Perseverance and Practice in Christ.

But solid food is for the mature- for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good and evil. Hebrews 5:14

This is what the Lord intends for us who follow him. He desires for his kids to grow in Christ- likeness, in Christian maturity. We are to have the family resemblance. We are to resemble our older brother, Jesus. That’s what holiness is about. To think and behave like Jesus, as if he were us, by the empowering grace of God. Not to try and attempt externally to play act what we think we ought to be and do, but to allow his Spirit to make us like him from the inside out. That takes a life time of experience and connection to Him.

God knows that we learn from experience as is clearly illustrated for us in Scripture. The stories of the Bible our intended to help us learn how to best live. So the Saints lives in the Old and New Testament recount not only the glories of their lives but also their sins. Think of Adam and Eve, Abraham, David or Peter.

Hopefully we learn from their experiences but more often than not its our experiences that help to instruct us, both the good and sinful choices that we make. Everything (St Augustine tells us even sin) works together for good for those who love God and are called by him... so that we might be conform to the image of Jesus. Romans 8:28,29

As I get older, more mature in age, I find myself identifying with the people of the Bible much more readily and closely. I appreciate them, feel like I know them and empathize with their failings and rejoice in their choices to say yes to God and trust in his unfailing faithfulness.
I also see a characteristic of all the saints both in Scripture and in the Church’s history - they get up and go on. When they fail, they turn once more to God and continue walking with him. The Spirit instructs and transforms (sanctifies) them through perseverance, through practice, to think and act more like Jesus!

Over the last couple of years, I have taken time to reflect on my life and relationships. I have had the blessing of a mentor who has helped me to examine how things have gone for me up to the present. I have seen some things I had never known about myself. One example has to do with a tendency to grow passive in certain relationships and not speak honestly on what I think and feel about the relationship. I never even recognized this weakness in myself. I just didn’t see it.

Now I am learning the power of speaking the truth in love by practicing in my relationships. It is sort of like exercising a set of muscles that have never received strength training. I am growing in virtue, as my thinking becomes more subject to the Lord’s truth and light, which brings change to my behavior! Not easy, painful at times - hard work in prayer, reflection and conversation. Yet it is a wonderful grace where I can see He is at work to change me, to make me to think and act like Jesus! To help me to love like he loves.

When we are transformed by his grace at work within us, as we persevere and practice, his Spirit works not only in us, but through us. We freely receive in order to freely give. When we are healed we are to become healers, when we are delivered we are to be his delivers. Any work of grace is to become a grace for others.

Holiness, Christ-likeness is essential to and Christian who brings good news to others.

May we each continue to draw close to our Father and allow him to transform us as we persevere and practice his truth in the love of Christ our Lord!

Gregory of Nazianzen

Yesterday the Church celebrated the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. I was inspired to pickup my Christian prayer book and read a bit of Gregory of Nazianzen from the "Office of the Readings." Gregory is a Church Father, born in 330, and has some great things to say about evangelization:

"Today let us do honor to Christ's baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity, as you have received - though not in its fullness - a ray of its splendor, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen."

I love the basic theme which is so central to all we do! Encountering the love and mercy and majesty of the Trinity- Father, Son, & Spirit - and reflecting this light to others in a radiant way!

Come Holy Spirit, lead us into the love of the Father and the Son and use us as brilliant lights in this world! Amen!

Our Call to Sainthood!

"We must have a real living determination to reach holiness. 'I will be a saint' means I will despoil myself of all that us not God; I will strip my heart of all created things; I will live in poverty and detachment; I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims, and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God." (Mother Teresa, "A Gift for God").

I think sometimes as Christians, we can make excuses and settle with being comfortable instead of going against the flow and living our lives radically for the Lord. We forget that all Christians are called to be saints!

Bert Ghezzi, an author and board member of ChristLife, recently developed an inspiring book called "The Heart of a Saint". ChristLife's most recent podcast includes an interview with Bert, discussing his new book and every one's individual call to holiness and sainthood!




Speaking with him was a very moving experience for me. His words challenged me to not be content with mediocrity, but to strive for perfection and sainthood because that's what Christ calls all of us to! Jesus did say, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48). I hope we can all respond more willingly to this call from the Lord!

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Witnesses to Jesus

On a recent podcast interview Chad and I conducted several months ago with Fr. Francis Martin, a holy and passionate priest and biblical scholar - he mentioned that in the Gospel of John the word "evangelization" never occurs. But "witness" does. He said, a witness is someone who has been with Jesus and has experienced his power and presence in their life.

One of my friends wrote this about her own experience of being witnessed to-

"Witnesses to Jesus are all around me, in every moment of gladness, every kindness bestowed upon me, every person with beauty in their heart, those that love me and continue to love me in my weakness. These are the witnesses that point to Christ. The most positive witnesses of my experience never come from those who are most learned or who make the best argument. They come, always, from those who live humbly with Jesus, who know Jesus so well that they can speak for Him when I am unable to hear for myself. It is out from behind their eyes that He peers, it is between their arms that He embraces, it is from their lips that He sings His love song to me." Click here for the full text of the reflection.

Wow. That is beautiful. Lord, make us true witnesses to you!

How have you been witnessed to?

What type of person best radiated the character, good news, and promises of Jesus to you?

How so?