My Sons

In the natural I have but one son. He is an awesome 4 year old boy named Luke. I love him beyond reason. But for some reason tonight I had an amazing revelation. I've been called to be father to many sons in the spirit. Many of whom I could never be there father as they are too close to my age or older. Yet I am called to raise them spiritually. I have many spiritual daughters also but this blog is about the sons. They have no Idea how much love God has given for them nor do they know how much I pray for them. On some of them I am especially tough(one even more so) because as with Luke I want them to exceed me. I want them to do for the kingdom of God that which I can't do. At least one of these will be a Bishop, another will convert the better part of a nation to Christianity, another will bring Christ into a huge company and base his business philosophy on Jesus alone and others will raise up whole families of faithful Christians.

Crazy? Yep, but watch, it will happen.

... for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the Gospel. 1Cor 4:15

Still eating the apple

The knowledge of good and evil came through Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden fruit. The serpent told them they would be like God through that knowledge. So they ate. '

I talk to so many atheists and agnostics that can't seem to accept God because they hold in such high esteem their ability to reason and acquire knowledge. Intellect and knowledge are fine but they were never intended to be so revered to the point of worship. That's what agnostics and atheists do. They worship their mind. Something they didn't and couldn't create. Yet their ability to reason is their God. The big bang and chaos theory can't explain the ability to reason. The Imago dei (being made in the image of God )does.

How long must people eat from that wretched apple.

Jesus Christ, Have mercy on us

And he does.
Go Big

We Few , we happy few , we band of brothers

I'm not in a habit of quoting Shakespeare. But I spent the day with half a dozen of the hardest working priests on the planet . There a small group a CEC priests that call themselves the "Desert Fathers". I have been lucky enough to have been invited to be a part of them. There's something that draws men together when they share a common goal and perhaps even more so when that goal is sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This meeting has not only lifted my spirit but encouraged me to live out what I have been saying for months now "GO BIG OR GO HOME". My fellow desert fathers have all been through such great adversity as a direct result of choosing to serve Jesus in the CEC. Come on, who gets their church actually stolen (yep, the actual building)! One of my brothers did. That's just one story.
These men are being made holy through the power of the Holy Spirit through great trials and the mundane. Monotony in itself is a trial, one can so easily lose the fire that is so vital to ministry. I thank God for bringing these men in my life. It's good to know that someone else is walking on the same road with you.
Oh by the way scripture ain't lying when it says that demons like dry places, just ask the desert fathers.
GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Hey Mon!

The Saturday before last was one of those "challenge my Christianity" days. I drive on to the street where our church is to make ready the church for the youth mass at 6:00PM. Guess what? There's a beer drinkin Reggae party with live band in the stinkin' parking lot. I had to go down well further than a block to find some where to park , then decided to park illegally leaving my keys with a licensed teen to move my vehicle if needed. So, I'm ticked off and ready to unleash a spiritual butt whoopin upon Roger, the owner of the Bicycle shop who was hosting this pagan ritual. So I walked into the parking lot sporting my black clergy shirt (real low key, huh?). People actually covered their beers with their hands at my appearance. No one would make eye contact. It was as if there was telepathic message that went out to all the partiers that said :"What ever you do don't look him directly in the eyes and maybe he'll go away and not damn us all to hell"
It was then when God changed my heart. I saw people who had a definite idea about the Church and her ministers. And for the most part those ideas were comprised of the fear of judgment which inevitably turn to shame then anger and resentment. By the time I found a very sheepish Roger (beer in hand) I had already decided to take the youth to my house and celebrate the Mass there. But now I had to say something to the very apologetic Roger. I just asked him to communicate to me more clearly the next time he has a festival in the parking lot. He promised that he would -end of story.

There must be a reason non church folk have such a reaction to church folk. Could it be that we react so negatively to them ?I was reminded of the 2nd chapter of Romans which says"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.- Rom 2:1"
Wow, we kind of create a conga line of condemnation by our judgmental reactions.
What is our goal as Christians anyway? Isn't it to spread the Gospel so people repent of their sin and are saved through Jesus Christ? Romans 2:4 teaches us that it is His kindness that leads us to repentance. So I guess brow beating a half intoxicated reggae fan isn't real good evangelism. Go figure.
Why should I be mad at Roger? God isn't mad at Roger, He is kindly and lovingly waiting for Roger to seek Him. Maybe Roger and his partiers are already doing that. How do I know?

It is His kindness that leads us to repentance! What a concept!

Go Big etc...

Jesus wept.

In preparing a funeral sermon for a beloved parishioner I am struck by that small sentence in the Gospel. Jesus wept. The Lord being all human as well as all God felt the purest and deepest pain at the death of his friend . But why ? The answer is twofold . Because he was all human and felt the pain we feel. His humanity was as pure as His diety is. And as God His heart broke for a different reason. God never intended death for man. Man chose death through sin. If it wasn't for that choice we would still be walking with God in the garden. So, Jesus wept.
I weep too. For more than one reason. For the loss of a friend, the reminder of my mortality and with joy for the truth that we are reconciled through Jesus Christ. That's a good thing !

Reckless abandon begins with saying " Here I am, send me -Is 6:8b"