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Let all the house of Israel then know this that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said…"Brethren, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Dear friend, The driving passion of ChristLife is that all might come to know the love of God the Father, in Jesus Christ our Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit and become his disciples! We are personally committed to sharing this good news with others and, to equipping Catholics to do the same! The simple proclamation of what God has done in Jesus of Nazareth - by his life, death and resurrection, and by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - is crucial to be shared and explained. Many people in the Church and outside don’t know that they can have relationship with God, and have no clue how to enter into that new life. That is what Peter did on the first Pentecost - he announced that Jesus was Lord and Messiah and clearly explained what his listeners had to do to enter into this life with God. And it is that basic message that regularly needs to be shared from the pulpit, in evangelizing courses (like Discovering Christ, Alpha, Life in the Spirit, etc.) and wherever you and I have the chance to share the good things God has done for us! (Our Sharing Christ course can help you to personally learn to evangelize!)
· Our meeting with Archbishop O’Brien, including his letter of support. · A testimony of a young lady who was part of our Discovering Christ course at St. Agnes, who is now living a new life in the Lord! When I first heard Jen share, I ended up sobbing with joy for the mercy and obvious transforming power of God that is evident in her! That new life is what Jesus promises to all who turn to him and become his disciples and it is what many of our parishes desperately need today to make known. We are grateful for being able to co-labor with you in the great work of making Christ known, loved and followed. Keep on giving your life to Him who is faithful! Thanks for your prayer support for the work of this ministry - we really count on you! Thanks also for your continuing financial support. Your brother in Him, Dave Nodar
On February 14, ChristLife had the great opportunity to meet with the Archbishop and give him a feel for our ministry and our history as an apostolate of the Archdiocese. He came across as very personable, decisive and supportive in all the work we are doing, especially with young adults on campus. Here is a letter he sent us following the meeting:
Jesus Saved Me Listen to this testimony The following testimony was given during the Following Christ course at UMBC. Jen is a college student in Baltimore who is now endeavoring to follow Jesus daily and is currently helping at UMBC as a small group leader. I was raised Catholic, but never truly understood the awesome power and eternal love of God. Growing up I experienced a number of personal tragedies that left me feeling worthless and as though I lacked control of my own life. I thought I was a good person and couldn’t understand why a loving God would inflict so much pain on His child. In middle school I noticed changes in my personality; I became introverted, melancholy, and had mood swings I couldn’t control. I went on a search for control, meaning, and happiness in my life. In that search I found weed (marijuana) and alcohol. Those things became a crutch for my life. In high school my grandmother passed away and I hit rock bottom. I was impossible to be around, diagnosed as a Manic Depressive, put on medication, and continued to abuse weed and alcohol. After 2 years of wondering aimlessly through life I decided to take myself off of medication. At that exact time some friends invited me to their Christian youth group, but I refused to go. They did everything short of physically dragging me and I eventually gave in. It is truly amazing to see how God works through people! I was in awe of how open they were to God’s presence and how dedicated they were to living a life solely for Him. I thought I’d give a relationship with Him a shot. However, this relationship was to be on my terms. I wanted all of the good without compromising my habits and lifestyle. I now know how well that turns out – it doesn’t. I didn’t come back to the Lord that time, but the door to my heart had opened ever so slightly and the Holy Spirit stuck a foot in there so it wouldn’t close.
I have a strong attachment to The Parable of the Lost Sheep found in Luke 15:1-7. God never stopped looking for me. He never once gave up. When the devil was leading me astray, God was there beside me fighting for my soul. He wanted me more than I wanted control and stability in my life. When I was crying in despair, he was crying for me to come back to Him and when I came back, I was lifted on his shoulders and He was filled with joy. Jesus saved me and took away my illness. The one place I refused to look for so long was where I found what I had been searching for – contentment with my life. Surrendering control to God was when I finally found true happiness. We currently have our hands and hearts busy on many fronts. Here are a few current activities we are up to, please keep them in your prayer!
- - Thanks for reading ChristLife's newsletter! Please ask the Father in Jesus' name to keep on using ChristLife to spread the Gospel! Also, please consider supporting our ministry financially. Thank you! - |
