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Word Of LifeCatholic CharismaticRenewal CenterDiosese of ErieOctober 2018Volume XXXII Issue No. 10“Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, andwill do greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)BREASTPIECE OF DECISION By Deacon Andrew FrobergWhen Moses consulted God, God wouldrender His decision directly to Moses.Since Moses would not be with Israelitesbeyond the Jordan River, another meanshad to be used to determine God'sdecision. God did not speak directly tohigh priests in the manner that He spoketo Moses. For this purpose, the‘breastpiece of decision’ is constructedaccording to God’s instruction and wasgiven to Joshua. In Exodus 28:15, the‘breastpiece of decision’ is described:“you shall also have made, embroideredlike the ephod with gold thread andviolet, purple and scarlet yarn on cloth offine linen twined.” The ephod is avestment worn in the Old Testament bythe high priest and is a sort of apron wornonly when he is performing his office ashigh priest. The breastpiece is worn overthe ephod and was the most importantand costly of all the priestly clothingbecause it had a very holy purpose. It wasa sacred object that allowed the highpriest to know the righteous will of God.The breastpiece is described in Exodus28:22-29 (NIV):For the breastpiece make braidedchains of pure gold, like a rope.Make two gold rings for it and fastenthem to two corners of thebreastpiece. Fasten the two goldchains to the rings at the corners ofthe breastpiece, and the other endsof the chains to the two settings,attaching them to the shoulderpieces of the ephod at the front.Make two gold rings and attachthem to the other two corners of thebreastpiece on the inside edge nextto the ephod. Make two more goldrings and attach them to the bottomof the shoulder pieces on the front ofthe ephod, close to the seam justabove the waistband of the ephod.The rings of the breastpiece are tobe tied to the rings of the ephod withblue cord, connecting it to thewaistband, so that the breastpiecewill not swing out from the ephod.We can never say thatGod is not a God whocares about the details.He does!The breastpiece of decision was an ornatepocket-like receptacle that held the Urimand Thummim, which is what God usedto communicate His decisions.Thebreastpiece literally held/contained the'decision' (judgment) of God. Knowingand following the decisions of Godallowed the people the opportunity towalk in righteousness, and it is nodifferent for us. God is gracious and doesnot hide His will. The Urim means lightsand the Thummim means perfections –literally: ‘perfect light’ or ‘perfect truth.’The Urim and Thummim is covered with12 precious stones, 4 rows of three. GodHimself instructed the type andplacement of each stone, which representsone of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Urimand Thummim within the breastplate wasused to ascertain God's decision indoubtful matters.The Urim andThummim may have been referred to as‘sacred lots,’ but they do not compare towhat we consider lots to be today. Godlikely caused the precious stones to lightin a particular way when a serious matterarose and there was not a direct indicationfrom God as to the course of action.There are several suspected references tothe use of the breastpiece of decision inthe Old Testament. An example is whenThe Israelites are returning to Jerusalem.There were records of genealogy, but ifthose records could not be located for afamily, in Nehemiah 7:65 (ERV), it says“A nd the Tirshatha said unto them, thatthey should not eat of the most holythings, till there stood up a priest withUrim and Thummim.” Another referenceoccurs when God refuses to answer Saul,“W hen Saul saw the Philistine army, hewas afraid and trembled violently. Heinquired of the LORD, but the LORD didnot answer him by dreams or Urim orprophets.” (1Sam 28:5-6)The placement over the heart reflected thedire nature of these sacred indicators andit represented that the high priest carriedthe judgment of the Lord for the peopleover his heart. “A nd place the Urim andThummim in the breastpiece of judgment,so that they will also be over Aaron'sheart whenever he comes before theLORD. Aaron will continually carry thejudgment of the sons of Israel over hisheart before the LORD” (Exodus 28:30).Carrying the breastpiece over hisshoulders expresses that he was taking onthe weight of and responsibility of beingthe intercessor between God and theIsraelites. It foreshadows Jesus taking theweight of our sins upon His shoulders andinterceding before God for us. We arerepresented as the precious stones withour names engraved upon His Heart asHe makes intercession for us!The breastpiece did not offer physicalprotection, but being the high priest andhaving the decision of God when the needarose provided for the Israelites spiritualprotection because the breastpiecereflected the righteous plan of God. Thisis important to keep in mind whenreading the books of Wisdom, Isaiah,Saint Paul's letters to the Ephesians, and 1Thessalonians. In each of these, the termbreastplate is used, not breastpiece. Abreastplate was an armor, metal or hardleather, that was meant to provideContinued on Page 3
LORD, SHOW ME YOUR GLORY By Jaci Phillips, PhDLord I beseech Thee, show me Thy Glory!”This was the plea of Moses to the Lord. Foreach one of us, out of a love that creates anever increasing hunger and thirst for thepresence of our Beloved, the glory and theface (i.e., the intimacy) of our Beloved shouldbe what we seek. “Y ou shall love the Lordyour God with all of your heart, mind, soul,and strength.” It is the beginning, and eventhe end, of all spiritual growth to ‘seek’ theLord in deeper and deeper levels of intimacy.It is a spiritual necessity. And as we seekHim, our love and hunger grow through thepower of the Holy Spirit, who is literally theintimacy, love, breath, Word, and power ofthe Living God.It is difficult for us to not see God as ‘far off,’hard to relate to, or difficult to reach. Afterall, He is God, and we are well, we are uswith all of our warts and imperfections. ButGod is not a far-off God! He is an everpresent God. He is a Living God who is sofull of love that He IS love and He created usout of love. He desires us to seek to be closerand closer to Him. And as we are, He heals,changes, and delivers us, and prepares us forthe perfect plan He created us for. “For Iknow the plans I have for you says the Lord,plans for welfare and not for evil, to give youa future and a hope.” Jer 29:11 (ESV). It is inseeking the Lord that that plan becomesreality. “Then you will call upon Me andcome and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.You will seek Me and find Me when yousearch for Me with all your heart.” (J er29:12-13. Emphasis added). First comes theintimacy (prayer and seeking) and then comesthe “I will listen to you.” I once heard it putvery succinctly. “It doesn’t matter if you say‘you know the Lord’ if the Lord doesn’t knowyou!” Hits at the heart, right? Or right.‘RIGHT!’ (it’s possible that you may need tohear me say this in person, but it means thatthere is only ONE answer. Instead of a choicebetween right or wrong, the only answer is‘RIGHT!’). Maybe makes us a littleuncomfortable? Yes? Or yes. ‘YES!’ Good!Because that’s where growth begins!Recognizing that it’s about an intimaterelationship in which we must desire notshallow small-talk, but deep and intimatecommunication. To be ‘known’ by ourBeloved, not because He is omniscient (whichHe is), but because we have made thedecision to love Him and to seek to know Himmore deeply while sharing our heartincreasingly with Him.Moses wanted as much intimacy as possible.He sought the glory of the Lord even if itkilled him (“No one can see My face andlive”)! Even if he breathed his last breath ashe beheld the glory of the Living God andsaw His face just once, Moses longed for it. Ihave a friend who recently said that they feltthat if they loved the Lord with even onemore drop, it would kill them. Do you knowthis feeling of being so filled with love forGod that you feel like you might die if youhad even a micron more? This is the hungerfor the manifest presence of God that Moseshad; the hunger that brings revival to wholeregions and changes them as a result of ahandful of God’s faithful seeking His face ontheir behalf. This has been the pattern ofrevivals since Pentecost. Pray, pray, pray,seek, seek, seek, and then watch what occursas a result!The manifest glory and presence of the LivingGod is a known and felt visitation of the gloryof God. It is a keen awareness of God walkingamong His people. In “The God Chasers”Tommy Tenney talks about the glory of Goddescending on a church where he waspreaching in Houston, TX. It was clear to himas soon as he walked into the sanctuary thatthe manifest presence of the Living God wasthere. It was such an awesome power that noone wanted to interrupt it to even move orspeak. He was actually afraid of what mighthappen if he took the pulpit. There was areverential fear and respect for the power andpresence of God in that place. When he didtake the pulpit, he spoke one scripture and thepower of God literally exploded. He says,“It’s not by coincidence that the originalGreek word for ‘the power that raised Jesusfrom the dead’ is ‘dynamis’ and it has thesame root as ‘dynamite.’” According toStrong’s it means “force (literally ere was an indoor clap of thunder and theheavy acrylic pulpit was split down the centerand the pastor was thrown 10 feet backwards(he was not hurt. He rested in the Spirit withthe Lord showing him vision after vision fortwo hours. This was a pastor who was knownfor being very ‘reserved’). As the glory andpower of God descended, people began to fallon their faces in weeping repentance for theirsins. This has been the effect of being in thepresence of God since Isaiah stood before thethrone of God and cried out to die, saying“Woe to me for I am man of unclean lipsamong a people of unclean lips.”When we come into the true manifest holypresence of God, we are able to see all of oursinfulness with new clarity, and because weare also in the presence of pure love, there isalso true sorrow and perfect repentance andtrue conversion. As people come into contactwith the presence of God, they are changedforever. That is what happens when themanifest glory of the Lord God meets thosewho are seeking His face and His presenceand trying their best to walk in righteousness;those who are so HUNGRY to sit in thatmanifest glory of the Living God and of Jesus2Christ that they don’t care if it is with theirlast breath that they see that presence orbehold that face. One moment in that glory;one moment of looking into the face of God isworth their last breath.We are in a time when the world needsrevival. Not cheap, inauthentic, counterfeitgrace that is only born out of emotionalismwith no call to conversion and change; but theauthentic, convicting, overwhelming, healing,delivering, awesome, miraculous, and eventerrifying, true power of the Living God. Godneeds spiritual soldiers who will enter thebattle and pray and He needs us to showpeople His light in the midst of muchdarkness. Many people doubt the power ofGod or they think that God does not performmiracles anymore, or even that He ever did,or they think that God won’t create a miraclefor them! It’s a church and a world that needsthe same touch from the glory of God asTommy Tenney and as Azusa Street. And(PRAISE GOD!) we have something greaterthan the glory that faded as Moses wasremoved from the presence of God:Now if the ministry of death, carved inletters on stone, came with such glory thatthe Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ facebecause of its glory, which was beingbrought to an end, will not the ministry ofthe Spirit have even more glory? For ifthere was glory in the ministry ofcondemnation,theministryofrighteousness must far exceed it in glory. 2Cor 3:7-9As we pray without ceasing and continuouslyseek the manifest presence of the Lord, let usbe willing to get on our faces and cry out,“My Lord and my God! I beseech Thee, Lord.Show me Thy glory.” Even if it is with our lastbreath! And give us the hunger to knowYou more intimately! Let us be consumedwith and by Your love and glory. It willauthentically change us forever.Please join us for our Annual ‘GreaterThings’ Conference as we seek deeper levelsof authentic intimacy and the glory of theLiving God! (see page # for registration)Word of Life is completely dependentupon your donations to spreadthe fire of the Holy Spiritin the Diocese of Erie.If you wish to send a contribution, checkscan be made payable to:Word of LifeCatholic Charismatic Renewal CenterSt. Mark Catholic Center429 E. Grandview Blvd.,Erie, Pa. 16514
BREASTPIECE OF DECISION By Deacon Andrew Froberg - Continued from Page 1physical protection to the wearer.However, just as the Old Testamentreferences reflect spiritual protectionprovided by following the will of God,the breastplate in the New Testamentpassages is meant to provide the spiritualprotection that results in both consultingand seeking the will of God and then infollowing that will. In Wisdom 5:18, “Heshall don justice for a breastplate andshall wear sure judgment for a helmet” InIsaiah 59:17, “He shall put on justice ashis breastplate, salvation, as the helmeton his head; He clothed himself withgarments of vengeance, wrapped himselfin a mantel of zeal” (what a beautifulimagine; being wrapped in a mantel ofzeal for the Lord). Ephesians 6:14 is themost famous reference to the breastplateof righteousness as spiritual armor. “Sostand fast with your loins girded in truth,clothed with righteousness as abreastplate.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “Butsince we are of the day, let us be sober,putting on the breastplate of faith andlove and the helmet that is hope forsalvation.”In modern terms, we as God's peopleneed to be guided spiritually; we need todo God's will. We need to accept and acton God's decision. Our guidance comesto us and we need to 'take it to heart,' aswas intended by the high priest on behalfof the Israelites. Whereas in the OldTestament, it was necessary for the willof God to be revealed through thebreastpiece of [God’s] decision, and onlythe high priest was able to approach theHoly of Holies wearing the breastpiececontaining the Urim and Thummim, weare told to clothe ourselves in Ephesians 6and to put on the full armor of spiritualprotection given to us by God. Thatarmor contains the breastplate ofrighteousness. The breastplate is a mostvital piece of armor to any soldierbecause it protects the most important oforgans, the heart. Our hearts are protectedwhen we seek and follow God’s will. Weare clothed in the righteousness of Jesusinstead of our own righteousness and weremain in righteousness by seeking tofollow God’s will, spoken to us inscripture and revealed to us through theguidance of the Holy Spirit. Although itmight seem like it would be wonderful tohave the Old Testament breastpiece ofdecision at our disposal, we havesomething much better than this: we havethe Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit.However, action is required. Ephesians 6implies an active cooperation on our partby the decision to put on the breastplateof righteousness by seeking the will ofGod and then listening to the promptingsof the Holy Spirit. Just as with the Urimand Thummim, God does have a mostperfect plan and generally has a ‘yes’ or‘no’ answer for most things according toHis perfect will. And His will, eventhough we may not understand it as wefollow it, is the best, most perfect plan,and it offers spiritual protection,especially for our hearts. Our hearts neverbecome hardened when we follow God’splan. Hardening of heart comes as weresist God’s plans. Hardened hearts losethe ability to hear God speaking or to carewhat His will is regarding a situation. AsPROPHECY REPORTwe repeatedly reject the will of God, adangerous thing happens: at some pointGod allows our conscience to be seared,which means that we lose the ability tofeel guilt or remorse, even though we areout of His will. God knows each of us andputs into place a plan that He knows iswhat is right for us. But we always havethe freewill to reject His plan. Let usalways put on the our own breastpiece ofdecision, carrying the Holy Spiritequivalent of Urim and Thummim,seeking and following God’s will, therebygaining the protection of the breastplateof righteousness. The Old Testament isfulfilled and revealed by the New, and theNew Testament is concealed within theOld Testament. Whenever the Apostles(or Jesus) referred to scripture in the NewTestament, they were referring to whatwe know as the Old Testament. Let usexamine it with new spiritual eyes. Thankyou Lord, for giving us the Holy Spirit asour ‘breastpiece of decision.’Holy Rosary Church2701 East Ave, ErieTuesday, October 9, 20186:30 PM (Worship 6:15)Sponsored by Son of GodPrayer GroupPresided by: Fr JohnathanSchmoldt and Fr Jerry Priscaro"Where are the Levites? The holy men and women who know how to touchthe holy things of GOD and live because the have insulated themselveswith death to self. GOD is looking for sanctified shoulders. People who canhandle what GOD is about to do." TOMMY TENNEY"For the earth shall be covered with the knowledge of the glory of theLORD as the waters cover the sea." Hab 2:14 (ESV) JACI PHILLIPSYou do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have thewords of eternal life. CATHY GEIGER3God wants to heal us and willheal through the powerful giftgiven to us by the Holy Spirit.This is one of God’s gifts to HisChurch. During a healing Mass orservice we must remain open tothe Holy Spirit and invite Himinto our hearts. Come withexpectant faith.
PRAYERGROUPSHEALING MASS (SPIRIT-FILLED)† SUNDAYSponsored by Son of God Prayer Group HolyRosary Church, 2701 East Ave, ErieTuesday, October 9, 2018 6:30 PM (Worship 6:15)“Show Me Your Glory”ANNUAL GREATER THINGS CONFERENCESt. Joseph Bread of Life Center147 West 24th St, ErieOctober 13, 2018 9 AM - 3:30 PMLunch Included - Scholarships AvailableFor Registrations Call: T.A. Walkiewicz (814) 833-9717See Page 5 for details and registration form.Shalom in Jesus Prayer GroupIn home, DuBois, PARick Kenawell6:30 PM(814) 375-0328Acts II CommunitySt. Julia Church, Erie, PAWest Lake Rd. & Powell Ave.Jack Heintzel6:30 PM(814) 838-1325Holy Crown of Thorns Prayer GroupFirst Sunday of the Month749 Bean Farm Rd, Sheffield, PA1:30 PMLil Herbstritt(814) 968-3208† MONDAYSILENT DIRECTED RETREATCost: 100 - McKean, PAFriday - Sunday November 2-4, 2018Registrations needed by October 15For Registrations Call: T.A. Walkiewicz (814) 833-9717Email: tawalk0313@gmail.comTHE GIFT - LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINARSt. Stephen’s - Oil City, PAFriday, November 9, 2018 6:00 pm - 9:00 pmSaturday, November 10, 2018 8:30 am - 3:30 pmContact Denise Varo (814) 744-8199Disciples of the Holy SpiritSt. Mary's Church Annex139 Church St., St. Marys, PAMary Ellen Frank6:00 PM(814) 781-3904St. Andrew Chapel(formerly Leopold Center group)Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Rosary1116 West 7th St., Erie PaMary Lou Peterson3:15 pm (before Mass)(814) 866-5678River of Life PGSt. Bridget Ch., Rm. 4, Meadville, PA2nd & 4th Monday evenings7:00PMAmy Mosbacher(814) 724-6104New Prayer GroupPromises Of God Prayer Group† TUESDAYSt. Mary's Church—Crown, PAContact Denise Varo for details and times814-744-8199Son of God Prayer GroupHoly Rosary Church2701 East Ave.Pat Montefiori7:00 PM(814) 823-3968† FRIDAYLight of the World CommunityIn Home Prayer MeetingCall for locationT.A. WalkiewiczMemorialsPRESENTED TO:Bobby Lee in Memory of Nancy LeeBy: TA Walkiewicz1:00 PM(814) 833-9717† SATURDAYPRESENTED TO:The Vehec Family, in memory of Mike VehecBy: Jean & Bob ZimmerGod’s Holy Love11 Russell St., Warren, PAVirginia Baker10:30 AM(781) 217-1683CONTEMPORARY MASSEvery Sunday 11:00 AMSt. Joseph Church / Bread of Life CommunityChildren's Liturgy of the WordPERPETUAL ADORATIONBread of Life ChapelSt. Joseph Community CenterST. JOSEPH NOVENAEvery Wednesday 7:00 PMSt. Joseph Church / Bread of Life Community4
Speaker: Dr. Jacqueline Phillips‐Sabol, PhDJaci is a neuropsychologist who istrained to diagnose brain disorders. Shewas director of the NeurocognitiveDisorders Center at the University ofTexas at Houston. She has been a worship leader,prayer group leader, and speaker in the charismaticrenewal for over 20 years.Worship led by Jaci Phillips, BriannaErdman, & friends with special guestviolinist for the Erie Philharmonic LouisNicoliaHe wanted to see the face of the Godhe loved and he begged God to allowHim this honor, even though he might immediately die (“No one shall see my face and live” Ex33:20). This was a plea of a man who loved the Lord to be able to stand in the glory of thepresence of the one he loved and to stare into His face. His plea was a yearning born out ofintimacy (“I am pleased with you and know you by name” Ex 33:17), yet desiring closer intimacy.This is what God desires of us. Just as He desired relationship with Moses, He desiresrelationship with US! “The Father is seeking such as these to worship Him” Jn 4:34. He wants usto seek Him and to love Him. The ‘more’ that God desires to pour onto those who love Him isborn out of our desire to be drawn ‘deeper’ into the arms of the Living God. As we hunger andthirst to be in the presence of the glory of the Lord, miracles happen. There are emotional,spiritual, and physical miracles in response to intercessions for people, relationships, andregions. As we more deeply seek God, greater things being to happen in a world that needs‘greater things.’Registration form for Word of Life Event: “SHOW ME YOUR GLORY!” ANNUAL ‘GREATER THINGS’ CONFERENCEName (Print): PhoneAddress:City: State: Zip: Email:Please send registration form and enclosed event fee to the Word of Life Office (make check payable to Word of Life Center):Word of Life Charismatic Renewal CenterSt. Mark Catholic Center429 E. Grandview Blvd., Erie, PA 16514Please sign me up to receive the monthly Word of Life Newsletter! Send it to my email ORSend it to my address*If registration fee is a hardship or for questions, please contact TA Walkiewicz at: (814) 833- 9717 or wolccrc@eriercd.org.**Annual WOL CCRC Members meeting will take place during lunch(you do not need to be a contributor to WOL to attend the luncheon)
FINDING JESUS, IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH? (PARTI had no idea what God hadin store for me, but boy doesHe have a plan!He first drew me to Himself through aChristian Marriage Devotional, one Ihighly recommend to any marriedwoman out there (Wife After God:Drawing Closer to God & YourHusband by Jennifer Smith). He taughtme A LOT about myself, gentlypointing out the things I really needed tochange about myself, not my husband.What an important lesson that was tolearn! And then He drew me into Hisloving arms. For the first time in mylife, I felt God. People, I truly felt Him!A relationship with God is not onlypossible, but it’s ideal and it’s what HEwants! When you allow God to take thatfirst step into the door of your heart –once you finally creak it open to seeWho’s standing on the other side – yourworld will never be the same. And youwill NEVER want to go back! (I amoverwhelmed with gratefulness.)After reading that devotional andanother by the same author, I hadlearned so much! But I still feltsomething missing. But I was veryresistant to dive into the Catholic faith Ihad known since childhood because Ihad only known it to be boring all mylife, to be quite honest and I know a lotof other people can probably relate tothis. I didn’t think I’d find the missingpart in that faith. I was almost sure of it.Most of that problem, I would laterlearn, is that I knew pretty muchNOTHING about the Catholic faith!CURIOSITY BROUGHT ME TO LIFE!One day in early 2017, I typed into thegoogle search bar “Catholic women,”expecting absolutely nothing in myresults. Then God pulled me in evenmore! He squeezed me even tighter. Heled me to a ministry – an incredibleministry! – called Blessed Is She(blessedisshe.net),whichisacommunity of thousands and thousandsof Catholic women. This ministry offersdaily devotions for women and bywomen, retreats, workshops, amazingstudies and products, devotionals, localbrunches, and SO much more! I wascompletely blown away. I honestlycouldn’t believe there were otherONE) By Elaine SinnottCatholic women out there seeking God,much less Catholic women who were soin love with the faith. This ministry ledme to a new friend through the BlessedIs She Regional Facebook group. Sheimmediately invited me to her churchfor a program called Alpha. Thankfullyshe asked me more than once because ittruly changed my life!are INCREDIBLE! I cannot say enoughgood things about Alpha. If you wantsomething more in your life – andreally, we all do because each of oursouls yearn for Jesus – Alpha is theprogram for you. They’re everywhere!You can visit alphausa.org to find onelocal to you. It will change your life andyou won’t want to go back!A NEW BEGINNINGI went to my first Alpha where I met myfriend, Tara, and she introduced me tothe people in her group. Everyone wasso friendly and, dare I say it, normal! Idon’t know why that surprised me, but itdid. I honestly went the first timebecause they offered free childcare anda free dinner. And I needed to get out ofthe house. I couldn’t beat that! Therewas contemporary praise and worshipbeing sung in the background,something I had been praying for in aCatholic parish for a very long time. Ifelt tears welling up in my eyes and ahuge lump in my throat. Then when wesat down, Tara invited me to Mass withthem on Sunday. I was attending Massat another nearby parish but notregularly. I asked her if they had anycontemporary Masses and she saidYES! There was a contemporary 11 AMMass on Sundays, known as the familyMass. I had so many prayers answeredthat night that I was overwhelmed withjoy and I had to truly fight back thetears. I’m beyond blessed to now call St.Joseph Bread of Life our home parishwith Fr. Larry Richards as our pastor.What an amazing community and anincredible leader, who has a love sogreat for Christ that it’s contagious!THE GIFTSNear the end of Alpha, I unfortunatelymissed the big retreat day because myhusband and I had a wedding. But whenI finally came back, I was greeted with awarm welcome and then heard stories ofthe retreat day. I found out that they hadreceived the baptism in the Holy Spirit(which I had no idea what that evenmeant), the result of a greatmanifestation of our Lord with studentsfrom Duquesne University right in myvery own hometown of Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania in 1967(or going backeven further. Pentecost!). Remarkably,It wasn’t until I learned about theCharismatic Renewal that I learned Ihad experienced the results of thebaptism in my childhood, around theage of 10!ALPHAAlpha continued each week and Icontinued going and growing, becomingmore and more filled with the HolySpirit with every session. I honestlywished it was more than once eachweek. The “Jesus High” I got from thatprogram and my INCREDIBLE smallgroup was unreal! If you don’t knowwhat Alpha is, I’m going to try to giveyou a condensed description. It’s thisamazing program for people who do notknow Christ or want to know moreabout Him. It’s not a Catholic program– strictly Christian and relevant to alldenominations. The videos each week6A HealingWhen I was maybe 10 years old, I wasat my Aunt’s house with a bunch offamily members and a few friends of thefamily for a big family get together. Iremember feeling sick, a little feverish,and told my mom. Somehow a friend ofthe family had found out and he told meto sit by him on the couch. So, my momand I sat next to him, me sitting on mymom’s lap, and he laid his hands on me.Then he started speaking in a language Ididn’t recognize for just a coupleminutes and suddenly, I felt that feverleave me! I felt what can only bedescribed as rubbing IcyHot all over mybody. That feeling is still very vivid inmy mind. As soon as he had finishedpraying, he immediately said, “There,she feels cooler already.” I rememberjust staring at him thinking, “W hat onearth did he just do?” I also rememberthinking, “Thank goodness I wasn’tlying about my fever!” (LOL!) It was18 years later when I finally realizedwhat had happened that day inchildhood (to be continued in part two,Reflections Newsletter, Nov. 2018)
By The Word of Their Testimony“But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of theirtestimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.”(Revelation 12:11)MASKS AND LIES By Michael IlligI still believed the lies and wore themasks?Hello, my name is Michael Illig. I am arecent graduate of St. Vincent Collegeand I am going to tell you about how Iwon my freedom.I was eventually invited to one of thecollege retreats called Ignite. I did notknow what to expect. I only knew that Ihad no choice in the matter because agood friend of mine signed me up andsimply said, “Be there.” At that retreat, Iheard talks and witnesses about how thebaptism in the Holy Spirit had changedpeople’s lives. I only remember half ofthe talks because I fell asleep throughthe other half. However, the most lifechanging experience I have ever hadwas yet to come. On the retreat, thoseattending were all invited to be baptizedin the Holy Spirit, just as the Apostleswere in the upper room. This experiencecan simply be explained as inviting theHoly Spirit to come into your heart tochange your life. When it came time forthe baptism in the Holy Spirit, I wasfrightened. I felt unworthy to receiveGod into my life. I felt that He wouldnot accept me. As it came time for meto be baptized, I was asked what Ineed
among His people. In “The God Chasers” Tommy Tenney talks about the glory of God descending on a church where he was preaching in Houston, TX. It was clear to him as soon as he walked into the sanctuary that the manifest presence of the Living God was there. It was such an awesome power
