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A Spiritual Anniversary
Posted By Kathleen
We are living in the midst of Holy Week, the week before Easter or Resurrection Sunday when our hearts and souls are being prepared for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This week 24 years ago the Lord was preparing my heart to accept Him as my Savior.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,…1 Peter 1:3
I grew up in what I refer to as a culturally Irish-Catholic home. When I was about eight years old my father started taking my four siblings and I to church. Often times I enjoyed this time with my Dad. After church he would take us out for a donut at a little coffee shop around the corner from the church. Although I have good memories of these Sunday outings, spiritually church did nothing for me. I did not understand the mass and what it stood for and for some reason my mother did not attend with us. I knew my Father believed in God but he did not at that time have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
During my teen years I avoided church as much as possible. I married young and divorced. At the age of 27 after many broken relationships and finding myself a single divorced mother I knew I had to make major changes in my life. I was so horrible lost and depressed.
With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33
I started counseling with our local Priest Father Jim. Father Jim died a few years later and is with his Savior but what I learned from Father Jim was wonderful. He had recently returned from a trip to the Deep South and heard many preachers on the radio during his long car journey. He was enthralled by their passion and love of our Lord and Savior but most important he was so taken by the personal relationship many of the preachers had with their Savior. He told me he would love to be able to preach so passionately. Father Jim was baptized in the Holy Spirit, and was a Charismatic Priest. On Saturday evenings he held the traditional, in the 70’s, guitar mass for the local college students and young people who attended his church.
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10: 9-10
On Easter Sunday before the church service Father Jim led me to the Lord. One week later I met the man who would become my husband. We have been married almost 24 years now. Larry wasn’t a Catholic so we found a church we both liked.
I strongly encourage you to examine your heart sometime during this holiest of holidays. Holy Week is an excellent time to make a new and fresh commitment to serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God Bless You!
Mar 19th, 2008
I just love God and pray that this Easter, people who are lost will be found!!
Kathleen—that is an awesome testimony! Incredible what God does! I am so thankful that the Lord led me here today—I am completely uplifted!!!
Thank you Kathleen for sharing your story. How wonderfully uplifting!
Thanks be to God! Very moving, my childhood was one with belonging to different denominations. I also did not understand the masses, married young, divorced, but thank the Lord once again as I found the man I was meant to share my life with. He is Catholic & I’m trying to convert after 25 years of marriage and attending Catholic masses (please say a prayer for me/us) I have never felt that I belonged to any one denamination until a few years ago. Lord, I’m asking for you to stand by my side in this matter… This page has given me great hope~ Thank you
The Romans 10 verse is so reassuring… as is your lovely Easter message.
Hi Kathleen,
It’s me again. I left a comment a few weeks ago on your post regarding the Trinity. Once again I have been encouraged. You must visit my blog and read my testimony (posted under “Theology - Necessary Food for the Good Woman: Part One” (blog adress is http://the-good-woman.blogspot.com), which is almost identical to yours. God saved me between my first and second marriages. Robert & I have now been married for 31 years. Amazing! God performs wonders beyond our comprehension. How wonderful His gracious gift of love to us in His Son. Thank you for this aricle!
May Christ be exalted,
Sharon Kaufman
Sharon…what an awsome post. I too found the Lord and have been a single mom for over ten years. God is so faithful. I pray the Lord will continue to bless you in everything you do.
Blesssing to my sister in Christ
Patti Herritnon
I love your post on Resurrection Sunday! I also grew up Irish-Catholic and found myself post-college wondering if there was more to life than what I was living.
Iam amazed that even today, there are a number of people who would argue that Jesus did not have to have a bodily resurrection or some even argue that Jesus’ death alone was enough, but we agree with Paul when he tells us that anything short of a bodily resurrection ignores the victory of God.
God does not want to just rescue people from this material world — God wants to restore all things. God CHOSE to send His son to die on the cross for OUR sins.
Jesus’ resurrection reminds us of three things
God has defeated death.
God has defeated evil.
God has begun His redemptive work.