Reflections on My Trip to Israel - Day 3 of 10

This was our day to walk the Via Dolorosa -- the way that Jesus walked to His crucifixion, and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. For years I had heard of this road of suffering and imagined it to be a tree-lined street of some kind but the Via Dolorosa turned out to be very different. This is a bustling, dusty, narrow, brick-paved alleyway, lined with colourful bazaars and market places, and teeming with shoppers for merchandise of every sort. However, we trudged along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

And along the way we could see marked places that commemorate important accounts of Jesus’ journey to His crucifixion, which are the Stations of the Cross, well known to the Roman Catholic tradition.

Here we were, a bunch of pilgrims, hustling with our tour guide to see the place where the Roman Catholic tradition says Jesus’ was crucified and his body laid to rest. As usual, there were throngs of noisy people at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and we had to strive to hear every bit of information that Doron gave.

This is a busy place. People filled the courtyard and the church, pushing and shoving to see this place where it is said that Jesus was buried. Some could be seen kissing a rectangular slab of stone on the ground that is said to cover the place where Jesus’ body was laid. Some were sombre-faced and in tears as they contemplated Jesus’ death.

And in the midst of all that commotion, robed monks were making procession inside the building and chanting liturgies in Latin. As I listened, trying to catch some of the words they were singing, it brought back cherished memories of my Roman Catholic convent school days when we often had to chant various liturgies in Latin. The inside of the building is filled with beautiful paintings of biblical scenes of angels and Jesus crucifixion.

The ornate beauty of the building and the Latin liturgies, complete with a myriad of lighted candles, provide a religious ambiance to the place and is not to be easily forgotten.

And I thought: “if only the place was not so noisy, and with crowds going to and fro, it would make a wonderful place for meditation on the Passion of Christ. It would have been more meaningful if we were allowed to take our time walking the Via Dolorosa and to have moments of peace and quiet upon entering the church rather than hurrying along, and having to cope with noisy crowds." However, that is how it was and time was of the essence.

What are my thoughts about the two major sites where it is said that Jesus is buried? I am torn between the Garden Tomb at Gordon’s Calvary and this place, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There is evidence both “for” and “against” both locations but I have come to the conclusion that the important thing for us is to recognize the reality with the crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and not be hung up on exact locations of same.

However, I can now envision the 14 Stations of the Cross as a help and means of meditation on the Passion of Christ rather than the actual journey of Christ to His crucifixion.

After a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre we headed for the Wailing Wall, otherwise known as the Western Wall, which is Judaism’s most holy site. Tradition tells us that this wall is the only remaining portion of the Temple that was destroyed in the first century and it has become a belief that prayers offered up to the LORD in that place will be answered by Him.

I thought to myself: “Israel is an interesting place to visit. In the midst of the chanting of prayers in Latin at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre one could hear the Muslims not far away, blaring out the afternoon call to prayer while at the same time, at the Western Wall, Jewish men, most of them with prayer shawls, were rocking their bodies in rhythmic motion as they did their prayers and devotions to the LORD.”

Our next visit was to Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which is a 1,750 feet tunnel carved through solid rock to divert a watercourse from one side of the city of Jerusalem to the other (2 Kings 20:20, 2 Chronicles 32:30). We walked through that tunnel, which is an intricate water system and a maze of dark pathways and stairs built by the Israelites in the year 700 B.C. under King Hezekiah in an effort to ensure safety and an adequate water supply in a time of siege from the Assyrians.

In the route that we were led we could hear sounds of water but did not wade through it. We took the landlubbers’ route, walking on a dry path. In some areas the place is so narrow that we could only walk in single file. This gives it a “closed-in” feeling and is not recommended for people with claustrophobia.

Trudging through Hezekiah’s Tunnel has taught me lessons of faith and determination. In my analytical thinking, the Israelites’chiselling through solid rock to form a pathway to safety and security reminded me of the times in our lives when we cut through stony, everyday experiences.

It reminded me of walking through those stony times…those times that seem to have no end. It has taught me that in those tough times our main focus should be just to keep on trudging through those paths till we come out at the other end. Friends, if you can walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel and emerge from it with a smile on your face, you can walk through any hard place or experience to a desired end (Jeremiah 29:11).

Hezekiah’s Tunnel is definitely one of the places to visit on a tour of Jerusalem. This place is an astounding, engineering feat and gives a sense of awe to witness the skill and strength of the ancient Israelites in their time of need. The tunnel stands today as a monument of determination, strength and skill and is one of the highlights of a tour of Jerusalem.

With such a heavy trek for the day, dinner at the hotel and a good night rest were more than welcome.

Reflections on My Trip to Israel - Day 2 of 10

All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we boarded our bus right after breakfast and our first stop was Gordon’s Calvary, which is a place that tradition tells us was known for executions of offenders in ancient Israel. The reason this place is called Gordon’s Calvary is because it was discovered by a British military leader named General Charles Gordon in the 19th century and named after him.

Gordon’s Calvary is a rocky cliff with an over-hang in the shape of a skull with two holes that resemble eye sockets. The entire area comprises a rocky cliff at the edge of an ancient cemetery, a well-tended garden below with beautiful flowers and trees, and a tomb that is hewn out of a rock. Tradition tells us that Gordon was convinced that this was the place where Jesus was crucified and that his body was placed in the nearby tomb, as mentioned at Mark 15:43-46. That tomb is now called the Garden Tomb and is the focus of thousands of visitors each year.

The garden is peaceful and is ideal for meditation and prayer, and our group participated in a communion service there given by our host, Pastor Peter Youngren.

Something of note is that Gordon’s Calvary is in direct controversy with the Church of Holy Sepulchre, which is built on a spot where the Roman Catholic tradition says Jesus was crucified and buried. There will be more about this place later on.

Next we visited the Upper Room, sometimes called the Room of the Last Supper, or the Cenacle (the word “cenacle” is derived from the Latin word “cena”meaning “dinner”). This second-storey room is a large hall and for most of the day it is filled with people going to and fro to see this place where we are told that Jesus ate His last Passover meal with His disciples, and this meal turned out to be the beginning of the Lord’s Supper for followers of Jesus.

The Upper Room is supported by three huge pillars and boasts an arched design in the ceiling -- definitely Gothic in style of architecture. The ceiling is ornate and is a masterpiece. Gazing in awe at this room brought my mind to another masterpiece: that famous painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci that has inspired thousands of people all over the world.

This place, situated on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem is also the location that tradition says was the site of three other major occurrences in the life of Jesus: this is where Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, also where He made an appearance to His disciples after His resurrection, and the place where the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ disciples (Acts 1:13, 2:1-4), and making the beginning of the New Testament church.

While we were there we witnessed another group of tourists, some of them in an emotional frenzy and could hardly stand. They were shouting, singing, praying and being slain in the Spirit. I was excited to be touching on biblical history in a real way and expected a rushing wind and tongues of fire resting on those worshippers as it happened in the Book of Acts, however no such thing took place.

Next we visited King David’s Museum, which is in the same building on a lower level. In this museum there is a large sarcophagus covered in red velvet and adorned with the Star of David upon it; there is also a sign saying “King David’s Tomb” and there were separate entrances for men and women to view the tomb. As can be expected, there was a crowd there as well.
We wandered around the various rooms, trying to keep in touch with Doron, our tour guide, while making our way around a lot of Jewish people who were saying prayers.

Carpenters were busy doing renovation work in various parts of the building and their constant hammering were in competition with the voice of our tour guide and this did not make it easy for us to follow what he was saying. However, all in all, just being in the presence of King David’s tomb was enough for most of us.

As I stood at the tomb, two of my favourite psalms came to mind; they were Psalm 23 and Psalm 91, which tradition tells us were written by King David. I thought also about the hero stories of that “man who was after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22), his conquest of Goliath, his issues with Saul, and other biblical accounts, then I began to wonder “Am I standing at the place where King David’s bones lie? Or is it merely a place built in memory of that great king?”

I did not have to think long. A man from another group made the remark that he did not think the remains of King David were in that sarcophagus but were somewhere else and this sarcophagus was just a structure erected in memory of him…well, so much for that!

As usual, in the courtyard, vendors did a brisk business, selling everything from postcards to hats, and you know, I bought a hat, something very necessary to beat the heat in Israel.
Next stop was a visit to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. It is a beautiful, modern structure on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, which tradition tells us has been built on the ruins of the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest to whom Jesus was brought for trial. In Israel, it is common to see buildings that were built on top of other old structures and the amazing thing is that the builders made a great job of doing that.

I am always amazed at the structures of the ancient world, how great buildings were created without the use of modern equipment. We have to say those builders were even more talented than those of today because of their lack of the sophisticated equipment we now have at our disposal.

If my knowledge of Latin serves me right the word "Gallicantu" means “singing or crowing rooster” and while on tour of the building something funny happened. As Doron, our tour guide was recalling the story to us about Peter’s denial of Christ and how the cock crowed three times, a cock crowed somewhere in the vicinity. And before long there was a lot of cock crowing taking place. Seems like there has always been a lot of chicken-rearing in Jerusalem.

At this church we were shown a pit below the building, which tradition says had served as a holding place for Jesus before He was taken to Pilate.

Back at our hotel, the Crowne Plaza, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and before retiring for the night we had another great teaching by Pastor Peter Youngren.

Reflections on My Trip to Israel - Day 1 of 10

Day One -- At Last, A Visit to the Holy Land

At last, I was on my way to visit the Holy Land. For years I dreamed of it, but somehow always kept on procrastinating about the trip. However, I have always been attracted to the culture of Israel, and fascinated by the Hebrew language, so much so that at Bible College I did a couple courses in the Hebrew language and some studies in Israelology. And I thank God for having done them.

Last year the trip nearly happened but did not, and this year it nearly did not happen. But it did. It happened when I heard of the Grace TV Israel Tour with Pastor Peter Youngren as host of the tour, and since I know of Pastor Peter’s church which is the Toronto International Celebration Church, I decided this was the time and seized the opportunity.

I went on this trip with a lot of expectation. I had been thinking “at last I will walk in places where Jesus walked, and see places where He healed the sick and did His miracles.” After a three-hour wait on arrival at the airport to check in, at last my husband, Errol and I boarded an El Al aircraft on May 3rd bound for Tel Aviv on a nonstop flight. And as I settled myself in my seat and buckled up, deep in my heart I said: “Oh Israel, here I come…”

I was told the flight would be 11 to 12 hours long and wondered how I would endure sitting in one position for that long, then I remembered that when I went to England some years ago the trip was 8 hours, so what if it is only 4 hours more! Anyway, I managed. The drone of the engines seemed like it would never end. And all we could do was just wait and wait for the touch-down.

Eventually we arrived at the Ben Gurion Airport at 7:05 a.m. next day to a crisp morning, slightly cool, and with beautiful sunshine. It felt great to stand on terra firma once again and our 10-day bus tour started immediately.

There we were met by our bus drivers and tour guides. Our company of tourists filled three buses and my husband and I were assigned to Bus #3. From the beginning we felt we were in the hands of two competent helpers. Our bus driver was Obadiah (Ovad), who did an excellent job in manoeuvring steep hills and deep curves, and our tour guide was Doron Hoffman who is passionate about his work He did an excellent job in showing us around and narrating the information we came to Israel to hear. Also, he was not short on filling our ears with humour all along the way, which made our trip a memorable one.

Thank God, the buses were comfortable and airconditioned. Our first stop was the Mount of Olives. We began with a sweeping view of the Old City of Jerusalem and surrounding area, and a visit to the Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane. Here, Doron, our tour guide gave us a picturesque, historical overview of the Old City and surrounding area.

I had heard that a visit to Israel involved a lot of walking and that we should wear comfortable shoes, but to say that the tour involves a lot of walking is an understatement. Jerusalem is a city of hills, walls, stones and more stones, large and small, and it really does involve more that a lot of walking. It is an experience of climbing hills and walking on rough terrain, and I found it to be quite a challenge for the first two days. However, I did much better than I expected for the rest of the tour.

I was determined to master the trip and by the grace of God, I did. However, in the process, I have discovered the secret to being able to do long bouts of walking, and it is this: just keep on
w-a-l-k-i-n-g.

I am not one for much walking and when our tour guide explained that the walk to the Garden of Gethsemane was a very steep and challenging one from where we were, and that those who felt they could not walk would be taken there by the bus that was music to my ears.

However, the bus drove the few of us who stayed on it to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus spent his last few hours on earth in agony and prayer to His Father in heaven (Matthew 26:36-56) and there we caught up with those who walked.

At the Garden of Gethsemane, we walked and walked through pathways in the garden, absorbing the beauty of every tree, shrub and flower while trying to catch every word and hold on to every description of what we saw, as given by Doron, our guide.

The garden is filled with gnarled, old olive trees, most of them hundreds of years old, though most likely none of the trees were as old as before the time of Jesus’ death, because we are told that during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed all the trees in the area for use as fire wood and for the purpose of the siege itself.

As I looked at those olive trees, I thought to myself “if only those trees could talk, they would have much to say.” And as I reflected on the beauty and calmness of the garden, I was reminded me of the words of that popular, spiritual song: “I came to the Garden alone, while the dew was still on the roses” and thought of how it might have been in the time of Jesus’day.Was the garden just as beautiful, peaceful and calm?

I wondered: “What did Jesus contemplate during His last few hours?” Did He think of you and me? Did He look beyond the cross He knew He would have to endure to the glories of heaven? But then again, I remembered that we have only to look to the Book of John, chapters 16 and 17 for the answer.

Another place of interest to the tourist is the Church of the Agony, also named The Church of All Nations (so named because it was built with financial support from 12 different countries) which stands next to the Garden of Gethsemane and is a beauty to behold.

Then off we were to a fabulous lunch of Israeli cuisine and then to the Crowne Plaza Hotel to relax for the rest of the day. After dinner that evening, we enjoyed a dynamic teaching by Pastor Peter Youngren before retiring for the night in anticipation for the next day.

It's All About Your Breakthrough

Imagine for a moment that you are held CAPTIVE in a castle or tower of some kind
and someone comes by and offers you a key to set yourself FREE...
Would you take that key and become free? If not, why not?
____________________________

Dear Friend:

Take responsibility for change in your life and become the person your were created to be ...

New Vision Ministry invites you to attend the workshop It’s All About Your Breakthrough, which will take place at the Barbara Frum Library at 20 Covington Road in the Bathurst St. & Lawrence Ave. area on Saturday, October 16th 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Speakers will be:

Monica Hernandez, Ph.D., D-CPC
Helen Pearman Ziral, Ph.D., MA, MEd
...and others

Dr. Monica Hernandez is a Certified Psychotherapist Counsellor and Life Coach. Dr. Helen Pearman Ziral is a Human Relations and Communication Specialist.

Topics include:
• Breaking addictions, dysfunctions and compulsive disorders
• Breaking patterns of codependency, dependency and the enabling habit
• The journey from brokenness to wholeness
• Personality is self-created
• Total restructuring for change
• De-cluttering mind, body and spirit
...and much more

You will leave this workshop with keys that can help you breakthrough destructive patterns
of thinking and living

Cost of the workshop is $30.00 at the door
Early registration (by October 9, 2010) $25.00

P.S. Be an early bird and register today. The cost of the workshop It’s All About Your Breakthrough includes take-away handouts and worksheets that would help you evaluate yourself and give you strategies and exercises to work on for your personal breakthrough.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
REGISTRATION FORM
Yes, please register me for the workshop: It’s All About Your Breakthrough
Mrs./Miss/Ms..........................................................................................................
Address: Street.......................................................................................................
City..................................Province.....................Postal Code................................
Phone: Home..........................Business...................................................................

Early registration (by October 9, 2010): $25.00

TO REGISTER BY MAIL, please mail completed form to:
New Vision Ministry
P.O. Box 47554
1530 Albion Road, Etobicoke, Ontario, M9V 5H4
Email: info@newvisionministry.org

It's All About Breakthrough...

Dear Reader:

Let me tell you an amusing story. Maria, an inquiring young woman, wanted to know everything about the mastery of life, nature and the universe. She was eager to learn. Most of all, because of long-standing inner conflicts, Maria wanted to know how to deal with her stress and emotional pain. Obsessed with her passion to master her challenges in life, she travelled to a guru in a distant land who set her up in a cave, and gave her a lot of books to read and study.

Every morning Guru came to check on Maria’s progress and asked: “Have you been reading?” And she replied: “O yes, I have been reading and studying but I have not yet found the secret to overcoming my emotional pain.”

And Guru would continue: “Have you learned the secret about the mastery of life, nature, and the universe yet? Have you learnt how to handle your emotional pain and stress yet ...”

“Not yet...” would be Maria’s reply, and Guru would lift a stick and strike her with it.

The pattern was the same everyday. Guru visited the young woman in the cave, asked her the same questions and she gave the same bottom-line answer: “I have not yet found the secret of overcoming my emotional pain.” And Guru would strike her with his stick.

Early one morning, Guru visited Maria and asked her the usual questions and she gave him the usual answers. However, Maria knew what was coming next and felt she could not deal with one more whack of Guru’s stick. And just as Guru raised his stick to strike Maria, she swiftly reached up and grabbed it.

Suddenly realizing what she had done, Maria became afraid of what might happen next...

However, Maria was shocked to hear Guru say: “Congratulations. You have done well. You have found the answer. You now have the secret.” And Guru affirmed the secret to the mastery of life with these words: “People must grab a hold of that which inflicts pain before it can strike.”

Friend, you and I can agree that Guru’s striking Maria with the stick reflects the
stressful events we allow to inflict emotional pain upon us, but the truth is: we can master that part of our lives and enjoy harmony, peace and well-being.

Do you have unchained negative emotions? We all display them from time to time, but the important thing to consider is how often we have them and how long we allow them to plague our minds. I can tell you of ways to help shorten their stay - - even stop them before they begin to inflict blows upon us. Remember Maria’s triumph in the story above?

You can enjoy a balanced way of life

"Breaking Through the Barriers" is a workbook, which is a practical guide to overcoming fear, instability, worry, anxiety, guilt, emotional hurts, depressive moods and other hurdles in life. This book is written for your emotional health.

This book, written from a counselling /life-coaching point of view with biblical references, insights and spiritual exercises can be a helpful resource to you in gaining triumph over fear, anger, instability, guilt, emotional hurts, depressive moods, procrastination and much more.

Besides its seven lessons, this book is loaded with reflections, prayer, meditations and timeless gems to keep you motivated on your journey towards breakthrough and beyond. As a matter of fact, this book shows how to stop emotional hurts before they start. And its life-changing principles can help you develop positive attitudes so you can enjoy balance and stability in your everyday experiences.

And best of all, the information in this book is easy to understand and practice.

You were meant to have dominion over the earth and by applying the life-changing principles of "Breaking Through the Barriers" you will be able to identify emotional barriers in your life and learn how to deal with them If you are emotionally stressed, these teachings will be useful to you. And a powerful tool that can help you is "My Personal Reminder" (MPR). With practice, you will be able to establish MPR and have it serve you effectively. Many people have benefited from this simple spiritual exercise.

Are you overwhelmed by fear, worry and anxiety? Maybe guilt and instability? And what about depressive moods and procrastination? Even anger? Also tears and sad feelings. Maybe your emotional hurt goes way back into your childhood. However, you will learn how to confront these challenges and break through your emotional shackles.

In "Breaking Through the Barriers" you will learn strategies that can change your personality, and eventually, your life. They will renew your mind and help you feel good about yourself. In other words, you can achieve self-mastery or temperance as it is called in the Scriptures. In the pages of this book you will receive find 49daily readings and reflections that offer fresh insights and inspirations; these exercises are meant to motivate you and change your change your way of life for the better.

This book will help you develop a better understanding of what life is all about. Also, you will understand your shortcomings and learn how to deal with them. Its information will help you gain wisdom and strength. In short, you will gain greater balance in body, mind and spirit, and develop orderly habits.

This book is suitable not only for personal use, but also for small, life-enrichment group study.


"Breaking Through the Barriers"
A Practical Guide to Overcoming Personal Challenges

ISBN 0-9736270-0-X
100 pages 8 1/2 x11, spiral bound
Cost: $39.95 (including shipping and handling)
Mail orders only to U.S. and Canada

A PDF download of the book is available at http://www.newvisionministry.org/breaking-through-the-barriers.html - cost $25.00

For immediate mailing to U.S. and Canada, place your order now at:
http://www.newvisionministry.org/breaking-through-the-barriers.html

Or send a certified cheque or money order with your order to:

New Vision Ministry
P.O. Box 47554
1530 Albion Road
Etobicoke, Ontario, M9V 5H4
CANADA


Sincerely,

Monica Hernandez, Ph.D.
Counsellor/Life Coach

P.S. Stop missing out on your sense of well-being and happiness. As you apply the principles and strategies given in "Breaking Through the Barriers," you can gain peace of mind, spiritual freedom and the abundant life that is meant for you.

Lessons For Today

Welcome to Lessons for Today, an audio-book for those who seek spiritual triumph over life’s everyday challenges.

This audio-book is a collection of 15 Scripture-based vignettes that teach, counsel, and inspire. These are practical Christian messages that are meant to enrich your everyday living.

The vignette titles are as follows:
(1) The Principle of Change, (2) The Power Of Belief,
(3) What Have You In the House? (4) Diamonds In The Rough, (5) Discipline and Temperance, (6) Wisdom and Understanding, (7) Write Yourself A Vision Plan, (8) To Thine Own Self Be True, (9) Break the Hurrying Habit, (10) Flourish Where You Are Planted, (11) Dealing With Decisions, (12) The Art of True Giving and Receiving,
13) Be Your Brother’s Keeper, (14) Settle Your Differences Quickly, (15) Discover Inner Peace and an epilogue: Thoughts and Words to Live By.

Our human experience
Our human experience is filled with barren places and crooked paths. However, the Scriptures indicate that God is in the exchange business. He is willing to take the fallen state of His children and give His beauty in exchange, which is restoration, peace of mind, love, truth and orderliness. In other words, He is offering His abundance and freedom for mankind’s lack and limitations.

Many people are dealing with life-dominating problems, and questioning God’s providence and care, wondering why they should have to undergo their challenges. However, prayer and meditation on Scripture will give some insight into God’s ways, while a change of attitudes and mindsets could be of added help towards a sense of balance and better living.

What will you find in “Lessons for Today?”
In this the First Series, you will find lessons that address various everyday challenges, and show how they can be overcome by using practical and biblical principles. For example, the following topics are addressed:
● breaking unwanted habits,
● developing assertiveness,
● stability, spiritual discipline,
● prosperity, discovering inner peace,
● reaching other goals

Our Mission
Our mission is to share with you a way of life that would enhance your everyday experience, therefore at the end of each lesson, five Question Helps and seven Scripture Helps are given. Both these Helps are reflected in the lesson, also Personal Reflections and Timeless Gems that are relevant to the lesson are given.

It is our hope that as you make use of these teachings and their various helps, the Spirit of God will bless you with insights and impartations from Himself, and we encourage you to journal these spiritual revelations.

This audio book is meant for easy listening
This audio-book, is read to you by its author, Monica Hernandez of New-Vision Ministry of Mount Carmel, an independent institution for Christian education. All Scriptures are quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible except where noted otherwise, and is meant for easy listening.

This writer has seen the wonder-working power of God heal the sick, transform people addicted to false appetites into fervent followers of Him, and turned around unpleasant circumstances. These have all taken place through seeking God’s counsel, with fervent prayer and meditation. The practice of meditation and prayer, and seeking God’s counsel are still the most profound ways of changing one’s life.

This audio-book Lessons for Today goes out with the hope that its lessons will be catalysts to bring about change into the lives of its listeners.

Special Offer“Lessons For Today” is a series of 15 vignettes on 4 CDs which can normally be yours for a ministry gift of $30.00. We are offering the series for a gift of $22.00 till May 31st, 2010.

You can either make your order online at www.newvisionministry.org at our e-store or
send us a cheque payable to New Vision Ministry at the following address:

New Vision Ministry
P.O. Box 47554,
1530 Albion Road,
Etobicoke, Ontario, M9V 1V5
Canada

A Quotation By Archbishop Romero

I found this great quote by Archbishop Romero, who was assassinated 30 years ago, and thought I would share it with you:

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.