Lent is the period of 40 days of fasting that is preceding Easter. Often this 40 day period is paralleled with the story of Jesus being in the desert for 40 days being tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1-11) and this is the reading for the first Sunday of Lent to remind us of that parallel. Originally Lent was no more than a word used for the Spring

How does a person become Catholic? The short answer is to contact the local Catholic Church in their community and ask to speak with the RCIA director or the Adult Education Dept. They will explain the process and periods. The process can take about a year unless you have some type of issue that will not allow you to complete your sacraments. Those

Quickly we ran stacking sand bag after sand bag around our house hoping and praying that we would detour the approaching flood! The rain once again began coming down in sheets of penetrating force meant to power its way through our temporary barrier. I smiled as the sand wall held, keeping the inside of our house dry, only to find out an instant

Socrates (ca. 470-399 BC) is not just another "dead white male" despised by our university elite but a man whose philosophical breakthroughs reverberate down through the centuries and profoundly affect us today. Athens in the fifth century BC was the age of Pericles. The grandiose construction projects undertaken by Pericles such as the Parthen

Have you ever wondered what a church would look like if you took away the pastors, elders, musicians,programs and Sunday Schools? Its bare,empty and quiet.Everything ceased to function. If these ingredients did go away, there should not be panic and crisis as a church is centered upon Christ and not personalities nor programs. Church is about h

Someone once said that if your Bible was falling apart, your life is not. That's sound advice. The Bible is one of the many tools that God gives us to not only survive in this world but to prosper. Unlike a lot of other holy books from other religions, the Bible is a message of hope. It contains plenty of scripture to give us reason to live happ

Real peace is achieved NOT by seeking peace but by seeking the Prince of Peace Jesus Christ ! It is a peace so deep that it comes only out of the Holy Spirit. It holds us strong and steady in the blasts of problems and troubles surrounding us. The Holy Spirit in us has abundance of peace for every situation. Christ will arise in us and minister to

Once you are reborn, or become saved, you come under the leadership of God, the Father. You become part of His family... and an heir. You now qualify for all that is His. According to Jesus, no one can legitimately enter, except through Him (Jesus). He is the only way in... but, there are many who will try to call you out. They will try to get y

Perhaps it is the dream of every community to put up a youth activities center for their teens. A lot of youths are now into some things that older people call dark activities. Just by looking at a teenager, you can immediately tell if he/she is troubled. Teens who are too obsessed with youth-related fashions, drugs, alcohol, rock music, etc. a

A young Christian woman lay on an examination table, she was just diagnosed with a terminal illness, and she was determined to not be afraid of dying. She closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to meet God face to face. An older couple lay awake; they just found out there retirement money was stolen by a greedy bank executive. The hu

I looked down at my tires on my van and I was amazed. I had a good half inch tread left even though I had over sixty thousand miles on my tires. To me I didn't know it was a miracle, but when my son, the mechanic, looked at them, he was astonished. So many times we take God for granted, we think He doesn't see our needs or understand how hard

The flames from the forest fire twirled creating a funnel that took the form of a fiery tornado that lashed out furiously hurdling huge balls of fire that ignited grasses, trees and every house that was in the mist of the fire. The intensity of the heat boiled the water right out of the luxury pools of the rich and the tiny streams that ran along t

It was 2:00 am, but the light from the moon cast a glow that illuminated the darkness and allowed me to see into the night. I looked up into the sky and a voice within my being proclaimed, "I love you like the moon." I immediately smiled because I recognized the voice of the Spirit that often spoke directing me to listen and understand God's trut

She shouted with absolute conviction each word, "I want to know how my life is going to turn out before it happens! Didn't Christ know that He was destined to be crucified on the cross? Didn't He know everything about His life before it happened." I was shocked over her request wondering just how serious she was about knowing the complete picture

My grandson fully dressed in cap and gown proudly walked across the stage to receive his diploma. He was now officially graduated from pre-school. As he received his diploma he was asked one question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Without hesitation he clearly stated, "A prophet." The audience applauded his choice and he joined the