The Plank, the Speck and the Evangelizer

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Terry and John

A Lenten Gospel reading reminds us to pay attention to any wooden plank in our own eyes, before offering to remove a speck of sawdust from another’s eye (Matthew 7:3). This is good advice for anyone who is tempted to judge another. But this comparison is even more important when bringing others to Jesus and, into his Body, the Church. Here are some insights for applying this wisdom:tool belt

1. Am I in touch with my own struggles with faith? Do I have a wooden plank in my spiritual life; a lack of prayer, resentments, faulty relationships that I have not surrendered to God. We are inspired by C.S. Lewis, who when asked what religion he was, replied, “I am a lapsed atheist.”

2. Have I asked the Holy Spirit for the gift of repentance towards a person I would like to evangelize? Have I asked this person to forgive me for any wrongs they hold against me?

3. Do I have confidence in God’s love for the person I want to approach? Remember, I am simply entering into the tremendous compassion that Jesus, the Christ, already has for this person and his desire to meet spiritual needs. The speck you see is nothing in comparison.

4. Have I faced a similar experience, that compares to what another is facing? Knowing this can be the first step to confidence and to visualizing how the Holy Spirit would intervene in this person’s life. But keep in mind that God might surprise you both.

5. Am I willing to pray for this person, then encourage her or him through listening, statements of faith, a spontaneous prayer, or a brief sharing? Have I asked the Spirit for both zeal and discernment about which approach?

If you have done all this, then it is time to act in love and to become a part of God’s presence made flesh in the carpentry shop of life. It is time to be fashioned and shaped into a tool that Jesus can use.

Posted in evangelizing events unplugged, how to share faith | Comments Off on The Plank, the Speck and the Evangelizer

Allowing the Psalms to Touch our Hearts

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Terry and John

Ever hear a song that describes exactly what you are feeling? Then even years later it still touches you in the same way? We have a whole collection of similar melodies called the psalms. Some describe a soft-pedaled trust in the power of love. Others are filled with gut-wrenching anguish. Both types can stir up gifts of faith. We hope you enjoy them often and share them liberally with others. Here is how.

  • Let the psalms accompany you when you are grieving, especially the first forty psalms that describe every human sorrow. Jesus did this by praying, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Psalm 22). But he also meant to reach beyond the pain and tragedy, into his Father’s arms with the line, “All the nations will remember the Lord.”
  • Become familiar with the rich imagery of the psalms, so you can share their moods when someone you know is suffering. Picture yourself in a parched land, or eating ashes, down in the pit, weary, forgotten, sleepless. Memorize a few of these lines and consider sharing a line or two with someone who is feeling the same way by saying, “What you are describing reminds me of…”
  • Accept the challenge of thanksgiving and praise offered by the psalms. Let such prayers touch your heart and move you to gifts of awe and worship. God is the Most High, merciful, slow to anger, our shelter, our refuge. “With him alone for my rock, my safety, I can never fall.” (Psalm 62). Encourage others with some of these one-line pieces of consolation, as well as how they struck you.
  • Consider praying the Psalm of the day from our Church’s daily readings. Repeat the brief refrain often; morning, noon and night. Let God reach out to you, through the psalmist. Enter into the same ebb and flow of faith that has marked Christians for thousands of years. For example, “O bless the Lord, my soul!” (Psalm 104)
  • Move toward God by reading all of the psalms over a period of time. Or consider reading the psalms of the ascent that were chanted on pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Psalms 120 to 134). Or try a sampling of the different moods of the psalm by reading psalms: 6, 8, 103, 130, 136, 148, 150. In this way you can experience the vital rhythm to God’s enduring and undaunted presence: here for the taking and for the sharing.

Posted in encounter Father, Son and Spirit, growth for evangelizers, how to share faith | Tagged | Comments Off on Allowing the Psalms to Touch our Hearts

SHUTDOWN Wisdom and Antidotes

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Terry and John

This was one of those days when the daily readings jumped off the page. In less that twenty-four hours after the President’s address about a government shutdown, here is what appeared. And also, what struck us about each reading.

From John 4:11-18

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him… There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and one who fears in not yet perfect in love.

When we face a SHUTDOWN, whether it is of government services, a relationship, a store in the mall, or a vital organ in a loved one’s body –what is our immediate response? Panic, fear, anger? This passage reminds us to look at our capacity to love in such a situation. “Maybe, I am not perfect in love!” becomes an important insight.  And, “How can I love all the persons being impacted in this situation?” is an important next step.

From Psalm 72:1-2

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you… [Because God] shall have pity for the lowly and the poor.

Do we have more confidence about God’s loving intervention in our individual lives, than we do in God’s love for our whole nation? Do we seek the aid of our patron saint, Mary? Do we believe that Jesus is redeeming our country, even now? Do we praise Jesus for his love for our nation?

From Mark 6:45-52

[Jesus] saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them… [So] he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass them by… [But] they had all seen him and were terrified… [His response was] ‘Take courage it is I.”

Jesus is like the mother of a sick child, who listens as the door in the middle of the night to be sure that her baby is well. Jesus is paying attention when we are in trouble. He is close at hand. Our wellness, whether it is physical, emotional or political, is part of his redemptive desires for the human race. Do we strive to see him more clearly? Do we offer Jesus our nation? Do we serve the common good in ways that are aligned with Gospel values?

So let us seek and praise God together.

Posted in the gospel and the world | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on SHUTDOWN Wisdom and Antidotes