A scanned picture from a calendar dated 2000
Hello and Welcome!
Thanks so much for stopping by. Today I am thinking of Christian parents with young children for whom they hope, that when they grow up, they will keep faithful to Christ. That prompts me to share a very powerful experience with you.
One evening, years ago, I was at
the gig of a friend's band, sitting beside his brother, Terry. I knew that he
and his wife were lapsed Catholics (something about a quarrel with a priest
over their wedding had stopped them going to church). We got chatting about his
young daughter. I asked if she was Christened and he said she was. I asked him
if he knew God. He looked puzzled. "Do I know Him,"
he said. I felt a bit puzzled myself as it was not a question I had ever asked
anyone before, but I pressed on. I told him that I felt that the most important
thing that a parent could do for their child was to introduce them to God. And
to explain that He is with them. I said, "For one thing, if they ever
feel afraid or lonely when you are not with them, they will know that God is
with them." After that Terry sat up straighter and firmly promised that
when his daughter was older, he would be proud to tell her about Christ!
After Terry spoke those words, I
looked up, and to the right of the stage Christ appeared and was beaming a
smile at me. (It was actually the second time I'd seen Him, but the first time
was entirely different. In fact, He looks different each time.)
Later, I analysed the scene, but at the time of the vision, which lasted, maybe
a couple of minutes, I kept glancing at Christ then looking away. I felt very shy of
His smile, as He seemed to be telling me that He was very pleased with me. I
said to myself, 'What have I said right?’
I can still, in my mind's eye,
see that vision as clearly today as when I experienced it all those years ago.
Here is what I saw:
It was as if Christ was appearing to me on a white screen - the kind I'd seen often in London
clubs, where they bring a screen down to show a music video of the song the DJ
is playing. The ‘screen’ was about, say, 10 x 6' (1.82m x 1.21m) I saw Christ from
about the waist up, wearing a white robe. His hair was golden, his eyes bright
twinkling blue, his smile white and beautiful. Years later I bought a calendar
for the Millennium and when I saw in it the picture of Christ, which I share
above, I was mesmerized as it so closely resembled Christ as He appeared to me
that evening.
I have prayed about that vision,
not knowing why I am so blessed with these visions because I am definitely NOT
saintly, or special (we are all special to God, though). That evening, it is my
belief that Christ was indeed pleased with what I had told Terry. That evening,
those words, seemed not to be from me. I wonder if you too sometimes
find yourself speaking about God in a way you never have before. I
presume it is as in Mark 13:11 "Do not be anxious beforehand or
premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour.
For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit." I am convinced that the
Holy Spirit was guiding my words that evening…
I’m sure that you have heard the
saying: ‘A family that prays together stays together.’ I also feel
strongly that this is the perfect way to instil the love of God into the whole
family, and I speak personally as we did pray together as a family when I was growing
up.
About praying as a family. If it's not something that you already
do, but you would like to, in some way, here is a suggestion. Begin
to say a prayer before you eat a family meal. You could
introduce this by saying something like: “I've been thinking about all the poor
people in this country / in the world, and I feel that our family is so blessed to
have food to eat. So, I'd like us to say Thank You to God before we eat it.”
There are many simple prayers for
saying Grace before meals, the simplest I know is:
Dear Lord,
For what I am about to
receive I am truly grateful. Amen.
In my book Pray Then
Listen I have a section called ‘Pray Before Eating’ where I
address this issue and suggest adding onto the above this prayer:
Prayer of gratitude for food
Dear Lord,
Thank You for blessing me with the gift of this nourishing food. I know that without You nothing would grow. In gratitude, as I eat, I will savour each mouthful.
At some point you could suggest that, as a family, in gratitude for your blessings, you could make a small donation to a charity for the poor. One of my favourite charities is Mary's Meals, who provide life-changing meals to some of the world's poorest children, every day they attend school. Here's a link to their website: Also, for more info, please see my blogpost: Mary's Meals Deliver Food and Hope
Wishing you all the very best with the above. Below I give details of my three books. You may even be blessed by simply checking out the link and taking a peek through, 'Look inside'...
.jpg)
I have been asking God for guidance and listening to His replies for many years. I share my methods in Pray Then Listen, A heart-to-heart with God.
Check out Pray Then Listen In UK / In US / In Singapore
Available as a Kindle version or paperback!
Set on the green and beautiful Greek island of Corfu in this novel I show the ever-present backstory of life, as I interpret the supernatural elements of our dilemmas and choices.
I know, that no matter what your beliefs or experiences, you will surely recognize the tussles of my characters, as tussles in your own life.... Enjoy!
Click on the following links to check out my novel, Angel at the Paradise Hotel In UK / In US / In Singapore
Available as a Kindle version or paperback!
I wrote 9 Days to Heaven, How to make everlasting meaning of your life as my personal evangelization effort.
Check out 9 Days to Heaven In UK / In US / In Singapore
Available as a Kindle version or paperback!
God bless,
Teresa
PS. About the links to Singapore, please see my blog post Singapore and Christianity
No comments:
Post a Comment