Stop Thinking and Start Experiencing
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Family | No CommentsGrowing up, I was quite an inquisitive child. There were always questions that I needed answered. Questions like:
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Holy Spirit | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker
On the Inside; On the Outside
Everything is Going to Be Just Fine
Posted by Deacon Allen | Discipleship, Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life | No CommentsWhen I was a young child, I had a tendency to wander off. I was never one to stay in one spot for very long.
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If I Can Do It, So Can You!
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Prayer | 2 CommentsOne of the things I like to do during Lent is read spiritual books. This always seems to put me on the right path toward learning more about my faith and how I can improve my prayer life. Read More
The Winds of God
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Hodgepodge | One CommentDid you ever have a song pop into your head, completely out of the blue?
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All of us seem to struggle with an angry temper from time to time. If you fall into this category, this prayer just may be exactly what you need.
St. Augustine is perhaps the most significant Christian thinkers who shaped the practice of biblical interpretation and helped lay the foundation for much of modern Christian thought. It is said that he preached somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 sermons in his lifetime. Wow!
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Words are very powerful. Words not only convey information but are a reflection of our innermost thoughts. And it doesn’t matter whether we write them down or say them out loud, words have an impact on both ourselves and others. I’m reminded of this quote:
A No-Doubt, Life-Changing Encounter
Posted by Deacon Allen | Discipleship, Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life | One CommentHave you ever wondered what it was like to be in that upper room with the disciples after the death of Jesus? What it must have felt like as they huddled together in fear thinking that they could be next to die? All that despair, doubt and confusion that permeated their existence. It most certainly would make them want to cry out, “My Lord and my God.”
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Name It, Claim It, Change It
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Prayer | 2 CommentsThis past Christmas, my son and daughter-in-law gave me something called ‘Your Desktop Confessional.’ It looks just like one of those old-fashioned confessionals that you would find in an old, city church.
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After having been miraculously released from jail and returned to the Temple to continue their preaching in the name of Jesus, the apostles were re-arrested and brought again before the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. They were accused of two things:
- They had continued to preach in “that name” (their accusers could not bring themselves even to mention the name of Jesus), even though they had been strictly forbidden to do so; and
- They were blaming the Jewish leadership for Jesus’ death.
The apostles were not in the least fazed by these accusations. These men who were so fearful at the time of Jesus’ death now spoke out boldly. “It is better for us to obey God than men!” they told their judges. (Acts 5:27-33)
There is a lesson in there for all of us. How often are we fearful of speaking out for what is right? How often do we revert to silence when someone else is being accused of something that they didn’t do? How often do we question our faith when things become too difficult?
We need to follow the example of the apostles and realize that we already have the power of the Holy Spirit to push us forward. We have no need to be afraid or to worry about what could happen. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in everything that we do so we may boldly preach in his name to the entire world.
Let us pray that our testimony and actions always be directed and confirmed by the Holy Spirit, who is given to all who respond to God with the obedience that comes from faith.
