Flag Ministry or Flag Worship

The use of flags can be quite an entertaining sight to see, but when used to lift up blessings, glory, honor, and power to the Lord in His presence, flags can be more than entertaining. Used in accordance to the Word, flags become the primary sign for lifting up a "standard" of God. The Bible refers to the word flag as "standard" or "banner." The Hebrew word degel is translated as, a flag or banner or standard. Degel comes from the Hebrew root word dagal, meaning to flaunt, i.e. raise a flag; to be conspicuous, setting up with banners. Standard is defined as a banner used as an emblem, marker or rallying point; an ensign; military or personal flag. In the Old Testament, God commands Moses to instruct the children of Israel to camp by their own "standard" to signify their tribe. (Numbers 2:2) There were 12 different flags or banners for the 12 tribes. (Numbers 1:52, 2:2-3, 10, 18, 25; 10:14, 18,22, 25) Banner is defined as a flag or cloth standard. It is used figuratively to define one of God's Name's, Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is my banner! God's salvation and truth is declared by the raising of the banners, Psalms 20:5, Psalms 60:4. He is a banner of love and protection described in Song of Solomon 2:4 and reigns with great power, Song of Solomon 6:4, 10. He is a standard and He is calling us to lift up a standard, declare and proclaim it to all the world. (Isaiah 5:26, 11:12, 13:2, Jeremiah 50:2).

Flag Ministry or Flag Worship is the union of flags, music, and the Word of God that allows one to enter into the awesome presence of God. This worship art form brings a memorable experience of worshiping our Lord under His anointing. There are two reasons or purposes I believe for Flag Worship: (1) to exalt the name of the Lord and give Him all the praise and the glory, and (2) to destroy the works of the devil. The basic technique of flag waving is not really a new art form. We see this art displayed in the world in rhythmic gymnastics or in a school's marching band, but waving those same flags and streamers under the anointing of God as the Holy Spirit ministers to our hearts, minds, and spirits leads us into an unforgettable time of worship with the Lord. God has a message for us and through Flag Worship is one way He can deliver it.

How does one begin to praise and worship with flags begins with a desire to praise and worship the Lord. There is no special talent needed to worship with flags, even though having some skills in dance and ballet enhances your worship, but a willingness to use your body for the glory of God definitely is required. What you don't have the anointing will make up for as you present your offering to the Lord. Flag Worship can be done as an individual or group worship. As an individual, you are called on to ministry with several flags and streamers of all sorts while worshipping to a song or sometimes no music, being one with Christ. As a group, you minister as one in Christ even though each person gives their offerings with flags to the Lord in a choreograph worship or spontaneous. Through each worship piece, flags are raised and a "standard" as we know is lifted up for all the world or your audience to see. You or the group become the "bannered one (s) or standard-bearer (s), one who carries an ensign into battle. The types of flag worship pieces are the same and similar to those of dance ministry. There is a flag praise piece, a flag worship piece, a warfare piece, a flag prophetic piece, a flag celebration and dedication pieces, and many more. Notice that I didn't say, "flag praise dance piece", because dance is not a necessary requirement to worship with flags. Therefore, one can stand still and worship with flags!

The ministry comes from the heart! The colors of the flags are important as you select them for ministry. The meaning and references are many as the Holy Spirit ministers to each person individually.

White
- Glory & majesty (Daniel 7:9, Revelation 20:11)
- Purity (Revelation 1:14)
- Completion (John 4:35)

Purple
- Royalty (Judges 8:26)
- Wealth (Luke 16:19

Black
- Sorrow, Calamity (Revelation 6-12)
- Hell (Jude 13

Blue
- Heavenly Character (Exodus 28:31)

Green
- Spiritual Privileges (Jeremiah 11:16)
- Spiritual Life (Psalms 52:8, Psalms 92:12-15)

Red
- Atonement (Isaiah 63:2) - Persecution (Revelation 12:3)

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Article courtesy of Beit Tehlia Congregation

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Just Because He Breathes: Learning to Truly Love Our Gay Son

On the night of Nov. 20, 2001, a conversation held over Instant Messenger changed our lives forever. Our 12-year-old son messaged me in my office from the computer in his bedroom.

Ryan says: can i tell u something

Mom says: Yes I am listening

Ryan says: well i don't know how to say this really but, well......, i can't keep lying to you about myself. I have been hiding this for too long and i sorta have to tell u now. By now u probably have an idea of what i am about to say.
Ryan says: I am gay
Ryan says: i can't believe i just told you

Mom says: Are you joking?

Ryan says: no
Ryan says: i thought you would understand because of uncle don

Mom says: of course I would
Mom says: but what makes you think you are?

Ryan says: i know i am
Ryan says: i don't like hannah
Ryan says: it's just a cover-up

Mom says: but that doesn't make you gay...

Ryan says: i know
Ryan says: but u don't understand
Ryan says: i am gay

Mom says: tell me more

Ryan says: it's just the way i am and it's something i know
Ryan says: u r not a lesbian and u know that. it is the same thing

Mom says: what do you mean?

Ryan says: i am just gay
Ryan says: i am that

Mom says: I love you no matter what

Ryan says: i am white not black
Ryan says: i know
Ryan says: i am a boy not a girl
Ryan says: i am attracted to boys not girls
Ryan says: u know that about yourself and i know this

Mom says: what about what God thinks about acting on these desires?

Ryan says: i know

Mom says: thank you for telling me

Ryan says: and i am very confused about that right now

Mom says: I love you more for being honest

Ryan says: i know
Ryan says: thanx

We were completely shocked. Not that we didn't know and love gay people; my only brother had come out to us several years before, and we adored him. But Ryan? He was unafraid of anything, tough as nails and all boy. We had not seen this coming, and the emotion that overwhelmed us, kept us awake at night and, sadly, influenced all our reactions over the next six years was fear.

We said all the things that we thought loving Christian parents who believed the Bible, the Word of God, should say:

We love you. We will always love you. And this is hard. Really hard. But we know what God says about this, so you are going to have to make some really difficult choices.

We love you. We couldn't love you more. But there are other men who have faced this same struggle, and God has worked in them to change their desires. We'll get you their books; you can listen to their testimonies. And we will trust God with this.

We love you. We are so glad you are our son. But you are young, and your sexual orientation is still developing. The feelings you've had for other guys don't make you gay. So please don't tell anyone that you are gay. You don't know who you are yet. Your identity is not that you are gay; it is that you are a child of God.

We love you. Nothing will change that. But if you are going to follow Jesus, holiness is your only option. You are going to have to choose to follow Jesus, no matter what. And since you know what the Bible says, and since you want to follow God, embracing your sexuality is not an option.

We thought we understood the magnitude of the sacrifice that we -- and God -- were asking for. And this sacrifice, we knew, would lead to an abundant life, perfect peace and eternal rewards. Ryan had always felt intensely drawn to spiritual things; He desired to please God above all else. So, for the first six years, he tried to choose Jesus. Like so many others before him, he pleaded with God to help him be attracted to girls. He memorized Scripture, met with his youth pastor weekly, enthusiastically participated in all the church youth group events and Bible Studies and got baptized. He read all the books that claimed to know where his gay feelings came from, dove into counseling to further discover the whys of his unwanted attraction to other guys, worked through painful conflict resolution with my husband and me and built strong friendships with other guys -- straight guys -- just like the reparative therapy experts advised. He even came out to his entire youth group, giving his testimony of how God had rescued him from the traps of the enemy, and sharing, by memory, verse after verse that God had used to draw Ryan to Him.

But nothing changed. God didn't answer his prayer, or ours, though we were all believing with faith that the God of the Universe, the God for whom nothing is impossible, could easily make Ryan straight. But He did not.

Though our hearts may have been good (we truly thought what we were doing was loving), we did not even give Ryan a chance to wrestle with God, to figure out what he believed God was telling him through scripture about his sexuality. We had believed firmly in giving each of our four children the space to question Christianity, to decide for themselves if they wanted to follow Jesus, to truly own their own faith. But we were too afraid to give Ryan that room when it came to his sexuality, for fear that he'd make the wrong choice.

Basically, we told our son that he had to choose between Jesus and his sexuality. We forced him to make a choice between God and being a sexual person. Choosing God, practically, meant living a lifetime condemned to being alone. He would never have the chance to fall in love, have his first kiss, hold hands, share intimacy and companionship or experience romance.

And so, just before his 18th birthday, Ryan, depressed, suicidal, disillusioned and convinced that he would never be able to be loved by God, made a new choice. He decided to throw out his Bible and his faith at the same time and try searching for what he desperately wanted -- peace -- another way. And the way he chose to try first was drugs.

We had unintentionally taught Ryan to hate his sexuality. And since sexuality cannot be separated from the self, we had taught Ryan to hate himself. So as he began to use drugs, he did so with a recklessness and a lack of caution for his own safety that was alarming to everyone who knew him.

Suddenly our fear of Ryan someday having a boyfriend (a possibility that honestly terrified me) seemed trivial in contrast to our fear of Ryan's death, especially in light of his recent rejection of Christianity and his mounting anger at God.

Ryan started with weed and beer, but in six short months was using cocaine, crack and heroin. He was hooked from the beginning, and his self-loathing and rage at God only fueled his addiction. Shortly thereafter, we lost contact with him. For the next year and a half, we didn't know where he was or even if he was dead or alive. And during that horrific time, God had our full attention. We stopped praying for Ryan to become straight. We started praying for him to know that God loved him. We stopped praying for him to never have a boyfriend. We started praying that someday we might actually get to know his boyfriend. We even stopped praying for him to come home to us; we only wanted him to come home to God.

By the time our son called us, after 18 long months of silence, God had completely changed our perspective. Because Ryan had done some pretty terrible things while using drugs, the first thing he asked me was this:

Do you think you can ever forgive me? (I told him of course, he was already forgiven. He had always been forgiven.)

Do you think you could ever love me again? (I told him that we had never stopped loving him, not for one second. We loved him then more than we had ever loved him.)

Do you think you could ever love me with a boyfriend? (Crying, I told him that we could love him with 15 boyfriends. We just wanted him back in our lives. We just wanted to have a relationship with him again... and with his boyfriend.)

And a new journey was begun, one of healing, restoration, open communication and grace. Lots of grace. And God was present every step of the way, leading and guiding us, gently reminding us simply to love our son and leave the rest up to Him.

Over the next 10 months, we learned to truly love our son. Period. No buts. No conditions. Just because he breathes. We learned to love whomever our son loved. And it was easy. What I had been so afraid of became a blessing. The journey wasn't without mistakes, but we had grace for each other, and the language of apology and forgiveness became a natural part of our relationship. As our son pursued recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, we pursued him. God taught us how to love him, to rejoice over him, to be proud of the man he was becoming. We were all healing, and most importantly, Ryan began to think that if we could forgive him and love him, then maybe God could, too.

And then Ryan made the classic mistake of a recovering addict: He got back together with his old friends, his using friends. And one evening that was supposed to simply be a night at the movies turned out to be the first time he had shot up in 10 months -- and the last time. Ryan died on July 16, 2009. And we lost the ability to love our gay son, because we no longer had a gay son. What we had wished for, prayed for, hoped for -- that we would not have a gay son -- came true. But not at all in the way we had envisioned.

Now, when I think back on the fear that governed all my reactions during those first six years after Ryan told us he was gay, I cringe as I realize how foolish I was. I was afraid of all the wrong things. And I grieve, not only for my oldest son, whom I will miss every day for the rest of my life, but for the mistakes I made. I grieve for what could have been, had we been walking by faith instead of by fear. Now, whenever Rob and I join our gay friends for an evening, I think about how much I would love to be visiting with Ryan and his partner over dinner. But instead, we visit Ryan's gravestone. We celebrate anniversaries: the would-have-been birthdays and the unforgettable day of his death. We wear orange, his color. We hoard memories: pictures, clothing he wore, handwritten notes, lists of things he loved, tokens of his passions, recollections of the funny songs he invented, his Curious George and baseball blankey, anything, really, that reminds us of our beautiful boy, for that is all we have left, and there will be no new memories. We rejoice in our adult children, and in our growing family as they marry, but we ache for the one of our "gang of four" who is missing. We mark life by the days B.C. (before coma) and A.D. (after death), because we are different people now; our life was irrevocably changed in a million ways by his death. We treasure friendships with others who "get it" because they, too, have lost a child.

We weep. We seek Heaven for grace and mercy and redemption as we try not to get better but to be better. And we pray that God can somehow use our story to help other parents learn to truly love their children. Just because they breathe.

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Story copied from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-robertson/just-because-he-breathes-learning-to-truly-love-our-gay-son_b_3478971.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Worshipping God In Truth - Lesson 4

There are many who think it really doesn't matter what we believe or do in religion, just as long as we are sincere and follow our conscience. But if it doesn't really matter what you believe, then it doesn't matter if you even believe at all. This is absurd. This philosophy exalts our conscience above the word of God. This makes our conscience our only guide and ignores what God says in the Bible. This philosophy originated with man and not with God. This is telling God we are going to worship Him the way we choose and we don't really care what He has to say. Every man then becomes his own authority thereby eliminating the authority of God, the Bible. This attitude must greatly hurt the one who gave His life for us.

Many people want to do what they think best and what seems right to them. We are warned not to do this in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." According to what God says we can loose our soul by doing what seems right in our own eyes. God's word is no longer our guide, but it has been replaced with creed books, disciplines, manuals, confessions, etc. Men want to do things their way and as it seems right in their own eyes.

The philosophy of doing what seems right in our eyes has vastly altered the way people attempt to worship God. They rationalize that God will accept it. People can rationalize away just about anything they want if they work at it hard and long enough, and because of this people worship God in ignorance. Just as the apostle Paul told the Athenians in Acts 17:23 (KJV), "Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship."

The average person in religious matters takes many things for granted. He finds religious groups practicing something and he decides what the majority does must be right and acceptable to God. The Bible says the majority of people are going to be eternally lost. Jesus says in Matthew 7:l3-14, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." So we don't want to depend on the majority to determine what is right for us and follow them. If we do we will also end up being lost in the eternal fires of Hell.

Many people never stop to ask, is it scriptural and is this what God wants? They believe that just any kind of worship they give will be acceptable to God. The main reason for all the religious division that we see in the world today is man will not accept God's word as final authority. Man is going to do it his own way. The Bible contains our only instructions on how to please God so we can go to heaven.

God has always told man how He is to be worshipped. He will only accept that which is in harmony with His prescribed will. God instructs us how to worship Him acceptably through His word in the Bible. In Ephesians 5:17 we read, "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." It is wise to know what the will of the Lord is so we can do it and be pleasing to Him.

In every age God has specified how He is to be worshipped. He says to us in 2 Peter 1:3, "As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us." God in the New Testament has given to us all things we need to know that pertain to life and godliness so we can worship Him acceptably, in spirit and in truth. God has always made it plain and emphatic that the only worship that is acceptable to Him is only that which is in accordance with His will.

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Courtesy of  http://www.bible.ca/interactive/worship-4-in-truth.htm

Can Your Child Be Too Religious?

Religion can be a source of comfort that improves well-being. But some kinds of religiosity could be a sign of deeper mental health issues.

Seeing their kids more eager to pray than play video games, most parents would shout, “Hallelujah” or whatever their expression of joy. And they should. Research shows that religion can be a positive force in the lives of children, just as can be for adults. “Religion,” says Bill Hathaway, a clinical psychologist of religion and Dean of the School of Psychology and Counseling at Regent University, “is related to the child having a higher sense of self esteem, better academic adjustment and lower rates of substance abuse and delinquent or criminal behavior.”

So if your child is immersed in scripture after school and prays regularly throughout the day, you may breathe a sigh of relief. She’s such a good girl. My boy is okay.

Or maybe not. Your child’s devotion may be a great thing, but there are some kids whose religious observances require a deeper look. For these children, an overzealous practice of their family faith — or even another faith — may be a sign of an underlying mental health issue or a coping mechanism for dealing with unaddressed trauma or stress.

(MORE: How Faith and Health Go Hand in Hand)

Therapists in private practice report that they are seeing children and teens across a range of faiths whose religious practice can be problematic. The amount of time they spend praying, or in other acts of spiritual practice, is not as important, they say, as the quality of this devotion, and whether it helps the children or instead isolates them and undermines their schoolwork and relationships. Children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), for example, may rigidly repeat holy verses, say Hail Mary’s or focus on other rituals less out of a deeper sense of faith but more as an expression of their disorder. “It looks positive but could be negative,” says Stephanie Mihalas, a UCLA professor and licensed clinical psychologist.

Such ritualistic behavior, she says, may also reflect a child’s way of coping with anxiety, and in reality could be no more spiritual than fanatical hand washing or dreading to walk on cracks. “These kids fear that if they don’t obey their religious rules perfectly,” explains Carole Lierberman, MD, a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, “God will punish them.”

(MORE: Religion’s Secret to Happiness: It’s Friends, Not Faith)

Some children suffer from scrupulosity, a form of OCD that involves a feeling of guilt and shame. Sufferers obsessively worry that they have committed blasphemy, been impure or otherwise sinned. They tend to focus on certain rules or rituals rather than the whole of their faith. They worry that God will never forgive them. And this can signal the onset of depression or anxiety, says John Duffy, a Chicago area clinical psychologist specializing in adolescents. “Kids who have made ‘mistakes’ with sex or drug use,” he says, “may have trouble forgiving themselves.”

Such fastidiousness to religious practices may not seem so harmful, but extreme behavior such as delusions or hallucinations may be a sign of serious mental illness. Seeing and hearing things that are not there can be symptoms of manic-depressive, bipolar disorder, or early onset schizophrenia. But parents may be less attuned to such unhealthy behavior when it occurs under the guise of faith.

(MORE: The Biology of Belief)

It’s not unusual that children in families where marital discord, harsh discipline, abuse, or addiction are present, perform rituals for protection. If they know their parents approve of religion, says Lieberman, “they try to be good little children and stay below the radar of the family chaos or parents’ rage.” Or, as Mihalas has seen, some children push their already observant parents to be even stricter, fearing that catastrophe will strike otherwise.

When does religiosity raise these red flags? The crucial test focuses on how the kids are functioning in the rest of their lives. Are they doing well at school, playing sports or music, socializing with friends? If so, then their faith is probably a source of strength and resilience. If, however, the religious practices and rituals seem to be overtaking their daily lives, and displacing their normal activities, experts suggest taking steps to understand what’s triggering the focus on faith. To guide the discussion, here’s what they recommend:

Model a healthy balance between religion and life

Show them in your own behavior, suggests Mihalas, how religion can co-exist with enjoying life.

If your child switches to a different style of religion, be tolerant

If your children are doing well in other areas of their life, don’t panic, says Hathaway. Unless you feel strongly that they are morally wrong, take this shift in stride.

Be alert to a sudden and pervasive shift in religious practice

Talk to your child about it. Ask her what her religion means to her. Ask him what he is getting out of it, how it makes him feel.

If you feel your child needs help, find a therapist comfortable with religion

Before engaging a therapist, ask about his or her comfort level with devout religious practice.

Religious families need not worry that therapy will draw their child away from their faith, Hathaway says. He recalls one girl struggling with anorexia who felt that she could never be “good enough” to satisfy the harsh, judgmental God of her imagination. After psychological treatment that included a spiritual element, she not only recovered from her anorexia, she developed a more positive view of God, of other people and herself. Instead of being weighed down by guilt and anxiety, her spiritual life became a comfort and joy. And that’s the role that religion should have for people of faith.
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Courtesy of Francine Russo and written for for Time
http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/28/can-your-child-be-too-religious/

Scriptures Relating to Flags/Banners

Scriptures of Flags (Banners)

Psalm 20:5 - “We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.”

Song of Songs 2:4 -  “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.”

Song of Songs 6:4 -  “You are beautiful, my darling as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, majestic as troops with banners.

Exodus 17:15  - “Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.
 

1 Corinthians 1:27 -  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty KJV

Psalms 149:3 -  Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. KJV

Psalms 150:4 -  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. KJV

Psalms 60:4 - Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. KJV

Song of Solomon 2:4 -  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. KJV



THE WEAPON OF PRAISE: Psalm 150

“Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATHE PRAISE THE LORD. Praise the Lord.

When we give praise to the Lord, we are in a spiritual battle. We may be totally unaware of it, but the battle is there! This is my favorite army position. As we are giving praise and worship to the Lord, we become so delighted in his presence and his greatness, that we usually are unaware of the spiritual battle going on. Don’t be fooled. This isn’t just a pretty scene of colorful, fun looking flags. This is a battle. While we exalt Jesus, we tear down the enemy’s camp at the same time. However our focus should always be on the Lord our God while we worship!

When a shout was given out from the army of Joshua the walls of Jericho fell. David killed Golitith with a mere stone! Samspson had supernatural strength with his uncut hair. Though there was no power in the yell, stone or hair itself, they became mighty weapons. A stone on it’s own has no power, but add faith with it and it becomes a massive destructive weapon. Dangerous enough to kill the enemy! That is like worship flags and accessories. There is no power in the flags themselves, however the power comes in what we proclaim with them as we use them. Then they become destructive weapons, which disable the enemy!

Flag Color Symbols

It has been my experience that each colour has a specific meaning. May I suggest that you be sensitive to the Holy Spirits leading, as you prepare to worship through flagging. He will guide you as to what colour to use, depending on what the Holy Spirit chooses to communicate through you and the flags. So please prayerfully consider your colour choice. Below, I have listed several colours and their meaning.

Gold - Glory, Deity, Godhead, Divine Light

Silver - Word of God, Righteousness, Wisdom

Royal Blue - Priesthood, Holy Spirit, Truth

Red - Blood of Jesus, Cleansing, Atonement, War, Life

Green - Praise, Mercy, Prosperity, New Beginning, Healing

Purple - Royalty, Kingship, Power, Majesty, Kingdom Authority Fuchsia Pink - Joy, Compassion, Passion for Jesus, Bridegrooms Heart

White - Purity

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Courtesy of Touching Heaven

As a Christian, do you believe in out of body and near death experiences?

 

I died. I saw God … then I just woke up.”

That was how 87-year-old Laura Duterte Banzon described in Cebuano what she said was the most extraordinary experience in her life.

Banzon, then 26, was afflicted with acute pneumonia and was brought to Sacred Heart Hospital in Cebu City in 1952. Two days later, she died.

An hour after she was declared clinically dead, she roused back to life.

Her physician, Dr. Dayday Borbon, considered it a miracle when her patient recovered from her ailment and didn’t suffer any side effects during the 60 minutes that her heart didn’t beat.

A woman of faith, Banzon believed that the miracle that happened 61 years ago was simply a reminder that people should not question the existence of God. Her experience also made her a devotee of the Holy Child Jesus, whose feast day is held every third Sunday of January through Cebu City’s biggest and grandest celebration, the Sinulog.

Lifelessness

Banzon described her state of lifelessness in the hospital.

She saw herself lying on the bed while her family was crying. Then a narrow road that could barely fit a person appeared on the side of the window. It was long, steep and bright, but dark on the sides.

She followed the path and heard a voice telling her to sit beside him. “Sit to my right, daughter,” she was told.

The man was tall with deep-set brown eyes and was wearing a snowy robe with a blue-green shroud. She thought that man was St. Peter, but looking intently at his eyes, she felt his sacredness and thought she was seeing God.

Little angels flew across the cloudless white sky. All had tiny wings and were smiling. Some were playing while others were talking.

The man told her that they were children who died at a very young age.

No sun, moon or stars, but a garden of flowers with different colors as if these were plucked out from a painting. One thing she noticed: it was a very peaceful place.

The man told her that it was not her time yet. So she had to go back.

“An angel will escort you back,” the voice said.

Sto. Niño

Then she woke up. Her family was speechless.

The experience strengthened Banzon’s faith, especially on the Holy Child Jesus.

During the feast of the Sto. Niño, she would make sure she would join the foot processions, as well as the nine-day novena Masses.

But two years ago, she slipped inside her “sari-sari” store and suffered a leg fracture. She underwent surgery to replace a femur at Velez General Hospital. Her physician Dr. Alejandro Mediano, advised her to refrain from too much walking.

Her condition had stopped Banzon from joining the religious activities. She had to content herself with watching the live TV coverage of the procession and offering a prayer to the Sto. Niño.

Banzon lives with her husband, Manuel, 86, on F. Ramos Street in Cebu City. She has six children and 18 grandchildren.

The devotee said she tried to live a pious life.

“We will all meet God soon. That is why we should be good. We should feel ashamed if we remain sinful. We must be ready to meet Him,” she said.

Banzon said she was happy that God gave her 61 more years to enjoy life. Now, she is more than willing to meet him a second time. 

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 Courtesy of http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/342921/a-devotees-story-of-death-and-faith

Our God is an Awesome God!!!!

Praise the Greatness of our God!

He is the Rock His works are perfect, all His ways are just. Deut 32:3-4

1.0 INTRODUCTION

When it comes to holiness we often think in negatives. The first thing that comes to our minds is the absence of sin. But to reduce holiness to the absence of sin is like reducing light to the absence of darkness. Holiness is a wonderful and powerfully positive attribute of God. It defines all that he is and all that he does. He is 'The Holy One'. It is the attribute of attributes. The holiness of God is the blinding radiance of his very essence, brighter than the sun shining in all its brilliance. This study looks at 5 aspects of the holiness of God

2.0 SEPARATE – GOD IS NOT LIKE US

Both the Hebrew word 'Qodesh' and the Greek word 'Hagios' which are translated as 'Holiness' in the Bible carry with them the root meaning: 'cut-off' or 'separate'. When applied to God this means that God is separate from the rest of creation. God is not like us, he is above and beyond all our creation-bound thoughts, experiences and imaginations. Isa 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" Isa 40:25-26 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." 1Ti 6:15b-16a God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no-one has seen or can see.

2.1 Communicable or Incommunicable?

In this sense Holiness embodies the 'Incommunicable' attributes of God – those which man cannot reproduce in himself. The ways in which God is separate or 'other' to us: His omniscience, his omnipresence, the mystery of his being – spirit, three-in-one, eternal in existence, transcending time and space. And yet holiness itself is a 'Communicable' attribute of God! It is part of those attributes in which man can be like God: just, good, loving, merciful etc. We have been made holy, and we are in the process of becoming holy. When describing the attributes of God; holiness is often referred to as the "attribute of attributes" because it embodies them all, both incommunicable and communicable. All that God is and all that he does is holy. Holiness is also where these two types of attributes of God meet, as it is itself both incommunicable and communicable. This can been seen by these three seemingly contradicting statements about holiness in the scriptures:

• Only God is holy

Rev 15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy.

• We are already holy

Heb 10:10 We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

• We need to become holy

Heb 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no-one will see the Lord. These are not contradictory, but just go to illustrate how much holiness covers. It represents the unique nature of God that he alone has that we cannot obtain. It represents the communicable attributes of God to which we must obtain, and it represents the closeness to God and the belonging to him that is already ours in Christ. Holiness is thus a multifaceted jewel, so much more than just the absence of sin.

3.0 SACRED – GOD IS WORTHY OF HONOUR AND REVERENCE

Another definition of both the Greek and Hebrew biblical words for holiness is: hallowed, venerated, worthy of honour, sacred or simply "divine". It speaks of the awesome majesty of the creator. Again we see that holiness is the essence of the divine. This is borne out in scripture where 'holy' and 'divine' are used interchangeably, and where the fact that God is holy is inseparable from his awesome glory and his worthiness to be praised.

Da 4:9 - I know that the spirit of the holy [divine] gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you.

Isa 52:10 - The LORD will lay bare his holy [divine] arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

Ps 103:1 - Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy [divine] name. 

Isa 6:3 - "And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

Ps 22:3 - You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.

Rev 4:8-11 - Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Whenever the living creatures give glory, honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

People and places can be holy or sacred in this way too, but not in their own right, only as a result of closeness to God who is the only source of holiness. Moses was commanded to take off his shoes because he stood on holy [sacred] ground. There was nothing special about that particular stretch of desert, except it was where God was present. The tabernacle had holy [sacred] things and a holy and most holy place. But again this was not a holiness intrinsic to the objects or places themselves but due to the proximity to the very presence of God. As Christians we are a holy people because God is not just close to us, but within us! We are participants of the divine nature! (2Pe 1:4)

4.0 SINLESS – ABSOLUTE MORAL PURITY AND PERFECTION

Having said that holiness is much more than the absence of sin, we cannot study holiness without taking the moral aspect of it into consideration. But even here God's moral holiness is not just the negative avoidance of sin, it is equally to do with the positive affirmation of all that is good. God's moral holiness means that he is utterly flawless and perfect in all his ways, not only in what he does not do (avoidance of sin) but also in all that he does do – all that he does is just, true, good, loving and pure.

Some people's image of holiness is like a hermit in a cave who avoids all temptation, is free from all evil, and commits no sin. However the scripture makes it clear that holiness is absent not only when we do evil, but also when we don't do good! God's holiness is thus equally demonstrated by his separation from all that is impure and his wrath towards all that is wicked and evil, and also in his closeness and binding love to all who do good and seek to follow in his ways. 1Jn 1:5 God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Heb 1:9 - You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

Jas 1:17 -  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Jas 4:17 - Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. This is part of the communicable aspect of God's holiness. God wants us to be holy as he is holy. To have the same hatred of sin, and love of righteousness that he has. To have the same purity and love in all our thoughts, words and deeds. This however is part of the process of sanctification, it is not something we get the instant we are saved but something that we need to work at: constantly and daily. Although we have the Holy Spirit within us, who helps us to become holy, we also have the flesh – our natural carnal selfish desires that pull us in the opposite direction. To live to God requires death to self.

1Pe 1:15-16 - But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 

2Co 3:18 - And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Gal 5:16-17 - So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

Lk 9:2 - Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

5.0 SET APART – BELONGING EXCLUSIVELY TO GOD

There is one other biblical definition of holiness, but I have left it to the end because it is more related to people and things than to God himself who quite rightly is the main focus of our study. That definition is: set apart, consecrated, given over to exclusive use for God. This is how the objects in the temple were holy, because they were only used in service to God. This is how the Nazarites were holy, because they took a vow to serve God, and to engage in no other activity for a set period of time. In this way we too can be holy if we consider that we are no longer our own, we belong to God. We exist exclusively for his use, and we will not engage in any activity outside of his will.

1Co 6:19-20 - Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not our own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.

Ro 6:13 - Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

2Ti 2:4 - No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. In a way this does relate to God's holiness too because he is utterly committed to his own glory and purpose. He never takes a vacation to go fishing or to oversee some other universe. The plan that he has put into effect through his son is his one consuming passion. God is consecrated to himself, set apart for his own will. He acts exclusively to forward his own honour and glory.

Ps 121:14 - He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Eze 39:25 I will be zealous for my holy name.

Jn 6:38 - For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

6.0 THE STANDARD – GOD DOES NOT CONFORM TO A STANDARD HE IS THE STANDARD

Of course the ultimate definition of Holiness is God himself. He is not holy because he adheres to some standard. He himself is the standard. Holiness is the essence of his being. He is holy because he is holy. Thus to be holy is to be like God. There is no other standard given to be holy – you must be holy as God is holy.

Mt 5:48 - Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. He is also the source of all holiness. There is no other source. Anything or anyone that is holy is not so in itself, but because it is close to, consecrated to, or reflects the character of God himself. The reason we can be holy is because he is holy and his Spirit lives in us.

Lev 11:4 - I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.

Lev 20:8 - I am the LORD, who makes you holy. Holiness is the essence of the divine, and our divine calling in Christ.

1Co 1:2 - To those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-- their Lord and ours.

This article is Unit 2 of a 7 part series on THE GREATNESS OF GOD! 

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 http://www.holiness.org.uk/awesomeholy.html

Do you feel that politicians/politics have done a lot of damage to religion, specifically Christianity?

The church should also stay out of politics and concentrate on what they are supposed to do, bringing souls to Christ.

 

I am talking about politicians who claims to be Christians but at the same time are very unlike Christ.  Such behaviors I believe inflicts damage to Christianity and makes it that much harder for other Christians to win souls for Christ.

God, Cellphones, Quarterly Earnings and the Search for the Common Good

  

"Our life together can be better." That's the opening sentence of an important new book by Jim Wallis called On God's Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn't Learned About Serving the Common Good. Wallis, in addition to being CEO of the D.C.-based Christian ministry Sojourners, is one of our most compelling thinkers and writers -- not just on religion and spirituality but on American public life as well. He's also, I'm happy to say, a longtime and frequent contributor to HuffPost. And for those of you in the New York area, on Friday I'll be taking part in a conversation with him, moderated by our religion editor Paul Raushenbush, at NYU's Brennan Center for Justice from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

 

Wallis wrote On God's Side while taking a three-month sabbatical last year, in the midst of the 2012 election -- a break that allowed him to get a broader perspective on what was going on in American public life. "Sitting back and watching the deluge of insults and accusations that feeds our political system, I witnessed the worst of us as a nation," he wrote last week on HuffPost. "And I came to the conclusion that it's time to reframe our priorities."

 

According to Wallis, we have traded "the idea of public servants for the false idols of power and privilege." And "we have lost something as a nation when we can no longer look at one another as people, as Americans."

 

So he wrote the book to get at "the root of what I believe is the answer to our current state of unrest." And this is what he concluded:

It is not about right and left -- or merely about partisan politics -- but rather about the quality of our life together. It's about moving beyond the political ideologies that have both polarized and paralyzed us, by regaining a moral compass for both our public and personal lives -- by reclaiming an ancient yet urgently timely idea: the common good.

 

The book draws inspiration from Abraham Lincoln's famous line: "[M]y concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side..." Wallis calls this "probably the most important thing about religion ever said by an American president." For Wallis, the key to being on God's side is a focus on the common good. "That old but always new ethic simply says we must care for more than just ourselves, or just our own group," he writes. "We must care for our neighbor as well, and for the health of the life we share with one another. It echoes a very basic tenet of Christian and other faiths -- love your neighbor as yourself -- still the most transformational ethic in history."

 

But, as Wallis saw vividly during his sabbatical, that doesn't seem to be the direction things are currently headed in our country. Instead of strengthening our commitment to equality, social justice, and our sense of unity as a nation, our public and political discourse is breaking us apart.

 

The question is, where is change going to come from? Much of Wallis' book focuses on the fact that it's unlikely to come from Washington.

 

"There is a war going on today in our nation's political discourse," he writes.

We've lost our civility, the ability to have public discussion that isn't harsh or dismissive but respectful and genuinely open to dialogue and disagreement. We've also lost our ability to really listen to one another. We've lost our capacity for political compromise, for actually finding solutions instead of just continually blaming each other for problems.

 

The problem is that it's hard to see Washington changing any time soon, or, at least, it's hard to see change coming from inside Washington. Our political life right now seems stagnant, stalemated -- like the trench-warfare battle lines of World War I. Small battles and skirmishes are won or lost -- and are covered with breathless import by the media -- but the scope of what passes for solutions grows ever smaller.

 

I'm definitely not suggesting we should give up on politics, or let our leaders off the hook, or disengage in any way -- and neither is Wallis. But right now the debate in Washington isn't just shrinking bit by bit, it's disappearing faster than the polar ice cap. Otto von Bismarck famously said, "Politics is the art of the possible" -- but in our politics, achieving the possible is seen not as art but as capitulation.

 

So when I interview Jim on Friday, I want to ask him about avenues for pursuing the common good outside of Washington. Just as the incentives in politics have veered toward fundraising, the incentives in business have come to be dominated by quarterly earnings and short-term growth. But even though both the public and private sectors are off course, it's more likely that the private sector -- which includes not just businesses but non-profits and individuals committed to making a difference -- will be able to course-correct more rapidly.

 

So what would it mean to pursue the common good in the business world? In 1890, Alfred Marshall, one of the founders of modern capitalism, coined the term "economic chivalry," and wrote that the "desire of men for approval of their own conscience and for the esteem of others is an economic force of the first order of importance." That's still as true today as it was then. But the question is, what is it that gives a person "the esteem of others" and thus the "approval of their own conscience?" We can't change our general need for the approval of others and ourselves, but what we approve of -- what we think of as success -- can change. In a word: incentives. If our collective definition of success is simply greater quarterly earnings at all costs, then that's the route to approval that people will pursue. But how can we widen the definition of success to include the notion of the common good?

 

One of the costs of that short-term pursuit of success defined simply as money and power is often our health and well-being. Right now, stress costs American businesses $300 billion a year. But thankfully more and more companies are realizing that not only are healthy profits and healthy employees not exclusive, they go hand in hand. According to the iOpener Institute, increasing happiness in the workplace can reduce the cost of sick leave by 19 percent and the cost of employee turnover by 46 percent, and increase productivity by 12 percent. This is why around one-quarter of all large U.S. businesses currently offer some sort of stress reduction program.

 

One way to encourage the other three-quarters would be to provide stronger incentives. For instance, during earnings calls, the all-important Wall Street analysts whom CEOs and directors are always trying to impress with ever bigger quarterly profits could ask about what the CEO is doing to ensure the health and well-being of his or her employees. It would give the analysts a better idea of the company's long-term financial health, as well.

 

One way to shift toward that longer-term perspective is by disconnecting from the noise and distraction of our ever-wired world. I'm interested in hearing Jim's perspective on the role of technology in the fraying of the common good.

 

In On God's Side, he writes: "...let's be honest, cellphones have become the 'significant other' for lots of people today. Many spend more time with them each day -- thumbing away on the keyboards or having long conversations from anywhere and everywhere -- than with any person in their lives."

 

So how do we rebuild the common good when we're disconnected to those closest to us, and, very often, even from ourselves? How do we take advantage of all the many obvious benefits of technology and social media while minimizing the increasingly obvious costs? While encouraging meaningful debate in Washington is certainly a great thing, the answers to these questions are also vital to the question of whether we can rebuild the common good.

 

If you're in New York on Friday, I hope you'll join us for the discussion. RSVP Here. If you're not, we'll post highlights from our conversation here on HuffPost.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/jim-wallis-on-gods-side_b_3001635.html?utm_hp_ref=religion