Thoughts,Ramblings and Museings

[HisKid1973]

Look, I will be straight with y'all in sharing here..I live in a area of italian catholics and my experience with them as neighbors and co-workers left alot for me to consider do they truely know Christ in a personal way..The catholic girls here were sought after for dates and the co-workers I had over the years were pretty wild and party hearty...They would say they would confess and "recieve" Jesus every week then party and be wild til Sunday and the cycle would repeat itself...My druggie buddy and I heard the gospel message in 1973 and radically changed our lifes to the point of sharing Christ with our co workers and them wondering what happened to us...We gathered up our rock music and other junk and burned them in a burn barrel...

To me then seeing what happened to us didn't make sense that they could say they knew Christ yet had we didn't see change in them...Now to be fair there were others who would say they were.' christian yet would live like the world the rest of the week..Then having some neighbors to converse with them is Mary this ,Mary that, it's Jesus and His plan of salvation that I want to talk about. Then we have this newspaper every week printing novenas saying by printing this prayer and praying it so many times whatever you asked will be answer, like is was some majic words. Statues to buy that guaranteed your house ot be sold and while others had gospel programs and outreaches to share Christ they had festivals with alcohol.. I guess you can see how I got my idea of Catholisism...Almost like becoming Catholic was akin to becoming a born again christian and something just didn't seem to jive..

Now ff to coming to CF... I show up here and go through the forums..Since I am home I spent alot of time here and see most of the activity is in here.I just felt the Lord tell me to hang here to encourage others in their walk with Christ..The forum suprised me as the threads were either about becoming more "cathoilc" or about drinking,sex and all kinds of stuff I'd heard from Catholics in the past. I saw alot of threads of those struggling and the issues they had.. Many here would share talk to your priest or do alot od rosary prayers or something else catholic..I would bring up they need to make sure they truely "knew" Christ and not just going through the motions..Ironically there were some who agreed with me and I gradually found some were protestant and shared about being born anew and being filled in the spirit..And then came to become Catholic..They didn't see me as separated brethren but a brother in Christ..Now being here in this new forum, it is like a common bond between us since we are sealed by the Spirit when we commit our lives to Christ and desire to walk the spirit filled life..

I guess how I feel is summed up in mt sig...God will call us out from amidst the tares from every church where Christ is lifted up..Now I guess I can wrap this up by asking how you feel about the Lord's return...I know your eschatology is different and you don't believe in the millennial reign but being spirit filled, do you sense His return is neigh? I just sense the falling away is going on before our very eyes..We''ll I've said enough and I love the Lord with all my heart,soul and mind as y'all..I desire to walk transparently before the Lord and I have a great peace that if something would happen to me I would be absent with this old tabernacle and be present with the Lord..Grace and peace to y'all may the Lord draw you deeper and closer to Him in these days of uncertainty..shalom..Kim

Let us all together encourage others to know Christ and walk deeper in Him.

 

[CatholicFlame]

Dear Hiskid,

Well if the Lord asked you to hang around here, then praise the Lord, we are so happy to share our faith with you. I can see that you see alot of things that you do not understand why catholics do and things that you don't agree with.

I have to say that maybe this post of yours has so many issues that you have, that I am not sure what to say!

But I will say one thing, you truly are a beloved brother of ours in Jesus. We are glad to have you here with us!

 

[JacktheCatholic]

No one will know when Jesus will come again for it will be like a thief in the night but when he does come again everyone will know and no one will doubt.

As to the end, it can be today, for anyone that loses their life today will be judged. Even you and me have only a limited time before we are called to be judged whether it is today or 50 years from now.

The way I see it is that Jesus says there is enough today to work on then to think about tomorrow. So live today and do not waste your energy on tomorrow for you have enough in today to work on.

 

[Angeldove97]

 

[Peaceful Dove]

Jack the Catholic sort of summed it up for me.

My feelings are this. No matter if we argue pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, only the Father knows. Jesus said that He does not even know.

Scholars say that the signs have been happening since Jesus resurrection and that is why the early Church expected Jesus back in their time.

Jesus will come back when the Father says, "Go! It is time". That is all I care about and that when He comes, I am ready.

During every Mass, we proclaim, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!" That is good enough for me.

I am 71 years old. Chances are I will see Him first in Heaven. But, in the meantime I want to me ready to meet him.

By the way, I am married to an Italian Catholic who grew up in a completely Italian neighborhood in Rochester, New York. Reading your post, it could have been my husband talking. He has told me some really "interesting" stories. I know what you mean about the Religion thing. However, I have seen the other side of that.
Do you know that my husband was in Korea during the Korean war. During that entire time, whenever it was possible, he attended Mass every single Sunday. That, according to most of the men I talked to was extremely rare. They tell me most Christians when away from home in that circumstance backslides. (unless, of course they are in the heat of battle then it is different)