Dear Friend - Last week 1000 people participated in Presence for Christmas, our four week journey into the heart of Christ's Mass. See above for dates this week.
Here is one of many stories showcasing your power of "simple evangelization" (just invite):
"I went to Mass regularly with my wife and children. Not much more. My dad invited me to an IGNITE. After a long day of work, I didn't want to go. I did. I was so overwhelmed... as a convert, I never thought Catholicism could be like this... so alive... a real encounter with the living God. I couldn't stop crying... it opened a new door in my life... and for our family."
"Steve" is discovering the meaning of God's abiding presence, in so much more than a moment, but a movement. He's one of many who are now leading their family once a week in talking and praying, using the Live IT Gathering Guide + Episode (GO HERE to view latest).
Join us for IGNITE Radio Live! Tuesdays, 8pm and re-broadcast at 2pm on Saturdays.
While we praise God for the evident signs of His Holy Spirit, we profess our radical imperfection and incompleteness, that any good only point towards Him. Below are my "under the hood" real, transparent sentiments shared with a team member similarly struggling with the demands of "yes":
"I'm often brought to moments of thinking: 'Surrender would be the easy thing, mindful of real frustrations, drained of energy, overwhelmed by worries.' These ebb and flow. The truth is, they never quite pass. But in the clouds there always seems to be Light lining the path... validations... the hearts of so many touched, engaged, moving us forward.
"In the grand shape of things, looking over history, I'm coming all the more to see God's hands... in the nature of that first 'yes' many years ago... Provision in our ineffable poverty... and calling it... 'Bethlehem.' Into stables such as these, the Child is born."
We are so grateful for you-- for God uniting us in this "most important mission of the Church."
Greg and Stephanie Schlueter
|