http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/once-saved-always-saved.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/once-saved-always-saved.html Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600 ("For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord").
I believed that by Paul making these statements, he was saying I would always be loved AND saved.
What changed my mind?
On October 25, 2002, I gave birth to a stillborn child at full term. During the following months (during my grieving period) after spending several hours in non-stop prayer about the situation, The Lord took me back (in my mind) to the day I was in the hospital holding the lifeless child in my arms.
He revealed to me: The way I felt for this lifeless child, was the same way He felt for us (his children).
During this prayer, (I call it a prayer, but it was more like: I was flat on my face sobbing to the point I couldn't speak) So in my spirit I poured my heart out to God and told him:
"God, when I whispered in the baby's ears, she couldn't hear me. When I spoke the words "I love you", she never turned her head to acknowledge me. She never opened her eyes to see me. I have accumulated everything a baby needs to survive- food, clothes, shelter, toys, etc., but this means nothing right now because I will not be able to take her home with me.”
The Lord in His wisdom answered me: He made me understand He also has children that he calls out to; however, they close up their ears so they cannot hear him. They shut their eyes so they cannot see him. He provides everything for them, but they do not acknowledge Him~ they are dead in their sins. He cannot take them home with him in heaven because they are dead.
This brings me back to the original scripture, “I am convinced that neither life nor death or anything can separate us...." The Love God has, will never change, it will always be there, even in death, it is just that some people have chosen to remain dead in their sins.
God is a just God that never changes and in his word, he says that the wages of sin is death!
Maybe at one time they did listen to him. They did hear His words and He grafted them into the vine, of which we are the branches. Now, if they have closed up their eyes and ears, and have returned to unbelief, He can cut them out of the vine. He cannot take them to heaven-they are dead.
The good news is God is a forgiving God. In His Word He says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.


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Renae Patterson is a wife and mother of three girls (One of which has already gone to be with the Lord) and one son. When she is not taking care of the little ones, she’s busy editing for the online magazine Christian Woman Daily.Com located at http://www.christianwomandaily.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/god-answered-my-prayer-with-a-song.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/god-answered-my-prayer-with-a-song.html Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600
Today was the day my doctor informed me the baby inside me, had passed away. The cord wrapped itself around her neck, and the doctor could not find a heartbeat. He wrote a prescription for some sleeping medicine and instructed me to go home, get some sleep, and said he would induce labor in the morning.

How can I sleep tonight knowing the baby inside me is gone? Is he crazy? I decided to go home anyway and try to sleep.

While tossing and turning in the bed, I finally resolved I would not be able to sleep. I sat up in bed, lifted my head and cried out to God.
I can't believe this Lord, is this really happening? I know you Lord, and I know that you can raise anyone from the dead if you want to; I just pray if it is your will, you will bring my baby back to life.

God please do not turn your ears away. I need to hear from you, I need to hear your voice. I cannot make it through this without you. My heart and mind are confused and hurt.

As I finished my prayer, I gently lay back down and decided to be quiet to see if I could hear from Him.
As I lay in bed, I became increasingly sleepy while drifting into sleep I began seeing the face of Nancy, (the music director at my church). Nancy sang like an angel and one of my favorite songs she sang was "Cast all your cares".

As I saw Nancy's face in my mind, I began hearing her sing my favorite song repeatedly until I finally fell asleep. It was as if the Lord had sent Nancy into my mind to sing me to sleep. I finally experienced the peace that passes all understanding.






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Renae Patterson is a wife and mother of three girls (One of which has already gone to be with the Lord) and one son. When she is not taking care of the little ones, she’s busy editing for the online magazine Christian Woman Daily.Com located at http://www.christianwomandaily.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/god-formed-man-from-the-dust-of-the-earth.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/god-formed-man-from-the-dust-of-the-earth.html Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600
The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
God formed man from the dust of the earth? Should we believe this statement literally or was the author of Genesis speaking figuratively?
I never really questioned the statement, but I suppose since it’s in the Bible, someone has questioned it at one time.
I personally believe this statement to be a literal fact, one that God proved to my husband and I, in a personal and yet powerful demonstration.
On October 25, 2002 (The day my stillborn daughter was born), my husband Gary followed a nurse as she carried the baby to an infant crib. They then proceeded to give her a sponge bath.
Once the baby was clean, they dressed her in a diaper, and the burial clothes I had picked out for her to wear to her funeral.
The nurse then wrapped her up in some blankets and walked toward me holding the baby. She asked me if I wanted to see and hold her.
Reluctant at first (because I knew she had already passed away), I agreed to go ahead and hold her.
As the nurse placed the baby in my arms, my first response was one of relief. The baby was beautiful in my eyes. Her face fully formed with two eyes, a nose and mouth. She appeared to be sleeping with her eyes closed, and a look of peace covered her entire body.
As I lied in the hospital bed studying the newborn’s face, Gary walked over to me and whispered, “Did you smell her?” “No,” I answered. Puzzled he would ask such a question at this time.
As I bent over to give her a kiss on the cheek, an unbelievably potent scent coming from her body consumed the air between us. I was shocked and inspired by the smell of her body. The smell of her body was that of freshly tilled soil from the earth.
If you have ever been on a farm or in someone’s yard when they are tilling the land for their crops, then you should have a good idea of the scent I am referring.
As I pondered what I was experiencing, I couldn’t help but remember the words in Genesis how it says that God formed man from the dust of the earth.
My conclusion: Everyone is made in the image of God, but if we don’t have the breath of God passing through our bodies, we are just dirt. I also believe we can safely trust Him to be speaking the truth with every single word that proceeds from His mouth.





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Renae Patterson is a wife and mother of three girls (One of which has already gone to be with the Lord) and one son. When she is not taking care of the little ones, she’s busy editing for the online magazine Christian Woman Daily.Com located at http://www.christianwomandaily.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/the-simple-enormity-of-catholicism.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/the-simple-enormity-of-catholicism.html Sun, 06 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600 Why the Catholic Church is the Only Church That Fits God

While driving to Mass the other day, a bumper sticker caught my eye. It read, “God is too big to fit into one religion.” As I passed the driver, it occurred to me that this would only be true of a man-made religion.

Christ, as we know, started a religion. When He built the foundations of His Church, he never meant that it should sprout into a thousand self-serving philosophies (disguised as theologies) that claim to hold only the truths as they relate to specific times and circumstances. If this were His purpose, then there was no need for Him to build a church at all. His silence alone would have bid men to invent religions that revolve around their own preferences…which is exactly what the pagans had done for years.

But Christ did start a church…and He does indeed fit into the church, because it was tailor made to fit Christ specifically. Where as fractions of this Church were started by men to fit men specifically. And this is apparent just by glancing through the thousands of teachings of those who have broken from Catholicism.

For example, while some are preaching the dreamy theology of salvation by ‘faith alone’, other extremists are pushing for the philosophy that grace alone can justify man. And then sill another (much smaller) group claims the severe truth that only our good works can justify us. Christ will never fit into any of these, because none of them are complete.

Only the Catholic Church can fit the works, grace, and faith into a single creed that gives proper balance to each…and recognizes all of them as part of man’s salvation. Not just seeing each of them as portions, but seeing all of them as completions. And this is the super-natural quality of Catholicism that is often rejected. Not because it limits God, but because it limits man.

But this illustrative approach isn’t limited to creeds. The attitude and personality of men are as much a part of the church as the teachings. While the Franciscans follow strict rules of simplicity, the Jesuits adhere to the life of complexity. And while Catholicism allows for the charismatic, it none the less allows for the intellectual.

We as men are reflections of Christ. We were made in His image, so our quirks and personalities are just as sacred as our doctrines. But when we reject one for another, we try to limit Christ by filling a philosophy with ourselves. And when we allow anything without constraint, we try to take Christ out of religion altogether. The really fantastic property of the Church, is allowing one thing but admitting another.

The Church sees good in food and drink, but arrests gluttony with fasting. She understands the sanctity of sex, but answers lust with a binding marriage. She recognizes the conscience as a great source for personal direction, but bars free-thinking with church authority.

This is why God can fit into one religion…because God made one religion. One that He could fill himself with, and one that would include all men


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Written by Eric Engel from The Catholic Letter at http://thecatholicletter.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/what-they-mean-by-child-like-faith.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/what-they-mean-by-child-like-faith.html Sun, 06 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600 Prv:18:2 A Fool Receiveth Not The Words Of Prudence: Unless Thou Say Those Things Which Are In His Heart

So what does that say about us? We all like to be told we’re right. We all like to hear how smart we are. We all want confirmation. Most of us hate it when someone points out when we’re wrong.

If you pick up the Bible, and don’t come away thinking yourself a fool, you’re not paying attention. Because every book of the Bible is full of passages that show us how foolish we are. The book of proverbs particularly points out our intellectual limitations.

Does God really have a fetish for identifying our flaws? Like a father who can never admit his son turned out all right? Yes and no. It all hangs on that quote from Christ: “Mk:10:15 Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter into it.”

A lot of people misinterpret that to mean learning and understanding our faith is fruitless. They confuse the word “childlike” for “simplistic”, but the two have very different meanings. Anyone who has children realizes that they aren’t simple at all. But what about them are we suppose to imitate?

The Father / Son Relationship
Remember that Christ compares God’s relationship with us to the relationship between a father and son. In this case, the son would be a child. And a child has to rely on the wisdom and knowledge of his father for everything he has (remember that when Jesus is speaking, the father was the common provider in the household).

Providing is only one of the father’s functions. A good father guides his son to safety, and sometimes forces him there. Why? Because a child doesn’t always know what will harm him and what won’t. The child thinks he wants cookies for supper…the father knows that this would harm him. The obedient son accepts his father’s authority, even if he doesn’t understand it.

But the ignorance doesn’t release the child from responsibility. The father might use his authority to lay a foundation, but expects the son to some day understand the reasons behind his actions. The father expects his son to grow and mature…but always realize his own inferiority to the father. Always ready to accept his father’s direction.

It’s the same with God and us. We’re not so much commanded to accept our foolishness (or simplicity) but to realize it and accept the Christ’s authority when we disagree. Sometimes this means accepting the rule of Christ’s Church, and is an act of will. Sometimes, it’s forced upon us. Like when we face some disaster and wonder “How could God let this happen to me?”

This is what it means to have child-like faith. This is how we’ll enter into heaven. And this is why the Bible constantly points out our foolishness. Because in the shadow of God, our own intellect and knowledge of what’s good for us isn’t always focused. And the more we realize it, the more it becomes our duty to gain that understanding, but accept authority until we do


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Written by Eric Engel from The Catholic Letter at http://thecatholicletter.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/the-satanic-strategy.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/the-satanic-strategy.html Sun, 06 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600
It began with that classic explanation of an entity that was really no explanation at all- “I believe that there’s something out there. Something on a higher level. Something that helps us when we need help. I don’t believe in the traditional ‘God’, but we’re obviously not alone.”

That’s just one step away from believing only something…and not two things. This is where Satan struck his real points. When people fail to define ‘God’ as God, they fail to define ‘good’ as good…and finally fail to define ‘evil’ as evil. So Satan became a myth.

But this was only a part of Satan’s brilliant strategy. Because it allowed Satan to move on to a much more sinister plan. And this is where we are now.

Once people forgot about the idea of evil, they suddenly came to accept it. The definition of evil is now back with a vengeance. Not as something repulsive, but as part of a life force. As part a part of life that is useless to fight. The new doctrine is one of balance between good and evil.

This gives Satan the opportunity to work without disguise. Society now tells us that our sin is only part of the balance, and that as long as we do some good works, all is well. In fact, resisting all evil would throw the balance off (and for some reason this would be bad).

So while you’re watching for the hidden signs of the devil’s work, open your eyes to the obvious trademarks. Look for the acceptance of it…and do everything to avoid it.


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Written by Eric Engel from The Catholic Letter at http://thecatholicletter.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/rescued-from-a-demon-possessed-woman.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/rescued-from-a-demon-possessed-woman.html Wed, 09 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600 After they had lived there for about a month, the new renter woman from next door (she said her name was Rhonda) came over to use my phone. Immediately I welcomed her into my home and showed her to the phone.
While she was in my house, I couldn’t help but overhear her conversation; she was yelling at the top of her lungs. Curse words rolled out of her mouth like there was nothing to it, and my little girls were becoming scared. They weren’t used to being around someone who spoke loud, or spewed out obscenities in my house, this was just not normal.
The next thing I knew, the woman was slamming my phone down and my kids were crying, running to their bedrooms to hide under their beds.
That was it. Rhonda had to get out of my house. I announced, “Look, you’ve used my phone, now it’s time for you to leave, you’re scaring my kids.”
Rhonda got in my face, and started screaming more obscenities, (spit was flying from her mouth and hitting me in the face). I had to step back and move away from her, she was completely out of control. For a minute, I thought she was going to hit me.
I pointed to a wooden cross hanging on my wall, and informed her- this is a peaceful house and that she needed to go.
After listening to her ranting for a while, I was finally able to get her to the front door and outside of my house.
Within ten minutes, I heard a commotion outside and looked out the window. Rhonda was on her front porch waving a knife around (the blade was about a foot long) in the air yelling out “You all need to be saved or you will all go to hell.”
There were people in their front yards looking at her, kids riding by on their bicycles and the neighbor across the street had a look of fear on his face.
The neighbor across the street, (afraid the woman may stab someone) decided to call police. Minutes later, she was wearing handcuffs and sitting in the backseat of a patrol car. We could see her struggling in the backseat, as the officer drove away.
My first reaction- I needed to pray for Rhonda, she must have been having some problems.
About three weeks later, a knock at my door.
It was Rhonda from next door again. I hesitantly opened the door to find out what she wanted. She said she wanted a ride to the grocery store.
I told her the kids were asleep and I couldn’t go anywhere right now, but maybe I could take her later, after the kids were awake.
Offended by my rejection, she started telling me I wasn’t a true Christian and then started questioning me about my pastor. (My church was just down the street, and she had seen me walking by her house to go to church on Sunday mornings.)
She informed me that my pastor had come to her house asking if she wanted to join our church. Apparently, this angered her and she assumed I had sent my pastor to antagonize her.
After she “grilled” me about the pastor, she again demanded that I take her to the grocery store- NOW.
When I reminded her I could not do it right now, she threw up her hands, called me a few “names” and walked away, saying she would be back in about an hour.
Worried about her inevitable return, I decided to call one of the church members to pray with me about the situation. During the phone call, I explained how I was afraid of getting into the car with my children and Rhonda.
My friend reminded me that God does not give us the spirit of fear and we prayed together over the phone.
Once I hung up the phone, I looked out my window and saw a car pulling up to Rhonda’s house. After a few minutes, I saw Rhonda getting into the car and then saw them drive away.
Whew! Thank God. I felt like the Lord had delivered me from the spirit of the evil one. My friend was right, why was I afraid? God knows how to deliver us from our troubles.



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Renae Patterson is a wife and mother of three girls (One of which has already gone to be with the Lord) and one son. When she is not taking care of the little ones, she’s busy editing for the online magazine Christian Woman Daily.Com located at http://www.christianwomandaily.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/the-nature-of-prayer.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/the-nature-of-prayer.html Wed, 09 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600 The Nature Of Prayer
And How We Use It

In our modern world of science, we’re sometimes tempted to think of prayer, petition, and merit as a mathematic equation. “Pray about X for Y number of hours, fasting for W days, and X will be answered.” We’ve come to expect an immediate answer to our problems…like a simple program that has occasional bug, but generally works well with a few clicks of the mouse.

This kind of error is one that puts limits on God. We end up thinking of Him as a reaction to us, as opposed to us being a creation of His. But it also limits us, because we close our minds to the nature of God…and the nature of prayer.

Prayer can stretch and bend as much as God allows it. It’s not a method of payment…even though our minds naturally tend to understand it as one. It’s a simple line of communication. One open to God. And the benefit of this line isn’t at all like a line of credit. It’s not there for us to receive a service or good. It’s there to strengthen our relationship with God.

Of course that doesn’t mean we can’t use it to ask for something. But without a proper understanding of prayer, it won’t be nearly as fruitful. For example, I had a friend who once mentioned that he was afraid to add something unimportant to his list of intentions because he feared it would take some of the pie from more urgent matters. As if the fruitfulness of prayer could be graphed.

It reminded me of when my wife and I were waiting for our second child. We were afraid that love for the second one would take away some of the love that our first child received. Our understanding of love was that it could be divided. The way our time and resources were divided.

But by the time our sixth child arrived, we had long ago stopped worrying about such nonsense. By then, we knew that we could love each one of them more than anything else. Because love does not divide…it multiplies. Another child doesn’t mean less love for one person, it means more love for everyone.

And so it is with our prayer…because our prayers strengthen our relationship with God. So when we add to our intentions, it only adds to our prayer. And where earthly fathers might be forced to divide his time between children, our Heavenly Father isn’t.


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Written by Eric Engel, chief editor of The Catholic Letter at http://thecatholicletter.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/what-to-do-about-guilt.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/what-to-do-about-guilt.html Tue, 15 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600
Jane Doe (the wife) is angry. She storms out of the room uttering all sorts of words I couldn’t possibly use in this article. John is left sitting at the kitchen table…wondering what his next move should be. It’s not that he’s afraid of Jane’s wrath. It’s not that he wonders whether or not she’ll forgive him. These are problems…but they’re not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that he doesn’t feel that he’s worthy of her forgiveness. He’s feeling guilt.

Well maybe that isn’t a problem…but it could be, depending on how he handles it. Suppose he’s afraid to approach her. He lives through the worst kind of silence man knows…the silence of a not-talking wife. It goes on for weeks, yet he won’t approach her. Finally, they split up, and he blames it on his original mistake. But he’ll never really know what split them apart, because he never bothered to ask for her mercy. This isn’t guilt anymore…it’s despair.

John’s biggest problem would be that he never let Jane decide whether or not she would forgive him. He shut himself out because he thought he wasn’t worthy…which points to an even larger problem. The fact that he, at one time, thought he was worthy. The key to keeping a marriage fresh is always trying to better ourselves for our spouse. Never ceasing our heroic attempts to win their hearts. Battling our inaptness in hopes that they’ll at least give us credit for our effort.

When we see justification, the magic of heroism dies. When we think we deserve the love of another, we breed familiarity…which breeds contempt. And when we’re suddenly cornered in the ugly gloom of guilt, where is the hope?

And if John decides to ask for Jane’s forgiveness, he might stand a chance. And then he can begin to turn this guilt into a force…one that never stops nagging him to do better. Not because of the right or wrong, but because she deserves better.

Then again maybe she won’t forgive him. Because maybe she’s human and can’t accept betrayal. When it comes time to prove her love, she might crack…and she’s human.

But there is one human who will always forgive. There is someone who has already proven His love. He won’t crack. He hasn’t cracked. And we won’t ever be worthy of His mercy, but it’s there all the same. All we have to do is approach Him

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Written by Eric Engel, chief editor of The Catholic Letter at http://thecatholicletter.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/helping-your-children-grow-in-a-sinful-world.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/religion/helping-your-children-grow-in-a-sinful-world.html Wed, 23 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0600
It Starts with Example

Needless to say, it all starts with example. Johnny might not buy into Mom and Dad’s strict life policies, but he’ll at least always remember it. It’ll gnaw at the back of his conscience and continue to urge him towards holiness throughout his life.

And it works the other way too. A bad example from parents will always be an excuse for poor behavior from young adults. Think of how many times you’ve thought to yourself, “My dad used to do it…it can’t be that bad.”

But it Doesn’t End There

Parenthood calls for more than example. After all, many selfless parents have raised selfish (spoiled) brats. There has to be more. There has to be some intervention. But how much? Do we keep them in a bubble until they’re eighteen? Or do we allow them to experience and learn from the world?

This subject is much too large for one article. But there’s an important aspect to parenthood that was probably not passed on from our own parents…because when they were parents, it wasn’t as big an issue.

The fact is, we’re no longer living in a Christian world…and we have to adjust our approach to life. We can no longer rely on any sort of rating system from the entertainment world. We can’t trust that our schools (even the Catholic ones) are going to provide a Christian education.

This means that you’ll have to pay more attention and teach your kids what it means to be Christian. You have to make them realize that they are different. They have to feel separated from the rest of the world. At first, this could mean something as simple as teaching them not to pay attention to the Jones’s. But eventually, they need to know their unique position. They are children of God…and that carry’s responsibility.

Telling them once isn’t a cure-all. There has to be a continuing reminder that our duty to God comes first. And of course, it’ll only work with prayer and example.

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Written by Eric Engel, chief editor of The Catholic Letter at http://thecatholicletter.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>