I find it somewhat amusing when someone begins trying to convince me that praying to Blessed Mary, Mother of Jesus is wrong. I understand that person's worry that I would 'lose my way' or 'be damned'. But frankly speaking, how would praying to Jesus' mother get me lost or damned? By this time in my life, my response to such people will be one of the following :
a) Praying to Blessed Mary gives me a wonderful feeling of peace within, for I know She carries my prayers to Her Beloved Son. Why should I stop doing something that calms me so much?
or
b) I am a follower of Jesus. I am praying. If you want to evangelize, go after the godless and have faith that I am saved.
LOL. Yes, I used (a) when a beau in university tried his best to 'save' me. And (b) was very useful with the missionaries who came Bible-carrying and hearts-on-fire knocking on my door.
After going through a religious crisis in my university days, I am pretty much stable in my faith. Nothing strengthens you quite like a trial by fire.
I'm no theologian or bible preacher, so I didn't waste any time in 'defending' my practice. The others will never listen, anyway. When people believe they are right, it is folly to try to change their minds.
But I'd always been on the lookout for a beautiful explanation and I think I've found one done by Donna Cori Gibson.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Legal Prerequisites To Jesus' Return
Came across a website by Tim McHyde that mentioned prerequisites for Jesus' return, based on the Bible. Haven't researched it or verified its truth but it makes for fascinating reading.
Legal Prerequisites To Jesus' Return
It is simple. There are several prerequisites given in Bible prophecy for the return of Jesus Christ and none of them are present or fulfilled yet. Without them happening, it is impossible for Jesus to come in 2010 or even in the few years following 2010. Being unaware of these prophecies, Christians are able to believe an event is possible that Scripture tells us is currently impossible.
What are these prerequisites? I can give you many examples:
- Great Tribulation — According to Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15, Jesus must return after a 3½ year Great Tribulation. During this Great Tribulation the Antichrist will rule over the world for 42 months (Rev 13). He will force everyone to take a mark in their right hand or forehead during that time. We of course are not in the Great Tribulation and no mark of the beast issued yet.
- Abomination of Desolation — This Great Tribulation starts 30 days after the Abomination of Desolation is stood up on the Temple Mount (Mk 13:14). The abomination refers to the Image of the Beast statue being erected for worship. We have no such statue on the Temple Mount.
- Temple Mount Sacrifices — Similarly, on the day of the Abomination, daily oblation morning and evening sacrfices are to be stopped on the Temple Mount (Dan 12:11). As of 2010, no sacrifices have even started yet that can be stopped.
- Third Temple — Revelation 11 tells us that there will be a Third Temple on the Temple Mount at that time. The Antichrist must even sit in this end time temple and declare himself to be God (2Th 2:4). Of course, there is not even a temple under construction yet (although rumor has it that one is being prepared along with all the furnishing and a sequestered priesthood prepared to attend it).
- Sixth Seal — Finally, we have not seen the events of the sixth seal yet. If you read Revelation 6:12-17 carefully you willsee that it depicts the entire population panicking and running for cover in response to signs in the heavens and a tremendous global earthquake on earth moving every mountain and island out of place. Most people ignore this prophecy because they simply cannot make sense of it literally with all the errors Christianity has filled their head with (pretrib rapture, imminency, etc.). That leads to the typical practice of Bible prophecy interpretation today, not accepting the plain words for what they say and taking poetic license with them.
- Sabbath Year — When you carefully consider Daniel 9:27, Isaiah 61:1-2, and Luke 4:16-22 you will be led to the conclusion that the 70 weeks of Daniel are all sabbath year cycles. This idea is confirmed by Jesus' own mouth when he came at the end of the 69th week and declared it to be a sabbath year in the synagogue at Nazareth. This means that when he returns at the end of the 70th week, it too, again, will be a Sabbath year, just like his First Coming was in. So Jesus must return in a Sabbath year. Only one out of every seven years is a Sabbath year. But 2007 (or 2010) is not one of them according to the historical sabbath year cycle followed by Ancient Israel.
You may have heard that the Rabbis of Judaism consider 2007-2008 a Sabbath year. But that conclusion is based on the traditions of the Talmud, not on the consensus of Scripture and the best historical evidence. Christians assume that the Jews are accurate on such things such as the Biblical calendar, but Judaism has diverged much from the Old Testament. (For example, Judaism celebrates Pentecost/Shavuot on a fixed date (Sivan 6) instead of a floating date arrived at by counting 50 days from the sabbath following the harvest, as Scripture has it. It should fall sometime between Sivan 6 and 12 and always on a Sunday (Lev 23:15-16). Judaism has the year start in the Fall/7th Biblical month of Tishrei instead of the Spring/1st month as the Bible has it (Ex 12:2).
Judaism teaches that the Jubilee comes every 50th year instead of every 49th year according to Scripture (which is the 50th year using inclusive reckoning from year one of the start of the seven sabbath cycles you are to count). Their Sabbath year reckoning similarly departs from Scripture while it relies on tradition.)
Need To Be Specific In Prayer
All my life, people have been telling me to pray. It is good to pray. So I prayed and prayed... and sometimes I just tossed off a prayer, thinking that God would know and would understand what to fix in my life. I never thought that I needed to be specific.
Then one day, I opened the Pieta (the one with a brown cover) and found this.
I was aghast ... all this while I had been praying in general terms and had never been specific.
I suddenly remembered a story in an volume of 'Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories' where a grandmother scolded a child for asking for a full loaf of bread. The old woman said she shouldn't be so greedy and should only ask for half a loaf. But the little girl argued that she DIDN'T want half a loaf because it wasn't enough. She wanted one whole loaf so that everyone in the house would have enough. True enough, her prayers were answered when a neighbour delivered a whole loaf of bread in the middle of a blizzard.
I remembered how confused I felt then... I had always assumed that in praying, I was not to ask for too much and show my greed... but God would understand and would give me what I deserved. So if I wanted straight A's, I was not to ask for the string of A's but just ask for a good result. Then God would give me what I was supposed to get. But there were many times I wanted to be specific but didn't dare. I was always asking for 'half a loaf' when I wanted a full loaf.
The ONE thing that struck me about this was how God requires prayers from us. Too many people blame God for the calamities and troubles that befall them but they never think about whether or not they prayed to God to protect and shield them. What is the point in praying AFTER the misfortune? A bit too late, don't you think?
Then one day, I opened the Pieta (the one with a brown cover) and found this.
A Bernadine Sister was shown in spirit the vast desolation caused by the devil throughout the world. At the same time, she heard the Blessed Virgin telling her that it was true, Hell had been let loose upon earth. The Blessed Virgin said the time had come to pray to her as Queen of the Angels and to seek the assistance of the Heavenly Legions to fight against these deadly foes of God and of men.
"But, my good Mother," the Nun asked,"you who are so kind, could you not send them without our asking?"
"No, " Our Lady said, "because prayer is one of the conditions required by God Himself for obtaining favours."
I was aghast ... all this while I had been praying in general terms and had never been specific.
I suddenly remembered a story in an volume of 'Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories' where a grandmother scolded a child for asking for a full loaf of bread. The old woman said she shouldn't be so greedy and should only ask for half a loaf. But the little girl argued that she DIDN'T want half a loaf because it wasn't enough. She wanted one whole loaf so that everyone in the house would have enough. True enough, her prayers were answered when a neighbour delivered a whole loaf of bread in the middle of a blizzard.
I remembered how confused I felt then... I had always assumed that in praying, I was not to ask for too much and show my greed... but God would understand and would give me what I deserved. So if I wanted straight A's, I was not to ask for the string of A's but just ask for a good result. Then God would give me what I was supposed to get. But there were many times I wanted to be specific but didn't dare. I was always asking for 'half a loaf' when I wanted a full loaf.
The ONE thing that struck me about this was how God requires prayers from us. Too many people blame God for the calamities and troubles that befall them but they never think about whether or not they prayed to God to protect and shield them. What is the point in praying AFTER the misfortune? A bit too late, don't you think?
Monday, June 14, 2010
Forgiveness
Yesterday, I sat in church and listened to Fr Cosmas Lee talk about forgiveness. He said being unforgiving is one of the most destructive things in a person's life. But why is it so difficult for us to forgive each other? And how lucky we are that God forgives us every time?
This is something I have struggled with for too many years. It is a painful thing to want to forgive but deep inside is a hard little rock that says no. I tried and tried but just couldn't. Then last year, when I began reciting the prayers, that hard little rock loosened and one day, I realised it was gone. Again, proof to me that what I couldn't do, God could easily do for me.
This is something I have struggled with for too many years. It is a painful thing to want to forgive but deep inside is a hard little rock that says no. I tried and tried but just couldn't. Then last year, when I began reciting the prayers, that hard little rock loosened and one day, I realised it was gone. Again, proof to me that what I couldn't do, God could easily do for me.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
What's Wrong With Paranormal Anyway?
Sometimes when I talk about some of the things that have been happening to me, I get mixed reactions.
Some people nod understandingly. They know I am telling the truth. Usually it is because they have been through it.
But some give me a queer look from the sides of their eyes. I can almost feel their thoughts... oh, another religious fanatic...or ... I don't BELIEVE this woman... she must be off her rocker. But what is wrong with the stories I am relating? There have been hundreds and thousands of similar incidences related throughout history and even now.
I am not talking about full-blown, blood-curdling, eye-rolling and head-spinning demonic possessions... I am just talking about prayers and their calming effects on one's life. Well, there would be a bit of a storm before the calm. As I mentioned before, headaches and sleepless nights. Sometimes unexplained pains and aches in the body. One friend has paid doctors and physiotherapists to poke and prod at her and add to the pains but so far, they haven't been able to tell her what's wrong. Is she reciting the prayers? Oh yes, she is. Just started and is in the middle of the 'storm'. Calm seas coming up! Sometimes, there would be knocks on walls, unexplained voices... even death of fish in the aquarium.
But in the end, truth will out.
God is supernatural... and the paranormal or supranormal or whatever is merely part of the package. Well, that is what I have been seeing. And when I read books by Mary K. Baxter...LOL... her stuff is out of this world...literally!
Some people nod understandingly. They know I am telling the truth. Usually it is because they have been through it.
But some give me a queer look from the sides of their eyes. I can almost feel their thoughts... oh, another religious fanatic...or ... I don't BELIEVE this woman... she must be off her rocker. But what is wrong with the stories I am relating? There have been hundreds and thousands of similar incidences related throughout history and even now.
I am not talking about full-blown, blood-curdling, eye-rolling and head-spinning demonic possessions... I am just talking about prayers and their calming effects on one's life. Well, there would be a bit of a storm before the calm. As I mentioned before, headaches and sleepless nights. Sometimes unexplained pains and aches in the body. One friend has paid doctors and physiotherapists to poke and prod at her and add to the pains but so far, they haven't been able to tell her what's wrong. Is she reciting the prayers? Oh yes, she is. Just started and is in the middle of the 'storm'. Calm seas coming up! Sometimes, there would be knocks on walls, unexplained voices... even death of fish in the aquarium.
But in the end, truth will out.
God is supernatural... and the paranormal or supranormal or whatever is merely part of the package. Well, that is what I have been seeing. And when I read books by Mary K. Baxter...LOL... her stuff is out of this world...literally!
What Reciting Prayers Have Done For Me!
When I first began reciting the 15 Prayers of St Bridget, things in my life started changing. Some of these changes are profound, some are funny :) and some not so 'fun'...
The first and most important change, I began feeling peace and a sense of being settled deep within. Some people are fortunate to be 'happy' as they are but if some are like me, forever questioning 'Lord, is this it? What else is there?? Why do I feel a hole in my life?', then they would understand that painful feeling of being incomplete.
Second, the prayers took away old addictions... no, I wasn't on drugs but there were some things I just couldn't let go of... when I began saying the prayers, the addictions went from being a daily irritant to ZERO! It wasn't gradual... it was instant! Praise be to God!
Third, I began having the most fantastical luck with parking spots! I work in a place where people don't let go of parking spots once they get one. I used to drive around the area up to ten times before getting one. I used to wait an hour or two parked by the side of the road, just waiting for someone to drive out. However, in the past year, it's been magical. Parking spots just open up as I drive into the area. My imagination? I don't particularly care...ha ha.. as long as I get parking.
Fourth, I no longer suffered headaches. I used to suffer terrible ones, beginning in 1999 (hence my reference to ten years of trouble). They were so bad, that I couldn't even escape into sleep. My only hope would be to lessen the severity to a level where I could just fall asleep. I even suspected that maybe I had a brain tumour or some other trouble. But an MRI cleared that up. And if it was a symptom of a possible weakness in the walls of my veins, reciting the prayers stopped my headaches. Some friends told me that it might be psychological. Well, what does it matter as long as it stops? And if I had to recite prayers to make the headaches stop, all the better.
And now for the not-so-fun parts.
People with paranormal problems began crossing my path more frequently than is comfortable. I cringe when I offer them the audio prayers I burned onto CDs (prayers available for download at Mediafire). For while persistent reciting of the prayers would solve their paranormal problems, the process would be, to put it gently, explosive, sometimes frightening, soul-wrenching and life-changing. In my side of the world, spiritism is still being practised by quite a number of people. So battle is par for the course.
Over time, I connected with more people who were seeking God or seeking solutions to their spiritual problems. We prayed together and this usually meant some 'discomfort' (headaches, sleepless nights) before with the grace of God, we obtained resolution.
Sometimes, the source of their troubles would be from within themselves or their families. They merely needed to heal... whether from some long ago pain or ancestral problem. Sometimes they would find out that an ancestor did something unwise. Such as making a pact with spirits or leading others in spirit worship. Unfortunately for their descendants, such things carry with them 'responsibilities'. One family found out that they had spirits in their care. They were supposed to carry out rituals on an annual basis. However when their parents embraced Christianity, they stopped their old practices. Unaware of old stories, their children inherited certain artifacts. Then after some violent disturbances, they sought help and found out that these artifacts were the homes of some spirits, who were demanding their dues. So the family decided to fight, with prayers and the help of a priest who blessed their house.
Other times, the source of trouble would be from outside. In one friend's case, the source was a jealous colleague, who resorted to using black magic.
I am someone who works with facts, documents and numbers. None of these things 'computed'. But after a while, I learned... sometimes God wants our attention on Him. But since other things (such as church masses) don't work, He may decide to drop a bomb in our lives. Well, I now consider myself well and truly 'detonated'. My head is still ringing from the explosion...
The first and most important change, I began feeling peace and a sense of being settled deep within. Some people are fortunate to be 'happy' as they are but if some are like me, forever questioning 'Lord, is this it? What else is there?? Why do I feel a hole in my life?', then they would understand that painful feeling of being incomplete.
Second, the prayers took away old addictions... no, I wasn't on drugs but there were some things I just couldn't let go of... when I began saying the prayers, the addictions went from being a daily irritant to ZERO! It wasn't gradual... it was instant! Praise be to God!
Third, I began having the most fantastical luck with parking spots! I work in a place where people don't let go of parking spots once they get one. I used to drive around the area up to ten times before getting one. I used to wait an hour or two parked by the side of the road, just waiting for someone to drive out. However, in the past year, it's been magical. Parking spots just open up as I drive into the area. My imagination? I don't particularly care...ha ha.. as long as I get parking.
Fourth, I no longer suffered headaches. I used to suffer terrible ones, beginning in 1999 (hence my reference to ten years of trouble). They were so bad, that I couldn't even escape into sleep. My only hope would be to lessen the severity to a level where I could just fall asleep. I even suspected that maybe I had a brain tumour or some other trouble. But an MRI cleared that up. And if it was a symptom of a possible weakness in the walls of my veins, reciting the prayers stopped my headaches. Some friends told me that it might be psychological. Well, what does it matter as long as it stops? And if I had to recite prayers to make the headaches stop, all the better.
And now for the not-so-fun parts.
People with paranormal problems began crossing my path more frequently than is comfortable. I cringe when I offer them the audio prayers I burned onto CDs (prayers available for download at Mediafire). For while persistent reciting of the prayers would solve their paranormal problems, the process would be, to put it gently, explosive, sometimes frightening, soul-wrenching and life-changing. In my side of the world, spiritism is still being practised by quite a number of people. So battle is par for the course.
Over time, I connected with more people who were seeking God or seeking solutions to their spiritual problems. We prayed together and this usually meant some 'discomfort' (headaches, sleepless nights) before with the grace of God, we obtained resolution.
Sometimes, the source of their troubles would be from within themselves or their families. They merely needed to heal... whether from some long ago pain or ancestral problem. Sometimes they would find out that an ancestor did something unwise. Such as making a pact with spirits or leading others in spirit worship. Unfortunately for their descendants, such things carry with them 'responsibilities'. One family found out that they had spirits in their care. They were supposed to carry out rituals on an annual basis. However when their parents embraced Christianity, they stopped their old practices. Unaware of old stories, their children inherited certain artifacts. Then after some violent disturbances, they sought help and found out that these artifacts were the homes of some spirits, who were demanding their dues. So the family decided to fight, with prayers and the help of a priest who blessed their house.
Other times, the source of trouble would be from outside. In one friend's case, the source was a jealous colleague, who resorted to using black magic.
I am someone who works with facts, documents and numbers. None of these things 'computed'. But after a while, I learned... sometimes God wants our attention on Him. But since other things (such as church masses) don't work, He may decide to drop a bomb in our lives. Well, I now consider myself well and truly 'detonated'. My head is still ringing from the explosion...
The Armour of God
Reading about the armour of God (see link above), I realized I had one huge chink in mine. My knowledge of the Bible was rudimentary, at best. I'd always treated my bible as a story book, to be read but not to be deeply analyzed.
I have some major fixing to do...
I have some major fixing to do...
15 Prayers of St Bridget
After ten years of dealing with problems and troubles, I was at my wits' end. I was just looking for a solution...ANYTHING. I truly understood why some people were willing to believe in charlatans and quacks... when you suffer enough, you will try anything.
Then, by providence... or perhaps by God's Will, a friend told me to try reciting the 15 Prayers of St Bridget. I'd never heard of these prayers but I was willing to try. Then the very first day, things started happening around me.
I called up my friend and demanded to know what sort of prayer was this. He asked why I would query something good.
The St Bridget Prayers uncover malice around you.
The St Bridget Prayers force people to speak truth.
Just those two was enough to upset my life... before it settled it in a different state, changed forever.
When I did research, I found out that St Bridget of Sweden was a mystic (but then most of the saints were!) and this prayer was a mystical one.
For me, the prayer took away old addictions and gave me strength to renew my spiritual life. It has changed my life and my destiny.
Then, by providence... or perhaps by God's Will, a friend told me to try reciting the 15 Prayers of St Bridget. I'd never heard of these prayers but I was willing to try. Then the very first day, things started happening around me.
I called up my friend and demanded to know what sort of prayer was this. He asked why I would query something good.
The St Bridget Prayers uncover malice around you.
The St Bridget Prayers force people to speak truth.
Just those two was enough to upset my life... before it settled it in a different state, changed forever.
When I did research, I found out that St Bridget of Sweden was a mystic (but then most of the saints were!) and this prayer was a mystical one.
For me, the prayer took away old addictions and gave me strength to renew my spiritual life. It has changed my life and my destiny.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Blog Template Problem...
Or is it an attitude problem in the Christian community?
I've been searching for 'religious blog templates' and 'Christian blog templates'.... oh my goodness, the choices out there are TERRIBLE! And most of the good ones are for sale (e.g. USD50 per template!)
The thing is, there are so many free templates out there. Gorgeous ones, which look like they had a lot of work done on them. If others can offer free templates, why can't the Christian web designers do the same?
Now I've found a nice template... but it has its problems. Sigh...
Latest update : Dumped the template and used Blogger Template Designer.
I've been searching for 'religious blog templates' and 'Christian blog templates'.... oh my goodness, the choices out there are TERRIBLE! And most of the good ones are for sale (e.g. USD50 per template!)
The thing is, there are so many free templates out there. Gorgeous ones, which look like they had a lot of work done on them. If others can offer free templates, why can't the Christian web designers do the same?
Now I've found a nice template... but it has its problems. Sigh...
Latest update : Dumped the template and used Blogger Template Designer.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
When It Began
My 'Walk On The Wild Side' with God began ten years ago... when I felt desperate and sad. I knew I was one of those 'not hot, not cold' Christians they talked about in the Bible and I knew it was a straight road to hell. I had been trying so hard to 'fix' myself but I wasn't succeeding.
So one day, I prayed to God to help me for I wasn't strong enough. Little did I know that that was the right thing to do. For our strength comes from God and He is all-powerful.
But the past ten years has been a really wild ride and so far it isn't stopping. Praise be!
So one day, I prayed to God to help me for I wasn't strong enough. Little did I know that that was the right thing to do. For our strength comes from God and He is all-powerful.
But the past ten years has been a really wild ride and so far it isn't stopping. Praise be!
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