For The Rest of My Life (TROML)
Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful Mass of Christian Burial today for Jennifer (Davis) Day… Born into Eternal Life on May 16th… step-daughter of my good spiritual friend Joan E.Davis, & step sister to two beautiful women Susan Halik Fenocchi & Wendy Halik… what an inspirational celebration of Jennifer’s life… in a Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful place…https://m.legacy.com/obituaries/pressconnects/obituary.aspx… (AndyReistetter; 5/23/19; Facebook Post with 30 Pics)
The 2019 East Coast Spiritual Journey continues…
Beautiful mass this morning presided over by His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York! Wonderful readings, gospel, & sermon on this Good Shepherd’s Sunday, Mother’s Day, & 4th Sunday of Easter! Alleluia! We now turn to the Gentiles… The Lamb will shepherd them, and lead them to springs of life-giving water… I give my sheep eternal life. There was persecution of Christians beginning with Jesus which continues to this day and is “vicious and worse than Roman times.” Our Good Shepherd Jesus will protect us; it is a Biblical Mandate! Religious minorities, like the Jews, are also being persecuted right here in America. Our Church is our Sanctuary; we are the salt & light to the world. Our allegiance is beyond this world, not to the powers of the world which are threatened by this perspective. Let us turn immediately to Jesus & Our Mother Mary for their Spiritual Love! John 10:27-30: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 30 Pics; Sunday, 5-12-19)
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there; especially Meera, my son Tim’s wife & Mama to Precious Baby Xavier, my first grandson! Giving birth has to be the most beautiful thing in life (from an observant father’s perspective)… wow, to give life and deliver a human being into this world or adopt a child and love them as they were your own child… Happy Mother’s Day to my dear Mom & my dear God Mother Peggy above in Heaven, Mary the beautiful mother of my two sons, and my adopted mother Sarita! (Andy Reistetter; 5/11/19; Facebook Post with 11 Pics)
The 2019 East Coast Spiritual Journey continues…
Another inspirational visit to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia! Golf Journeys are pretty much Spirutual Journeys these days! Observation Tower is open with a soul-opening collection of bibles downstairs in the Rawlings Scriptorium. TROML Baby (an exclamation of JOY)!!! (Andy Reistetter; 5/9/19; Facebook Post with 30 Pics)
The 2019 East Coast Spiritual Journey continues…
Always a spiritual refreshment to stop by the Billy Graham Library & walk through the Journey of Faith experience when passing through Charlotte, NC… Scriptures galore to adore! TROML Baby (an exclamation of JOY)!!! (Andy Reistetter; 5/5/19; Facebook Post with 30 Pics)
The 2019 East Coast Spiritual Journey continues…
High Mass in a beautiful Cathedral like this gets me high & inspired in life, golf & beyond! Good start to the 2019 East Coast Spiritual Journey! TROML Baby (an exclamation of JOY)!!! (Andy Reistetter; 5/5/19; Facebook Post with 30 Pics)
Beautiful Sunrise Service! What an inspirational celebration of Easter! Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Happy Easter!!! I hope everybody had a great day! (Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 30 Pics; Easter Sunday 4/21/19)
Courage was the topic of this month’s First Coast LifeWork Leadership class for enrolled students and workshop for all the guests and alumni. Nearly 100 had gathered at CrossWater Church in Nocatee on a beautiful Spring day in Northeast Florida. So nice that I rode my motorcycle with not much more than a windshirt keeping me warm.
There were three main speakers—Pam Mullarkey on ‘Jesus & Courage,’ then a case study with Mac McGehee dealing with courage in the corporate world, and the national keynote speaker was Chuck Bengochea, Founding Member of CityServe International with past leadership CEO positions at The Original Honeybaked Ham Company of Georgia and Family Christian stores.
But there was plenty more as this was a 4-hour educational, yet interactive, class that was fast paced, had a lot of variety, and spoke to issues of the heart and world. Who does not need more courage in life?
The first speaker of the morning, after Tammie McClafferty’s welcome and prayer, was Torren a junior in high school who attended LifeWork last year. An impressive young lady who defined courage as the ability to do something that frightens you. Her world view is that a Lack of potential is due to a lack of courage. Overcoming fear of failure, changing subconscious human habits were evident as she overcame the fear of coming to speak to us this morning. She gave an eloquent speech, well-scripted though with little reference to notes. We all stood up afterwards to applaud this spirited youth who undoubtedly will go on to win the Raines Beauty Pageant at school this year!
We met our Table Host Phil and had short discussions throughout the morning on the homework readings from Acts, Abraham Lincoln: The Spiritual Growth of a Public Man by Elton Trueblood, and Lifeworks’ Insights on Courage: The Jesus Journey. Like any college course or opportunity for growth there is needed preparation. The readings were insightful and gave a true perspective of how important courage is not only ourselves but our families, community, nation, and the world!
This morning I learned about the courage of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theological writer, who was executed in April 1945 for conspiring to assassinate Adolf Hitler after being inspired to do so by God. As Christians we are already dead to our self and free to be resolute, think, and act as directed by God. What truly is the cost of discipleship in our lives.
Pam, speaking on ‘Jesus & Courage,’ shared four stories from her lifetime that required courage through Jesus—standing up for students and encapsulating and protecting classroom budgeting in the St. Johns School District despite huge tourism funding shortfalls in the early 1990s—founding Project SOS to help teenagers with goal setting, boundaries, bullying, and avoiding drugs & alcohol—praying over and resurrecting a dead ‘flat’ cat—and overcoming a personal issue with the help of The Holy Spirit.
Next up was a slide presentation entitled “Unchurched Next Door—Who are they?” I learned some fascinating statistics: 82% of ‘Unchurched’ folks would be ‘somewhat likely’ come to church if they were invited; mainly for the spiritual well-being of their children. 79% believe in Heaven. Some types of ‘Cold Calls’ are effective. Christians have not particularly been influential in the lives of the ‘Unchurched.’ There are so many opportunities, particularly on a one-to-one basis to reach out and give testimony of what God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit are doing in our lives. All it takes is a little bit of courage!
Mac shared a challenging spiritual dilemma concerning himself, his company, his family, and his community and how to muster up the courage to speak out on an issue fundamental to Jesus. These bible verses were referenced in this case study:
Jeremiah 1:8-9: “Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord. Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth…””
Luke 12:11-12: “So you can anticipate that you will be put on trial… Don’t worry how you’ll respond, and don’t worry what you should say. The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say at the moment when you need them.”
While not a biblical verse, the popular motivational quote “Courage is fear that has said its prayers,” from the short poem “Courage” published by Karle Wilson Baker in 1921 came to my mind too.
We can find the courage in Jesus and the Scriptures for any and all situations but we first must seek guidance from the right sources and then go within to find the answers on what our next step is to be!
The last speaker for the day was the national keynote speaker Chuck Bengochea who has had both immense corporate success (The Original Honeybaked Ham Company of Georgia), heart-wrenching corporate failure (Family Christian stores), and redemptive community outreach as a Founding Member of CityServe International.
Chuck shared how he coped with a son at war, not knowing whether he would come home dead or alive—starting each day on his knees with prayers of desperation. Yet coming to realize that God’s plans are always trustworthy—that courage is not a horizontal pursuit, but a vertical pursuit that plays out horizontally. At this point I realized that I was on the edge of my seat eagerly awaiting the rest of his sharing and testimony.
See the Cross at CrossWater? I missed it for years…
Chuck told the story of how early in their 43-year marriage to date his wife boldly started a bible study in their neighborhood by literally walking the neighborhood and praying at each home. Successful she did this in two subsequent neighborhoods that they have lived in. Chuck’s idea of a 50th birthday present for his wife was to contact the people in those bible studies and if they were blessed to write a letter to his wife. He published a book of the letters. The publisher came to Christ through reading the letters. God works in mysterious ways especially when we take bold steps and take action on moments of inspiration to love, comfort and be merciful to ourselves and others.
John 10:10: “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Referencing John 10:10 Chuck shared that Jesus did not die for us to lead a safe life. We are never sure of the outcome but have to trust God. Courage is foundational to an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus and uncovering the life he wants for each of us.
Courage…
Tammie ended the morning with reference to the movie the ‘Greatest Showman,’ playing the song “This is Me,” and a prayer that we could all have courage and not be afraid of being different and use our voice and create community in the name of Jesus Christ whether at work, home or play!
CLICK HERE for more information on LifeWork Leadership First Coast in Jacksonville, Florida!
I will be the first to admit that the outrage and anger of Americans killing Americans in America in so many massacres is somehow less than it should be in me. Maybe it is a sign of age where one realizes that they cannot totally fix everything that is wrong with the world, let along what needs to be improved within oneself. Maybe it is a sign of simple denial, rationalization, and justification of things just to survive and continue to go on and function in one’s life.
Awaken folks, Americans are killing other innocent Americans—I challenge you to think about that for a while at least long enough to cry, man or women. Yes, we remember and honor the dead. We focus on and celebrate what they lived for. But sadly and disrespectfully we go on living, just trying to survive and enjoy our lifetime the best we can. We have not gotten to the root of the problem to solve it and make it go away.
The American Civic Association Mass Killing happened ten years ago in my hometown of Binghamton, New York. Thirteen innocent people were senselessly killed. One of them, Bobbie King, a mother of thirteen, I knew in high school. She was a bright light in my life, always smiling, always energetic to engage and help others. The Kings (not all 15 of them) came to my graduation party on the other side of town. They were good people who knew good people with no assumptions or exceptions made. Bobbie’s husband was a doctor who helped people. The King children are their legacy and a gift, as their parents were, to America!
There is no comparison to be made of mass shootings, even one person murdered is bad enough.
I will be the first to admit that I don’t know what the answer is. For me personally, it is to try to live my life with compassion, love, and mercy inwardly and outwardly. Somehow we have to connect as spiritual beings, first inwardly, and always outwardly. We all need to learn how to get along just like Binghamton, Johnson City, and Endicott—the Triple Cities on the Southern Tier of New York State—did in the early 20th Century. All types of immigrants came from all parts of Europe to mine coal, make shoes, and record time—as in the International Time Recording Company—the start of IBM, computers, the internet, and what you are holding in your hand right now.
That’s why America needs to remember and then realize why she forgot the 2009 American Civic Association Massacre.
Parveen Ali from Pakistan, Almir Olimpio Alves from Brazil, Maria Sonia Bernard & Marc Henry Bernard from Haiti, Li Guo, from China, Lan Ho from Vietnam, Layla Khalil from Iraq, Roberta (Bobbie) King, the English language teacher, from Binghamton, Jiang Ling from China, Hong Xiu “Amy” Mao Marsland from China, Dolores Yigal from the Philippines, Hai Hong Zhong from China, and Ukrainian Maria Zobniw from nearby Town of Dickinson—thirteen precious, innocent, and loving souls. Their Free Spirits now fly high above their Memorial at the corner of Clinton & Front Streets in Binghamton just down the street from the American Civic Association whose motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself.”
They are America! Americans or immigrants on their way to becoming Americans! “These are the people you want in this country” is a quote from a neighbor in the local Binghamton newspaper at the time of the tragedy…
Most of us, or our ancestors, came from someplace other than these United States.
Has America forgotten who America is? Let’s all remember how we got here and celebrate our great democracy and make it better by remembering the Binghamton ACA Mass Shooting and understanding why it has been forgotten.
I came across a great quote for the 2005 book “The Approach; A New Leadership Presence WE Desperately need in Corporate America Today.” It was from the Scottish historian Alexander Tyler and is dated around 1787 near the beginning of the Industrial Revolution were the bondage of coal workers was being questioned:
“The average age of the world’s greatest civilization has been 200 years. Those nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; and from dependence back into bondage.”
Where is America on this continuum?
Where are you on your life’s journey?
Have all our wants turned into needs. How have our expectations of the good life changed? Where does it all end?
Has America forgotten her immigrants and why?
What have you forgotten inside? Why?
I believe the greatest years of Binghamton & the Triple Cities and all of America are ahead of us!
“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 3:13-14.
We need to reach forward together…
I think it is time now for us and America to remember what we forgot.
Our heart, our past, and our future is in our democracy which is spirited by our immigrants and future citizens.
The valleys of the Chenango River and the Susquehanna River are the historic backbone and namesake of the Triple Cities area—once proudly known as ‘The Valley of Opportunity.’
Behind that economic opportunity and success was a spirituality of open mindedness and open heartedness; of knowing what the right thing to do was and then simply doing it.
Let’s all remember the innocent victims of all Mass Shootings and enter into a ‘New Valley of Spiritual Growth’ and solve our brokenness, inwardly and outwardly.
With love and compassion, for this I pray. Also for Mrs. King and all thirteen of the innocent victims; that America now remembers Binghamton American Civic Association Mass Shooting.
Amen.
Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful Lenten 4th Sunday Mass at Our Lady Star of the Sea this morning! Starting off with the Welcome & Greeting first thing, this worship really hit home for the Lenten Season and my Whole Season of Life! Celebrating the Sacred Mysteries; bring us to Everlasting Life with our proud devotion and Hebrew faith. Maybe it is me, post month-long Spiritual Journey to Israel & Palestine, but it seems Jesus as a Jew is as prevalent these days as Jesus’ 3-year ministry to launch Christianity. Probably just me…
One of the best sermons I ever heard or maybe needed to hear? Sermon given by Monsignor Keith Brennan…
Circumstances, Choices, Consequences, Reconciliation, New Beginnings…
When the folks of Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered The Promised Land three was a new beginning and new challenges. God ceased the manna from Heaven as noted in the First Reading from the Old Testament Book of Joshua:
Joshua 5:12: “The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.”
The Parable of The Prodigal Son from the Gospel reading from Luke first chronicles the younger son’s and father’s perspectives:
Luke 15:17-24: “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
Yet the older son’s reaction was quite different:
Luke 15:28-32: “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”
“Ignore offense, hold no grudges, accept back, new beginning” versus “sulk, judgmentalism, woe is me, no new beginning.”
The father and younger son had a new beginning.
The father and the old son were distant with a new beginning hopefully in the future.
Circumstances, Choices, Consequences, Reconciliation, New Beginnings…
The catalyst? Reconciliation. And where does reconciliation come from?
God’s reconciliation with us and the world through His Son Jesus was evident in the Second Reading from the New Testament Book of 2nd Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 5:17-21: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
With sin comes the need for reconciliation… be reconciled with God through the Lenten Season! With reconciliation comes a New Beginning! (no Al-le-lu-ia possible until our hopeful Easter but this is certainly an Al-le-lu-ia moment as my Dad would occasionally proclaim in his later years!).
We are ambassadors for Christ. First reconcile ourselves to Christ and then, were possible with each other!
Are we not at one time or another a Prodigal Son of Our Father in Heaven?
A personal add-on from me:
Philippians 3:13-14: “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
May we have a meaningful Lenten Season and a hopeful Easter!
The time to act is now…
