“I will be their God and they will be my people”

by Bob Montgomery

This is the seventh installment of the Joy of the Gospel, our Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation. As a reminder, we are studying this as a Community, so, you should have a copy of the document and be reading it and praying about it yourself.

Last week Gretchen began talking about Chapter 4, which is titled the Social Dimension of Evangelization. There were a couple of points Gretchen made that I want to begin with:

1. Happiness, or joy in this world is for everyone!
2. If we believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in this world, we have to realize that he seeks to penetrate every human situation and all social relationships.

Pope Francis makes the point that the Gospel isn’t merely about our personal relationship with God. It is also about the Kingdom of God, about transforming this world into a place where the King reigns in all areas and with all people.

The Pope says:

“An authentic faith—always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we found it. We love this magnificent planet on which God has put us, and we love the human family which dwells here, with all its tragedies and struggles, its hopes and aspirations, its strengths and weaknesses. The earth is our common home and all of us are brothers and sisters.”

We can accept this encouragement, and even embrace it. But the problem is that we don’t know how to actually accomplish it. Does anyone here have a plan that ensures no one has to stand in our intersections holding homeless signs and asking for donations? Does anyone have a plan that addresses the full problem of immigration? Of course not. The world is full of big, hairy problems that we don’t have solutions for.

This should not be seen as a shortcoming of our faith. Pope Francis admits that the Church doesn’t have the programs needed to solve many of the problems evident in this world. Instead, she (the Church) supports those programs which best respond to the dignity of each person and the common good.”

The Lord himself, during his earthly life, often warned his disciples that there were things they could not yet understand and for which they would have to await the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 16: 12-13).

“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

If the apostles didn’t know it all then, do we believe we now do? No, we don’t know it all. We are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to guide us in all things. And let’s not forget the parable of the weeds and the wheat from Matthew 13: 24-30. The landowner waited until the harvest to separate the wheat from the weeds.

Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”

Given this situation, that we really don’t have the answers to all the questions, does that mean we have nothing to say? Of course not! We have Christ; we have his love. We have his Holy Spirit. He created it all. He has all the answers. Perhaps he hasn’t provided those answers because, as he says in Jn 16: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”

Given this situation, Pope Francis provides a bit of a roadmap in this chapter to help us engage in evangelization for all these thorny problems, to move towards peace rather than away from it, and to make progress while avoiding isolation or exclusion. He gives us some perspectives to keep in mind as we try to shine the light of Christ in all areas of darkness.

Time is greater than space

The first perspective is that time is greater than space. This principle enables us to work slowly but surely. We don’t have to have the full solution, but we can make progress.

A great example of this might be the poverty problem I referred to earlier. We know that we must give preferential love to the poor. Gretchen talked about the problem of poverty last week, and she talked about the tuition assistance at the school. Brenda talked earlier about introducing herself to the homeless, and asking their name. There was a sharing not long ago at our Gathering where someone was able to confer dignity on a homeless person just by talking to them directly and being concerned about them. Did any of these actions solve poverty? No. But each of these actions shined Christ’s light into the problem of poverty; they penetrated the darkness. Christ doesn’t call us to fix the problem, He calls us to understand his heart and to begin, to initiate an action, to start a new process, to actually do something. If sufficient small candles are lit, his light will overcome the darkness.

Unity prevails over conflict

The second perspective the Pope gives us is that unity prevails over conflict. He points out that conflict cannot be ignored or concealed. It has to be faced. But, when we face conflict, we can identify and focus on areas of unity, areas where we agree. “Blessed are the peacemakers!” (Mt 5: 9).

I can’t help but think of an issue that is most offensive to the majority of people in this room, and that’s the court decisions and the movement in this country towards the acceptance of homosexuality as normal and legitimate. Should we avoid people who advocate these views because they offend us? Should we say nothing because we know it will just start an argument, one that we can’t win? Of course not.

In my employment at Southwest, I have ample opportunities to know and to work with people who have same-sex attractions. Rather than fight with them about the issue of gay rights, I look for ways to cooperate with them in other areas, to find unity instead of conflict. I try to know their names, and to smile and say hello and ask about them when the opportunity arises. I try to be interested in their lives and in their careers, and I try to give them credit when credit is due. I’ve politely declined when invited to same sex unions, but I haven’t made my position an issue. Rather, I look for every opportunity where we can find unity, and to focus on these things. And by doing that, my experience is that they like me and have a relationship with me. They know my stance and don’t actively try to engage in conflict with me either. I find that opportunities arise in conversations to witness in some small way. At the very least, it gives them a positive image of a Christian. Who knows where that will lead? Unity prevails over conflict.

Realities are more important than ideas

The third perspective is that realities are more important than ideas. This encouragement makes me think of the abortion problem in this country. It’s great to have the idea that abortion should be illegal, that’s a wonderful idea that I support, but the reality of unintended pregnancies, of unwanted children, of women who are abused, the reality of poverty that becomes systemic, and all the other ugly realities that encourage people to believe that abortion is a solution in the “first” place, need to be addressed. That’s why I’m so proud of the work of many members of this Community with the creation of the CPLC, who don’t merely beat the drum over the idea that abortion should be illegal, but who work hard to solve the underlying ugly realities that encourage women to seek an abortion. When we have large ugly issues that we don’t know how to solve, maybe one of the first things that we should do is to look at the realities instead of just concentrate on the big idea.

The whole is greater than the parts

Finally, the Pope encourages us to see that the whole is greater than the parts. The world in front of us is important, but we have to constantly broaden our horizons and see the greater good that will benefit us all.

When I think of this perspective I think of immigration, which is a very live issue in this political season. Yes, the threat of terrorism is real, and we can’t financially support everyone. But there are real people who are impoverished and need to find ways to support their families; there are refugees who will die if they remain at home. Just because Dallas, Texas is kind of a nice, neat and tidy city or just because the issue isn’t a problem for us personally doesn’t mean that we can’t find ways to address the larger problem. In our dialogue, perhaps taking hard stands for or against something isn’t the best way to evangelize, but rather we should ask questions about the whole problem and comparing that to Christ’s desires. Perhaps this might bring better understanding and empathy and might help us find small solutions that might lead the way to bigger ones.

When we are able to embrace these four perspectives, that

• Time is greater than space
• Unity prevails over conflict
• Realities are more important than ideas
• The whole is greater than the parts

we are ready to make ourselves available to a whole new level of evangelization. The old adage that you should never talk to anyone about politics or religion will fall before us.

Rather than avoiding politics or religion, the Pope would have us embrace both. He encourages us to find ways to evangelize with

• States
• Society
• Believers who are not part of the Catholic Faith

By utilizing these perspectives, we can equally engage scientists, and address the challenging discoveries of the day. We can confidently address politicians, and our neighbors in the political debate, about how to best address the problems that face us. We can confidently dialogue and build bridges with Protestants, with our older brothers and sisters in the Jewish faith, and with Islam and all others who are seeking the Truth.

And being able to confidently talk about Christ in all situations would make me very joyful indeed.

(Community Gathering, 3-6-16)

No Community Gathering on EASTER SUNDAY, March 27th – enjoy extra time with your family.

New Covenant Commitments will also take place on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3rd during the Gathering.  We will have a special agenda that day to accommodate praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and welcoming new Covenant members! Spring Blood Drive will also be held before, during and after the Gathering

Spirit-Filled Evangelizers
by Sharon Harman

We have arrived at the last chapter of Pope Francis’ Joy of the Gospel. We will spend this week and next on this last chapter and on summarizing what we have learned. Last week Bob finished Chapter 4, which addressed the social dimension of proclaiming the Good News. Chapter 5 has so much to do with our community! Its title is Spirit-filled Evangelizers, and I feel like the Pope circles back around from looking out at how to engage with the world to talk again about how our spiritual lives affect evangelism. I am going to spend a few minutes looking at spirit-filled evangelism as individuals and then examine our response as a people.

What is Spirit-filled evangelism? We in the Charismatic Renewal ought to know, right??  In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words. Picture the day of Pentecost in the upper room, with the Holy Spirit descending and filling each person there with the presence and love of the Father and Son. Then picture each one going forth, full of joy, courage, passion and boundless love. Peter preached a sermon that day that converted 3,000 people. Something similar happens after our Born of the Spirit Seminars, when the Holy Spirit fills each person praying with a new sense of God’s love. Pope Francis introduces us to a Greek word for this picture: “parrhesia”, that is, to proclaim the Gospel with boldness and fearlessness. This “parrhesia”  is the word that is used in Acts 4:13, “13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church #2778, further defines “parrhesia” like this: filial trust (the trust of a son), joyous assurance, humble boldness, and the certainty of being loved.

This definition fits perfectly with Pope Francis’ message where he says, “Jesus wants evangelizers who proclaim the good news not only with words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence.“ Who brings that presence, if not the Holy Spirit, who is the soul of the Church? Unless the fire of the Holy Spirit is burning in our hearts, no words of encouragement to evangelize will be enough. Where will we get that filial trust and the certainty of being loved that will impel us to open our mouths to share the Good News? We receive it in prayer, where we experience daily the personal salvation that draws us to a greater love for Jesus. When we cultivate that interior space where we meet with Jesus in adoration, prayerfully read his Word and bring our sins and concerns to him, then our love for him grows. Pope Francis exhorts us that if we are not feeling an intense desire to share this love, we need to pray insistently that he will once more touch our hearts and shake up our lukewarm and superficial existence.

When we prayerfully read Scripture, it can help us to realize anew that we have been entrusted with a treasure. There is nothing more precious that we can give to others. True missionaries are always disciples; they sense Jesus alive within them and are convinced from personal experience that the Good News of God’s love is exactly what others need to hear. When we evangelize, we are simply telling others what we ourselves have experienced. The Apostle John followed this model in his letter when he wrote in I Jn. 1:3-4, “We are declaring to you what we have seen and heard so that you too may share our life...We are writing this to you so that our joy may be complete.” 

I’d like to read directly from a paragraph in our study that is so inspiring to me. #265 “Enthusiasm for evangelization is based on this conviction. We have a treasure of life and love which cannot deceive, and a message which cannot mislead or disappoint. It penetrates to the depths of our hearts, sustaining and ennobling us. It is a truth which is never out of date because it reaches that part of us which nothing else can reach. Our infinite sadness can only be cured by an infinite love.”

This quote helps to lead into the second part of the talk, which is about being a people who evangelize with their lives, who aren’t afraid to be close to other’s lives. I have to admit that I felt a bit hesitant about giving the teaching this week, because the topic is the Joy of the Gospel, and I have been struggling with experiencing that joy in the past couple of months; in fact, I identify more closely with the “infinite sadness” in the above quote. A very difficult situation in our family has caused deep grief for us, our prayer list is long with people who are suffering from cancer or injuries, others have lost jobs or are struggling with relationships or their faith, and the list goes on. What I have learned is that the Joy of the Gospel doesn’t always look like that Pentecost picture, full of joy and exuberance. That is a true picture, but not the only one. Sometimes, from the store of God’s love that he has embedded deep in our souls, evangelization looks like an arm around the shoulder, or a hot meal or a timely email or card. We preach the Gospel not only with words, but sometimes with just our lives, when we rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (like Jesus did in the Gospel reading today), when we visit the sick, when we draw near to those suffering. People learn the message of the Gospel when we aren’t afraid to share their pain, when we assure them that they are infinitely loved by their heavenly Father and that He hears their prayers. I’ve learned that Jesus hopes we will stop sheltering ourselves from human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other people’s lives. As the Pope says, it is there that we come to “know the power of tenderness. Whenever we do so, our lives become wonderfully complicated and we experience intensely what it is to be a people…”

I had an opportunity to put this into practice this week during a conversation with a young adult relative. She shared with me about her spiritual searching for something different than the Catholic faith of her childhood. To make a long story short, I really had to rely on the Holy Spirit to inspire me with what he wanted her to hear. And it turned out to be mostly about how our God is love, and he desires to have relationships with each of us and specifically her. I wish I had time to share more details, but I realized that the best preparation I had for talking with her was not studying theology in order to convince her, but it was simply knowing the love of Christ in my own heart through prayer and fellowship. This is going to be one of those lives that I need to draw closer to over time, and to not be afraid of the messiness so that I can love her with God’s love.

In the Gospels, Jesus gave us examples of drawing close to others’ lives: the rich young man in Mk. 10:21. He is accessible to the blind man in Mk. 10: 46, and in Mk. 2:16 he eats and drinks with sinners. He lets a sinful woman anoint his feet in Lk. 7:36. And there are many more examples.  When we love others, our own faith grows; our own joy increases as we bring light, blessing and healing to the hurting. We become true missionaries. This is how change comes to the world, when we see around us nurses with soul, teachers with soul, mechanics and businessmen with soul. Our work is not separate from our private lives, but all is given to God as mission. Pope Francis exhorts us to realize that every person, despite their appearance or abilities, is immensely holy and deserves our love; every person is worthy of our giving.

The last section also contains a warning against pessimistic attitudes regarding the apparent lack of results of evangelism. The Pope plainly says that thinking like this is a malicious excuse for staying caught up in comfort, laziness and selfishness. When we are tempted to discouragement or weariness from evil in this world, we are reminded to believe that the kingdom of God is already present here and is growing. God is at work and invites us to join him. When we have firm trust in the Holy Spirit to give us strength in our weakness, and in the timing of the results, then we experience the joy of being guided and lead by the Spirit wherever he wills.

In the coming week let’s examine the “picture” of our lives. Does it reflect the image of Pentecost in either words or in action? Have we become comfortable or lazy in our faith? Are our lives “wonderfully complicated” with people? Are we willing to give the Holy Spirit control to lead us where he desires? Let’s open our Bibles and  read together 2 Co. 4:1, 7. 13 “Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart...7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us….13  just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and so we speak.” (NRSVCE)

(Community Gathering, 3-13-16)

By Charlotte Ward

I had the privilege of going to Confession with my boy friend’s sister-in-law, Meredith, for her first Confession as a convert. It was just so neat to be able to go with her to Confession -- like I’ve done since I was eight or nine -- and see someone who is 27 or 28 do it for the first time and come out with that burden lifted off of them. I can’t contain my excitement of being new and having that new life. Praise God, she will be coming into the Church in May.

I had been reflecting on that and, when I went to Mass the next morning, the Gospel reading was John 11:1-45, the raising of Lazarus. I’ve heard it so many times and remembered that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days, and it smelled pretty bad. I always have an image in my mind when I think of it because I am very sensitive to smell. I thought, how did he stand in front of that tomb with the smell coming out of it?

When the priest was giving his homily he said that Jesus stood in front of the tomb and said, “Lazarus, come out.” According to the priest, in that moment Lazarus’ veins filled with blood and his eyes filled with light and his ears with hearing and everything came back, and he came out.

When the priest was describing it that way, I thought how that is what Confession is like. We are in this tomb, smelly. The Lord should not want to come near to us but yet that’s where he has come.

If you look back in the Gospel, Jesus is heading straight into danger. The Lord goes straight into the city where they don’t want him. The  disciples all say,”Let’s all go with him to die” because the Jews pretty much said, “If you come back we’re going to kill you.” But Jesus attitude is, “Yes, I need to go back because Lazarus is asleep and I need to wake him up.” He’s dead, which is what we are when we sin, but God says, “No, you’re just asleep. I need to wake you up.”

I was so overwhelmed with the power of Confession and what a gift it is. It was so neat that this was Meredith’s first Confession. Praise God!

(Community Gathering, 2-28-16)

Spirit-Filled Evangelizer

By Sharon Harman

This is our last official teaching for Pope Francis’ Joy of the Gospel. Last week I started Chapter 5, where we learned that the Holy Spirit is the source of the inspiration and the joy to evangelize, as well as the One who completes the work of salvation in the hearer. We were exhorted to reach out both with the words of salvation, as well as the actions that demonstrate God’s love. Today we will finish Chapter 5 by talking about intercessory prayer, the Blessed Mother, and then I will try to briefly summarize what we have learned.

Many of us are here at this prayer meeting because someone prayed for us. Here at the end of the exhortation, Pope Francis reminds us of the power of intercessory prayer as we reach out to all those to whom God sends us. St. Paul is a wonderful example for us. The introductions to many of his letters are full of concern for people. In Philippians he says,

“I constantly pray for you in every one of my prayers for all of you….because I hold you in my heart.” In Romans he declares “I am longing to see you so that….we may be strengthened together through our mutual faith, yours and mine.”

His letters are also full of prayers of gratitude for the new believers in each city. In I Co. 1:4:

 “I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus.”

Paul found joy in what God was doing in the lives and hearts of people he met. The great men and women of God were great intercessors. We know that through our prayers, we join God in his desire that all men and women come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We join him in establishing his Kingdom and in fighting the powers of darkness.

One of the most powerful intercessors we have is Mary, the Mother of the Church. She is the one who yielded most perfectly to the Holy Spirit, and she can lead us in loving her Son more completely.  With her, we better understand the spirit of evangelization. Pope Francis devotes several pages to explaining how Jesus gave Mary as Mother to the Church as one of his last acts as he was dying on the Cross. When he spoke to John and said, “Here is your Mother,” and said to Mary, “Here is your son” (Jn. 19:26-27). Jesus also indicated the mutual relationship that all believers can have with his Mother. In a way, every Christian is, like Mary, a bride of God’s word, a mother in the sense of being one who brings forth Christ to the world, who loves Jesus deeply and reveals him to others. As a true mother, Mary is with us in our daily struggles and constantly surrounds us with God’s love. She whose heart was pierced by a sword understands our human pain and suffering, and leads us in how to love others who are in need of God’s love.

Pope Francis asks Mary, as the Mother of the Living Gospel, to intercede that this new phase of evangelization be accepted by the entire Church. He invites believers to look to her to help us proclaim the message of salvation to all. She only desires that all love her Son Jesus and that each one knows of his love for them. When we look to Mary, we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who do not need to treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves. We can ask her maternal intercession that the Church may become “home” for many peoples. The book closes with a beautiful prayer from Pope Francis. Here is just the first part of that prayer:

Mary, Virgin and Mother,
you who, moved by the Holy Spirit
welcomed the word of life
in the depths of your humble faith:
as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One,
help us to say our own “yes”
to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,
to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

For the last few minutes I’d like to briefly review some of the highlights of our study. Let’s open our Bibles to Is. 52:7-10:

I would like to invite everyone to stand. We are going to practice what we have been learning. When I give the signal I’d like to ask you to take one minute to reach out to the people around you and share with them the Good News of Jesus’ saving, personal love for them. Speak from your heart. Receive joy from each other. Affirm the beauty you see in each other.

The joy that is pouring forth from you is beautiful. When you speak or when you hear that God reigns, it is beautiful. The team that gave these teachings is hoping that what we have heard and read in the last couple of months will be like seed that is planted in our souls; that it will take root and slowly grow into a continual harvest of souls for God’s Kingdom. But we have some work to do so that the seed falls on good ground. Weeds of selfishness and complacency have to be rooted out. Pope Francis exhorts us to stop being indifferent to the poor and those on the margins of society, to reach out and be involved in people’s lives. We have learned that evangelizing is not about what we do, but who we are. We cannot give away what we ourselves do not posses.

There are some cultural challenges to living the Gospel, too, like the emphasis on money and over-exposure to mass media. Threats to the family weaken the fabric of our entire society. Unfair economic systems and attacks on religious freedom stifle Christians in various countries.

We know that not every chapter of this exhortation will touch each person equally; you may or may not grasp certain points. But we should all grasp the heart of the Gospel message, that God the Father has revealed his immense love in the crucified and risen Jesus. It is a message of great joy for each person - that they are infinitely loved. What a blessing to be reviewing this message on Palm Sunday, on the Eve of Holy Week.

Let’s open to Zechariah 9:9-10,

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

As our King comes to us during this season, humble yet victorious, let us imitate the crowds of Palm Sunday; let’s raise our voices of praise and rejoicing to Him! We proclaim “His dominion shall be from sea to sea….to the ends of the earth!” The whole world is hungry for God, the fields are white with harvest. Where will God find a people who are ready to share His love with all? If not us, then who?

Community Gathering, March 20, 2016

New Community members (left to right) Al and Rhonda Benavides, Matt and Juanita Galindo, Raquel Barrera and Rose Ramirez make their covenant and associate commitments on April third at the 43rd Anniversary of the founding ot CCGD and celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.

Dear Friends, Family and Mission Partners, 

Greetings from Kolkata, India! I hope and pray that this letter finds you immersed in this season of Lent – this time of preparation for and longing for the promise of Easter. I am writing you today from the heart of India. Amidst the constant honking of horns, the hustle and bustle of city life, my heart truly has found rest. The Lord has been so good to me throughout this time of transition; slowly but surely adjusting my heart, my mind, and my schedule to life in India. 

India is wonderful! Crazy at times, of course, but I truly have fallen in love with this place. We have traveled by plane, taxi, bus, auto-rickshaw, cycle-rickshaw, train, and most often, in the true Indian way, by foot. We have walked all over Kolkata, it seems, and have seen so much variety amidst this huge city! We’ve had mass at various churches, took a boat ride down the Hugli River and even went on a silent retreat. We’ve also been working alongside the Missionaries of Charity. After attending Mass with them each morning, we volunteer in various homes started by Mother Teresa herself. I have been so struck by the humility of the sisters – they love Mother, but they love Jesus more, and are so committed to doing what he is asking of them every day. I have spent the most time in a medical clinic in one of her homes, but I was also able to spend a day in a wound care clinic, an afternoon working in the home for the dying, and even got to spend a day at the Leper Colony. It was the day at the Leper Colony that I think has transformed me the most.

That morning, we had just traveled by train and walked (for what seemed like forever), when we finally got to the Leper Colony. As we were walking along, getting a tour of the lepers’ homes, I was determined to make a difference. I was determined to smile and laugh with as many people as humanly possible. My attempts at speaking Hindi with the residents usually got some pretty hearty laughs out of these suffering, peaceful people. “Aap kaise hai?” How are you? They would laugh at my accent and reply, “Tik hai!”

Then I tried out the newest phrase I was taught: “Aapko Yeshu pyar karta hai.” Jesus loves you. That usually brings a shocked smile to their faces – I think a combination of my accent and their surprise at my ability to memorize such a long sentence, coupled with the truth of his love was the real cause of their joy. And so my time passed, trying to say hello and trying to look each person in the eye – my attempts to have a real encounter. I toured through the men’s ward, the women’s ward and even the physiotherapy room, but I really felt like the Lord was drawing me back into the women’s ward. So I did what any normal person traveling in India who feels a prompting of the Holy Spirit would do: I went back.

I passed by the same women, but as I walked through the door, I looked directly to my left and felt the Lord say “That one.” So I stood there for a minute, looking her in the eyes, speaking what little Hindi I knew. I asked for her name, which I immediately forgot, and asked “how are you,” and then just tried to wait and listen for what the Lord wanted me to do next.

As I waited, I remembered that I still had one Hindi phrase left that I hadn’t tried on my new friend yet. “Aapko Yeshu pyar karta hai,” I said. She looked me right in the eye and shook her head. I thought, well surely I said it wrong. So I tried again. “Aapko Yeshu pyar karta hai.” She shook her head no even more. “No He doesn’t,” she said (all in Hindi of course). “Have you seen me? I have no fingers and no legs. I have this debilitating condition that has changed the way I look, has caused me immense pain and has ruined my life. He probably loves you. Look at you! You are tall, can walk, and have all that you need. He loves you. He doesn’t love me.”

I was speechless. In that moment I could not have been more grateful that I didn’t really speak Hindi because it gave me a moment to catch my breath. In that moment, I was completely and totally embarrassed. Who on earth did I think I was that I could waltz into this woman’s home, tell her that Jesus loves her, and expect everything to be better? How dare I come into this place of suffering and pretend to know how she felt. If the Lord in all his majesty really loves his children, then why does suffering exist? In that moment I was embarrassed of my faith, I was embarrassed of the Lord and I was embarrassed at my silly, thoughtless attempts to make a difference. What the heck was I supposed to say? 

However, unlike in times of doubt before, I knew that the Lord was with me in this moment. “Jesus, what on earth am I supposed to say to this lady? I know how tenderly you love her but how on earth can I explain it to her?” I looked around the room, wanting to just run away and hide, but instead I saw a picture of Jesus across the way. It was the picture of Jesus with his Sacred Heart, and it was placed on the highest point in the room. As I prayed, it was his words that came through me. 

I looked his precious daughter in the eye and as I pointed and motioned in an attempt to communicate I said, “You know Jesus? He came to this earth, he suffered and he died for you. He died on a cross, after unimaginable torture, because he knew that in this moment you would be suffering, and he didn’t want you to suffer alone.” As these words came out of my mouth, it all made sense to me. Our God is a good, good Father, who always desires the best for his children. He doesn’t promise a life of ease and comfort, but he does promise that when faced with pain and suffering, he will be there to comfort us. He came to give hope to the hopeless, to comfort the afflicted, to cure the blind and to teach sinners his way of hope and peace. 

As I placed my arms in the position that Jesus took on the cross, I said once again “Aapko Yeshu pyar karta hai.” And my new friend nodded with tears in her eyes. I have no idea how she understood the words that came out of my mouth, but I know that she did. It’s incredible how humans can communicate with their actions and eyes, even when they don’t speak the same language. As my friends beckoned me to come and begin making our return journey back to the comfort of our apartment, my new friend kissed my hand (I have no idea why), but I of course grabbed both of her hands and smothered them with kisses. It was just a moment of pure joy as I shared with this suffering, precious daughter the intensity of her Father’s love for her. I got to be there for her moment of encounter, maybe one of many for her, or maybe one of the first encounters with the God who loves her, who created her and who refuses to let her suffer alone.

It was an incredibly blessed encounter, better than I ever could have expected. But that’s the Lord’s way, isn’t it? He allows us to have expectations, and then absolutely blows them out of the water. That has been a theme so far throughout my time in India. I have expectations of what will happen and then I really encounter what the Lord has in store for me. The smiles on the people’s faces have brought so much joy to my life. I have been able to experience so much of Christ’s love, especially amongst the poor. However, the sufferings I have encountered have also been very real. I have seen so much poverty, so many people in such desolate situations and so much brokenness, and I have never before felt so close to the suffering Christ.

I think that is the main thing he wants us to remember: when we are suffering or when we encounter suffering, it is not because he has abandoned us. It is not because he doesn’t exist, or because he is cruel. I’m still not exactly sure why suffering exists, but all I know is that he is in our suffering. He encounters us. He is in solidarity with us because he does not want us to suffer alone. He is a good, good Father, and he knows what he is about. 

Know of my prayers for all of you. I hope and pray that this Lenten season, you may all encounter him in the midst of your sufferings and pain. I’ll see you in the Eucharist.

P.S. Please continue to pray for me, for our time traveling and getting settled across the country in Goa, where we will be living more settled across the country in Goa,  where we will be living more permanently. And please pray that I am  able to be docile to his Spirit and to what he is asking of me in each moment. God bless you.

By David Peterman, Jr.

The fact that we prioritize being together each Sunday to Praise the Lord and hear him through his word and the spiritual gifts proves that we are confident that God speaks to us. What I want to share this afternoon is the importance of ALL of us being an active part of this process.

Every one of us needs to eagerly strive for the spiritual gifts. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1 14:1) he exhorts

Pursue love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, above all that you may prophesy.

Community is the perfect place for us to develop our gifts. Spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to help the church and our Community grow in 1 Cor 12:28.

God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.

God has placed these gifts within each of us for the up building of the body. This is not a calling for 3-4 people who we hear from each Sunday. We all have the gifts and my sharing in an attempt to encourage 100% active participation. We each need to ask for gifts and put it into practice. Pray during the week with the expectation that God wants to speak through you on Sunday afternoon.

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.  (1 Tim 4:14-15)

Word gifts

It is no surprise that God predominantly speaks to us through his word. The Holy Spirit has inspired the sacred writers and the Church has discerned this message. Not only should we prioritize time with his word in our personal prayer time, but we should ask  Is this word for me or for the Community?  If you develop a sense that the word is for the Community, please bring the scripture passage to the discerner so that you can discern together. You can share what you have received along with the word and together discern whether to only share the scripture or also what you received.

Another common way the Lord speaks to us is through our experiencing him in small ways in our daily life. We should ask him if these experiences would build up the Community?

Gifts of tongues and prophecy

For those who discern that the Holy Spirit wants to speak through you through the gift of tongues. My encouragement is not to stop there but ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the specific message that he wants to say. The reasoning from Paul in 1 Cor 14:2-5,

For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to human beings but to God, for no one listens; he utters mysteries in spirit. On the other hand, one who prophesies does speak to human beings, for their building up, encouragement, and solace. Whoever speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the church. Now I should like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be built up.

Prophecies with words of direction should be submitted to Community leadership for discernment, which has a strong preference that they are written down. No matter how strongly you feel a prompting from the Holy Spirit, you should never spontaneously speak up directing the body to do anything (bow down, prostrate, start praising the Lord again, have a holy hug session, etc. ) rather you should either write the exhortation down and pass a note to one of the leaders or go to the person discerning word gift and share what you have received.

In the exercise of the gift of prophecy our objective is to minimize our personal views and maximize what we hear from the Holy Spirit. This involves being very humble in submitting what we receive to the relevant authority for discernment. We should also humbly seek feedback on the message to affirm the gift.

Speaking in tongues without discernment is a small exception to our norm of having all gifts discerned ahead of time and should only follow a member of the Community discerns a strong outpouring of the gift of tongues and discerns that it is immediately intended for the group. If the person receiving this is not sure of its urgency, they are encouraged to come to the discernment person even if the only thing to be shared is the words of tongues. Some discussion might take place in that forum about whether there are also words of interpretation accompanying the gift of tongues.

With the gift of interpretation of tongues, in keeping with the above special case, our history has been to have a short pause after spontaneous tongues to allow the spontaneous interpretation of the spoken gift of tongues by a Community member who believes, different from the gift of prophecy, that they have received the interpretation of the tongues. Order would suggest that there cannot be two different interpretations of a spoken gifts of tongues. If a second person believes they are receiving a different interpretation following the interpretation of tongues, it is preferred that they proceed to the front row for discernment of their word gift.

Practice

The way to develop our spiritual gifts is to use them. Maturity comes through practice. Small groups, Area meetings and family gatherings are all ways to build confidence. We want to hear from everyone on Sunday afternoons -- that is why we have discernment. When you not sure, come discuss it.

(Community Gathering, April 10, 2016)

By Bill Alexander

From New Jersey to Texas, Bill recounts his transformation from a backward insecure child raised in a Protestant alcoholic family to a vibrant convert with a deep love for God.

I grew up in southern New Jersey, the fourth child of six. My parents were Protestants. I was baptized in the Methodist church at the age of 13 and had minimal religious training. We were a dysfunctional family because my father was an alcoholic. I reacted to his drinking in a many ways. I became aware of the way we lived not having the proper necessities. In other words, I had long hair and holes in the knees of my pants, long before they were fashionable. I always felt that we were from the other side of the tracks. I related socially by becoming shy, backward and insecure.

Our way of life also affected me in the way that I related to God. I knew there was a God out there somewhere, but I didn't know him. I missed a great deal of school in my early years, was labeled a slow learner and pushed from grade to grade. When I left school, I was barely able to read or write. I found out many years later that I had a learning disability in the form of dyslexia.

New Jersey is the second most populated Catholic state, and many of my friends were Catholic. One of my best friends was the president of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). I played CYO sports and attended CYO dances. I even attended a few CCD classes. I didn't learn very much. I only went because that's where all the pretty girls were. The priest there was the youth director, and he befriended me. He was always encouraging and seemed concerned and interested. He didn't preach to me about becoming Catholic; he was just a witness to me.

From CYO dance to Mass

I first met Deana at a CYO dance several years before we began to date.  She invited me to attend Mass with her. Every time I went to Mass with her I experienced this special presence of God, which I would come to understand several years later.

As we continued our relationship, Deana had the good sense to pray about God's will in her life. I never met a girl like that. I was impressed with her witness. We dated for almost a year, and we married on May 19, 1962. I continued to go to Mass with her. Three years later I became a Catholic. I was really enthusiastic -- I was going to be the best Catholic that I could be.

After a few years, I became a Catholic in name only. I had a lot of misconceptions about God. I could not conceive that the God of the whole universe loved me, nor did I know that he wanted a personal relationship with me. I was told that he loved me but I never experienced that love. After ten years our marriage became a rocky road, to say the least. By now we had five children and I was working two jobs to make ends meet. I complained a lot, was irritated and frustrated.

In February 1972, my job with American Airlines became shaky in Philadelphia. There was a strong possibility of being laid off. In March we came to Dallas to look around. We knew about the new airport, which would give me job security. We liked what we saw and put in for a transfer.

Marriage Encounter with Don Quixote

At that same time in February 1972, we signed up for a marriage encounter retreat weekend, which we made in April 1972. God was truly present to us. He touched me on that weekend in a very profound way. I experienced his love for the very first time. It was so profound that I could give you the very exact date, time and place.

Here’s what happened: After the first session on Friday evening, Father Murray told us that he would be available for confession until midnight. Deana and I decided to go to confession as a couple. It was the first time that we had gone to confession with a priest, face-to-face. After this experience the Lord greatly blessed us.

The retreat just got better from there. Saturday morning, the first session was Encounter with Self. After the presentation, the retreat leaders played music from the Broadway show "Man of La Mancha." For me, it was like a personal parable of God's love. Through it I saw myself as a miserable sinner.

In this beautiful story, Don Quixote befriends a woman known as Aldonza who was filled with shame because of her past life. She seethed with self-hatred and remorse. She cries out,

“God, won't you look at me!  . . .
Born on a dung heap to die on a dung heap,
A strumpet men use and forget!”

Then Don Quixote befriends her, bringing life, hope, purpose and self- respect. He calls her his sweet lady. He gives her the endearing name  Dulcinea. I saw in this, the life-giving power of Jesus, restoring my worth of respect and dignity giving me newness of life.

The whole scene ends with the beautiful words,

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe …
To right the unrightable wrong …

After this experience Jesus had me! l was his. He just engulfed me with his unconditional love and mercy. After that I was hugging everyone in sight.

We were asked to be involved with Marriage Encounter. After much prayer and receiving the transfer, we continued to be a presenting couple, to spread Marriage Encounter here in North Texas. We were apart of the first Marriage Encounter here. On that weekend we met Louis and Sharon Cortinas, who were involved in the Community.

Life in the Spirit

After much prayer and persuasion, we attended our first prayer meeting in January 1974. That first prayer meeting turned me off. I didn't want to be involved with a bunch of holy rollers and fanatics. Deana signed up for Life in the Spirit right away. I didn't come back for four months. As I continued to come, I just observed. What I began to see was the love that they had for each other and Jesus.

After five months I finally signed up for Life in the Spirit. My life hasn't been the same since. A whole new world was opened up to me. I had a deep sense of God's presence in my life. One of the very first things that God had done in my life was healing me of dyslexia. I had begun just to devour God's Word. I was reading two, sometimes three, spiritual books in a week.

As I continued to be involved in Community, I received solid Christian teaching. I began to learn how to apply these teachings in my life in a down-to-earth way. God began to reveal himself to me more and more through these teachings but especially through the example of many. After receiving the Holy, Spirit the Lord began to prompt me to take a look at all areas of my life, especially my relationship with my father.

Forgiveness heals relationships

Over the years I had built up a lot of anger, bitterness and resentment. After the baptism in the Holy Spirit, I began to make visits to see my parents. On these visits Dad began to notice that there was something different about me. He began to ask questions. It was on my third visit that the Lord gave me the grace to ask Dad for forgiveness. I will never forget it. Dad was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. I was standing in front of the kitchen sink. I said, “Dad there is something that I must do, and that is to ask you to forgive me for all the anger, resentment and bitterness that I had because of your drinking.’” He got up and walked across the kitchen and put his hand on my shoulder and looked me right in the eye and said, “Why certainly Bill, why certainly I forgive you.”

All the anger resentment and bitterness just melted away. I thought the matter was over and came home the next day. Three days later I got a phone call from Dad. He then told me that he got on his knees and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his life. I was at a loss for words; all I could do is weep. A short time later both he and Mom receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our relationship was completely restored.

by Nancy Ward

In 1 Peter 3:15-16a we find our inspiration, motivation, encouragement and mission statement: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence.” (NABRE)

Why share your faith story?

1. As baptized Christians we are anointed to be evangelists.
2. Each of us is an unrepeatable expression of God’s presence in the world, with a unique story.
3. The most effective method of evangelization is personal witness.
4. We bring God’s presence to others through our story – and we bring them HOPE in a world that is losing hope.
5. We encourage others tremendously—and ourselves because we are doing what we were created to do – proclaim the greatness of the Lord!
6. Sharing our Faith Story is a big part of our continuous conversion that lasts a lifetime. Our story can be a big or little step in the continuous conversion of others.

How did Sharing Your Faith Story Ministry come about?

Through prayer and journaling, I developed my faith story. I discovered three components of my faith story that apply to stories of conversion and renewal, as well as returning to the Church, healings and miracles. I wrote my story with three guidelines:

1. Who were you before your conversion, renewal, healing or miracle happened?
2. What God-moment happened to change you? Connect with the moment when your first met Jesus as your Savior and he loved you.
3. Who are you now? How has your life changed?

To my written story I added some compelling reasons to tell my conversion story and my renewal story. I ended with Ten Tips for Sharing a Faith Story.

I presented it for a dozen women in my parish to critique, and changes were made.

Then we video recorded it for Catholic Conference for Catholic Mothers online conference.

Terry McDowell knew about it and soon arranged for a Women’s Forum on March 25, 2015, for the women of CCGD.

That day, on my way to Mount St. Michael, as I reviewed my presentation, that voice was back. The one who directed me to create the PTL newsletter 40 years ago. The voice I’ve heard a few other times. This time, it said, “Your not going to Mount St. Michael to give a couple of talks, you’re going to launch a new ministry.”

Do I did, surprising everyone -- myself the most!

The talks went well. In the workshop, during the breaks, the women begin to share their faith stories, confirming the message of the Holy Spirit. I was amazed!

I knew that the home base for Sharing Your Faith Story Seminars was CCGD. That’s where it would be tested. That’s where it needs to be. God’s message is to be supported, fanned out to the pastoral areas, share groups and ministries.

We produced a DVD as a three-part seminar for evangelization. We placed it on Amazon.com with a two-week blog tour and launched it locally through KATH at Sacred Heart Book Store.

We have 100% support from our coordinators. Each coordinator has a DVD to use in his area.

The Men’s Forum Feb 7, 2016, completed Phase I of the Sharing Your Faith Story Ministry Community-wide.

Most of you are now familiar with the basics of the ministry.

Many of you have experienced the fruit and joy of sharing your faith story in this way.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Phase II – test and practice within our CCGD home base

1. Familiarize yourself with the seminar and discern the best way to put this ministry into practice in your share group or Bible study.
2. Clarify your faith story. Prayerfully use three questions to write it, organize it and prioritize experiences and events. This is precious time with Holy Spirit!
3. View the video in your pastoral area. Alone or in a group, review the three parts of the DVD and use the written handouts. Discuss, practice and coach each other to give your conversion or renewal story.
4. Practice your one-of-a-kind elevator speech with your share group, friends and among your ministry co-workers.
5. Be ready to share with anyone, anywhere by knowing how to express how God worked in your life—and share it clearly and succinctly in a few minutes.
6. Get help. Call on me for help in answering questions, shaping your story, providing handouts.
7. Just do it! Be ready to give a ten-minute witness at Sunday Community Gatherings.

WHERE WE ARE GOING WITH THIS

Phase II prepares us for

Phase III – Taking SYFS Beyond CCGD Confident in the Lord, excited to share story – Some of you may be at this point now and ready to go!

1. Publish your witness. Send your written story to ptleditor@verizon.net for posting on godsdelight.org
2. Host a seminar. An area, Share Group or SLC can host a seminar for a parish or Catholic group. Join with others in your parish or combine two or more parishes, Bible study groups, ministry groups.
3. Give talks. One or several of you can give the talks. Or I can do the basic talks with your witness to illustrate conversion or renewal.
4. Let’s partner - I’ll take care of all the resources for presenting the seminar. As host, you would coordinate seminar within your group or parish.

This is a lot of information about a new outreach for our Community. Two important resources to help you right now:

1. Sharing Your Faith Story Ministry Information Guide
2. Flyer to promote Sharing Your Faith Story outreach in your parish or Catholic organization (available from Nancy)

What this new ministry needs:

• Prayer warriors
• People to prepare their story, practice it and be ready to share
• Leaders to bring a support team together to host a seminar in their parishes and other ministry groups.
• People to promote the seminars in parishes and Catholic groups by talking about it and distributing flyers. You can participate in this ministry by giving a flyer to your pastor, a Deacon, the Faith Formation Director, Bible Study leader or leaders of renewal groups such as ACTS or CHRP in your parish.

I invite you experience the Joy of sharing your faith story. Join me in holding high the banner that reads:

“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence.”

Please put Sharing Your Faith Story Ministry on your prayer list. Thank you!

(Community Gathering, 4-17-16)

Thursday May 5 throughSaturday, May 14 - Holy Spirit Novena tbeginning on Ascension Thursday (May 5th) through the Saturday before Pentecost (May 14th). Novena prayers will be available at the Gathering this and next Sunday.
 
Sunday May 8 -Mother's Day Rosary - 3:30 - 3:50 pm before Community Gathering, honoring our Mothers and especially our Blessed Mother Mary at the grotto or chapel. Everyone is encouraged to bring flowers to honor our Mothers and Blessed Mother.
 
Sunday May 15 - Pentecost Gathering to honor the Paraclete on Pentecost Sunday and joyfully celebrate together the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

By Lydia M

I grew up as a cradle Catholic in a very strict home in El Paso, Texas, with two wonderful parents who tried to raise my brother, my sister and me, the best they could. We went to church every Sunday but I lived a very worldly life. Even though I always believed there was a God, I only called on him when I needed him or when I needed something but I really didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. For some reason my friends thought that I was religious because I wasn’t involved in doing a lot of the bad things that they were involved in doing, and also because I was a member of my local church choir. But quite honestly, I just wanted to fit in with them.

While I was in college, I went to many parties with my friends. Wherever there was alcohol, dancing and men, I was there. I dated quite a bit. We would say and do very worldly things and the words that would come out of my mouth were not very nice. I was in my early twenties when I became engaged with a young man, who like me, loved to go to parties. He kept pulling me away from God’s graces, and I let him. He turned out to be a violent alcoholic who tried to hurt me. I forgave him and I tried to save him. Can you believe that? I tried to save him –- by taking him to Church and supporting him through Alcoholics Anonymous. He started doing better so I decided to go through with marrying him.

At that time I had just been hired by a law enforcement agency and I was going through a four-month academy when I found out that he was back to his normal self behind my back. So I called off the wedding and didn’t marry him. My job then took me to New Mexico.

Several years later I married my friend and confidant, the boy next door that I had grown up with. Because I had grown up with him I trusted him even though I didn’t have any guidance from anyone on how to choose my husband. I thought he was a good choice and somehow I always felt that as long as I had a man in my life I was okay.

My new husband and I were married and we began to live our lives together in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He became the leader of the church choir at our local church. Somehow, I always felt the Lord calling me deeper so I went to a Cursillo at the Lord’s Ranch. My husband had no interest in going. In fact it was really not his idea that we continued going to church; it was my idea because I always felt called by the Lord.

After four years my job transferred me to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where I joined a specialized team involved in collecting evidence. We would process crime scene after crime scene, and I became very judgmental against criminals. I thought of them as “scumbags.” I became very hardened and calloused with every crime scene, thinking of subjects involved in the scenes, and even the victims sometimes, as objects and not as God’s children. After all, it was just a job.

My husband became the leader of the church choir at the local military base and I too was in the choir. But once again, we were just going through the motions; just going to church every Sunday, not having a relationship with Jesus. We formed a new group of friends in Puerto Rico who loved to party, just like we did.

In 1998 our first child, Alex Jr., was born. After a year we were transferred to Dallas where my second baby, Miguel, was born in 2001. My husband began working for the Post Office and up until then I thought that I was on the right path towards God! After all I had a good job, my husband had landed a good job, and I had two beautiful boys. Who needed faith? So I thought.

When my baby was one, our marriage began to collapse. I became very troubled and I did everything I could to save the marriage. I started coming here to Prayer Meetings. At every Prayer Meeting I kept hearing “Surrender! Surrender!”

I remember the day when, while working in law enforcement, we went out to do a very routine search warrant. We were knocking on the door and the person didn’t come down. Plan B was for me to call him and I did. I picked up the phone and I called and I said, “Mr. ‘whatever’ we’re here with a search warrant. You need to come down immediately! Do you understand?” His response was, “Yeah, okay.” The next thing we heard was a loud bang and we knocked down the door and found that he had taken his life. I was the last person to talk to him that day.

For the first time in my life, this tough person that I thought I was, wasn’t so tough at all. I got home and I cried and cried. I felt all alone. I had hit rock bottom! I remember listening to the song, “I surrender all” and I sang it as I was lying on the floor screaming, “Okay Lord, you’ve got me. I can’t do this alone! I surrender all.” I will never forget the peace that I felt that day. That was the Lord!

As I walked in today, I saw this little book that says, “I’ve met Jesus Christ.” That was the day that I met Jesus Christ; and just as the song was sung earlier today, “You came in my darkness. You are the light that always shines. You are the one!” I knew at that point that He was the one. On that day I even prayed for the soul of the person who had taken his life. I reconciled with my God, telling him how sorry I was for all of my sins and I know he forgave me. I began searching for him more and more and kept coming here to these Prayer Meetings every Sunday.

I remember seeing everybody raising their hands and I thought they were freaks. I remember coming here and holding my hands up little by little. Then my hands started going up and up and up and before you know it, I was a freak too –- for the Lord.

It gave me such a sense of freedom, and it continues to give me such a freedom. I even started taking Life in the Spirit classes. I was on fire for the Lord!  Finally, I felt like I was on the right path. I made a lot of good friends here at CCGD. I moved from Lewisville to Duncanville so that my children could come here to Mount St. Michael Catholic School. I began allowing the Lord to guide my path. The Lord, through my brothers and sisters of this precious Community, helped me through my painful divorce and my annulment.

The Lord guided me into joining the Christian Community of God’s Delight where I learned that God, from the very beginning of time, intended us to be part of a community where we can love and care for our brothers and sisters and walk with each other, encouraging one another to stay on the right path towards God. Now I speak to Jesus daily. I have a renewed hope, a new freedom! I have a whole new set of friends -- not friends that are going to drag me down, but friends that are going to lift me up, with Christ.

My kids have grown up beautifully. They were taught by wonderful teachers at this precious Community and surrounded by good examples of brothers and sisters who are seeking to follow the Lord. My oldest is getting ready to graduate and he’s going to be attending Benedictine College. What better place? God has worked so much in our lives. My kids and I pray for their daddy and their step-mom every day, so that they he will find the Lord as well.

Now, when I see people on TV committing crimes, yes, whatever it may be, I do pray for justice but at the same time I pray for that person’s soul. For we are all God’s children, no matter what we’ve done to offend him. He loves us so much that he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us. He is a loving, kind, gentle and merciful God who’s just waiting for his children to let him in so that he can renew them as he renewed each of us.

I now have faith that one day I will meet my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and spend an eternity with him! I thank God for finding this lost little child. Just as he came to save me, he came to save all of us. He came to save you! Our part is only to surrender to him and to let him in.

I want to conclude with a funny story that some of you have probably already heard me say and forgive me please for making you listen to it again. But it really ties all of this in to what my life has been with the Lord. One day, a long time ago, when I was in Puerto Rico we were on an assignment and we had a day off. There was a colleague with me and we were on the island of Palomino. We were standing there and looking at another little island and my colleague said, “What is that island?” I said, “Well, that’s the island of Palominito.” He asked me, “Why don’t we swim there?” I looked at him and I said, “Okay, sounds like a great idea.” So we started swimming and swimming and swimming and swimming; and I got tired; and I said, “Henry, I need to rest! Let me float a little while.” So I did.

And we were swimming and swimming and I said that there was no way I could make the trip back, that I would drown. I said, “Why don’t we ask that little man there -- he’s got a boat -- if he could give us a lift back to the island. It’s just right there anyway.” He said, “Yeah, that’s a good idea Lydia.” I think he was getting scared. I went to the little old man and I asked him if he could give us a ride back and he said, “No, I can’t. I can’t leave these people here.” I said, “But don’t you understand? I’m going to drown!”  He said, “No, you’re not going to drown. You see the tip of that little island [the one that we were on] there’s a little tree and you can walk in the water there. It’s very shallow. It’s up to your knees. It’s shallow all the way back to the island. You can walk back.” So we walked back and laughed the whole way.

That has been my life. I didn’t have anybody warning me about people who were going to take me into these traitorous waters. Now I do. I have Esmeralda, Sue Wagner and others who are saying, “Oh Lydia, maybe that’s not a good idea.” And when I get tired and feel like if I can’t go anymore, all I’ve got to do is float and be still and know that he is God. When he leads me to where I need to go there are always people who will continue to lead me back to the right path. There are the Therese Caffeys and the Ann Mieschs and everyone else who tell me, “Lydia, you’re not going to drown!” and they will lead me back to the right path and together, as brothers and sisters, we can walk together on the right path. To God be all the Glory! Thank you.

Community Gathering 5-1-16

by David Peterman, jr.

My witness is not a dramatic story but rather a story of encounters.  As a preamble Webster defines “coincidence” as “a situation in which events happen at the same time in a way that is not planned or expected.” My intention is to share my encounters in a way that cannot be understood as simple coincidence.

First contact  

When I was about 10 years old, while doing a dreaded chore of raking pollen in my families patio, I had the thought that if someone would come over and invite me to do something that my folks would say “yes” and I would be able to stop raking.  A specific boy came to mind that was someone I knew but not someone I hung around with because he younger.

A moment later he walked through the gate and asked if I could play ball.  I could hardly believe it.  It made a real impression on me, even at age 10.  The chance that the exact person walked in at the exact moment was so remote that I eliminated the possibility that it was a coincidence and believed it was, a “God moment” where the impossible happens and understood God saying to me “I am real; pray for what you want; I am here for you.”

Love  

When I was about 12 my parents starting taking the family to Bishop Lynch to attend prayer meetings.  These meetings where unlike anything I had seen at church or on the TV.  They talked and prayed as if they knew God.  I distinctly recall being really impressed with the love that I saw and experienced at the prayer meetings.  The people were different -- a good different.  I decided then that I wanted to be like the people at the prayer meeting and started attending every Sunday, even if my parents made attendance optional. 

St. Francis movie

 As a teenager I attended a youth ministry function at UD to watch the movie “Brother Son Sister Moon” about the life of St. Francis.  I was touched in a powerful way.  After the movie was over, the other youth were milling around in the back of the auditorium, but I could not stand still. I was on fire inside, physically impacted.  I walked out of the auditorium and started pacing around the campus.  After some time I settled down and rejoined the group.  I was surprised that others were not similarly impacted.  I heard God say to me that he wanted me to say “yes” to him as Francis did.  This started a long discernment process whether this meant literally joining the Franciscans or whether I was just supposed to say “yes” to God, as did Francis, and figure out what he was calling me to do next.  My children should be grateful that there was not a Franciscan recruiter at the event, as I am sure I would have signed up then and there.

Confirmation of major decisions

I lived in Community as a young adult for 10 years.  As I learned what it meant to say “yes” to God, I obviously found myself needing to make a lot of important decisions.  I had to choose a college, decide a major, which car to buy, whether God was calling me to the priesthood or marriage, and if marriage, when and whom to marry.  For each of these major decisions I decided to take God up on his promise that he would guide me. I put up fleeces.  For these major decisions I would pray and then ask God for a sign to confirm the decision.  I never heard an audible voice but in every instance I received the confirmation I was looking for.

Sometimes it was even silly.  I remember needing to decide on whether to buy a certain car or not. I prayed, opened the paper to the classifieds and God confirmed both the car and the price.  When making my state-in-life decision, the Lord led our men’s household to a Mass at St. Patrick’s where the homily was a testimony about the priesthood and we were seated immediately behind a couple with a new baby and the extended family were on both sides.  I felt a clear answer.

In each major decision there were always circumstances that I could identify confirming the fact that God was real, he loved me, that he wanted the best for me, and if I would turn to him, he would help me to know his will for me.

Slain in the Spirit

A very special encounter occurred in this gym.  I attended a Community retreat where Brian Smith from Australia was here and on Saturday evening he started praying with people.  I watched as people he was praying for fell to the floor.  I was somewhat scared but mostly just a huge doubter.  I had seen people on TV being slain in the Spirit but I assumed it was all an act and that the preacher was pushing people.  I had never seen it in person.  I was sitting with my dad that meeting, since he was discerning the Word Gifts, and was therefore on the front row.  I realized I had to act quickly since Brian was working his way down the first row toward where I was standing.

I quickly prayed and asked God what I should do.  I heard him say to me, softly inside, the words “let go.” I knew he wanted me to surrender. I decided to remain on the front row and let Brian pray with me, but I was quick to assure myself that I was not going to be pushed or help the process in any way. I was just going to obey, surrender, let go and see what God would do.  Well, when Brian put his hand on my head – Bam, I was out.  I knew I fell to the floor. (Fortunately someone caught me) But I was out for what seemed like a long time.  I am sure it was only 10 minutes but it was an amazing feeling.  It is very hard to describe the experience, I was alert, able to regain control if I needed to but the euphoric feeling was total and constant.  I did nothing but let go and surrender. It was all God.

All things work for good  

With all these real life confirmations that God is real and that he loves me, I knew I had to more fully give my life to him each day.  I was so blessed by Community that affirmed my call and provided friends and mentors.  This Community became my extended family.  One day I heard a teaching on Rom 8:28 that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”  While reflecting on that promise I decided to put God to the test and as I had in the past.  I thought back to the absolute worst thing that had ever happened to me.  When the specific event came to my mind I concluded that there was no way that the worst thing that had ever happened to me could have brought about any good, so this seemed like the perfect test.

 It was not too hard to come up with the worst thing.  When I was about 9 years old I was with other neighborhood kids at Jesuit high school and saw two kids with their b-b guns, they looked like they were having fun so I went home and got mine.  At first the targets where not destructive but eventually we shot lights in the scoreboard and rest rooms.  I had been a pretty straight kid but boy was I in trouble.  Someone called the police; they took the three of us to the police station and called our parents to come get us.  I am sure my parents came away from the event really worried about their juvenile delinquent in the making.

So, back to my challenge, God’s word stated “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” The more I considered the b-b gun incident the more confident I was that it was the perfect test since I was not aware of anything positive had come from this situation.  Later that week I was eating lunch with my mom and we were talking about Community.  You have to understand that Community had become so significant in my life and the life of every family member -- everything revolved around Community.  I asked my mom, “Mom, how did we get our start in Community?”  She did not hesitate and replied, “Remember when you were picked up by the police for the b-b gun incident?”  I said yes “Well, your Dad and I were very concerned for you so we started asking people for advice.  One of the people we talked to was a lady named Joan Delin, she invited us to a prayer meeting and we have been going ever since.

WOW, did God every answer my challenge.  Not only did God take the absolutely worst thing that had happened to me and turn it into good, he took that worst thing and showed me how he turned it into the best thing that had ever happened to me and my whole family!  Community was so significant that it seemed everything good in my life can be tracked back to Community. It is scary to think where I would be without Community. God is so good and his Word is true and “all things do work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”.

Encounters, not coincidences

I started with Webster’s definition of coincidence.  The objective of my sharing was to share encounters that were so dramatic that they cannot be explained away as random.  God is alive.  He does want better for us than we want for ourselves and he has a divine plan for each of us, if we will but surrender to his will.  This Community is a place that helped me come to this realization and I thank each of you for your part in this story. 

My final testimony is that God comes to me (and to us) every time we turn to him.  Most mornings I turn to him in prayer and try to offer my day, reading his Word and a few pages from a spiritual book.  My priority is to spend time meditating on what I read, and spend quiet time with him even if it seems wasted, turning my attention back to him after distractions.  While my earlier stories were of big encounters my main point is that these encounters happen every day.  The little daily encounters happen when my time with him yields an answer to a prayer, a word for someone else, an idea how to serve him, or just the blessing of his presence or the joy of his spiritual gifts.  Just this week I was praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit “Come Holy Spirit” and I was finishing a book entitled Time for God by Jacques Philippe.  I was reading a method for meditation and one of the steps suggested praying the “Come Holy Spirit” prayer.  The Holy Spirit was getting my attention regarding this meditation and I just had to stop and smile and acknowledge that encounter.

God is alive.  He wants a deep relationship with us and will reveal himself to us if we will but give him a chance.  Let us, individually and collectively, say “yes” to him.

(Community Gathering, May 15, 2015)

No Community Gathering on July 4^th Weekend – enjoy community building and fellowship time with family and friends

New Born of the Spirit Seminar begins soon, contact Jim Kramer for more information born-of-the-spirit@GodsDelight.org

2017 Pentecost in Rome with the Pope. For more information contact moderator@GodsDelight.org

By Tom Harman

I was raised in a Catholic family of six children. We lived four houses down from St. Pius X Church and School and I attended St. Pius X Catholic School. I was an altar server, never missed Mass on Sunday, and received the sacraments regularly. However, I didn’t have a personal relationship with the Lord.

The summer before entering the seventh grade, some of my classmates and I attended St. John’s Seminary in San Antonio for a week to pray for our vocations. At that time I thought my vocation was to the priesthood. The priests at St. John’s told us that God would make it very clear to us what our vocation was to be. Within about a month after returning home, God put it on my heart that my vocation was married life rather than the priesthood. At the time I was a little sad but yet happy. Consequently, though, it has been a tremendous blessing being married to Sharon over the past 39 years and raising our family of four sons.

First engagement

During my dating years, though, I was always somewhat anxious about who I would marry. When I was 20, I got engaged to a young lady named Anjea. We weren’t planning on getting married until after I graduated from college. I knew we had some issues but being young I managed to look past them. My parents knew that she wasn’t the right person for me, but they didn’t say anything. Instead they just prayed. One evening after a date, out of the clear blue sky, Anjea said she wanted to break-up. This was January of 1975, and I was 21 at the time. Needless to say, I was devastated.

The next morning I told my parents. My mother said she will probably want to get back together, but she urged me not to. As a matter of fact, my mother said Anjea would probably do anything to get back together. I went back into my bedroom and said, “Lord, I’m not going to worry about who I’m going to marry but rather I surrender that to you.” I had a real sense of peace.

Shortly after that I called Anjea and said I wanted the engagement ring back. She came by and did, in fact, want to get back together. Needless to say, I said, “No.” The following month Anjea attempted suicide by taking an overdose of tranquilizers and was admitted to Presbyterian’s psychiatric ward. As much as I felt compelled to contact her, I didn’t. I listened to my mother and stayed the course. Mom’s favorite scripture was Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.”

The 700 Club and Channel 39

Then the following month, God began working in my life through my oldest sister, Mary Ann. After Mary Ann had graduated from high school, she entered the convent. After about six years and before making final vows, she had a nervous breakdown. This was March of 1975. My father drove down to Beaumont, picked her up and brought her back home. To help with her healing process, she began attending counseling sessions with a local priest. Many days when I would come home from my morning classes at SMU, I’d find both she and my mother watching the 700 Club. I didn’t watch it, but I couldn’t help but hear it in the background.

As part of her healing process, Mary Ann also began volunteering as a phone counselor at Channel 39. One Saturday evening in June they had a dinner for volunteers, and she asked me if I’d like to attend. That evening, especially through the praise and worship, the Lord touched my heart in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. I had a real sense of the Lord’s presence and peace.

During this time I also worked part-time at UPS. I had a supervisor named Kermit Nabors. Kermit lived near Bishop Lynch High School and was a member of the Assembly of God. He was curious about the prayer meetings at Bishop Lynch and asked me if I’d take him sometime. I said I would, but I had no intention of doing so. My parents and sisters already attended the prayer meetings, but I’d rather have spent my Sunday afternoons watching football, Wide World of Sports, American Sportsman, etc.

Taking Kermit to Bishop Lynch

Anyway, Kermit kept asking me if I’d take him to a Prayer Meeting and I’d say, “Yes.” Finally, he asked if I would make a commitment and I said, “Yes.” He asked if I’d take him next Sunday and I said, “Yes.” (He caught me in a weak moment.) I thought, I’ll take him and get this over with! Anyway, I took him and again the Lord touched my heat through the praise and worship. As we left the prayer meeting, I thought to myself, “What better way could I be spending my Sunday afternoons than praising and worshiping God?” I decided that I would go back the next Sunday, and I have been attending the prayer meetings ever since.

So, that was August 1975. Now, a couple of months earlier I met Sharon while my Dad and I were helping Vietnamese refugees move into homes. As we were leaving a house, Sharon and her Dad were walking up. My Dad and Sharon’s Dad knew each other from the Men’s Club at St. Pius. They played poker together. While they talked, Sharon and I made small talk. When we left, I thought, “I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.”

The second time I went to the prayer meeting, Sharon and I ran into each other. We chatted for a moment, and she shared a scripture with me: 1 Cor. 2:9. “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither has entered into the hearts of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.” I thought, “I wonder what she means by that?” Then we started running into each other after Mass at St. Pius. (Actually, I think she was stalking me.) Anyway, shortly after that I started a Life in the Spirit Seminar and was baptized in the Holy Spirit.

I thank God for touching my heart when he did. I can’t imagine going through life without a personal relationship with the Lord. It’s been a real blessing being a part of a body of people who love the Lord, are living their lives in the Spirit and are striving to do God’s will. There’s hardly a waking moment that I don’t experience God’s presence. What a blessing. Praise the Lord!

Community Gathering, June 5, 2016

by Virna Coxon

In the summer 2001, we were visiting my family in Monterrey, Mexico. I was twenty-three weeks pregnant. I started to loose amniotic fluid. The doctor told me to remain in complete bed rest. I was able to rest for a week to wait for my middle son Christian to develop more, especially his lungs.

After a week he had to be born. I was still losing fluid and an infection was starting. Christian and I were at risk. The neonatal specialist that was going to receive Christian came to introduce himself when I was ready for the C-section. He was telling me all the complication that could happen to Christian because he was so premature. He asked me if I knew the sex of the baby and I said yes, it’s a boy. He let me know that girls fight more for their lives than boys. He asked me. “If any big complication happened do you still want to have him, and fight for his life?” I said yes, of course. When I was having the C-section I was praying and then I saw Christian, in the reflection of the light. I was asking so hard for God to have mercy on Christian!! So Christian was born at 24 weeks. His weight was 2 lbs. He was born on July 7. His due date was on October 10.

Chaplet of Divine Mercy

When Chris and I we got married, a couple from the community in Monterrey that was our wedding sponsors, gave us a painting of the Divine Mercy and written instructions on how to pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Before we had children we were praying the novena, but nothing like when Christian was born. We were praying daily, and often more than once a day, the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

The first 24 hours after Christian was born were crucial, as was every other day. He had three, grade IV brain hemorrhages. He had a breathing tube and was under medication. One of his medications was for seizures. When I was released from the hospital it was so painful to leave my baby there. He was having a hard time. A priest came to baptize him in the NICU. After two months he was doing so well until he got an infection. We got a call in the middle of the night, and I knew that was from the hospital. The doctor told us about the infection and that Christian had complications. The doctor shared that Christian was gone for a little bit and they were able to bring him back. Since then, Chris and I were not only praying the Divine Mercy during the day, but also in also at three o’clock in the morning.

The following weeks he was in intensive care in the NICU. After more than three months, we were able to take him to Boston, where we were living, with oxygen. For the next 24 months, I was spending days at the children’s hospital with Christian and Jonathan, our older son. Christian was operated on for a hernia and a feeding tube was putting in him. He was receiving therapies. He was a happy, happy baby. After a year and a half, they took away the seizure medication.

When he was two, he had a major seizure while we were on vacation and had to be hospitalized. Again he was under medication for two years. 

At the age of five, he had another major seizure. At that time we were living in Denton. I was driving with the three boys after soccer practice. He fell over in the back seat and He was having a major seizure. I called 911. When we were waiting for the ambulance, my oldest son Jonathan told me, “Mama he is going to be okay! We just need to pray.” Driving behind the ambulance I saw the tall grass off the freeway, and God spoke to me. He said that all of the prayers that had been said for Christian since he was born were still there clamoring to God. That was Christian’s first ride in the helicopter to Fort Worth Children’s Hospital.

Since then he has been under medication, and from time to time will have a seizure. He hasn't had any for the last three years, Thanks to the glory of God!

God shows his mercy

God has been showing us his mercy in so many ways. We sometimes had doubts. But God has always been giving us answers immediately. These are some examples.

We were meeting Chris’ cousin, and his granddaughter, in Puerto Rico. She was in a wheel chair. She was born at seven months with a Grade 3 hemorrhage and water on her brain. The doctors said that she would be in the wheel chair all her life. Christian was born much earlier and had worst brain hemorrhages but can walk and care for himself.

On another occasion, during a test he was having, I was starting to doubt. And then I thought, ”God is in control. I don't have to doubt.” After the test the nurse told me to take him home, and that he would be sleepy. So when we were home he asked me to read something before he went to sleep. He brought me his Bible and he chose the story of Gideon in Judges 6:1. In it the Israelites were under the Midian. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said in, Verse 12: The Lord is with you, brave and mighty man!” Later he tells him that he is going to free the Israelites. But Gideon replied, Verse 15-16: But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe and I am the least important. The Lord answered, “You can do it because I will help you.”

Another time that I was doubting during the Divine Will Group. We were reading what Jesus spoke to Luisa Piccarreta in Volume 12. She asked Jesus, “What is the purpose of my life?” And Jesus told her, “The purpose of your life is known to me, and it is not up to you to investigate it.”

God is showing us that he has been with Christian in all moments. That he has shown m mercy on him. God has a plan for him. That Christian is in his hands. And he is blessing him.

Journey to Lourdes

Last month we had the blessing of going to Lourdes. He was chosen by the Order of Malta. When we went to the interview, somebody told us that God heals not only physical sicknesses but also spiritual ones. I cannot count how many people were praying for him for on this pilgrimage. Some people that don't even know us and many that do, including you, the school, including the staff. Gretchen was offering all the Masses in that week for him, and his classmates also were praying for him.

Being in Lourdes for a week was a great blessing. This experience is going to mark his life and mine forever. The most special day was when we went to the baths. We were separated into woman and men. While we were waiting, I was praying for Christian, and God took me back to when he was born and when I was clamoring "God have mercy on him." And then I heard the people from the Order of Malta praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy for us. After that they prayed for him and me. Following the baths, we had Mass and the anointing of the sick. That day was really a spiritual healing. Everybody loved up on him, spoiled him and started to pray for his Confirmation that was going to be in few days after we returned to Dallas. We felt very, very loved.

The day after we arrived, Christian went to his Confirmation retreat. That evening, I received a text with a picture of Christian when the sisters and other kids that were praying for him to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And yes, he received the gift of tongues. And also that evening I received an email from a Monsignor in Iowa that went with us to Lourdes. He was going to say a Mass for Christian’s Confirmation.

At the age of three years old we celebrated his formal Baptism in Mexico, and we choose this Bible verse for that moment:

You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it with all my heart. When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother’s womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there-- you saw me before I was born. (Psalm 139:13-16a (GNB)

I really want to thank God for this miracle of life, for the mercy that he has had on Christian. I want to thank every one of you for your prayers and I know that you are going to continue to pray for him. And I want to say thank our son Christian, for opening your life and heart to God.

Community Gathering, June 12, 2016

By Doyle Barras

For those of you who may not know me personally, my name is Doyle Barras. My wife Catherine and all our children here, make a lot of noise! Catherine and I, as a married family, have been part of Community for thirteen years. I participated in Community before she and I met, about nineteen years in total. Not as long as some of you here, but long enough for me.

When they first asked me to share my witness, I thought it would be really easy. You just sit up here and talk. And then David said, “You have ten minutes.” Wow, that’s not a whole lot of time when you think consider all the ways God does in your life.

God brought this Scripture to mind as I was getting ready. 1 Corinthians 3:6: “I planted, Apollo watered but only God caused the growth.” I think that’s a really good summary of my witnesss.

I grew up with a typical Catholic upbringing. My parents were definitely the ones that planted the seeds of faith for me and all my family. We never missed Church. We attended every Holy Day of Obligation. We received all our sacraments and they brought us up in a very loving home. They planted these seeds in all of our lives. They are just tremendous.

My faith life was active, but it was only active up to a certain point. Everybody would say, “Hey! You want to go to Youth Group?” and I’d say, “Not really.” “It’s going to be fun.” And I would answer, “I bet, but no thank you.” But I still participated in my faith. God took me to a place where I was reading my Bible daily. I was praying the Rosary regularly and at one point God even blessed me with a small miracle. I started praying my Rosary a lot after a trip to Medjugorje and one day I took the rosary out of my pocket and it turned from silver to gold! I’ve heard of miracles like that occurring but didn’t expect it to happen to me. These were additional seeds of faith that were planted in my life.

God calling

I was Confirmed at 16 years old. I grew up in Louisiana where we’re normally Confirmed in the eleventh grade. I made my Confirmation and could really feel a change in my life, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I couldn’t exactly identify what was going on. I knew I needed something more, something a little bit deeper, but I wasn’t quite sure. I now know that it was God calling. At the time, I just didn’t know how to respond to that call.

About that time I met a fanatic. I’m going to describe a fanatic and I don’t want you to look around at others, just in case you might make them uncomfortable. So to define: a fanatic is someone who prays a lot. But they don’t pray quietly. They pray kind of loud, and every once in awhile they’ve been know to kind of reach up their arms a little bit and shout something like, Praise the Lord! The person that I met, was Terry Boudreaux -- I think Stephen Ward knows him -- and he is a fanatic by that definition. Let me tell you about the first time I met this man who is a charismatic Catholic. One day my brother said, “Hey, my religion teacher needs some help. Can you come give us a hand? He lives on a farm.” I said, “Sure.” We were getting ready for the work day when Terry said, “Before we start we ought to pray.” I grew up in a prayerful house and I said. “Sure; no problem.” So we were just sitting there and then he started praying loud and started praising the Lord. It went on for fifteen minutes and I was just sitting there like, “This is interesting.” After praying Mr Terry realized that I was not prepared for that.  He said, “Did that make you uncomfortable?” I told him, “No, that’s fine with me.” I thought – this guy is crazy. I’ve never heard anybody pray like this before. I grew up in a Catholic household and it wasn’t as if I was unfamiliar with prayer.

That’s the point where God really started working in me. That started an important phase of disciplship and formation for me. And I have to tell you, that Formation Ministry is a little bit different than you have here. The discipleship course was a hundred-acre farm in south Louisiana where it is hot and humid. I’d describe it more like an apprenticeship. We worked for free. Mr Terry brought my brother and I into his life. Then he just started discipling us naturally, normally through work. It was really amazing. We had a great time. I was fifteen at the time. What fifteen-year-old doesn’t like farms and tractors and hay and bondfires? Those are all great things.

Movement of the Holy Spirit

In the midst of that, I learned a lot. He taught me a lot about the love of God and the movement of the Holy Spirit. That’s exactly what I was missing. I had all the other things, I had the faith that my parents gave me but I didn’t have that dynamic, that personal relationship with Jesus. This was where I really found out something that’s very colloquial, that is very spiritual. It’s not what you know; it’s who you know. Think about that from this perspective: I knew my faith, but I didn’t know Jesus personally. Then, as I continued to spend time with Mr. Terry, he started introducing me to other people that were charismatic like him.

Then I really started seeing, “It’s really who you know.” You see, it started with a single relationship – meeting Mr. Terry. He introduced me to others that really lived out their faith. Particularly I met several men who were on fire for Jesus. They weren’t perfect people, none of us are, but they were really good examples of how they lived out their faith. He gave me something to aspire to; that faith should not sit on a shelf. Over time, I could see that these men were living out their faith. They had significant “bumps in the road” of their lives; yet they maintained their faith. They lived it. Seeing that was so important for me as a young man. It made such a great impression on me.

As part of this discipleship, I participated in a weekly prayer meeting with Mr. Terry and several other families from the Lafayette, Louisiana, area where I grew up. It was Saturday night and I was in college. What a great way to spend Saturday night in college. We’d sit at this prayer meeting and we would pray intercessory prayer for hours on end. When I say “hours on end” I mean in a good way and also mean it in a bad way. Literally for two to three hours sometimes, interceding for whatever the Holy Spirit placed on people’s hearts. This was definitely a work of obedience for me but it was also where these relationships blossomed and that’s really what brought me closer to Jesus.

Relationships

A lot of people ask me, “How did you get here to this Community?” It was through that prayer group and those relationships that I found the community. I graduated from college and everybody knew I was moving to Dallas for my job. Mr. Terry encouraged me to talk Frank Summers since he knows several Community families. Two of those families happened to be Joe Tinker and Tony Tinker. Mr. Frank encouraged me to contact them. I was a little shy but I called them and I came to the Prayer Meeting. In parallel, I had a good friend out of high school who went on the NET Team and his wife knew I was moving to Dallas and she said, “You know, Craig was on NET Team with some people from Dallas, you may want to meet them while you’re there.” So I asked their names and numbers, and it just happened to be Ron Holleman (Jr.) and his wife. I met him separately and then, all of a sudden, I started figuring out that Ron and his wife were connected to the Community. It’s not what I knew; it’s who I knew. I mean that in a positive way, of course, not in a negative connotation we are used to.

That is just one way that God used those relationships to provide for me. How do you think I met my wife? It was a blind date arranged by a family from that Saturday night prayer group that knew Catherine and thought we would get along. Catherine resisted the offer to meet me for three years but we finally met, fell in love, got married and started our family. It’s that continuing relationship that God continued to use.

So let’s to go back to that scripture again, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.” I could see God doing exactly that in my life. Getting prepared for this sharing has been really great for me; I had to recall all those ways God worked powerfully in my life; all those ways that God has really blessed me through holy, healthy relationships.

I have homework for everybody. I really encourage you to go home after Prayer Meeting and think about all those people that either planted or watered the seeds of your faith life. Spend some time thanking God for their response to his call. The challenge for us as we go forth is to ask ourselves, “Who are we planting for and who are we watering for”. In the end, as David mentioned in his sharing earlier in prayer meeting, God calls us to be in relationship with each other. Sometimes we don’t know where those relationships will lead but we’ve got to be faithful to what God calls us to do. In my case, one man’s faithfullness to that call blessed my life tremendously.

So think about that as you leave prayer meeting. Give God thanksgiving and honor for all that he’s done for each of you. God bless you all.

Community Gathering, May 22, 2016

by Alice Clauss

 “Do not fear what to say when they bring you before authorities, for the Holy Spirit will give you utterance.” (See Luke 12:11) Relying on that promise, I’m here to share my testimony about my life and how God has shown his love and mercy. My name is Alice Clauss and I have been with the Christian Community of God’s Delight for 42 years. One of our dear sisters in the Lord always gives me a big hug, smiles and says, “It’s so good to see you. You know you’re a living miracle, right?” It gives me pause every time because I have to reflect on just what her question means, and think back on my life.

Barbara Jean Dalton
November 11, 1934 – June 7, 2016

Sharing by Christina and Audrey Peterman

Hello everyone, my name is Christina Peterman, and I am the middle grandchild of Barbara (or Barbs, as we fondly referred to her). In fact we had a whole slew of nicknames for her, including Barbarito, Barb-a-loosie-toosie, and most recently, simply GB).

And my name is Audrey. I am her youngest grandchild.

Barbs loved her grandchildren -- that was always evident to us. She spent every moment she could with us, and constantly encouraged us to come over to her house, especially when we were younger. I know I speak for all seven of us when I say that we have nothing but the fondest memories of our time at GB’s house. She was always willing to participate in a game of dress up, a special favorite of all of ours being Peter Pan.

She also always had a pantry full of sweet treats (what we most looked forward to at Barb’s house). She spoiled us with Oreos and Dr. Pepper, items that were rarely available at our own house. Grandma loved treats. When she picked Michelle and Chris up from school she was always willing to get them ice cream. And when she lived with my family, I will admit we used her love of treats for our own gain. All it took to convince Mom to buy us a treat was to tell her that GB wanted it-- and GB was always willing to tell Mom she did want it, even if she didn’t.

One of Grandma’s other favorite activities for us when we came over was to watch movies. GB loved movies, and over the years we’ve been “forced” to watch many real winners--including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Cyber Chase, and a 10-hour documentary on Moses. More recently, when she lived with us, we would wake up at 1 am hearing her loud Netflix, and it was always interesting to hear what she was watching, as it differed by the day. Sometimes it would be Masses, talks on EWTN, and occasionally the history channel or black and white Russian movies. Grandma loved mystery shows, and those were what she had on most often. In the evenings, we enjoyed piling into her room to watch the mystery shows with her, and even though she’d seen every Hercule Poirot, she watched them again with us because they were our favorite (and she only spoiled the ending half the time). She did soon get tired of us interrupting the movie every 5 minutes to get a snack, so she eventually laid down the law with a list of strict rules including: no leaving to go to the bathroom, no sneezing on the floor, and no getting up to get snacks.

When we were with her she was always cracking us up. One never knew what to expect with GB, as conversations with her ranged from her picking out all our husbands to refusing to give Audrey a donut from her beloved hidden stash. That was one of Barbs’ greatest qualities--bringing joy, light and laughter to any situation. It is quite the understatement to say that she was extroverted as she could make anyone feel comfortable, even a group of strangers in her hospital waiting room. She loved to talk and always had something to say or a story to tell.

As any person in our family could testify to, we were often regaled with stories of distant relatives; she was our family historian. And we all had our favorites of the stories that she would tell over and over again, such as when she stood up the pig farmer who asked her out. In an attempt to engage us in her story telling she organized Chatpack for holiday events, which were cards that had questions for everyone to answer. That was just one of the things GB ordered off her catalogues. There’s no one who was better at catalogue shopping than Barbs.

One thing that always stood out to me was Grandma’s excellent sense of style. She always had carefully picked out outfits in different coordinating shades of her favorite pastel: be it pink, blue or purple. These outfits were always accompanied by coordinating jewelry, cardigans and even shoes. She refused to leave the house without putting on her lips or her eyebrows and a couple of Kleenex up her sleeve, just in case. She loved to tell us what colors went best with our skin tones and giving us fashion and makeup advice.

Her eye for color served her best when she was engaged in one of the many artistic activities she loved. She not only loved to paint and draw, she was amazing at both. Her paintings hang in almost every room of our house and she would color elaborate patterns and designs in her coloring books as she watched her Netflix. When we were younger, she used to sew us all elaborate Halloween costumes (oh wait, All Saint’s Day costumes).

Grandma was also very devout, as was evident to all those who knew her. She had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary, with statues of Mary all over her house (most of which moved into her room in our house- even if only a couple of them should realistically have fit). She always had EWTN or Masses on her TV, and one of her favorite stories is one time when she had Mass on and the church bells were ringing and our mom came running to her room, thinking grandma was ringing the hand bell by her bed that signaled she needed something. GB also loved telling all her Medjugorje stories and showing all the things she had brought back from there.

Each one of us here today was touched in a special way by Barbara, was given an immense gift in knowing her. Barbs had a magnetic force around her. Her presence filled up a room in the best of ways. Even to the very end, she displayed only a positive and joyful energy that was contagious to all those around her.  She was sassy and hilarious, and that, coupled with her head strong and independent personality, made her one of my greatest role models. She wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted, and knew how to expect from everyone what she deserved.

But she was also selfless; she loved to be able to give, which was something that made her such an excellent gift-giver. Her virtue and devotion to God were impressive and evident to all those that knew her, and is one of the reasons why I know that she’s up in Heaven right now, looking down on all of us here today.  So now is our chance to thank her. To thank the woman who brought into each of our lives so many years of joy and love, so many days of thoughtful service, and so many moments of laughter (because there were quite a few). So thank you, GB, because you have not only touched the life of every person here, you have improved them.