My spam filter caught a post from sexdate…who decided to post on my Baltimore Catechism post about sin and its kind. A little early morning irony for ya.
Blessings,
Lyn
Monthly Archives: May 2013
Praying for our enemies
Lord, forgive me.
I don’t want to bless this person who curses me,
…who hurts one that I love,
…who takes advantage of me
…who disregards me completely.
Please pour your love through me, and YOU love them, bless them, heal them through me. Give me the desire to love, bless, and pray for them.
Give me Your eyes to see them
…your ears to hear them
…your hands and feet to serve them
…your heart to love them
That I may be conformed to Your image, knowing that in serving them, I am serving You.
Amen
Ebenezers
Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of God’s unchanging love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
I love this hymn. The melody is catchy, and oh, how the words minister to my heart. Isn’t it just like a prayer?
You might already know what an ebenezer is, or you may not. I was informed a few years ago, but had to go look it up again, as I had forgotten. According to dictionary.com, ebenezer comes from the Hebrew; ebhen ezar “stone of help,” from ebhen “stone” + ezer “help.” It is mentioned in 1 Samuel 7, read it, the story is fascinating. After I looked this up and re-learned it, I realized I needed to blog about it, because unknowingly, I have raised some of my own “ebenezers”, but I never knew they had a name.
In the past, I’ve kept a prayer journal, and recorded God’s answers to my prayers.
My own blog “New Things” is an ebenezer. It is named for a word that the Lord gave me, prior to my need for it. It comes from Isaiah 43, and has been a constant reminder of God’s help and goodness to me.
Mile marker 91 on Idaho’s Highway 95 is an ebenezer. I wrote about it here, and here.
I have a prayer card with a relevant verse of Scripture that was given to me by my niece at just the right time. That is an ebenezer. (And I see it every day, it is perched above my kitchen sink).
Anniversary dates, patron saints, even children appropriately named can be an “ebenezer” of sorts. Remember the story of Isaac’s birth? Isaac means laughter, and he was so named as a memorial to his mother’s response to God’s promise to her of a child born in her old age. My son’s name with his birthdate (Joshua 1:9) has become a life verse for him.
Why an ebenezer? Because we are forgetful. When the children of Israel were preparing to enter the Promised Land, Moses warned them not to forget (Deuteronomy 4). We need reminders. Look again at the story of in 1 Samuel from above. “to remind the children of Israel of the Lord’s aid in defeating the Philistines, the prophet Samuel built a monument, named it Ebenezer and said ” “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Sam. 7:12)” I need reminders. I need a place that I can look back on, and I need something concrete that I can show my children, and their children; “THIS is where God came down and helped me, THIS is where I saw the hand of God in my life. “THIS is a memorial to Him for the mighty work He has done”.
Do you have Ebenezers? I’d love to hear about them.
Baltimore Catechism Lesson 6: Sin and its kinds
LESSON SIXTH: ON SIN AND ITS KINDS
51. Q. Is original sin the only kind of sin?
A. Original sin is not the only kind of sin; there is another kind of sin, which we commit ourselves, called actual sin.
52. Q. What is actual sin?
A. Actual sin is any willful thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the law of God.
53. Q. How many kinds of actual sin are there?
A. There are two kinds of actual sin-mortal and venial.
54. Q. What is mortal sin?
A. Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God.
55. Q. Why is this sin called mortal?
A. This sin is called mortal because it deprives us of spiritual life, which is sanctifying grace, and brings everlasting death and damnation on the soul.
56. Q. How many things are necessary to make a sin mortal?
A. To make a sin mortal three things are necessary: a grievous matter, sufficient reflection, and full consent of the will.
57. Q. What is venial sin?
A. Venial sin is a slight offense against the law of God in matters of less importance, or in matters of great importance it is an offense committed without sufficient reflection or full consent of the will.
58. Q. Which are the effects of venial sin?
A. The effects of venial sin are the lessening of the love of God in our heart, the making us less worthy of His help, and the weakening of the power to resist mortal sin.
59. Q. Which are the chief sources of sin?
A. The chief sources of sin are seven: Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth; and they are commonly called capital sins.
More Than I Can Bear
I need to remember this often.
“God doesn’t give us more than we can bear.”
This well-meaning phrase has been used to offer encouragement and strength to someone walking through dark valleys, suffering in pain, or burdened down with the weight of circumstances beyond their control. I’ve said it, I’ve even believed it; after all, how could a loving God give his child something He knows is impossible for them to bear? He knows us, He loves us, and He is aware of our limitations, right? So whatever He gives, He must know we can bear it, right?
And besides, even His own Word says this…somewhere…I’m sure I read it, or heard someone interpret it…or did I?
Here it is: 1 Corinthians 10:13
Notemptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he…
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Momma’s Hands
I wrote this poem for my Mom to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary . I thought it appropriate to share for Mother’s Day. I miss her so much, and still find myself comparing my hands with the memory of hers.
Momma’s Hands
I remember being young
Grasping Momma’s hands in mine
Pondering and wondering
And comparing them to mine
She didn’t care for painted nails
Or other fads of youth
Hard work and time had modified
Her hands, once soft and smooth
I remember watching her
While fervently, she’d try
With ready, eager, willing hands
Her family’s needs to supply
Momma’s hands were busy
Momma’s hands were filled
With kids to feed, and house to clean
Momma’s hands were skilled
Bandaging scrapes and scratches
Hugging the hurts away
Brushing our hair, spanking our butts
Preparing meals each day.
Of all the things that I recall
Of Momma’s hands, I’ll share
My favorite memory of all, is
Those hands–folded reverently, in prayer
Momma’s hands personified
The yearning of Momma’s heart
To serve her Lord and family
God’s love to them impart
Now, Momma’s hands are older, still
And here, myself, I find
Pondering and wondering,
And comparing them to mine
Lyn H
January, 2005
What I’ve been listening to
I’m been fascinated with conversion stories and Catholic apologetics…I found these stories especially intriguing.
Catholic apologetics with panelists Dr. Regis Martin and Dr. Scott Hahn, and special guest Patrick Madrid.
Conversion story of a Pentacostal pastor and his congregation.
Conversion story of a former Assembly of God Minister.
Baltimore Catechism Lessons 4 and 5
LESSON FOURTH: ON CREATION
32. Q. Who created heaven and earth, and all things?
A. God created heaven and earth, and all things.
33. Q. How did God create heaven and earth?
A. God created heaven and earth from nothing by His word only; that is, by a single act of His all-powerful will.
34. Q. Which are the chief creatures of God?
A. The chief creatures of God are angels and men.
33. Q. What are angels?
A. Angels are pure spirits without a body, created to adore and enjoy God in heaven.
36. Q. Were the angels created for any other purpose?
A. The angels were also created to assist before the throne of God and to minister unto Him; they have often been sent as messengers from God to man; and are also appointed our guardians.
37. Q. Were the angels, as God created them, good and happy?
A. The angels, as God created them, were good and happy.
38. Q. Did all the angels remain good and happy?
A. All the angels did not remain good and happy; many of them sinned and were cast into hell, and these are called devils or bad angels.
LESSON FIFTH: ON OUR FIRST PARENTS AND THE FALL
39. Q. Who were the first man and woman?
A. The first man and woman were Adam and Eve.
40. Q. Were Adam and Eve innocent and holy when they came from the hand of God?
A. Adam and Eve were innocent and holy when they came from the hand of God.
41. Q. Did God give any command to Adam and Eve?
A. To try their obedience God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of a certain fruit which grew in the garden of Paradise.
42. Q. Which were the chief blessings intended for Adam and Eve had they remained faithful to God?
A. The chief blessings intended for Adam and Eve, had they remained faithful to God, were a constant state of happiness in this life and everlasting glory in the next.
43. Q. Did Adam and Eve remain faithful to God?
A. Adam and Eve did not remain faithful to God; but broke His command by eating the forbidden fruit.
44. Q. What befell Adam and Eve on account of their sin?
A. Adam and Eve, on account of their sin, lost innocence and holiness, and were doomed to sickness and death.
45. Q. What evil befell us on account of the disobedience of our first parents?
A. On account of the disobedience of our first parents, we all share in their sin and punishment, as we should have shared in their happiness if they had remained faithful.
46. Q. What other effects followed from the sin of our first parents?
A. Our nature was corrupted by the sin of our first parents, which darkened our understanding, weakened our will, and left in us a strong inclination to evil.
47. Q. What is the sin called which we inherit from our first parents?
A. The sin which we inherit from our first parents is called original sin.
48. Q. Why is this sin called original?
A. This sin is called original because it comes down to us from our first parents, and we are brought into the world with its guilt on our soul.
49. Q. Does this corruption of our nature remain in us after original sin is forgiven?
A. This corruption of our nature and other punishments remain in us after original sin is forgiven.
50. Q. Was any one ever preserved from original sin?
A. The Blessed Virgin Mary, through the merits of her Divine Son, was preserved free from the guilt of original sin, and this privilege is called her Immaculate Conception.
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I realize this is a huge chunk, but I missed last week, due to preparing for a trip west. I hope to resume to posting these every week, but I will be changing that to Wednesdays starting today. I don’t get much feedback from this, but have been enjoying the personal catechism so for me it’s worth it.
New Things 