think about: This moment...Right now. Is the most important and powerful moment of your life..........Look! Here comes another one! This moment...Right now...Is the most important and powerful moment of your life.
----conversation begins------
thumper kensington says:
just wanted to check for blog if theres practice tomorrow but its not there!
thumper kensington says:
so - is therE?
leonie. says:
nope
leonie. says:
start next week
leonie. says:
but do read the other stuffs there
thumper kensington says:
yes reading
thumper kensington says:
shall we put up that bit about choir practie?
thumper kensington says:
i can log in and do it quickly if you want
leonie. says:
alright, put the date 4th May.
leonie. says:
8pm
Choir practice stars on 4 may at 8pm
leonie. says:
and a wedding on the 5th at st theresa's church, donna-mae's sister michaela is playing. its her friend's wedding
thumper kensington says:
can
----end conversation-----
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Praying Over
As Leonie, Val and myself embarked on the LISS journey which began sometime in feb. I personally was not sure what to expect out of the whole journey. Would I feel any different as a catholic? Would I like the whole experience of this charismatic prayer group thing-a-muh-jig? One experience which is say, a real an eye opener for me through this journey so far has been the praying over or laying of hands as some would like to call it. It hit me totally unexpected as I walked into the room for the usual talk on this weeks topic. I thought I had missed the praying over session the previous week as I couldn’t even get out of bed. But they did it this week anyways for those who had missed out previously. I was hesitant about at first.. But after hearing a few testimonials I actually felt more encouraged.
i had heard about all this speaking in tongues stuff in the last few years and thought it was unrealistic or fake and it really surprised me when martin told me a few years back that my mum actually did speak in tongues at one of the sessions like this and I was abit freaked out. But I became more accustomed to it when I started singing for YISS and attending the LISS and seeing it happen more frequently and eventually started welcoming it rather than ridiculing it.
Now, my experience of the praying over session was quite different from what you guys might expect, there was no speaking in tongues or fish out of water experiences for me or the lying on the ground kinda thing that you guys have seen many times. But it actually does feel pretty weird! The process is rather simple, the priest or in my instance Brother Emmanuel asked me what I would like to receive from God. I simply replied to always hear the call of God and to keep my bond strong with Him. And before I knew it off he went praying for me. At this point my mind was calm and open as I wanted to experience all that I could. Shortly after he began, I began to feel my head and my hands which I held open in front of me get warmer as if I had just walked into a stuffy room which no air conditioning or fan. I lost control of my hands and my thoughts were just focused on praying with brother. Next, I felt a huge weight being lifted off my body and I really felt weightless at this point and then came the part which really did kinda freak me out.. And it really did surprise me.. Because I LOST CONTROL OF MY TONGUE. Now I wasn’t speaking in tongues so don’t get me wrong. But my tongue just kept flickering in my mouth for no reason and then before I knew it, Brother was done with me and moved on to Leonie. For me, I just kept silent and was kinda shaking from what seemed like the weirdest 3 minutes of my life.
I know some of you might be thinking.. This is pure nonsense and so on and so forth.. But it really isn’t.. what comes upon you after that is the sensation of peace. The sensation that you know you opened yourself up to God and you let Him into your life and your heart and you guys know me.. I ain’t no angel myself but I opened up anyways.. After some reflection to ready you for this I realized that I wanted to take my relationship with God to a whole new level and im happy that I took this step. I really do encourage you guys to join the LISS during its next run and experience it for yourself because you will leave every week feeling rejuvenated from whatever has been bogging you down, the self reflection is great too. Most importantly if you do end up going for it. Go to it with no expectations of what’s gonna happen and yadda yadda yadda.. But go down there. Keep your mind open, have fun, praise God, reflect on the topics (which might I add are pretty damn good themselves) and listen to the talks. don’t force the spirit onto you, but rather let it fall upon you and then you will know what im talking about. So this is kinda like my challenge to you fellow choir members. Please go for one of these sessions in the future and don’t assume what this praying over session can do for you but go there with an open mind and an open heart and you will be rewarded.
i had heard about all this speaking in tongues stuff in the last few years and thought it was unrealistic or fake and it really surprised me when martin told me a few years back that my mum actually did speak in tongues at one of the sessions like this and I was abit freaked out. But I became more accustomed to it when I started singing for YISS and attending the LISS and seeing it happen more frequently and eventually started welcoming it rather than ridiculing it.
Now, my experience of the praying over session was quite different from what you guys might expect, there was no speaking in tongues or fish out of water experiences for me or the lying on the ground kinda thing that you guys have seen many times. But it actually does feel pretty weird! The process is rather simple, the priest or in my instance Brother Emmanuel asked me what I would like to receive from God. I simply replied to always hear the call of God and to keep my bond strong with Him. And before I knew it off he went praying for me. At this point my mind was calm and open as I wanted to experience all that I could. Shortly after he began, I began to feel my head and my hands which I held open in front of me get warmer as if I had just walked into a stuffy room which no air conditioning or fan. I lost control of my hands and my thoughts were just focused on praying with brother. Next, I felt a huge weight being lifted off my body and I really felt weightless at this point and then came the part which really did kinda freak me out.. And it really did surprise me.. Because I LOST CONTROL OF MY TONGUE. Now I wasn’t speaking in tongues so don’t get me wrong. But my tongue just kept flickering in my mouth for no reason and then before I knew it, Brother was done with me and moved on to Leonie. For me, I just kept silent and was kinda shaking from what seemed like the weirdest 3 minutes of my life.
I know some of you might be thinking.. This is pure nonsense and so on and so forth.. But it really isn’t.. what comes upon you after that is the sensation of peace. The sensation that you know you opened yourself up to God and you let Him into your life and your heart and you guys know me.. I ain’t no angel myself but I opened up anyways.. After some reflection to ready you for this I realized that I wanted to take my relationship with God to a whole new level and im happy that I took this step. I really do encourage you guys to join the LISS during its next run and experience it for yourself because you will leave every week feeling rejuvenated from whatever has been bogging you down, the self reflection is great too. Most importantly if you do end up going for it. Go to it with no expectations of what’s gonna happen and yadda yadda yadda.. But go down there. Keep your mind open, have fun, praise God, reflect on the topics (which might I add are pretty damn good themselves) and listen to the talks. don’t force the spirit onto you, but rather let it fall upon you and then you will know what im talking about. So this is kinda like my challenge to you fellow choir members. Please go for one of these sessions in the future and don’t assume what this praying over session can do for you but go there with an open mind and an open heart and you will be rewarded.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Life in the Spirit Seminar
well, Daryl, Val and I have been attending the Life in the Spirit seminars every monday night for the past 7 weeks, and we've got 2 more weeks left before the commissioning mass. these past 7 weeks have been truely transforming. seriously. the speakers that came in for the talks, were the perfect people chosen for those topics, i've learnt that its not them speaking but i recognise its God and Jesus working through them with the help of the Holy Spirit.
here is where i tell you, among all the things i have taken home from the experience, the greatest lesson of all that i have learnt. the Holy Spirit is a person. someone with feelings, someone who can feel hurt and sad, and anger. and when you do something that isn't for the glory of God, the holy spirit within you is hurting.
yes, we are all temples of the Holy Spirit, we receive it at baptism, and at confirmation, but because of life and the hectic way that it is, He has become dormant within you, He is not active and living. and Brother Emmanuel said, "a passive christian is worse than a non-believer". you were chosen, and what are you doing with it? St Paul said, "go out, and make disciples of all the nations." when Jesus had died, the disciples locked themselves in the upper chamber for fear of the jews who would kill them, and persecute them. but that pentecost day when they received the Holy Spirit from God, there was no more fear, they knew that they had God on their side and everything would be taken care of. Today, there is no fear of being killed for being a christian, there is noone running after you or preventing you from telling people about the Risen Jesus who has saved us all. yet, how many people have we transformed?
we are all part of the body of Christ, and you are my brothers and my sisters in Christ, and that is why i am here sharing my experience with you. you cannot read what i have experienced and be transformed, you have to commit yourself to this 9 weeks and doing the daily prayer and reflection, and honestly, you will find yourself really living for Him, and noone else. yesterday, i did His work, i served the church, i prayed as often as i could, but i did not feel like He was truely living within me, walking beside me, living and walking on earth through me. today, i am filled with so much joy i want to laugh, and cry, and shout, and sing, all at the same time. i am filled with so much inner-peace, real inner-peace. a bomb could go off right next to me, and i will not panic, because i know He will take care of me. tomorrow, i dedicate every single thing i do to Him, everything i do is Him working through me, using me as his instrument.
if you want to see the model family, look at The Holy Trinity. they work together in such intimacy, and i feel that i am so close to understanding the mystery that is our Faith. i have never felt closer to knowing the secrets of the world, and life, and the Love that is Godly. its a big leap to take, your life will change, the materialism will cease, the things that seemed so very important to you now hold no water, but the happiness it brings you is so great. "the disciples behaved as though they were drunk" when they had received the spirit of God. i've never been drunk, and i always wanted to know what it felt like, but tonight, i experienced it through the out-pouring of the spirit that i'd received. and i've come to realise, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, are VERY REAL. to know them, you must first know the Word of God, the bible, because that is the only way to get to know them. and to live with them, is being a disciple. an active one, not a passive one.
Love.
here is where i tell you, among all the things i have taken home from the experience, the greatest lesson of all that i have learnt. the Holy Spirit is a person. someone with feelings, someone who can feel hurt and sad, and anger. and when you do something that isn't for the glory of God, the holy spirit within you is hurting.
yes, we are all temples of the Holy Spirit, we receive it at baptism, and at confirmation, but because of life and the hectic way that it is, He has become dormant within you, He is not active and living. and Brother Emmanuel said, "a passive christian is worse than a non-believer". you were chosen, and what are you doing with it? St Paul said, "go out, and make disciples of all the nations." when Jesus had died, the disciples locked themselves in the upper chamber for fear of the jews who would kill them, and persecute them. but that pentecost day when they received the Holy Spirit from God, there was no more fear, they knew that they had God on their side and everything would be taken care of. Today, there is no fear of being killed for being a christian, there is noone running after you or preventing you from telling people about the Risen Jesus who has saved us all. yet, how many people have we transformed?
we are all part of the body of Christ, and you are my brothers and my sisters in Christ, and that is why i am here sharing my experience with you. you cannot read what i have experienced and be transformed, you have to commit yourself to this 9 weeks and doing the daily prayer and reflection, and honestly, you will find yourself really living for Him, and noone else. yesterday, i did His work, i served the church, i prayed as often as i could, but i did not feel like He was truely living within me, walking beside me, living and walking on earth through me. today, i am filled with so much joy i want to laugh, and cry, and shout, and sing, all at the same time. i am filled with so much inner-peace, real inner-peace. a bomb could go off right next to me, and i will not panic, because i know He will take care of me. tomorrow, i dedicate every single thing i do to Him, everything i do is Him working through me, using me as his instrument.
if you want to see the model family, look at The Holy Trinity. they work together in such intimacy, and i feel that i am so close to understanding the mystery that is our Faith. i have never felt closer to knowing the secrets of the world, and life, and the Love that is Godly. its a big leap to take, your life will change, the materialism will cease, the things that seemed so very important to you now hold no water, but the happiness it brings you is so great. "the disciples behaved as though they were drunk" when they had received the spirit of God. i've never been drunk, and i always wanted to know what it felt like, but tonight, i experienced it through the out-pouring of the spirit that i'd received. and i've come to realise, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, are VERY REAL. to know them, you must first know the Word of God, the bible, because that is the only way to get to know them. and to live with them, is being a disciple. an active one, not a passive one.
Love.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Handel's Hallelujah Chorus
Yes, after a long time, we decided to do Handel's Hallelujah Chorus again for Holy Saturday Mass. Though I personally feel we should have had another practice, I think we did really well considering. I always enjoy Combined Choir, seeing the different people, sharing ideas and enjoying the sheer talent we have here in SVDP.
Anyway, Dorothy the organist was a bit more proactive than I am. She not only took a video of us singing Handel's but she posted it on You Tube. That's right boys and girls, we're gonna be famous. So if you'd like to check it out here's the video:
Enjoy!
Anyway, Dorothy the organist was a bit more proactive than I am. She not only took a video of us singing Handel's but she posted it on You Tube. That's right boys and girls, we're gonna be famous. So if you'd like to check it out here's the video:
Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
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