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“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Genuine believers will react thankfully to trials and suffering. Preventive spiritual maintenance is very important. If we are disciplined believers, we’ll practice it and prepare ourselves for any kind of trials and hardships. Then when the unexpected happens, we’ll be able to respond in a godly manner and truly appreciate what the Lord is teaching us. The attitude expressed in today’s verse is basic and is one of the strongest antidotes to fear and lack of preparation...

The twelve apostles included "John" (Matt. 10:2). Seek to maintain a proper balance between truth and love. Some people picture John as overly sentimental and egotistical, lying with his head on Jesus' shoulder and constantly referring to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. But that's not an accurate characterization of one of the "Son of thunder"! He loved Jesus deeply and was amazed that Jesus loved him—especially after he wanted to burn up the Samaritans and then secure a prominent place for himself in Christ's kingdom. Calling himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (e.g., John 21:20) was simply his...

May 15, 2016 Pentecost SundayMass during the Day Reading 1 Acts 2:1-11 When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,they were all in one place together.And suddenly there came from the skya noise like a strong driving wind,and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,which parted and came to rest on each one of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Spiritand began to speak in different tongues,as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heavenstaying in Jerusalem.At this sound, they...

“‘And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock’” (Matthew 7:25). Faithfulness in discipleship will mean we are prepared for the worst possible adversity and trial. People are often unprepared for life’s unexpected upheavals. This was vividly illustrated by the once-in-500-year floods that struck the Northern Plains of the United States in the spring of 1997. One community on the Red River in North Dakota was especially devastated by the surprising events. After working diligently for days to...

The twelve apostles included "James the son of Zebedee" (Matt. 10:2). Zeal without sensitivity can destroy your life and ministry. There's the story of a Norwegian pastor whose motto was "All or nothing!" His life and preaching were stern, strong, powerful, uncompromising, and utterly insensitive. Reportedly the people in his church didn't care much for him because he didn't care much for them. In his zeal and ambition to advance the kingdom and uphold God's standard, he neglected everything else—including his own family. One day his little daughter became so ill the doctor warned him that if he didn't move...

May 14, 2016 Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle Reading 1 Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty personsin the one place).He said, “My brothers and sisters,the Scripture had to be fulfilledwhich the Holy Spirit spoke beforehandthrough the mouth of David, concerning Judas,who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.Judas was numbered among usand was allotted a share in this ministry.For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his encampment become desolate,and may no one dwell in it.and:May another take his...

MOUNT POCONO -- Police in part of Monroe County are looking for the person who spray-painted "Trump" outside a church. The name of presidential hopeful Donald Trump was painted on a sign that sits outside St. Mary of the Mount in Mount Pocono. The church closed last year, and neighbors say since then there have never been any problems until now. People who live nearby cannot believe someone would vandalize such a sacred place. "I think it's disgraceful. It has nothing to do with politically or what my party affiliation is but just to deface any property like that is...

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (ChurchMilitant.com) - Police are investigating acts of vandalism and subsequent threats levied against a Catholic church in Florida. According to reports, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Delray Beach, Florida was defaced Tuesday night by unknown vandals who spray painted satanic symbols and other imagery on multiple statues and the sides of church buildings. An office administrator, who first discovered the crimes Wednesday morning, asserts pentagrams and other "satanic" signs were painted on the walls. Additionally, three statues had black masks and capes spray painted on them. "It was awful to look at," the church employee,...

He is currently serving as Pastor of the Saint Mary Catholic Center at the University of Texas A&M campus in College Station, TX. Anybody know him?

“God has not given us a spirit of timidity [fear], but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). The true follower of Christ has no reason to fear potential sufferings and trials. Concerning frustration and fear at the 1992 Winter Olympics, speed skater Dan Jansen said, “What happened was I skated a race that I can only describe as tentative. I looked good. I didn’t slip. Yet something kept me from going flat out.” The favored Jansen, haunted by well-publicized failures to win medals in 1988 or 1992, finally overcame his fear and triumphed in 1994 in the...

The twelve apostles included "James the son of Zebedee" (Matt. 10:2). God can use overzealous and ambitious people for His glory. Like Peter and Andrew, James and John were fishermen. One day as Jesus walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee, He saw them in a boat with their father Zebedee and some hired servants. When Jesus called them to follow Him, they immediately left the boat and went with Him (Mark 1:19- 20). James and John were zealous and ambitious men—so much so that Jesus nicknamed them "Boanerges," which means, "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17). At times their...

May 13, 2016 Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 25:13b-21 King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesareaon a visit to Festus.Since they spent several days there,Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying,“There is a man here left in custody by Felix.When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jewsbrought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.I answered them that it was not Roman practiceto hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusersand had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge.So when they came together here,...

“But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away” (James 1:9-10). God does not exempt any believer, rich or poor, from trials and suffering. There is a basic principle of life that we all know to be true—namely, that trials and sufferings do not exclude privileged people. This is a humbling truth that we don’t always like to acknowledge, yet it operates before us regularly in such things as natural disasters. No one can deny that large-scale floods, hurricanes, or...

The twelve apostles included "Andrew" (Matt. 10:2). Andrew is a picture of all believers who humbly minister behind the scenes. It's been said that no one likes playing second fiddle, but that wasn't Andrew's perspective at all. Growing up in the shadow of an aggressive, outspoken brother like Peter would be a challenge for anyone. Even in the biblical record Andrew is known as "Simon Peter's brother" (e.g., John 1:40). Yet when Andrew met Jesus, his first response was to tell Peter, knowing full well that once Peter became a disciple he probably would run the group. But Andrew was...

May 12, 2016 Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 Wishing to determine the truthabout why Paul was being accused by the Jews,the commander freed himand ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them. Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,so he called out before the Sanhedrin,“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”When he said this,a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,and the...

“‘But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living’” (Job 28:12-13). God’s wisdom is our source for understanding life and all its trials. The supernatural wisdom believers need in order to understand their trials is simply not available from our society. During Job’s ordeal he soon learned the utter inadequacy both of his reason and his friends’ misguided advice. That led him to the profound conclusion that the Lord’s wisdom is the only source for comprehending life and all its...

The twelve apostles included "Andrew" (Matt. 10:2). Leading others to Christ should be a top priority in your life. Andrew was Peter's brother and a native of Bethsaida of Galilee. From the very start we see him leading people to Christ—beginning with his own brother. The gospel of John records his first encounter with Jesus: "John [the Baptist] was standing with two of his disciples (Andrew and John), and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. . . . One of the...

UPPER SANDUSKY — One or more vandals discharged a fire extinguisher inside Transfiguration of the Lord Catholic Church on Thursday night, the Upper Sandusky Police Department reported. A scheduled Mass was canceled because of the “massive cleanup” required, police said. The damage was discovered Friday morning by a parish employee. No arrests had been made by Friday night. The church, at 225 N. Eighth St., was previously known as St. Peter’s Catholic Church. A fire extinguisher, which hangs on a church

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – The pastor of a church in southeast Albuquerque says someone broke in, robbed and vandalized the building. It happened at the Sandia Church of the Nazarene near Central and Wyoming between Friday night and early Saturday morning. The church says the burglars broke doors and equipment, even making off with several laptops.

FOLEY, AL- Calvary Baptist Church on West Magnolia Avenue was hit by thieves last week. The burglars broke into the church office, damaged an A/C unit, stole $135 from the safe, took a laptop and destroyed a desktop computer. Pastor John Pratt documented the damage on his smart phone. Not only did the thieves steal from a house of worship, they also vandalized it. The crooks grabbed fire extinguishers off the walls and sprayed the chemicals all over the building, including inside the church nursery.