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I don’t think it’s possible to say it better than Steven Curtis Chapman, so please take a moment and listen to this song.

It doesn’t matter where we are. Whether all is good and right in our world, or whether we are facing a serious health issue. Whether we don’t know where our next meal is coming from or whether we are facing prison for the 5th time. Or whether someone we loved died or left. Or whether we are doing drugs or alcohol after promising our loved ones for a million times that we would not.

Jesus loves us and will meet us wherever we are. We don’t have to “clean ourselves up” or “pull up our bootstraps, Jesus wants to help us right now! Because He loves us.

As the song says, “He knows the way to wherever you are”. All we need to do is say, “Jesus help” and He will be right there with a big hug. We don’t even have to say it out loud. There will be no delay. Jesus has you 🙂

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

Did we ever hear of Our Lady of Good Health? I’ve never heard an American church teach of Our Lady of Good Health, but India has. The Basilica of Good Health is in India and is where three appearances of Mary took place. It has been nicknames “The Lourdes of the East”.

She is also known as Our Lady of Vailankanni, which is where she appeared twice.

The first appearance of Mary was to a young boy many years ago. He was on his way to deliver some buttermilk and stopped to rest under a Banyon tree. Mary appeared and asked for some buttermilk for Jesus and the boy gave it to her. When he arrived at the house of his customer he apologized for not having any buttermilk, but when he opened his container, it was full.

During Mary’s second appearance, She asked a young boy for a cup of buttermilk for her Jesus, which he of course, gave Her. He was a lame boy and had no customers. Mary cured him and asked him to go to Nagapattinam and ask a certain Catholic man there to build a chapel in Vailankanni. Cured, he ran all the way there 🙂

The third appearance of Mary was to a group of Portuguese sailors who were caught is a horrible storm and prayed to Mary, the Star of the Sea, to save them. They promised to build a church in Her honor, and they did. When they arrived home, they rebuilt the first chapel, which had a thatched roof, into a stone church.

One might wonder why these miracles, which happened in India, matter so much to us in America. It’s because they are filled with hope. Anyone can be healed or lifted up anywhere. If Mary is not limited by time nor place, neither is God!

There is a second reason that it matters so. There is a tendency in America and Europe for us to think that we know more than others. This is not true. We also sometimes think that the meaning of the Bible is determined solely by us. This is also not true. We can always learn from our Sisters and Brothers in Christ.

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

Pictures of Mary’s Basilica, please copy and paste this link: https://www.vailankannishrine.net/feedback/Church_Photos

The heart rending suffering that has come about through Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton is overwhelming. Families lost too much. They lost people that they loved and they lost everything they owned.

We have seen so many Americans reach out to help those who were harmed. Millions of Americans are praying for all those who are hurting! This is one good outcome. This tragedy has reminded so many of us about what makes the American people-great.

But there are two things we do need to remember.

One is, that we can only hope that those who so tragically lost their lives-had accepted Jesus as their Savior and Followed Him to Heaven. Because there are no do-overs and there is only one way to Heaven. So often we live our lives thinking that there is always tomorrow to accept Jesus, but tomorrow does not always come.

The second is that the clean up and rebuilding are going to take a long time, a lot of work and many prayers. We need to remember all of those who suffered from these storms today, tomorrow and for all the days to come.

Pray now and pray for all the tomorrows, for all those who are suffering. And for those who go to help them!

And then pray now and all of the tomorrows, that we will remember them in our prayers always and reach out to help them in the days and years to come. And pray for all those who are helping them!

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

Sometimes it can be hard to find the words to pray to the Holy Spirit, and yet it is so critically important, especially right now. Below is a prayer that is easy to say every day 🙂

Prayer to the Holy Spirit:

“O Holy Spirit, Beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promised to submit to everything that You ask of me and to accept all that you allow to happen to me. Just show me what is Your will, O Holy Spirit.”

To be “enlightened” is to see all that is around you through the Holy Spirit’s eyes. To see it how it actually is. Something we can all use, especially right now.

To ask for guidance and strength is simply asking the Holy Spirit to tell us what to do in each situation, and for the strength to do it.

To console us is to ask the Holy Spirit to comfort us in all things. We ask the Holy Spirit to let us know that we are making the choice that God would have us make. And we are also asking the Holy Spirit to comfort us in hard times.

It can be quite a relief to have the Holy Spirit “command” us to do something, anything. I don’t know about you, but half the time I am praying and trying to figure out what God would have me do. To have the Holy Spirit “command me” is a great gift, not to mention a great relief lol.

If we pray the above prayer every day, it WILL help us 🙂

Sadly, apostasy lives in the hearts of many. Now.

In the last days, many will be blinded. Unable to see the Truth of the Holy Spirit, and many will falter. In fact, we see many are already blinded. Please pray for each other that each will see the Truth, and we need to pray for ourselves every day that we will see the Truth.

Sadly, even some churches which are supposed to lead us to Jesus, seem to be leading many astray. But there is one sure way to see God’s Truth. With the Holy Spirit’s Help, we need to read God’s Word for ourselves.

There is only one God, and He had only one Son, and our God is not a God of confusion. The Holy Spirit is THE Spirit of Truth. We need to ask for His guidance right now!

The choices are getting harder and they will get even harder. If any of us do not see that, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to see the world as it is, not as we wish it were.

Call on the Holy Spirit NOW, while there is still time!

“Holy Spirit Come”

October 7th, 2023 was a horrifically evil day, which today we remember. But what we also need to remember is that it did end. God is here and He is moving. May He move in us!

It’s hard to believe that so many countries have now turned against Israel. It’s hard to believe that evil exists and is growing in so many people. But we have to let that evil be taken care of by God. That does not mean that we do not stand up for Israel or what is right. It simply means that we do not allow anger and hate to fill our heart. God can not guide us when we are filled with anger and so we have to let it go.

However, there is also a quote from a great statesman that says, “The only thing needed for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.”. How many of us are doing nothing? Governments can stand by Israel. People can Pray For Israel. We can send donations and food. We can love them as God has commanded us. It’s our choice!

The Word of God says, “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”-Genesis 12:3

If Israel is not Blessed by us, will our families be Blessed?

We can not control what governments do, but we can control what we do.

Pray for Israel today!

I met a woman today. She told me she felt the world was falling apart. She can’t find a job. Her rent has been raised to a ridiculous $2,700, and they have to move because of the increase. She really touched my heart. She was really nice and had some very real problems.

What can we say to people in that situation. One thing we can do is offer to pray for them. God is still in the business of miracles. He gives us wonderful Gifts-if we let Him. He leads us out of the mire and into a place filled with His Grace-if we let Him.

Jesus calls upon us to loves others. While praying for each other remains the most important gift that we can give, we can also give groceries too! And we can one of the most precious Gifts that God gave us-our Time.

Too many in our country can no longer afford basic necessities, but our Hope and our Help comes from the Lord. And God is always willing to Help us with both our earthly problems and our spiritual ones, just ask Him, because He loves us!

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”-Psalm 4:23

How do we “guard” our heart and reach out to the lost? The answer is not easy. Some will reach out to the lost because God is guarding their heart and they know that 🙂

But God has much work that needs to be done. Helping those affected by the flood. Giving sermons. Acting as a mentor. Being a friend. Watching over and teaching children. Being a parent. Cooking for those who are in need. Helping the poor…There are so many ways that we can help and support others!

One Gift is not better than the others. But while we are “giving”, we also need to make sure that we are maintaining our own faith in Jesus!

God has given us each Gifts. We just need to find ours and use it!

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

So many times we forget that many who served Christ did suffered much. And all but one of the apostles were put to death. In addition, many of the early Christians were persecuted.

We do not need to be afraid of suffering. God has promised,

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”-Isaiah 41:10

No matter what gets thrown at us, God’s Got Us!

“Know that God holds you and will carry you through whatever comes next. Even when you don’t know what’s next. He holds you, even when you have made a terrible mess of things. He can even use our mistakes. He can put us back on the right path. He looks at us and Loves us! He holds you, even as you face suffering and hardship. Even when you don’t understand. Especially when you don’t understand. What an AWESOME Lord we have!! Amen”-A Faithful Servant of Christ

Sometimes life can just seem a mess. Sometimes the pain of it all just seems to much! But there is a Safe Place we can go. God is our Safe Place. And He will always welcome us with a heart filled with love!

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!