Advent and family pics!

Ok, first, some news:



First, Uncle Andy is home from Iraq for those of you who don’t know. Which is awesome… and the beans are very pleased! Thanks for all the prayer.







I’m going to be doing a thirty day Acai Berry Diet, and I’ll let you know how it goes. We are very excited about the nutritional benefits of Acai over here.





Wayne is officially a Catholic now, and should you choose, you may now call him by His Christian name, Peter. (I’ll let him explain in his own blog why He chose St Peter as His Patron Saint.)

It was very, very moving, and I’ll let the pictures speak a thousand words. And thank God the day has come, because now I am going to get some much needed rest!



This is him with his sponsor, Brian, at the beginning of the Rite. Behind them is the tabernacle… this is where we keep the consecrated hosts that are reserved for bringing to people in need at the hospital, in their homes, etc.







Father Tony sits on the far left, Jesus at the center, and the boys on the right. All the right elements!





Just before his first communion:





Celebrating with Father:







The beautiful Vaeths:







The fabulous Edwards:























Father was nice enough to let us borrow his relic of St Therese, which you can see here, a piece of her right forearm bone. She helped us through the last difficult parts of the week, and it was awesome having her in our house! (For non-Catholic readers: Relics are things that either are or belonged to a canonized saint. Just as in scripture, even the shadows of the saints could heal and cure the sick, and handkerchiefs touched to them could heal, we have relics which we keep as spiritual “reinforcement.”)





Here it is:







Thanks to our wonderful and loving friends and family who made this a special day.

I’ll probably blog more about at another date, but in the meantime, please enjoy the pictures.



Also, a side note: winter has arrived and we have been enjoying some of our favorite winter activities… and it also means that Ishod has turned ONE! I can’t believe how fast time goes by. Here is the family out on our lake:























Here is the birthday boy on his special day. A friend made him this beautiful birthday cake:











For now, though, I promised Amanda a blog about advent traditions, so here goes:



Advent: a Season of Waiting for the Humble King



On November 30, Catholic families across the world will begin a four week season which kick starts the Catholic year: Advent. During Advent, we wait in hushed anticipation for the coming of the King, which not surprisingly follows the Feast day of Christ the King--an excellent reminder that God is with us as a reigning King. The season is important to us because it reminds of three things: 1. the seasons of waiting God takes us through, 2. The love of God and the gift of Christ, and 3. (and most importantly) the Incarnation—the idea that a God who made us came to be WITH us and experience things as we do.



Advent kicks off with Mass, like every Sunday, but what makes it special is the lighting of the advent wreath. At home, we will all have our own: a set of four candles nestled in a wreath of evergreens, with one candle rising from the center.

The first three candles are violet, representing the penitential aspect of advent. The fourth is pink for the anticipated joy of Christ’s birth. In the center is the white pillar, which we will light to commemorate Jesus’ birth.

We light the candles around the dinner table before we eat.

Some families sing a hymn before dinner and light it together. (This might be a good time to remind you that St Augustine says “He who sings, prays twice.) Others pray the joyful mysteries of the Rosary. Others read scripture that reminds them of Christ’s coming , or the Gospel for that day from the lectionary. Others will simply hold hands and pray. Whatever you do, do something that reminds you that the Baby Jesus is on his way. All advent traditions are based on this principle and in the Catholic Tradition, we set up for Christmas a little more each day of advent UNTIL THE FINAL DAY of Christmas comes. In other words, Christmas decorations are not a one-day deal for Catholics. We take all month to prepare, and our season of Christmas doesn’t BEGIN until December 25th, thus our decorations will remain in place much longer than the secular world would like… until after the epiphany, which represents the visit from the three kings.



(I’ll interject here with a brief theological point: Catholics celebrate advent with great gusto because the Catholic liturgical year makes a point that other faith traditions who also celebrate advent might not quite pick up on. Scripture says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God is outside of time. Thus when we celebrate mass, the events of the past crucifixion, which have already taken place, are made present to us in a special way so that we can BE THERE. Likewise, during advent, we wait for Christ though we know that He is already here, and at Christmas, we are amazed by the incarnation which is a Spiritual reality to us each year, despite the fact that the incarnation is an event in past history. For most faith traditions, the only “REALITY” based celebration is the resurrection Sunday because hey—Christ is STILL risen. But for Catholics, all of the mysteries of the life of Christ are a present reality to us each year, and round and round it goes, until He comes again. Not because we actually believe that Jesus Christ will be born in a manger in Bethlehem THIS Christmas, but because as we celebrate the year with Him present, we are able to more deeply live the lives He has called us to.)



Apart from the advent wreath, here are a few ways to expect Christ this season:

1. The advent calendar. These come in many shapes and forms, but for the most part are simply doors you open or parts you pick up to “mark” the day and the day’s events. It’s really fun to let each family member have a turn opening the doors and reading the events that lead up to the Savior’s birth.

2. Saint Barbara’s day (December 4th) planting . Gather some small dishes or Tupperwares, and put some wet paper towels or cotton pads in the bottom. Put some seeds on there… you can experiment with either lentils or wheat. Set them out on your windowsills and water them gently every day with a spray bottle or something light. Over the next four weeks , they will grow into beautiful plants which you can then tie a big red bow around and use to decorate your manger scene. Also remember to send me a religious gift as it’s my saint’s day! Just kidding… but we do celebrate with Daily Mass and a really, really yummy feast. Why not do the same? Saint Barbara was a martyred saint with a really awesome story and deep devotion to the Eucharist. She’s always been a good friend to me, leading me towards Christ.

Here is the wheat:







and here is the feast from two different years we had:











3. The Creche. Where I come from, the Creche, or nativity scene, is a BIG deal. We have “villagers” representing each of us family members, plus all the traditional villagers (from the poissoniere, the fish lady) to the guy who sells firewood, to the shepherd, to the milk man and everyone in between. We decorate it with scraps of colored paper, aluminum foil, cotton, and pretty much anything we can find that makes it look “real”--- moss, evergreen, and even dirt! We add to it piece by piece, to include the lights, until Christmas Eve. Just as everyone leaves for midnight mass, someone (usually the Pater Familias—the Family Patriarch) will sneak around and plant Baby Jesus in the manger…. So that when everyone gets home, Jesus has magically appeared!























< img src="http://media1.dropshots.com/photos/96465/20061214/110815.jpg">





4. St Lucy’s day. This tradition is particularly awesome in Sweden, land where my heart often lives, but anyone can do it. To really see it done up right, do a search to find out if the Swedish Community in YOUR town is having festivities (they are and they will!) but otherwise, you can set up your girls in beautiful white dresses with a wreath of white candles (you can now purchase electric ones too!) on their heads, as they serve up yummy Swedish treats and hard coffee.

5. Caroling. In the week before Christmas, gather some friends and start caroling. Christmas carols, particularly ADVENT carols, are a beautiful way to engage people in thinking about Jesus…. Take the whole family and a bunch of friends and go from door to door in your neighborhood, Caroling and offering chocolate treats or some other nicety as a way to say “I care.”

6. Some traditions we don’t do but others enjoy: the Jesse Tree, Decorating the House with lights, the outdoor manger scene, and eggnog parties.

7. In the week before Christmas, set up, decorate, and light your tree. This is one of the best parts of the Christmas festivities in our house. Then during the last week of advent, gather around the tree to sing and pray the rosary or read scripture. There is a blessing in the RCC’s book of blessings for a Christmas Tree, so make an appointment with your priest this year.

8. Remind people of Christmas miracles. Everyone, even atheists, believe in Christmas miracles. This year, be bold about your faith. Just like the Prayer Tables we set up outside in the summer, take a few hours to Stand on a street corner and offer prayers for Christmas Miracles. Set up a table or a sign that says “Prayer!” and then just let people approach you if they want prayer. You’ll be amazed how many people actually stop, and how many Christmas miracles you’ll encounter. If that sounds too bold, try just asking the cashier who looks sad if she wants you to pray for anything in particular. Remember: faith like a mustard seed.

9. Do some serious loving on the pregnant women in your lives. Make or do something special for them, and consider doing some volunteer work for pro-life causes… counseling women considering abortions, or even just praying outside abortion mills.

10. Give your mommy friends a break this season. Offer to babysit someone’s baby for free, and as you care for the little munchkin, meditate on what it was like for Mary to care for the newborn infant-Savior of the World. I guarantee it will remind you of God’s great love for you.

11. Follow a star. A couple years ago on December 24th, Wayne and I (very pregnant with Annika!) decided to go on a trip just to get out of town and see where God led us. We drove until we randomly found ourselves in a little hamlet, on a street called Bethlehem Drive, outside a big, beautiful church with an outdoor manger scene with live animals. It was getting cold and starting to get dark, and we were tired and hungry. We wanted to head back and couldn’t find our way since we hadn’t paid close attention to where we were. We actually ended up following the north star home (No GPS!). Not only did it remind us of Mary and Joseph’s journey, but it was incredibly romantic and totally orchestrated by God. Why not make your own Advent pilgrimage that will help you remember the hard and magical journey of the Holy Family?



The Christmas Season itself offers entire new joys for us which I’ll blog about next month: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day traditions, alongside seasonal activities that help prolong the Christmas magic all the way until Ephiphany.

The culinary activities alone should make your mouth water. Until then, have a blessed Advent and … remember the Reason for the Season!



Anyone interested in more can watch EWTN this season where advent programs will abound, to include cooking ideas, craft ideas, and spiritual discussion on the beauty and purpose of advent.

Advent and family pics!

Ok, first, some news:

(those of you who read my blog here wont see the pictures in whole because blogger wants me to make them smaller and I dont have time. You can see them on my other blogsites in their entirety: www.myspace.com/shekinnah or www.marymission.org/blog

thanks!

First, Uncle Andy is home from Iraq for those of you who don’t know. Which is awesome… and the beans are very pleased! Thanks for all the prayer.



I’m going to be doing a thirty day Acai Berry Diet, and I’ll let you know how it goes. We are very excited about the nutritional benefits of Acai over here.


Wayne is officially a Catholic now, and should you choose, you may now call him by His Christian name, Peter. (I’ll let him explain in his own blog why He chose St Peter as His Patron Saint.)
It was very, very moving, and I’ll let the pictures speak a thousand words. And thank God the day has come, because now I am going to get some much needed rest!

This is him with his sponsor, Brian, at the beginning of the Rite. Behind them is the tabernacle… this is where we keep the consecrated hosts that are reserved for bringing to people in need at the hospital, in their homes, etc.



Father Tony sits on the far left, Jesus at the center, and the boys on the right. All the right elements!


Just before his first communion:


Celebrating with Father:



The beautiful Vaeths:



The fabulous Edwards:











Father was nice enough to let us borrow his relic of St Therese, which you can see here, a piece of her right forearm bone. She helped us through the last difficult parts of the week, and it was awesome having her in our house! (For non-Catholic readers: Relics are things that either are or belonged to a canonized saint. Just as in scripture, even the shadows of the saints could heal and cure the sick, and handkerchiefs touched to them could heal, we have relics which we keep as spiritual “reinforcement.”)


Here it is:



Thanks to our wonderful and loving friends and family who made this a special day.
I’ll probably blog more about at another date, but in the meantime, please enjoy the pictures.

Also, a side note: winter has arrived and we have been enjoying some of our favorite winter activities… and it also means that Ishod has turned ONE! I can’t believe how fast time goes by. Here is the family out on our lake:











Here is the birthday boy on his special day. A friend made him this beautiful birthday cake:





For now, though, I promised Amanda a blog about advent traditions, so here goes:

Advent: a Season of Waiting for the Humble King

On November 30, Catholic families across the world will begin a four week season which kick starts the Catholic year: Advent. During Advent, we wait in hushed anticipation for the coming of the King, which not surprisingly follows the Feast day of Christ the King--an excellent reminder that God is with us as a reigning King. The season is important to us because it reminds of three things: 1. the seasons of waiting God takes us through, 2. The love of God and the gift of Christ, and 3. (and most importantly) the Incarnation—the idea that a God who made us came to be WITH us and experience things as we do.

Advent kicks off with Mass, like every Sunday, but what makes it special is the lighting of the advent wreath. At home, we will all have our own: a set of four candles nestled in a wreath of evergreens, with one candle rising from the center.
The first three candles are violet, representing the penitential aspect of advent. The fourth is pink for the anticipated joy of Christ’s birth. In the center is the white pillar, which we will light to commemorate Jesus’ birth.
We light the candles around the dinner table before we eat.
Some families sing a hymn before dinner and light it together. (This might be a good time to remind you that St Augustine says “He who sings, prays twice.) Others pray the joyful mysteries of the Rosary. Others read scripture that reminds them of Christ’s coming , or the Gospel for that day from the lectionary. Others will simply hold hands and pray. Whatever you do, do something that reminds you that the Baby Jesus is on his way. All advent traditions are based on this principle and in the Catholic Tradition, we set up for Christmas a little more each day of advent UNTIL THE FINAL DAY of Christmas comes. In other words, Christmas decorations are not a one-day deal for Catholics. We take all month to prepare, and our season of Christmas doesn’t BEGIN until December 25th, thus our decorations will remain in place much longer than the secular world would like… until after the epiphany, which represents the visit from the three kings.

(I’ll interject here with a brief theological point: Catholics celebrate advent with great gusto because the Catholic liturgical year makes a point that other faith traditions who also celebrate advent might not quite pick up on. Scripture says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God is outside of time. Thus when we celebrate mass, the events of the past crucifixion, which have already taken place, are made present to us in a special way so that we can BE THERE. Likewise, during advent, we wait for Christ though we know that He is already here, and at Christmas, we are amazed by the incarnation which is a Spiritual reality to us each year, despite the fact that the incarnation is an event in past history. For most faith traditions, the only “REALITY” based celebration is the resurrection Sunday because hey—Christ is STILL risen. But for Catholics, all of the mysteries of the life of Christ are a present reality to us each year, and round and round it goes, until He comes again. Not because we actually believe that Jesus Christ will be born in a manger in Bethlehem THIS Christmas, but because as we celebrate the year with Him present, we are able to more deeply live the lives He has called us to.)

Apart from the advent wreath, here are a few ways to expect Christ this season:
1. The advent calendar. These come in many shapes and forms, but for the most part are simply doors you open or parts you pick up to “mark” the day and the day’s events. It’s really fun to let each family member have a turn opening the doors and reading the events that lead up to the Savior’s birth.
2. Saint Barbara’s day (December 4th) planting . Gather some small dishes or Tupperwares, and put some wet paper towels or cotton pads in the bottom. Put some seeds on there… you can experiment with either lentils or wheat. Set them out on your windowsills and water them gently every day with a spray bottle or something light. Over the next four weeks , they will grow into beautiful plants which you can then tie a big red bow around and use to decorate your manger scene. Also remember to send me a religious gift as it’s my saint’s day! Just kidding… but we do celebrate with Daily Mass and a really, really yummy feast. Why not do the same? Saint Barbara was a martyred saint with a really awesome story and deep devotion to the Eucharist. She’s always been a good friend to me, leading me towards Christ.
Here is the wheat:



and here is the feast from two different years we had:





3. The Creche. Where I come from, the Creche, or nativity scene, is a BIG deal. We have “villagers” representing each of us family members, plus all the traditional villagers (from the poissoniere, the fish lady) to the guy who sells firewood, to the shepherd, to the milk man and everyone in between. We decorate it with scraps of colored paper, aluminum foil, cotton, and pretty much anything we can find that makes it look “real”--- moss, evergreen, and even dirt! We add to it piece by piece, to include the lights, until Christmas Eve. Just as everyone leaves for midnight mass, someone (usually the Pater Familias—the Family Patriarch) will sneak around and plant Baby Jesus in the manger…. So that when everyone gets home, Jesus has magically appeared!

My grandmother in France has been doing this for more years than I've been alive! Here is her masterpiece, la creche provencale, with homemade santons from our village, Cabries! :)
















4. St Lucy’s day. This tradition is particularly awesome in Sweden, land where my heart often lives, but anyone can do it. To really see it done up right, do a search to find out if the Swedish Community in YOUR town is having festivities (they are and they will!) but otherwise, you can set up your girls in beautiful white dresses with a wreath of white candles (you can now purchase electric ones too!) on their heads, as they serve up yummy Swedish treats and hard coffee.
5. Caroling. In the week before Christmas, gather some friends and start caroling. Christmas carols, particularly ADVENT carols, are a beautiful way to engage people in thinking about Jesus…. Take the whole family and a bunch of friends and go from door to door in your neighborhood, Caroling and offering chocolate treats or some other nicety as a way to say “I care.”
6. Some traditions we don’t do but others enjoy: the Jesse Tree, Decorating the House with lights, the outdoor manger scene, and eggnog parties.
7. In the week before Christmas, set up, decorate, and light your tree. This is one of the best parts of the Christmas festivities in our house. Then during the last week of advent, gather around the tree to sing and pray the rosary or read scripture. There is a blessing in the RCC’s book of blessings for a Christmas Tree, so make an appointment with your priest this year.
8. Remind people of Christmas miracles. Everyone, even atheists, believe in Christmas miracles. This year, be bold about your faith. Just like the Prayer Tables we set up outside in the summer, take a few hours to Stand on a street corner and offer prayers for Christmas Miracles. Set up a table or a sign that says “Prayer!” and then just let people approach you if they want prayer. You’ll be amazed how many people actually stop, and how many Christmas miracles you’ll encounter. If that sounds too bold, try just asking the cashier who looks sad if she wants you to pray for anything in particular. Remember: faith like a mustard seed.
9. Do some serious loving on the pregnant women in your lives. Make or do something special for them, and consider doing some volunteer work for pro-life causes… counseling women considering abortions, or even just praying outside abortion mills.
10. Give your mommy friends a break this season. Offer to babysit someone’s baby for free, and as you care for the little munchkin, meditate on what it was like for Mary to care for the newborn infant-Savior of the World. I guarantee it will remind you of God’s great love for you.
11. Follow a star. A couple years ago on December 24th, Wayne and I (very pregnant with Annika!) decided to go on a trip just to get out of town and see where God led us. We drove until we randomly found ourselves in a little hamlet, on a street called Bethlehem Drive, outside a big, beautiful church with an outdoor manger scene with live animals. It was getting cold and starting to get dark, and we were tired and hungry. We wanted to head back and couldn’t find our way since we hadn’t paid close attention to where we were. We actually ended up following the north star home (No GPS!). Not only did it remind us of Mary and Joseph’s journey, but it was incredibly romantic and totally orchestrated by God. Why not make your own Advent pilgrimage that will help you remember the hard and magical journey of the Holy Family?

The Christmas Season itself offers entire new joys for us which I’ll blog about next month: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day traditions, alongside seasonal activities that help prolong the Christmas magic all the way until Ephiphany.
The culinary activities alone should make your mouth water. Until then, have a blessed Advent and … remember the Reason for the Season!

Anyone interested in more can watch EWTN this season where advent programs will abound, to include cooking ideas, craft ideas, and spiritual discussion on the beauty and purpose of advent.

Adversity and Victory: the daily drudgery

My internet and phone AND cell phone have been off and on lately. First my modem broke, then my cell phone stopped functioning correctly, and now my home phone is cutting in and out. It’s just the tip of the very major iceberg that has thrown us for a loop this month…. It seems that just everything in our lives has been really, perceivably difficult in the last month: and I can only attribute it to one thing: warfare.

Wayne is coming into the Church tomorrow and if there was ever a doubt in my mind that the Catholic Church was the original, authoritative, authentic, “true” Church with a capital “C,” it is now obsolete as I (we) have encountered so much adversity in the last month only one spiritual reality is possible…the Enemy is trying his hardest.

I am so excited for him. The minute that Host hits his tongue, his life is going to change, and he only has a small, tiny, limited idea of just how much…. We often sing that God’s “Grace is enough,” but we don’t realize that we aren’t exhausting all the avenues of Grace in our lives. The Eucharist is but one, but it’s the biggest one. Learning to Praise God is another…. In fact, I’m developing some theories about that.

I really believe, the longer I’m looking at it from this angle, that God gives Protestants a spiritual gift of worship that is MAJOR. The longer I am a Catholic (well, a returned Catholic,) the more I realize that Catholics who know how to really WORSHIP God are few and far between. This is for many reasons--- there are strong religious spirits at work here, the Enemy has set many a sentinel to guard the doors of Catholic hearts. It is very, very rare to meet other Catholics who (and I say this in quotes) “get it,” that it’s all about Jesus, that an authentic relationship with Christ entails giving up everything and following him, that the Holy Spirit was set upon the Church to FILL the hearts of the faithful and to help them walk in supernatural power, that the only power we have comes from our ability to “Worship Him in Spirit and Truth,” and that it’s only when you are in the throne room, tears streaming down your face, arms outstretched to heaven, heart bursting with love for Him that GOD MOVES. And move He does…. I want to see people know the God who moves. In many ways, being a Catholic makes me even MORE frustrated than I was as a protestant because there are so few people demonstrating a life that is set on fire by Jesus. On the other hand, the purity of doctrine and the lack of weird, pseudo-biblical “fringe” teachings is so awesome and refreshing that I could never, ever go back. And of course, I have the Eucharist--- which I don’t think I could live without again now that I know what a treasure, what a storehouse of grace it is for us.
So in all this, I think that God has given Protestants a special gift to worship Him because they do not have the Eucharist. Without the Eucharist, they are missing the beauty of the incarnation—of God being “Immanuel,” (God with us!)
They do, however, without the Eucharist, learn to walk by faith in a powerful way because without it they are stretching towards Him, yearning to know Him to completion, wanting more of Him, and learning to praise Him in a way that moves HIM to act among them.
The mass has two parts: the liturgy of the Word (Scripture breathing us to life) and the liturgy of the Eucharist (the Eucharist breathing us to life) and the whole of it is a worshipful prayer that the community participates in. It’s been like this since the beginning of Christianity…. And not a thing about it should change. Can you imagine a mass where people who KNEW how to worship God united in prayer?? What a powerful thing… and yet I’ve never seen the Spirit move in a corporate way over an entire Parish like that. In my own personal prayer life, I am changed forever by the Spirit’s drawing me into a deeper and more meaningful worship during mass. I literally LOVE the mass, and I can say without reservation that it’s the highlight of my day. I cannot express how much I wish that all who entered through those doors could understand the beauty and power of what they are assisting at: God with us… a God whose love knows no bounds, coming to be with us in such an intimate way. Lord, revive your Church! My life is yours and will be forever…. Help us all to realize that truth!

Anyways, all this thinking and the events of this past month have really shown me a couple of things I want to share. First, my brushes with pure evil over the last year have really shown me the importance of staying free from sin. I can now see, without a doubt, how DAMAGING sin is to us. I can see what sin does to us, to our families, to our communities, to our children, to our witness. If I could share just one thing from these experiences, I would say this: keep yourselves from sin. Sin used to be something I was aware of but not really freaked out by, because I would just have confidence that God knows me and loves me. And I still feel that way, but I’ve seen first hand how holding on to some of our sin opens doors that should NEVER be touched, and how even the smallest strongholds of sin in our lives can cause infirmities in us that we just don’t need and would never want for ourselves. So much of our pain and suffering and angst is self-inflicted… God is so good. All we have to do is call it by its proper name: sin, and remove it from our lives.

The second thing I’ve been thinking about is advent, which is coming up. I’m always all about keeping the “Christ” in Christmas, but this year, I’m doing things a bit different because of the deeper realization that we don’t get a second chance at life. This is it--- Lord, make it matter!
If we want to impact people for Christ, and we say we do, then we have to make every moment count and really show them the relevance of the incarnation--- again: that God came to BE WITH US. And that He is so humble that He comes to us in the most unsuspecting ways: a piece of bread. A little baby. God, help me to be follow your example of beautiful humility always!
This year, we will be doing up Advent Catholic-style, complete with an advent wreath and calendar, family LOH, a nativity, outreach and especially caroling. We will not be doing gifts, because our gift is Jesus. He is the gift we want to give and receive, and so we will be praying, praying, praying, sharing Jesus in the little ways that we can find, and the big ways, and doing everything we can to remember that Christ is the center of our lives and that at Christmas, he came to be with us. To really be with us: to dwell with us.
Making room in our home for Jesus has been the theme of the last couple years, but this is the challenge for us this year: To Find Jesus at every turn, with every heartbeat, with every Word, with every glance, and in everyone and everything we encounter.

And you thought I was joking...

Before I sat down for my lunchtime prayer, I was going to do a little bit of research to see HOW I could better pray for Barrack Obama and this nation.
I didn't have to go farther than a recent article by Fox News to see that my earlier hypothesis that we are facing a battle of light and darkness was right on the money.....Christians: PRAY.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/01/obama-fever-grips-kenya-nation-prays-election/

Just a little taste of the darkness for you discerning souls out there:

Witchcraft and paganism are the order of the day to assist Obama in winning the American Elections... over in Kenya.

"At Kit Mikayi, a sacrificial rock shrine 20 miles from Kisumu, about a dozen people have visited on the senator's behalf, according to Jennifer Okot, an elderly villager who lives near the shrine.

Customarily, those seeking large blessings sacrifice a goat by swinging it by its legs so that its head and neck are bludgeoned against a large rock in a naturally occurring enclosure between two massive boulders that serves as the shrine's sanctuary. The goat's demise incurs the blessings of the rock shrine's god, said Caroline Odhiambo, a 24-year-old who tends to the shrine.

The charismatic faith healer Fr. John Pesa I says he has offered prayers for an Obama victory over the past two months in his cathedral of the Holy Ghost Coptic Church on the outskirts of Kisumu.

Pesa, a former Roman Catholic whose followers address him with the honorific "Your Holiness," claims 3.5 million members, and his church is disproportionately strong among the Luo people.

Oscar Nyangwesoh, who runs an orphanage in a nearby village, estimates that only the Anglican and Catholic churches are larger than Pesa's church in Kenya's Nyanza Province, where Kisumu and Kogelo are located."

"Bishop" Washington Ogonyo Ngede claiming spiritual warfare will annoint Obama and willingness to side with pagans asking rock-shrine gods for Obama's victory for the presidency has me wondering how his idea of good and evil got turned upside down..... Ah, the irony.

Anyways, yeah. Pray, Pray, Pray, as Mary says at Medjugorje. Pray.

Elections mean we need to pray

I stayed up late last night to watch Obama's speech.

I have had this strong, foreboding "bad feeling" about the elections for some time now, and I was in no way surprised to see that Obama had won. His speech confirmed my suspicions that we are in for a wild next four years... I can see a lot of upheaval and change and work, and he's going to be playing catch up for some time because our country is in such a bad state. I also find it laughable that we are acting like his election is some sort of proof that this country is moving past racism--- his election says to me that this country is as racist as ever, and no amount of CNN guilt tripping will convince me otherwise. There are many, many voters out there who voted for him simply because he is black. Just as there are many people out there who voted for McCain simply because he is not. It's really sad.

Let me say right off the bat that I don't like his ideas. I do find him to be charming, charismatic, witty, and definitely intelligent. I quite honestly believe that he is capable, however, of great evil. One need look no further than his stance on life issues to know that...but I do think there is more under the surface and it makes me uneasy. I'll be the last to be surprised if, like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year, he were to be suddenly surrounded by a creepy paranormal green light while speaking to dumbstruck UN delegates or some other situation. There are forces at work here.

However, he has been elected, and I am not surprised. At least we can now lose the pretense that this is a God-fearing nation.... It hasn't been for quite some time.

Unlike alot of you out there who are like-minded, though, I'm not in despair. We know that things are supposed to get harder, and not easier for believers. We know that in these last days, when the days are evil, that we must redeem the time through prayer and good works, clinging to the promise of Christ that He WILL return.

I couldn't help but think of that when I was watching Obama's speech last night. I saw so many people in tears, moved beyond belief. I saw so many people with a look of pure FAITH and joy on their faces, celebrations all over the country, for a man who they think can change their world. In all honesty, the only thing that kept going through my head was that these were looks and tears that should have been directed towards Jesus.... the peace these people want can only be found in Him and it's so distressing to me that only by moving away from Him do they THINK they are experiencing valid human change. They are so decieved.

It was particularly marking when he was making his speech--- at the end, after thanking a long list of people, he said that the victory really belonged to someone else. I was certain he was going to say that the victory belonged to God, which is what any God-fearing man would have said. Instead, he said that the victory belonged to "them," to each individual who had worked so long and hard to make his campaign a success. His humanism was revealed in that moment... and I was heartbroken for him and for the thousands of Americans who were eating it up.

Anyways, all of this stuff has me feeling I need to gear up for some serious prayer warfare. It's been building up for some time now, but I'm really starting to do something about it, finally. There have been so many times this past six months where I'm sitting there reading my bible or doing Liturgy of the Hours or praying a rosary where I feel like... I can't WAIT until I'm praying ALL the time, or until I'm just totally immersed in my Bible. Last night, I really took the hint and dropped everything-- all of my website updating, all of my emailing, all of my forum lurking, all of my phone calling, and all of my TV watching, and just PRAYED.

A dear friend sent us a rosary which is a relic of St Teresa of Avila, one of my favorite saints. For those readers unfamiliar with relics, the Bible says that even the apostle's shadows often healed people. People would touch handkerchiefs to them and then those cloths would heal people. The Catholic church maintains this scriptural principle that items that belonged to the Saints can, if used in faith, greatly help the person who has them. Thus, we have relics... first class being a bone, second class being a piece of an object that belonged to them, third class being an object which was touched TO them. This is a relic of St Teresa of Avila--- who was mind blowingly amazing and a powerful prayer warrior, if you don't know anything about her. (She even appears as a strong "woman of God" in my NKJV Spirit Filled Life protestant bible. :P)



Here it is in all its beautiful glory:







And here is a close up of the relic:






What was so cool is how this rosary came from a person who was entering a benedictine monastary, who had prayed on it, passed it to this other precious soul, who had labored in prayer with it, and was now being passed on to my precious husband, as he takes on His new identity and name in Christ this November 30. It adds a new level of beauty to the prayers of the rosary. I now think of my grandmother, praying on the beads that belonged to my dead grandfather. Beautiful.

Anyways, in all of this, I thought about how we fight not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities. I get this sense from Obama-- that even though he is capable of great evil, that he is almost "unaware" of it-- that those republicans who think the MAN Barrack Obama is evil are dead wrong and haven't quite figured out their faith. We love him as a brother, but we battle the spiritual forces of darkness surrounding him. This "unsettling" feeling so many of us are experiencing at his election mean that we need to PRAY... now, not later. Prayer is the best thing we can do.

If you are not convinced, I will share with you the story of how I came to know that we battle dark angels and not human beings.
I once worked as a bookseller at Borders Books and Music, in Santa Barbara. I was a Christian at the time, although I was just beginning to find my feet. I was enthusiastic and zealous for the Lord, but I was still very much "in the world," which made me approachable in that setting by all the young people I worked with and worked for.

Those of you who know Santa Barbara know that there is an entire homeless community there that resembles a small city. Troubled homeless souls flock to SB like moths to a flame because of the promise of ease and the good life it brings. Many of them are homeless by choice-- a concept foreign to most people who haven't experienced this reality. Many of them,also, are alcoholics and drug users, full of venom and anger at life.

They come in droves to Borders Books and Music-- to use our restroom, to sit in our comfy couches, to drink our coffee. One morning, I was bringing out the rack of bargain books to the outdoor patio, when one such homeless person wandered past. He was having a nice time, playing with his dog, and enjoying his morning cigarette. He looked peaceful. I said a quick prayer for him under my breath and continued my work. He was about twenty feet away from me. As I prayed, he looked up and caught my eye. With what seemed to be supernatural speed, he approached me, slowly getting worked up.

"F YOU, JESUS!" He shouted as he stared me in the eyes and approached me. I looked away. "WHO THE F DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU CANT SAVE ME!!!" He swore and swore, spat, shook his head, and just acted generally crazy. Frightened, I went inside the store, and watched in amazement as he completely changed demeanors. He calmed down, lit another cigarette. Smiled. Opened a book. And started a casual conversation with another homeless man. It was as if nothing had happened. In the streets, no one had batted an eyelash. In Santa Barbara, we expect homeless people to say crazy things and act like nutbags. That's what we see every day.


A few days later, I was walking from the bus station to work when a homeless man crossed my path. I didn't say a word, simply walked past, and he turned and stared at me. He began to shout, calling me a "filthy whore," and all sorts of names. I was frightened until I heard him shout "F Jesus!!! You are NOTHING!"

BAM. At that moment, it was as if a lightbulb was going off in my head. These persons were in need of deliverance, and they, not knowing me from Eve, were not reacting to ME. They were reacting to Christ IN me. Something in them was picking up the fragrance of Christ, and it was the scent of death because they were perishing. Everytime I walked by a really disturbed person, without doing a thing I was causing a reaction... because the entities that had invaded their lives SAW Christ in ME.

I realized that day that I could never look at people the same. Supernatural things happen around us every day. This is a literal, spiritual, tangible battlefield. We are soldiers. We are healers. Christ in us is the light that leads the way to Victory, and we MUST overcome.

Don't just sit by and watch as things go from bad to worse. Pray. All of you. Particularly for our new president, over whom the battle is fierce.

Halloween and Christian Death

Had a great time for halloween.... which is always such a funny thing for us.
On the one hand, we aren't particularly excited to celebrate the night when the "Spirit world" and our world are so thinly veiled. On the other hand, we enjoy getting to see and meet our neighbors' kids and stuff like that. Before, as non- Catholic Christians, it was almost like people poo pooed you for celebrating halloween.
Now, as Catholics, we get to actually celebrate a feast day: all Saints' day, followed by All SOul's day.
This year, we will be heading to Newton Grove, God willing, where the Bishop will be celebrating Mass with as many priests from the diocese as possible and in a beautiful cemetery.... we can't wait.


It's a very Catholic thing, almost "dark" for a non-Catholic Christian, to think about holding a church service in a cemetery. Catholics tend to focus so much on death... praying for a "Good death," every day, and asking God to help them honor them in their lives because their deaths are a certainty. In Catholicism, we have relics of dead saints and Saints who bodies lie buried but incorruptible.... preserved by God's hand as if they were alive. It's truly amazing. Death is not something we shy away from.
I've noticed in lots of Annika's old bibles, the mention of the crucifixion is left out--- like, "Jesus was just really, really awesome. The end. "
Now that Annika has a Catholic children's bible.... the cross is the center.
She sees a crucifix every day. She has one in her room.
She knows about death and has asked questions about it. She's preparing for it and knowing that it exists. I love that very Catholic thing of being "focused" or prepared to die... knowing that we will face God, and doing what we can to be receptive to God's saving grace for us. It's so beautiful.



Last night the kids got to participate in a really fun family's Halloween traditions: they made homemade jack o' lantern pizzas (mom laid out personal sized doughs and the kids went through and decorated their pizzas into faces, etc) and then the dads took the kids out to trick or treat.

Here are our kids, anyways:


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Lots more to say today but since the kids are sick and I got about two hours of sleep last night, I'm not sure I can make a coherent sentence. I'll try to blog later when my mind is functioning. :)

The Witness (is not amish)

Been thinking a lot on my witness.

As a wife and mother, my first witness comes to the one who watches me the closest--- I must "discipline myself for the purpose of godliness" (1 Tim 4:7) because as I do, I am able to spark the change I want to see in the world. Want your husband to lead you into holiness more? Spend more time in prayer and in the Word yourself. Want your husband to be more open to the Holy Spirit? Be opened yourself. Want him to respect you and treat you with more kindness and compassion? Respect HIM and treat him as the most precious thing you have. It sounds so simple, but that's the "dying to self" that we find so difficult--- it's so much easier to think we are on track to being holy vessels and wonder what everyone else's problem is.



Just as it's easier to want to pray alone, in the silence of our retreated minds, when we can pray at a liesurely pace and really take the time to recieve from God. And yet, we are called to pour ourselves out, to be, as Oswald Chambers once said, "Broken bread and poured-out wine," and so we must learn to love prayer in the busiest moments of our day, when we don't think we CAN hear from God, demonstrating by faith that we know He is both listening and working, always.

Towards my children, my witness is a constant thing. I am amazed every day when I see what they see through those little eyes-- how they catch everything. Aside from "training them up in the way that they should go," (Prov 22:6) so that when they are old, they will not depart from it, I must also give them a reason to believe that joy I say I have in the Lord. When trials come, they must see me, time and again, walking in the peace which surpasses all understanding (Phillippians 4:7) and not falling into unrest. It's so easy to get frustrated when you have two kids two and under who both have the same mood shifts... all it takes is a late nap here and a too-long phone call on my part and I am faced with attention needs that must be met that quite literally can make my head spin. I've learned that controlled chaos in a house full of family can be a beautiful thing.

The other night, we had the opportunity to visit a dear friend's house for dinner. We were surprised to find that she and her husband live in one of the exact houses that my husband had plumbed when it was being built. Back when he was a plumber here a few years ago he would come home at the end of the day, gather us all up, and drive us back to his work site where he would show us what he had done that day. Often times we would sit in the skeleton of the house, watching the slowly setting sun through the beams and supports, and dream about where we would put rooms and what we do with the space if the house was being built for us. So when we walked into our friend's life, we saw a living picture of what we had imagined in that very same home: a beauitiful, well-worn family bible, a bowlful of rosaries near the fireplace, a home that would make martha stewart proud but that contained a lot of love and affection. I admit, in my mind's eye it made my own little home seem like a closet full of things no one wanted anymore.

A few days later, that same friend appeared on my doorstep and spent the afternoon with me and the children. I was making a leek soup in the kitchen while she sat at the dining room table with my daughter when she expressed how much she loved being at my house. She let me glimpse that to her, she experienced the love of family and the blessed chaos of activity and motherhood that she longed to have for herself.... and I was left hiding my tears behind the kitchen wall, amazed that our witness to each other was such a blessing and learning that I really DID have cause to be thankful for what I have.

When I was in the working world, my witness was always important. As a Christian worker, you are faced with the worst of the world. Back when I was studying with Jehova's Witnesses, they gave me a great testimony to share with others that helped me to stay "out" of the world... Reasons to steer clear of being "everyone else" you work with.

Back then, the focus was on honesty, integrity, and hard work, which should be the staple of any employee experience where Jesus Christ is Lord. You do your job, go above and beyond, and you bless and serve, regardless of the cost to you personally. JUST LIKE IN YOUR FAMILIES.

Our call is to be "in " and not "of."

I didn't want to be the person who sat out on the company joke because it was slightly innapropriate or who steered clear of the company parties because they were too wordly for me. No way.... instead I gave my jobs the best that Christianity had to offer: a real work ethic. I found that if I truly dove into my work and made it a prayer I didn't have to worry about what dirty joke they were passing on the radios or on the company email, because I didn't have time to pay attention to those thing, I was too busy giving my bosses the best that I could. It took a long time for me to mature into that person, because in the beginning, it was easy to be the one who "couldn't participate," found everything offensive, and basically just sat back and sneered. No one wanted to become that kind of person, and that ethic worked against me. Once I began to really be "broken bread and poured out wine" in the workplace, that's when my witness was greatly improved and I found success at every turn: career success, yes, but especially evangelical success--- because to the world, social retardation is not desirable. But a bright, quick, positive, hard working, friendly person? One who is full of compassion and gentleness? One who speaks the truth in love?? Priceless.



Our witness is crucial. Ninety-nine percent of the people in religious forums across the world will tell you why they don't like evangelical Christians, flat out. I've heard the same answer over and over and over and over and over: "Christians are hypocrites."

Our witness solves that problem for people. Our witness is our best weapon against the darkness in the world. Our witness is there not to make us undesirable. It is there to make us the sweet fragrance of Christ to those who are saved and the scent of death to those who are perishing(11 Cor 2:15) in the hopes of not going to heaven alone.

No husband wants a wife who is cold, serious, and holier-than-him. No child wants a mother who is harsh, rigid, and unbending. No person wants a co-worker or employee who is distant, condesdending, and unfriendly. Our witness is everything..... if we REALLY BELIEVE the scriptures, then let us all pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance to help us BE the change we want to see in the world, and to start not with others, but with ourselves!

Paranormal Muslims and a Reason to Pray

An interesting snippet of news I recently found for those who doubt my theory that the UN is a seat of great evil and a central demonic "doorway."

Click here

While addressing the UN in New York last September, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, apparently found himself bathed in a mysterious, visible, aura-like green light for most of the 30 minute speech. It began when he opened his speech "In the Name of Allah," and continued for the duration of the speech. UN listeners, likewise, seemed in a strange trance as not one of them moved or even BLINKED during the duration of the speech. Hmmmm.

Believe me now? If you do.... please pray, pray, pray!

Things never stop getting wierder over here.

Wayne left this morning and I was sad to see him go. It seems just as we sort out how to peacefully coexist again he's off for another week. It's very hard to miss someone so much and not be able to do anything about it.

I went to Carmelites again yesterday. It was absolutely phenomenal. One of the big themes for yesterday was the fruit of intercessory prayer. We heard testimony after testimony of answered prayer that really built our faith, and I'd like to invite blog readers to leave a comment for others with the most encouraging fruit of their OWN prayer life.

I haven't been answering email or blogging because I've been spending some extra time ordering my life around what our needs are right now-- mainly spending time "fixing" little family issues and some personal time in the Word whenever I get a chance, so I apologize if I've been putting off responding to emails and phone calls. It really struck me the other day that I needed to practice what I preach, and that meant putting friends and "life" on hold to hear from God about some things and to really CARE for my family and put them first in some ways I hadn't been. It ended up being the right thing to do... but now I've got a mountain of emails and phone calls to return. Sigh.

Anyways. I've also been plugging away at my book, which I hope to finish relatively soon. Other than that? Nothing to report. Oh wait----

One more thing. Catholics, please join me and the OCDS community from the Dioscese of Raleigh in praying specifically with Our Lady of Victory for the elections.... here is the Litany of OLV.

The yoga of timeouts.

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Glory to Glory

Been doing a lot of thinking about how modesty/moderation, etc works in this blog and I've decided to cut back on blogging as often as I do, just leaving it to like a couple times a week when I really have something to say.

This week has , as usual, been such a growing experience. I have gotten about as mad as I get, turning into a silently steaming. furious mess during my husband's RCIA class (its a discipleship/formation class for becoming a catholic, for those who don't know what it is) .... it is a very painful experience for me to sit in there and listen to heresy being accepted and preached as a "norm" of the faith, but I still haven't figured out how to say so and not lack in charity and love, so yeah. I sit silently and listen Sunday in and Sunday out as these new Catholics are being taught that everyone is saved and that the way they worship really doesn't matter and that there are no real reasons behind our traditions and that Evil is not really personnified in anyone but rather an esoteric "mystery" that humans are capable of, and that the Eucharist is AS important as me representing Jesus to someone else and that we dont need to give an answer to a scoffer because we have faith and that's all that matters, and that there is no hierarchy in the Church--- I could go on forever. I've decided that all I can do is pray and BE the change. I'm the one that always says that: BE the change. So that's all I can do. I can model truth and work on my own, personal holiness and that 's really all I can do. But MAN is it hard to sit quietly in there and listen to it. It is physically painful to see these pour souls being misled. No wonder half the RCIA candidates disappear from Planet Catholic after they are welcomed into the church. They aren't building a foundation on the ROCK.

Discernment is another big topic for the week: learning to be JUST where God wants me and not one centimeter to the right or to the left. It's hard for people like me who have an evangelical zeal and emotional enthusiasm about the gospel-- we want to see the whole world saved. So of course, we want to help every person we come into contact with to see and feel Jesus for themselves. Trouble is, God isn't always calling us to do that for EVERYONE. I have to learn to rightly order myself--- and as I disclosed last week, that's easier said than done when ministry to OTHERS is so much more gratifying than ministry to those God is calling me to specifically-- namely, my husband and kids! Who don't show gratitude or express how much God is using me in their lives. I've had to really evaluate where God is leading me specifically....and that means that I've had to let go of alot of bonds I was forming and time that was getting spent in a way that I really, really enjoyed.
BUT! The proof is in the pudding--- my kids and husband really grow and flourish when I'm rightly ordering my own time. Pretty crazy.

Been thinking alot about pregnancy too. This is exactly around the time where I got pregnant with Ishod, so even though we aren't TRYING to get pregnant and are actively practicing NFP to prevent a pregnancy, I have a feeling that God is softening our hearts and preparing us for a future pregnancy. Which is good-- I definitely have learned to just welcome life and rejoice at conception-- I've learned to really trust God in this area and to just let go. I have a lot of friends who are actively trying to concieve and I am spending a lot of time praying for them-- there are so many people in this world who have NO value for life, and here are these beautiful families just begging God to let them welcome His children--- my heart is just breaking for them. I don't feel as though our family is complete, that's for sure. I don't know what God has in store, but I would be overjoyed to have a large family. Financially, that seems impossible, but again-- nothing is impossible with God.

Anyways, all this stuff has me going totally introspective and that means that I'm really just seeking God, which brings me to the next thing I wanted to share: my newfound love for and appreciation of the Word of God. I just have so much gratitude for scripture!!! It's so amazing, because I have always loved the Bible as a protestant, but now my love for Scripture has just completely grown, which is crazy. I love to hear from God, and it seems the more time goes by, the more thankfulness I have for the ability to really HEAR from God in His Word. I'm on a mission to get all the Catholics I know to appreciate the treasure they have in the Word--- We know from Scripture that Jesus is the Word, and we know from Scripture that Jesus brings us the Holy Spirit.. Jesus Brings us the Holy Spirit when we are baptized, Jesus brings us the Holy Spirit when we seek Him in the Word, Jesus brings us the Holy Spirit when we lift up our hands in praise.... wow. I want more of the Holy Spirit in my life, and so I need to spend more time with the One who will always bring the Spirit to me-- Jesus.

It really seems like God is bringing us back to the church for "Such a time as this," because there is such a need for evangelical zeal, for appreciation and love for the Holy Spirit, for biblical "soundness" in the Roman Catholic Church these days. It's like half the Catholics out there are just dying to become episcopalians or something. Its' crazy wierd. I'm like, stretching towards the Eucharist each day and all these others around us are casually chomping on it and I just don't get it. I'm like... do you KNOW what you have here in the Church????? Do you know what an amazing blessing you have to be Catholic and to be able to be IN HIS PRESENCE the way you are???? He comes inside of you and lights you up from the inside in a special way that He CANT for those who haven't yet discerned Him here. Every Catholic person should wake up everyday with a song of praise on his lips for being able to recieve Christ in the Eucharist. It is soo strange and sad that God's own people persist in missing out on His blessing--- but there is nothing new under the sun. We've been doing it since Israel. Actually, since the garden. But if His people, who are called by His name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, then He will hear from heaven, He will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chron 7:14)

Lord, let it be done to me according to your Word.