary left from the party – successfully.
Another example is the stance of left-wing Christians toward one of the main social questions in Latin America, the oppression of women. The governments of the continent make abortion a crime under the pressure of the church. The church fights contraception, makes divorce difficult, if not impossible, and supports all the institutions that keep women oppressed. On all these questions the liberation theologians accepted the church's reactionary positions. They have never publicly disagreed with the church on abortion, birth control or divorce, even when their attachment to the sexist attitudes of the church adversely affected the cause, not only of the people, but of the movement they were trying to build. During the 1989 Brazilian election, the reactionaries discovered that the companion of Lula – a leader of the metalworkers struggle, and the presidential candidate of the Workers Party – had had an abortion and used this as a major issue with which to attack the Workers Party. The Christian activists in the Workers Party were against the right to abortion, and they used their influence to prevent the Workers Party from waging the type of campaign necessary to defend women's right to abortion.
One last example comes in Haiti, one of the countries where the influence of liberation theology came to worldwide attention in recent years. The priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide was one of the leaders of a mass movement that helped bring down the Duvalier dictatorship and gave rise to democratic elections which brought Aristide to power. Once in power, he did not move against the bourgeoisie. Instead he used his movement to restrain those who wanted to push the struggle further. After the military coup, Aristide banked on U.S. imperialism to restore him to power, rather than on the poor of Haiti, whom liberation theology says should be the subjects of their own liberation. The liberation theologian in power proved to be just another bourgeois politician.
The Vatican began to crack down on liberation theology for going too far just a few years after Medellín. Pope John Paul II said that some people "depict Jesus as a political activist, as a fighter against Roman domination and the authorities, and even as someone involved in class struggle. This conception of Christ as a political figure, a revolutionary, as the subversive from Nazareth, does not tally with the Church's catechesis." He appointed reactionary bishops as openings arose. In Peru, the church's social centers were dismantled. In Recife, Brazil, the archdiocesan human rights office was closed. The large archdiocese of Sao Paulo was split in two to undermine Cardinal Arns. And Leonardo Boff, one of the most prominent spokesmen of liberation theology, was ordered silenced for ten months.
The liberation theologians accepted this crackdown with resignation. The Argentine Enrique Dussel said, "After 1972, liberation theologians began to suffer repression not only from governments but also from within the Church. The effect of this, however, was to make the theologians more able to identify with the poor of Latin America. Later, Rome believed it could criticize one theologian to hurt us. It was a mistake. This type of condemnation only gives us publicity. Liberation theologians are repressed, poorly paid, threatened, and so on – all of our biographies are the same in this way. But we are happy because we know that history is on our side. We are like a group of close brothers; there is a special, strong bond among us. So we refuse to allow ourselves to be thrown out of the Church – it is our Church and we'll stay there." Despite the crackdown, and despite their knowledge of the church's history and current role in Latin America, the theologians of liberation choose to stay with this reactionary institution. At the extreme point of the revolution in Nicaragua, some of them, like David Chavarria Roca, who worked in an auto parts workshop and joined a left-wing religious community could say, "I consider myself a Christian, but I am clear that if at any moment I have to choose between religion and revolution, I'd choose revolution." But so far most liberation theologians have chosen religion and not revolution. And with the general move to the right in Latin America, they are moving further away from revolution.
Not only do the liberation theologians stick to the church, they give it new life. In countries where the poor were moving away from the church, hundreds of thousands have become tied to it through the Base Ecclesial Communities, and millions more have a much more favorable view of the church due to liberation theology. The liberation theologians are the representatives of the church among the poor. It's not surprising that the Vatican hasn't gone so far as to excommunicate any of them. While it wants to keep them on a tight leash – and so far they haven't chosen to break this leash – it sees the advantage of using them to keep the sheep within the fold.
The working class and poor masses of Latin America will emancipate themselves through their struggles. But a precondition for their struggles to go all the way to the socialist revolution is their increased consciousness of the world, the social system and the power they have to change it. This awareness includes understanding the reactionary role of the church and religion in holding people back and keeping them oppressed. When the liberation theologians teach people to read, it is of course an advance, but when they use their new knowledge to read the Bible and to become more deeply attached to obscurantist ideas, it is a step backward. When the left-wing theologians support the fight of the poor, it's a way for the church to wage a battle against atheism and genuine Marxism. As their history has shown, their support to the oppressed in their struggles is not unconditional, and it doesn't go all the way to the end which alone could make real liberation possible. Even in its most radical form, liberation theology brings the workers and the poor reactionary ideas. The workers of Latin America don't need liberation theology, but the liberation from theology.


With Jesus in the morning
Heavenly Father, you have taught us the power of prayer. Only prayer can drive away terrible demons such as violence, trafficking and forced prostitution. I offer you every moment of this day, Lord, for this intention, that the victims of so much evil may be welcomed as brothers and sisters. Our Father.


I continued to be educated by Ryan’s parish with texts that are new to me often set to venerable hymn tunes.
This one is a 21st century plain speaking text by Christopher Idle, which can be found with the wonderful people at Hope Publishing. One of the tunes they suggest is ST DENIO, which is what is used at Ryan’s parish. I remember this tune from “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” from my Presbyterian childhood. It is a Welsh tune with no known author collected in the nineteenth century.[audio:http://www.sixmaddens.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Good-Shepherd-You-Know-Us.mp3|titles=Good Shepherd You Know Us]
ST DENIO on organ:


Henry and Francis Meet at Boulogne – Francis Promises Support for Henry’s Divorce from Catherine–Anne de Boulogne Married to Henry
In 1532 Anne de Boulogne received news that King Francis would be meeting the pope in October the following year at the wedding his second son, Henri (later King Henri II), to Catherine de’ Medici. This meeting, she perceived, would be an opportunity for her French sponsors to press the divorce case, face to face, with the pope.
Catherine de’ Medici, after all, was herself a de Boulogne through her mother, Madeleine de la Tour d’Auvergne, Countess de Boulogne. It is more likely than not that Anne had been present at Madeleine’s wedding, a flamboyant affair at Château d’Amboise in the Loire Valley on 5 May 1518. During negotiations between Francis and Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici – Pope Leo X – leading to the Concordat of Bologna in 1516, a marriage arrangement (an inducement) was agreed for Madeleine to marry Lorenzo de’ Medici, Pope Leo X’s nephew. The current pope, Giulio di Giuliano de’ Medici (Clement VII), was Leo’s cousin. Surely this union, together with Francis’s influence, would pave the way for another de Boulogne marriage – Anne’s to the King of England – sanctioned by a de’ Medici pope.
The de Boulogne–Valois scheme was for Francis to convince Henry that he (Francis) would persuade Clement to grant the annulment. Indeed, Henry later claimed that Francis had promised that he would never consent to his son’s marriage into the de’ Medici family unless Clement decided the divorce in Henry’s favour. In the meantime, the French king would give his personal blessing for Henry to marry Anne.
To elevate her status, Anne was created Marquis of Pembroke on 1 September 1532.
In the autumn, a visit to the French king was arranged to begin the scheme. Nobility, prelates and servants were commanded to meet up with Henry and Anne in Canterbury on 26 September 1532. Many registered their unhappiness about crossing the Channel to France at the onset of winter.
The staunchly conservative Archbishop Warham, however, was not among them. He died on 22 August 1532 and in November Thomas Cranmer, at the time in Austria, was named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. He arrived back in England on about 10 January 1533.
On 11 October 1532, Anne and Henry boarded the Swallow at Dover with an entourage of more than two thousand. Francis arrived at Boulogne on the 19th, and the two groups met the following day amid great pomp. Henry then spent five days lodged at the abbey in Boulogne. It was soon agreed that two French cardinals, Grammont and Tournon, would head a delegation to Clement in a concerted effort to have him grant Henry’s divorce. They were due to meet him in advance of Francis’s arrival for the wedding.
Amid great ceremony at Boulogne, Francis I and Henry VIII pledged to act as one, united like brothers; they swore their friendship, and the joint message to the pope was that whatever was Francis’s pain or joy, so it would be Henry’s, and vice versa: whatever was done to Henry was also done to Francis.
At some time in late 1532 or early 1533, Henry and Anne were married. Quite probably the marriage took place in Boulogne while they were there; however, the details have always remained secret.
A few weeks after they returned from France, Anne discovered she was pregnant. There was no time to wait for Francis and the pope now; the pregnancy changed everything. Henry’s marriage to Catherine must be annulled officially and quickly.


1 Kings Chapter 13 |
1a man of God arrived at Bethel from Judah at the command of the Lord. While Jeroboam was standing on the altar to present the offering, the man of God, at the command of the Lord, cried out against the altar: 2“O altar, altar! Thus said the Lord: A son shall be born to the House of David, Josiah by name; and he shall slaughter upon you the priests of the shrines who bring offerings upon you. And human bones shall be burned upon you.” 3He gave a portent on that day, saying, “Here is the portent that the Lord has decreed: This altar shall break apart, and the ashes on it shall be spilled.” 4When the king heard what the man of God had proclaimed against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his arm above the altar and cried, “Seize him!” But the arm that he stretched out against him became rigid, and he could not draw it back. 5The altar broke apart and its ashes were spilled—the very portent that the man of God had announced at the Lord’s command. 6Then the king spoke up and said to the man of God, “Please entreat the Lord your God and pray for me that I may be able to draw back my arm.” The man of God entreated the Lord and the king was able to draw his arm back; it became as it was before.
7The king said to the man of God, “Come with me to my house and have some refreshment; and I shall give you a gift.” 8But the man of God replied to the king, “Even if you give me half your wealth, I will not go in with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water in this place; 9for so I was commanded by the word of the Lord: You shall eat no bread and drink no water, nor shall you go back by the road by which you came.” 10So he left by another road and did not go back by the road on which he had come to Bethel.
11There was an old prophet living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the things that the man of God had done that day in Bethel [and] the words that he had spoken to the king. When they told it to their father, 12their father said to them, “Which road did he leave by?” His sons had seen the road taken by the man of God who had come from Judah. 13“Saddle the ass for me,” he said to his sons. They saddled the ass for him, and he mounted it 14and rode after the man of God. He came upon him sitting under a terebinth and said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “Yes, I am,” he answered. 15“Come home with me,” he said, “and have something to eat.” 16He replied, “I may not go back with you and enter your home; and I may not eat bread or drink water in this place; 17the order I received by the word of the Lord was: You shall not eat bread or drink water there; nor shall you return by the road on which you came.” 18“I am a prophet, too,” said the other, “and an angel said to me by command of the Lord: Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.” He was lying to him. 19So he went back with him, and he ate bread and drank water in his house.
20While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back. 21He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah: “Thus said the Lord: Because you have flouted the word of the Lord and have not observed what the Lord your God commanded you, 22but have gone back and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, ‘Do not eat bread or drink water [there],’ your corpse shall not come to the grave of your fathers.” 23After he had eaten bread and had drunk, he saddled the ass for him—for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24He set out, and a lion came upon him on the road and killed him. His corpse lay on the road, with the ass standing beside it, and the lion also standing beside the corpse. 25Some men who passed by saw the corpse lying on the road and the lion standing beside the corpse; they went and told it in the town where the old prophet lived. 26And when the prophet who had brought him back from the road heard it, he said, “That is the man of God who flouted the Lord’s command; the Lord gave him over to the lion, which mauled him and killed him in accordance with the word that the Lord had spoken to him.” 27He said to his sons, “Saddle the ass for me,” and they did so. 28He set out and found the corpse lying on the road, with the ass and the lion standing beside the corpse; the lion had not eaten the corpse nor had it mauled the ass. 29The prophet lifted up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the ass, and brought it back; it was brought to the town of the old prophet for lamentation and burial. 30He laid the corpse in his own burial place; and they lamented over it, “Alas, my brother!” 31After burying him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God lies buried; lay my bones beside his. 32For what he announced by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the cult places in the towns of Samaria, shall surely come true.”
33Even after this incident, Jeroboam did not turn back from his evil way, but kept on appointing priests for the shrines from the ranks of the people. He ordained as priests of the shrines any who so desired. 34Thereby the House of Jeroboam incurred guilt—to their utter annihilation from the face of the earth.


Sound of Cathedral House take their name from Cathedral House which is the home of Huddersfield Christian Fellowship and is situated in the heart of the local community in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in the UK. Today it is a thriving multi-generational church.
The album ‘God Of The Impossible’ is a declaration of faith and gratitude which has been captured in this collection of songs. This was to mark the official opening of Cathedral House in 2009, an award-winning building thought, at that time, to be the largest purpose built church in the UK for 50 years. These songs have long been an integral part of the corporate worship of this local church body, and some of them have been sung in different languages, recorded by other artists and churches and featured in various broadcasts around the globe


January 14, 2020
Have you found yourself reading the stories of the Bible and imagining what the landscape, people, and locations would have looked like? Do you find yourself picturing what the Valley of Elah would have looked like with the Philistines on one side and the Israelites on the other as Goliath stepped out of his ranks and challenged someone to meet him for a fight? What if you didn’t have to imagine but could see the places in person? You CAN!
Join Karl and Cindy Fleig, national director, and Royal Rangers from across the nation for the 2021 Royal Rangers Holy Land Adventure. This 11-day trip will take you on a life-changing journey of the Holy Land. The adventure will start months before as you are challenged to read key passages out of Scripture in preparation for places you will visit. You will be thrilled to walk the very paths the champions of our faith did so long ago. Your Bible reading will never be the same once you become familiar with the land in which so much of our Scriptures took place. On this adventure, you will visit the following locations:
On this trip you will be able to float in the Dead Sea; get baptized in the Jordan River; explore the impressive first century water aqueducts; see the actual Dead Sea Scrolls; spend time in personal prayer at the Western Wall; learn about ancient architecture, walls, and gates; take an evening boat ride on the Sea of Galilee; trek through the desert on camels, experiencing Bedouin hospitality; and so much more.
On the last day, we will stop at the Garden of Gethsemane, reflecting on where Jesus agonized, submitting to His Father’s will. We will visit the vicinity of the palace of Herod the Great and its praetorium. Walking to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we will see the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. We will end our adventure with prayer and communion at a 1st century rolling stone tomb before heading back home, forever changed with a new appreciation for God’s Word and His gift to us.
Dates for this trip are October 2-12, 2021. With this trip being a year and a half from now, you and your spouse have time to plan and save money for this life-changing adventure. However, space is limited and is on a first come basis. You can register and hold your place now with a $400/person deposit. Final payment is due June 2021, and all monies will be non-refundable after that date.
To see an itinerary, pictures, and registration link go to our 2021 Royal Rangers Holy Land Adventure site at: HolyLandsStudies.org/upcomingtours2021 and select the Royal Rangers tour. We would love you and your spouse to join us and other Royal Rangers on this customized trip.


Have you ever had one of those days where you just stop and reflect on your life and think, “How did it all go by so fast?”
Yes, some days were much tougher and longer than others.
And after thinking of how far you’ve come, who you used to be a year ago, three years ago, five years ago–it seems like a lifetime has passed in the blink of an eye.
But this is the reality of it: The clock hand of our lives turns much faster than we think and most importantly, it can not go back.
That’s the reason time is such a precious gift: It is both undeserved and not guaranteed. Each day we are given is another set of 24 hours in which we get to live out of the fact that we are loved by the author of time Himself.
So I guess my thought is this: While it is never too late to start living, I want to start now.
While a relationship with Jesus is always available, I want to be intentional with my time with Him today.
While my dreams will come to fruition in His timing, I can start praying and seeking His plan for me in the here and now.
While I do not want to live out of fear of death, I do want to operate out of awareness of the briefness in which we are here.
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” –Psalm 103: 13-16
Our life is like grass, withering in the wind one day and blown away the next. That does not mean we should live in fear, as where we go once we leave here is one thousand times better. However, it does mean that we must treat everyday with a sense of urgency.
A sense of urgency to share the gospel, follow our dreams, let go of bitterness, take risks, tell people you love them, be confident in who you were created to be, laugh at the critics and eat the cake.
Y’all, we simply do not have time to let worry consume our lives or insecurity determine the direction we take.
What do you want to look back at your life in five years and say about what you are doing NOW?
Do something your future self would thank you for because your “future self” will be here before you know it.
I think Jesus desperately reminds us of the briefness of life, not so that we may be fearful of death or sad or worried, but rather so that we would focus on the One who created life. Who returns you to dust? Let Him be the one who determines what you do today, tomorrow and the next. That is an assured way to guarantee that your time isn’t wasted.
And as far as your problems, your fears, the difficult circumstances in your life— let this be a reminder that the mountains are smaller than they seem to be and like always, this too shall pass.
Live it up today!!! Not YOLO, but rather YOKT. You Only Know Today.
Stay within the means of it, extend your hands to those who need help, relinquish your worries to your Heavenly Father, love BIG and WIDE and be thankful for another one.
And like I said before, eat the cake.
Sometimes, the sugar rush is totally necessary.
Live in the certainty of today with the wisdom that tomorrow is not guaranteed.
“How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” –James 4:14


Out of every $40,
$39 goes to the Child Sponsorship Program in Ethiopia
Hope In View’s child sponsorship program is based out of the capital city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in two of the poorest communities in this city.
We practice community-based care of orphans and vulnerable children. Ethiopian social workers and staff make sure every child receives good care. With the help of a host of local volunteers and churches, hands-on administration of the program happens in a variety of settings: on the streets, in homes, in churches, and at our sponsorship office.
With $40 per month, we provide supplemental nutrition, clothing, school fees, health care, spiritual care, social worker assistance, ongoing supervision of the children’s living situations, self-help groups for parents, and more.
The self-help groups provided through your sponsorship give parents or guardians support, parenting training, skills for coping with HIV and other serious challenges, and business training. Through these groups, parents gain much needed support in their community and learn to save their own money to start businesses. They also begin volunteering to improve their communities.
- Monthly distribution of supplemental food (grain, pasta, beans, cooking oil)
- Monthly distribution of hygiene products (hair oil, soap, feminine products)
- Yearly clothing: at least one full outfit (jacket, pants, shirt, undergarments, socks), sports clothing and 2 pairs of shoes
- Medical: 2 health check-ups per year and other medical expenses as needed
- School fees
- School supplies on a regular basis (notebook, pen, pencil, eraser)
- School uniforms
- Academic tutoring at local church or sponsorship office
- Rewards for top academic performers
Social and Spiritual Support
- Sunday school classes (on a weekly basis) with learning materials provided
- Self-help group for parent or guardian so they can support one another and learn skills in parenting, health and hygiene, and business. They also begin saving together so they can have the capital to start businesses.
- Regular home visits from a staff member or volunteer to monitor child’s living situation and family status.
- Access to a social worker to assist with any additional need
- Small birthday gift
- Christmas celebration
- Easter celebration
- Additional gifts and correspondence as provided by sponsor
- Additional programs as provided by mission teams
- Visits from sponsor (often as part of a mission team)


Thursday, August 1, 2019 | 12:00pm
Join us for the Holy Eucharist in celebration of the Feast of the Feast of Joseph of Arimathea. This service includes hymns, readings from Holy Scripture, a short sermon and Communion. All are welcome.
- August 1, 2019 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm


Hi my Gorgeous Friends in Christ,
I started this post the morning after our tragedy but couldn’t bear to publish it… I am stronger today and have some news to share.. I pray it glorifies God even through the heartbreak.
I am in deep, deeep searing pain.
I feel like it’s hard to breathe.
It’s 3am, I have had a few hours of sleep and then I woke up wishing yesterday was a nightmare. But, no the tragic events really happened.
I want to bury the emotions. I want to pretend it all didn’t happen. I want to run and flee and hide. To get in bed and not come out for a long time.
But, I won’t bury them and I won’t stay down defeated.
I’m not okay today, but I will be okay one day.
There is an anchor for my soul who holds me steady and strong. And He showed up today and will continue to show up again and again and again..
On Sunday afternoon, our dog Maxwell darted right into traffic and was hit by a car. He died instantly. I ran right into US 41 after him and I miraculously wasn’t hurt. I laid with him and grieved from deep inside my soul. Traffic came to a stop as I laid on my best friend in total shock. My husband carried him to the side of the road where I cried and screamed and the searing pain ripped through my insides. I prayed and I grieved and I prayed and I grieved some more. I shrieked and wailed sounds that I didn’t know were inside of me.
The ambulance and two police cars arrived and I felt like I was in a nightmare. Surely, I would wake up any minute. I told the EMT and the police, “I’m not okay. I’m not okay. I’m not okay.” I was put into an ambulance to be cleaned off and encouraged by the EMT. Time stood still. I cried out in pain and tried to get myself back together.
My sweet 11 year old daughter climbed inside and just poured the most amazing words into me. She was strong and amazing as she told me Jesus had Maxwell and that we would see him again and that we would be okay. She went on and on with the most precious words a daughter could speak into her hurting momma.
We held eachother in the ambulance and grieved and grieved. It hurt so badly. Our whole family is in deep shock and pain.
Our dog was just about to turn one. He was just at the beginning of what was supposed to be a loooong and healthy life. He was perfect in every way.
Everywhere I went, he went. He was my pal, my companion, my buddy.
And I am so so sad.
And this pain is where Jesus does His best work. He will come and minister to my soul. He will pour salve on open wounds. He will clean out the debris of fear that came into my soul and doesn’t want to leave. He will gently dress my wounds, and He will faithfully heal me and my family.
This tragedy will not weaken us, but strengthen us. Strengthen us together and with Jesus. He will be the glue and the anchor amidst the storm. He will quiet the hurricane force winds in my head and He will renew my strength. He will be the answer to my pain, and He is the Arms that I will flee into again and again.
Today’s verse of the day in the Bible app:
Here’s my prayer now today. One week later.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I wrote those words one week ago, and you have been so so faithful. You have shown up and breathed on my grieving soul. You enabled me to rise when I thought I wouldn’t be able to. You protected my sweet children’s hearts and comforted them in their sadness. You have stitched us closer together. You spoke to me through friends and pastors this week. You also spoke directly to me words of comfort and truth. You are who You say you are. Every promise You have ever spoken is true. I love You Lord. I love You Lord.
In Jesus’s name,


Plastic, metal, paper
1/8 x 3 in. diameter
A pinback button printed with a photo of Pope John Paul II, early in his reign.
Gift of Bella C. Landauer
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.


Wednesday, 6 March 2013
WOYWW and Standing Firm in Your Faith
To me it is just amazing how quickly the weeks seem to roll around. One week no sooner begins and it is finished. If I could spend all day every day painting and playing I would . . . alas . . . real life gets in the way and the playing has to wait until the more important things are done. I suppose it is like that for everyone . . . the child in me wants to play all the time, but the adult in me . . . knows I must do what I must do. I just wish I had more hours in my day. Then I could please both sides of my self . . . the playful one and the responsible one. Of course painting and drawing was my job, well then that would be perfect wouldn't it? A gal can but dream . . .
This is my entry for this weeks What's on your Work-desk Wednesday. Sometimes it seems like there are more rainy days in life than sunny days . . . that's when our faith comes in mighty handy and keeps us upright . . . but if we allow our faith to falter . . . well, then we truly won't stand at all. I am very grateful for my faith which has seen me through some pretty difficult times.
I love this girls Go Go Boots. When I was a girl I wanted a pair of Go Go Boots more than anything. I never did get any . . . but thankfully I can draw myself a pair anytime I want to! This is how I would have loved to look in a dream world. Suits me to a T. Unfortunately I had kinky hair and no Go Go Boots . . . and parents without a lot of money, and so this Mod look was only a dream. Good thing fads pass . . . they don't stand still do they? Unlike faith. Faith built on Solid Ground stands firm and never passes.
And that's my thoughts for this week.
Do hop on over to The Stamping Ground to see all of the other entries for this weeks WOYWW! You are sure to see something which will inspire you. Many thanks for popping by to have a look!


Who can become a pope in the Catholic Church?
There are only two requirements for becoming pope: being male and being baptized into the Catholic Church.
Do you have to be a virgin to be a pope?
The History of Celibacy in the Catholic Church
In the New Testament, virginity, as well as celibacy, were seen as a gift from God to be embraced. … Therefore, the Catholic Church’s pope, the purest and most moral member of the religion, were to remain celibate to focus entirely on their beliefs and the task at hand.
Can a regular person become pope?
In practice, of course, Catholic laity and even common clergy have no real chance to be elected pope, and the papacy is restricted to cardinals or perhaps a few bishops. … As a consequence, the man finally elected may be no one’s favorite, but ultimately the only man that enough of the Cardinals can agree upon.
Do Catholic priests have to be virgins?
Do priests have to be virgins? There’s a long church history on the question of celibacy and the clergy, some of which you can see in the New Catholic Encyclopedia: bit.ly/bc-celibacy. … So no, virginity is apparently not a requirement, but a vow of celibacy is.
Do popes get paid?
The pope will not be affected by the cuts, because he does not receive a salary. “As an absolute monarch, he has everything at his disposal and nothing at his disposal,” Mr. Muolo said. “He doesn’t need an income, because he has everything that he needs.”
How old do you have to be to become pope?
There’s no official age requirement for the post. The youngest pope to be elected in Vatican history is Pope John XII, who is believed to have been 18-years-old when he ascended to the papacy in 955. More recently, Pope Clement X, pictured, is the oldest.
How hard is it to become a pope?
Technically, the only requirements to become pope are that you be a male and a practicing Catholic. However, since Pope Urban in 1378, no pope has been elected outside the College of Cardinals. … Keep in mind that it is essential to fully believe in the Catholic faith. This is not just a job, but more of a vocation.
How can I join the Vatican?
New recruits must be unmarried Roman Catholic males with Swiss citizenship, between 19 and 30 years of age, and at least 5 feet 8 inches (1.74 metres) tall; they must have a professional diploma or high school degree and must complete basic training with the Swiss military.
Who is the youngest cardinal?
|His Eminence Francis Arinze|
|Ordination||23 November 1958 by Gregorio Pietro Agagianian|
|Consecration||29 August 1965 by Charles Heerey|
|Created cardinal||25 May 1985 by Pope John Paul II|


Article of the week: Anything is possible
20 June 2020
COLUMN FROM THE COLLEGE
As Cadet Steph White approaches the end of her first year at William Booth College she tells us about her response to God’s calling
I WAS in Central Hall, Westminster, in 2006 when God spoke to me. As my friends marched behind their sessional flag into the Celebration meeting, having been commissioned as Salvation Army officers earlier in the day, all the background noise disappeared. There was just a voice: ‘That will be you one day.’ I felt so far away from accepting this ‘calling’ I’d heard that I was sure it was not meant for me.
Two years later I was there again, witnessing more friends being commissioned. God spoke to me again with the exact words he had used previously. A year after that the same happened again. It was then that I declared I was never going to attend Commissioning again!
In 2016 three friends were to be commissioned. I had tickets to go but was so anxious about hearing the calling again that I nearly gave the tickets away. However, the anxiety of going made me question whether God really had called me to officership.
I prayed for confirmation, and it came – through prayer, conversations, daily devotions and sermons.
I asked God for specific confirmation, such as a conversation with someone who would mention it and a letter through the post with ‘William Booth College’ on it. Both happened, and so much more.
The verse that continued with me throughout all of this was ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13 New King James Version).
I remember singing ‘I Want To Say Yes’ in the songsters one Sunday morning, when all of a sudden I realised I meant every word. I wanted to say yes!
During the sermon that followed I
felt God say: ‘I am talking to you Steph. Let go.’ After the meeting I prayed to him: ‘Please just give me one more confirmation if you really do want me to apply for officership.’
A woman in the corps, who knew nothing of my calling, came up to me straight after and asked: ‘When are you off to the training college, Steph?’ So, I texted my corps officer when I got home, and here I am three years later, almost at the end of my first year of training in the Messengers of Grace Session. I am thankful for the support and encouragement of so many people.
Since accepting that God was calling me to officership I have had a feeling of peace – real peace, the peace that only God can give. It’s a peace about my calling, a peace about being here at WBC, a peace about it all. This feeling of peace continues.
While I have been at WBC God has confirmed my calling again and again. It’s easy here to compare yourself with others but I remind myself often that God called me, Steph, to be here. I don’t need to try and be anyone else, and God continues to affirm that. When I feel that this calling is too big for me – and I think it’s natural to feel that at times – God reminds me that I can do all things through his strength. He is with me. I won’t be able to fulfil this calling without him, and with him anything is possible.
Since the new year I have been finding joy in the everyday – it’s a bit like a new year’s resolution. This has resulted in me counting my blessings daily. And when things are not going so great, I try and find a positive twist on it. Having this routine has helped me during this period of isolation. The joy that I find comes through all kinds of everyday things: a conversation I’ve had with someone; looking out on the quad while cooking, and thanking God that I’m here; or something that God tells me through prayer, a daily reading, a book, a conversation or through nature.
I am aware that we are all currently experiencing an uncertain time. But what is certain is that God is a constant through it. He is amazing, and he is far bigger than anything we face.
If God is calling you to something, I genuinely would recommend listening and responding. An adventure with God is a pretty awesome one – he goes with you and remains with you. With him anything really is possible.


In Ayres, Paul, O laud the Lord for choir and wind orchestra, Savannah River Winds
Composer: Paul Ayres
Works: O laud the Lord for choir and wind orchestra ()
Performer: Savannah River Winds (Community band)
This university performance is my favorite.
Ryukoku University Symphonic Band (School band (University))
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Are you running on empty and ready to give up? Learn how to stop allowing a life of stress to drive you to emptiness and discover a road map to applying God’s peace. The following three steps will guide you through the journey when you are running on empty.
How to Fill Up When You Are Running on Empty
Step 1: Learning To Focus On One Thing
Learning to focus on the Lord in the present helps me to get started on the right path. How about you? What are you focusing on each day? Are you stuck in the past or living in the present? I have found strength when I read God’s Word and memorize Scripture that will guide and direct my heart and mind for the day.We can't change the past. But our God is I AM. Not I Was or I Wasn't. I Will or I May Be. He is in the present eager to mold and shape us, mature, and grow us. Now is the time to take these 3 simple steps when you are running on empty.… Click To Tweet
“Do not dwell on the past,” God admonishes the children of Israel (and us!). ” See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19).
Let’s start with this powerful verse from the New Testament and learn to press on to live a victorious life. Learning to focus on the present will be a tremendous help when you are running on empty.
“…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Step 2: Filling up with the Right Fuel for Your Heart and Soul
I’ve made so many mistakes filling up my life with the wrong things. No matter how hard I’ve tried to do life on my own, my way never satisfies or fills my heart. Over time I’ve learned that only God’s Word and His ways fill me to overflowing. His promises to us will last forever.
Let’s look at a few verses that will guide you and me along this journey to a life filled with hope and peace when you are running on empty.
Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Psalm 119: 16 “…I will not neglect your word.”
Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
Step 3: Placing God First When You’re Running On Empty
Before I slip out of the bed I try to say a quick prayer and invite God to be Lord of my day. Whether I have a slow morning or a super busy schedule I know things go well if I begin my day reading God’s Word and praying. Some days I only have 7 minutes and other days 37 minutes. I’m not perfect. There are days when I run late and before I know it, I’m running on empty and weary. That’s when I realize I’ve been trying to do life on my own. Can you relate?
I’m thankful we serve a God who is faithful and forgiving. I humbly come to the Lord, ask for forgiveness and spend time with Him again at the end of the day. I love how God holds us in His arms and continues to pursue us. No matter what!
Praise the Lord, His mercies are new every morning!
Following Jesus isn’t a self-improvement project. He simply says, Come. Come exactly as you are… stress, mistakes, messiness, and emptiness. Bring Me those fears and doubts that keep your heart in bondage. Fear of missing out. Fear of failure. Fear of being alone. When you are running on empty bring your anxieties and struggles into the light of My presence. I will meet you there. I will heal and transform you.
What’s holding you back?
Are you willing to change?
Bring Jesus your weary heart and soul.
Go ahead and try these three simple steps. Focus. Fuel. First.
May you be brave enough to be vulnerable with the Lord, strong enough to reach out to God, and may you meet the Holy Spirit in new ways as you connect to Him each and every day. Now is the time when you are running on empty to pause and refuel with the Lord.
Related Post: 7 Ways to Recharge When You’re Running On Empty
Will you take these three simple action steps? Focus. Fuel. First.
You can trust God at His word. God will never fail on His promises or disappoint you. Seek the Lord today!
If you enjoyed this post, you will enjoy these:
I’d love to hear where you are in your faith journey and how I can pray for you.
To God be the Glory,
Jayme a Spiritual Direction Coach. Mentor, Author, and Podcast Host is passionate about moving Christian Women forward to God’s direction for their life through Scripture and prayer. Join the Spiritual Direction Coaching Today Facebook private page or connect with her on Instagram.
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Faith, Philosophy, Biblical Perspective
Questions, Comments, or Concerns?
Gaustad, E. S. (1996). Sworn on the altar of God: A religious biography of Thomas Jefferson. Grand
Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Hoffman, A. (2016). Thomas jefferson grows a nation. The Catholic Library World,86(3), 222.
Mapp, A. J. (2009). Thomas Jefferson: Passionate pilgrim: The presidency, the founding of the
university, and the private battle / Alf. J. Mapp, Jr. United States: Rowman & Littlefield
Timeline of the founding of the university of Virginia. (2011, July 5). Retrieved November 25,
2016, from monticello.org, https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/timeline-founding-university-virginia


WE KNOW SCRIPTURE. WE KNOW THE WORDS. WE EVEN KNOW THE RIGHT COURSE OF ACTION. BUT, ARE OUR HEARTS RIGHT?
In his inspiring, Christ-centered series of Essays, author Greg Wallace challenges the American Church to focus on Jesus rather than on the cultural storms of the day. Each essay emboldens the Church to serve others in Christlike love rather than pursuing and exercising greater worldly authority. Becoming Great guides us through the rough waters of our world to rely more and more on our Lord and Savior.
As the cultural storms increase in frequency and intensity, Greg Wallace reminds us that our tools are not the tools of the world but are mighty in God in pulling down of strongholds. If we are to be more like Christ, then we should act as He did, "Love each other just as much as I have loved you." John 13:34 (TPT)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Wallace regularly teaches, writes, and consults on leadership, change, and governance in the corporate, non-profit, and ministry arenas. He is the Chief Academic Officer of Wagner University, an online Christian university in Rancho Cucamonga, California. In this role, Greg builds the capacity of leaders to meet their own definition of success. He builds the capacity of organizations as well as leaders as the president of his own enterprise, The Wallace Group, and its ministry arm, KG Ministries. He and his wife, Linda, parent a blended family of four adult children and six grandchildren.
Having had the opportunity to read the draft before it was even printed and published I knew this book would be one so apt for our generation and for generations to come. Indeed the time is now, as the body of Christ we’re given the opportunity and command to Love as Christ loved us but how do we love when we’re in conflict with one another? When we’re opposed to each other’s views? Etc, this book gives you the tools and a renewed perspective to be able to do so in a way that demonstrates maturity in the body of Christ. It’s time for the Ekklesia to stand in love. The time is NOW!!
– Ernestina Allton
Timely! A must read. Greg speaks with wisdom and humility but also boldly and unapologetically, clearly and accurately addressing the issues facing the American church today. This book is the "attitude check" the church needs right now.
– Paul V.


The Collapse of Creation
In recent years, alarming environmental trends have developed in our world. Are these issues a wakeup call to our planet, or do they suggest something more ominous in view of the end of the world?
Learn the story of the Reformation and why it matters today more than ever. Join Pastor John Bradshaw on a unique journey in the footsteps of the Reformers with nine new, must-see, on-location programs titled 500.


Since 1994 Paul has been Chairman of Ministry Today UK, an inter-denominational organisation, whose aim is ‘to provide a supportive resource for all in pastoral leadership, so that they may not only survive, but also grow and develop, becoming more effective’ in their ministry, and General Editor of its journal, Ministry Today, which appears three times a year, both in hard copy as also as e-journal. Ministry Today is the only UK ecumenical journal devoted to the practice of ministry. For further details see ministrytoday.org.uk.
Paul is also chairman of the College of Baptist Ministers launched in February 2014. It is a body independent of the Baptist Union, and provides peer support for ministers who find themselves in dispute with their church, as also a framework for continuing ministerial development; it helps ministers seeking advice, spiritual direction, and work consultancy and seeks to promote excellence in ministry, not least through the development of a code of ministerial ethics. For further details see: collegeofbaptistministers.org.
Over the years Paul has taught all over the world on a wide range of topics related to Christian ministry. In autumn 2012 he was a guest lecturer at the Wuhan Theological Seminary in China; in December 2013 he returned to the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut to teach a two week intensive course; and in September/October 2014 he taught an intensive MTh module at Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand. In 2015 he will be teaching Master’s modules at the Colombo Theological Seminary, Sri Lanka, and at the Vose Seminary, Perth, Western Australia in March and August respectively.
As a member of the Society of New Testament Studies as also of the Tyndale Fellowship for Biblical Research, Paul retains his interest in New Testament studies.
As Senior Minister of Central Baptist Church, Chelmsford (1993-2014) he transformed a traditional declining city-centre church members into a strong vibrant, growing fellowship; at the time he left there were 399 committed members, together with a much larger church community.
As Principal of Spurgeon’s College, London (1986-1993) he doubled the student enrolment, increased the faculty by one-third, and developed new patterns of ministerial training.
As Pastor of Altrincham Baptist Church, Cheshire (1973-1986) he enabled a small declining church to develop into a strong virile church, quadrupled in size (from 83 to 300+ members).
As a BMS Missionary in Congo/Zaire (1990-1992) he taught Greek and New Testament in the Protestant Theological Faculty of the National University.
Prior to going up to Cambridge Paul served as a ‘Time for God’ worker with the German Baptists (1962-63), helping with Baptist youth work in Southern Germany.
In Who’s Who? and Debrett’s People of Today Paul lists as his interests cooking, travel and parties! His grand-children are also another major interest!
Married to Caroline, HM Senior Coroner for the County of Essex, he has four grown-up children: Jonathan, who is an associate professor in Latin American studies at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and is married to Fiona, a compiler of computer textbooks – they have one child, David, together with Sophie and Theo; Timothy, is based at University College London, where he has a number of roles (UCL Director of Global Citizenship; and Senior Lecturer in European Thought and Culture as also Programme Coordinator for Russian and East European Languages and Culture at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies), and is married to Charlotte, a lawyer – they have two children, Felix and Clara; Susannah, is Head of Child Protection in the London Borough of Newham], is married to Rob, an artist – they have two children, Jemima and Raphael; and Benjamin, a free lance journalist.
Paul is an active member of Rivermead Rotary Club, Chelmsford; as from July 2015 is President-Elect, and from July 2016 President.
He is a patron of the Society of Mary and Martha, a retreat centre based at Sheldon, near Exeter, which specialises in supporting ministers experiencing stress, crisis, burnt-out or break-down (see www.sheldon.uk.com), as also a patron of the J’s Young Adults Hospice (thejshospice.org.uk).
As an act of ‘penance’, he is also a member of a local gym, and does a good deal of walking in the early morning!
Paul is a prolific author. With over 350 articles to his credit, he is a regular contributor to Ministry Today and also writes for a wide variety of other publications, for the most part reflecting on the practice of ministry.
His latest ‘magnum opus’ (275,000+ words), Living Out The Call, is due to be published electronically in early 2015 and consists of four volumes: 1. Living to God’s Glory; 2. Leading God’s Church; 3. Reaching God’s World; 4. Serving God’s Church.
His writings currently in print are:
Since the autumn of 2011 Paul has been publishing a weekly ‘blog’, Church Matters, which appears simultaneously on the web-site of Ministry Today, as also on his own personal web-site (paulbeasleymurray.com). In the last three years or so his blogs have dealt with:
Turning the Tide: An Assessment of Baptist Church Growth in England (Bible Society, 1980) co-authored with Alan Wilkinson; Pastors under Pressure (Kingsway 1989); Dynamic Leadership (Monarch 1990; translated into Swedish); Faith & Festivity: A Guide For Worship Leaders (Monarch 1991); A Call To Excellence: An Essential Guide To Christian Leadership (Hodder & Stoughton 1995); and Fearless for Truth: A Personal Portrait of the Life of George Beasley-Murray (Paternoster 2002). He edited Mission To the World (Baptist Historical Society, 1991); Anyone For Ordination? (Monarch 1993); and along with others co-edited Prayers For All Peoples (Oncken 1993).
Paul read Modern Languages (German & French: Part 1 of the Tripos) & Theology (Parts 2 & 3 of the Tripos) at Jesus College, Cambridge (1963-1967). He then trained for the Baptist ministry, first at the Northern Baptist College, Manchester (1967-1969) and then at the International Baptist Theological Seminary, Ruschlikon-Zurich in Switzerland. In 1970 he was awarded a PhD in New Testament studies (‘The Lordship of Christ over the World in the Corpus Paulinum’) from Manchester University, having spent the final year of his doctoral studies at Zurich University.
|Born:||14 March 1944 in London (Ilford)|
|Baptised:||17 November 1957 in Zurich (Salemskapelle, Zurich)|
|Married:||26 August 1967 in Wrexham (The Old Meeting)|
|Ordained:||10 October 1970 in London (Holmesdale Road Baptist Church, South Norwood)|
© Paul Beasley-Murray, 2010 - 2016.
All rights reserved.


As the Son of God, Jesus Christ has the name that is above all names. Empowered with absolute authority and sovereignty over this world, He acts on your behalf as you pray in His name. His sole purpose is to bring glory to your Heavenly Father by carrying out His will over your life.
As you pray in His name you are:
calling upon the authority given to Christ above all things
asking God to fulfill His purpose in your life
submitting to His perfect will according to the Word of God
activating His unlimited power in every situation
displaying your bold faith in Him
Father, thank you for the access and authority you give me through faith in Christ. In His mighty name, I find my eternal salvation, victory over sin, divine healing and wellness, and my life’s purpose. I come before you trusting in His power to accomplish all things according to your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!


Those Who Hope in the Lord Prayer Journal
Regular price $14.99
Bless someone's journey with this hardcover prayer journal and its reassuring scripture verse from Isaiah printed on a linen-style cover. A great way to let someone know your love and support are there for them in their walk with God, this book with its blank lined pages makes a wonderful companion for someone enduring a difficult time in life.
- Hardcover book with fabric cover and ribbon marker.
- 160 lined pages.
- On journal: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31 NIV.
- 5" W x 7" H x 0.5" D
All scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®Need help?