Repost from Another Blog..."God's Plan"

So, I wrote something and posted it onto my "Rachel's Vineyard Healed Me" blog today and then, realized that it coincides with my faith journey.  Therefore, I felt it was appropriate to post a link to that article here on this blog.

God has a funny way of revealing things to us at times and recently, I've been reflecting upon my life's journey quite frequently.  Those reflections resulted in the following post:

http://rachelsvineyardhealing.blogspot.com/2011/12/gods-plan-vs-my-plan.html

I hope you enjoy the read.

Many blessings to you.

The Road Less Traveled is Less Traveled Cuz It's Hard!!!

So, my life has been filled with quite a few ups-and-downs in the past two years.  I lost a job, found a part-time job, volunteered more, went back to school...part-time job became full-time job, volunteering less, school is full-time, hubby and I are down to one car, filed bankruptcy, etc.  Each quarter, we brace to see if our interest rate has gone up, which will determine if we keep our house, and I have an unavoidable surgery coming up this year forever solidifying my inability to have children (naturally). 

So...what do I think about all is this???

God...

Is...

Good...

And...

He...

Is...

Faithful!!!

Some of you may find that surprising.  Indeed.  I suppose it could be surprising to find out that Bill and I are stronger in our marriage than ever before, our faith lives are more focused now, and the clarity with which we view major decisions and obstacles is better than we could have hoped.  All of this in spite of the curve balls that flew at our faces for the past two years.  Wow!

 ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  --Romans 8:18-19

When I reflect upon these things, I am not, however, filled with awe over our  (me and Bill) response.  Sure, we experienced a few tense moments while all this began, but not very often.  In fact, when I think about all that we've endured and the things still to come, I do not feel panicked or accursed in any way.  On the contrary, I feel closer to God.  I finally, for the first time, understand that my faith MUST be unwavering ESPECIALLY during the times of uncertainty and in the midst of struggles.

Does this mean I am free of all worries?  

Am I am impervious to doubt?

No.  I am human, after all.  Rather, I know that through it all...through everything, God is with me...with us...and regardless of the battles we must endure, His perfect and permissive Will shall overcome all. 

 ²⁸ And we know that ^[k]God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  --Romans 8:28

As long as we are obedient to Him...to our Catholic faith...to His desire for our lives, then all things will be revealed in time.  In HIS time.  My journey of faith has allowed me to realize this after many years of struggling with relinquishing control. 

⁹ However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ¹⁰ If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is ^[d]alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies ^[e]through His Spirit who dwells in you. --Romans 8:9-11

It certainly doesn't mean I am perfect in that faith.  I still have "bad days" when I am cranky, moody, or even succumb to tears.  But, God placed amazing people in my life to help lift me up in those weak moments.  He does that for all of us if only we will choose to see it.  Even in our loneliness, He finds a way to be with us...to give us some sort of comfort and quiet strength.  All that I've endured has led me to believe this wholeheartedly. 

I pray for those who are unkind to me, I pray for my own strength and forgiveness of my own shortcomings and sins, and I pray for the ability to forgive others their trespasses.  Always.  The more I allow myself to follow HIS WILL and not my own, the more attacks I notice coming my way.  At times, from the most unexpected of places.  But, I will not give into despair, nor turn away from what God has asked because I know He will guide me and help me to weather the upcoming storms.

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  --Romans 8:37-39

Peace be with you.

Listening to God - Believing in the Power of One to Affect the Many

I have given a lot of thought to the fact that it simply takes one person, one voice to start change.  It means that even if everyone is telling you something is impossible, if you believe in your heart that it is possible, then you should not give up.  If your faith calls you to it and The Holy Spirit is guiding you, then do not interfere with the Will of God.  That means listening to Him and not to those persons in the world who may be clouded in their judgments.

(Hebrews 11:1) 1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.

My Catholic faith has, at times, cost me relationships with those I love.  My faith compells me to do more for those who need assistance.  It is my faith that connects me with God's Will for my life and that faith drives me to seek out whatever He wants from me.  Often, that means doing things when I am exhausted both physically and mentally.  That means pushing through headaches, foregoing plans with friends and/or family, and even taking away time from my husband in certain cases.  I am called to follow Him and there is no bigger commitment than that!  Unfortunately, the cost of that faith is ultimately to push people away who do not understand it.  They view it as their being abandoned rather than my call to help the lives of others. They do not see that because I have faith, I am compelled to do good things and cannot simply pray and call it a day.  I must do more...be the true Hands of Christ to others.  Otherwise, what good is my faith?

(James 2:14-17) 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? 15 And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled;” and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I still enjoy time with my husband.  We talk daily, we make the most of our time together, and we support one another in our endeavors.  My marriage, after all, is my first vocation and must always be cared for as is God's Will.  However, because I am married to a man of true faith and love for God, I am able to receive his full support on my path.  He knows my intentions and that I follow God's Will for my life.  He is wonderful at keeping me focused.  My loving husband also walks the path with me and, he keeps me from overshooting it when my zeal threatens to do so.  God provided me with the perfect husband on Earth so that I might be fully able to do God's Will during my life.  My friends are the kind of friends everyone should have because they remain loving and supportive in spite of my absence in their lives.  God has blessed me, immensely!

(Ephesians 5:25-33) 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; 26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly; 30 because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. 31 “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly. 33 Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

During my journey, I have experienced many ups and downs.  I know that this will continue throughout the course of my life.  After all, following God gives no guarantees things will be easy.  No, often it is the opposite.  However, what God does promise is that He will NEVER abandon us.  He will give us exactly what we need to endure whatever challenges we face.  All we need to do is lift ourselves up to Him with prayer and it shall be done.  Sounds easier said than done, right?

(Hebrews 13:6) 6 So that with good courage we say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

I realize in our time of grief, sorrow, anger, and/or frustration the last thing we want to do is reach out toward God.  We are comfortable with our sadness and despair in that moment.  The feelings consume us and we are fully focused on continuing on that path of self destruction.  However, I have come to find that if we take but one moment to cry out to God for His strength, for His comfort, for His Will, a peace is awaiting us that cannot otherwise be felt.  Perhaps it is because of our self destructive nature that we hesitate to reach out to Him?  Perhaps we want to feel low and defeated, just as a child wants to pout rather than admit that it might not be the best solution to the problem?  I can admit it.  I have done just that...refused to pray for God to help me BECAUSE I wanted to remain in that ridiculous state.  I suppose it always comes down to just that...we are His children and He is the Father waiting for us to get through out pity-party and ask for His help and comfort.

(Psalms 46:1) 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

(Psalms 138:3) 3 In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul.

God is not unsympathetic, however.  He knows that our problems are quite real to us.  He hates to see us suffer and is willing to provide the guidance we require at any moment.  I am certain, at times, He does shake his head when we wallow in our suffering for no reason other than not "wanting" to feel better.  If we are honest with ourselves, we will all realize that we DO succumb to those childish feelings at times.  It is normal to feel that way, but we must remember to turn back to God always.  Otherwise, the despair that Satan promotes will seep into everything else in our lives.  We must avoid handing over such power to a being that only wants our demise.

(James 4:7) 7 Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

(I John 4:4) 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

God gives each of us gifts.  Every person is different and therefore, it takes all of us working together to achieve God's goals.  It is imperative we use His gifts for His purpose so that others might recognize His Will in our actions and then, in turn, use their gifts to accomplish His Will.  It begins with one person, one voice.  That's all it takes to set things in motion.  If no one uses the talents bestowed upon them by God, then how will God's mercy, love, justice, and comfort reach those in need?  If we are unwilling to become the vessels for His truth, then how will others know to do the same?  How often have we been prompted to increase our own faith life or commit an act of kindness or mercy simply because we saw one person doing the same?  Think about how amazing it would be if everyone committed to doing just one thing for God every day!  Can you imagine the effect that one person can have on another?  The ripple caused by those actions is capable of traveling around the world if we believe in God's plan.

(1 Peter 4:10) 10 As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms.

We must choose to listen to God.  He is always with us, always ready, always guiding.  However, we must choose by our own free will to follow Him.  It is because Christ sacrificed Himself for our failings that we now have the opportunity to right wrongs, to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others.  Our calling is to follow Him and for some that means serving the poor, for some it will be through leading a spiritual community, and many other ways.  If we listen to God and open ourselves to His Will, then all we do shall be in accordance with Him and how can we go wrong if that is the case?

(Hebrews 13:6) 6 So that with good courage we say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

(John 14:27) 27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

Confusing Tolerance and Acceptance

So, it's been a long while since I've taken to the blog.  I apologize.  since now I am a full-time student as well as working full-time, I find it more difficult to sit down to write about my thoughts.  I do, however, find many opportunities to do so in my various classes.

Recently, we had a speaker in my Sociology class.  I found it interesting that God should put me in a classroom with a speaker from Planned Parenthood of all things.  It would seem I had my opportunity to "put my money where my mouth is" considering my strong views.  This was also a moment for me to challenge all of my own beliefs not only spiritually and morally, but from a perspective of being able to disagree with someone on such hot-button items while still maintaining dignity and respect.  Could I do it?  Could I actually follow through with all of the things I have espoused over the years?  Or, would I become a coward and hide from any real questions or accountability?  It was time to find out.

In the classroom, I took the position of listening to everything the speaker presented.  After all, it was his viewpoint I disagreed with, right?  He is still a person of Christ, of God, here on Earth to whom I should extend dignity.  Regardless of his personal beliefs, I was called to show Christ in the way I chose to respond to him.  So, I resolved to take thorough notes, mark items to question at the appropriately set-aside time and be open to hearing what he was saying rather than assuming it was all wrong or terrible.

Our speaker was Mr. Tommy Chesbro.  He is the Vice President of Education at Planned Parenthood.  His speech began with a little background on Planned Parenthood ("PP") and our teacher asked him to clarify that PP is NOT federally funding abortions.  The federal funds go to other projects.  They really wanted to point that out to the class.  I took note of it, but remained silent on the issue considering the speech just began and we could be arguing almost right away. 

I would like to note, here, however, that the media misrepresents the reasoning behind our disagreement with continuing to fund PP, as well.  The fact remains that federal funding of PP allows its doors to remain open.  Those are doors that invite women in crisis pregnancies in and counsel them on having abortions...they perform abortions.  That fact makes moot the point of other services offered.  Additionally, we now know that abortions are a HUGE cash cow for PP.  So, why should my tax dollars go to an instituation that supports, allows, and encourages the destruction of human life?  Mind you, not only the life of the child, but the life of the mother and father, as well?  The media misrepresents it that way because it is easier to paint people like me as radicals who don't want women to have access to necessary healthcare and also, to assume I am uneducated in understanding how the funds are dispersed.  Regardless of where the funding goes, specifically, the fact remains PP allows abortions.  Keeping its doors open with my money allows more children to be murdered.  I cannot nor will I accept that ... nor should I be forced to accept it.

Mr. Chesbro discussed human sexuality with our class and made various points.  While I welcome his passion for the AIDS community and love that he is so committed to providing dignity to this population, I found that we disagreed on many other points.  Mr. Chesbro is passionate about helping those who suffer from AIDS as well as other STDs and for that, I am grateful.  It is in the method and morality counts where he and I will disagree.  Abstinence is something that should be promoted more thoroughly as I have seen little to no evidence of the sex education mantra doing anything in way of slowing down, stopping or preventing the matters it was intended to "make better."

I noted questions during his speech and listened intently.  Below, I am posting my paper written on his visit to my classroom.  I hope you will read it and take note of the issues and points I have raised.  It is imperative we never blindly accept what is presented to us as fact...we must ALWAYS be willing to seek the truth.  Mr. Chesbro even conceded that the information he presented to us could (and is) be disputed.  The fact that he thought to say this in response to my follow-up questions only further acknowledges to me that he knows his arguments and supporting data is flawed and easily broken down.  I am unsure if this was noticed by any other students.  I can hope and pray that it was, however.

For if Christ stands with us, who then can stand against us?  Let the truth prevail.

SOCIOLOGY PAPER WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE MONTEITH, APRIL 12, 2011:

Guest Speaker: Tommy Chesbro

On April 7, 2011, our class welcomed a guest speaker from Planned Parenthood. His name is Tommy Chesbro and he is the Vice President for Education at Planned Parenthood. Mr. Chesbro spoke about the various services offered at Planned Parenthood including mentioning that most of its funding comes from private donations.


Mr. Chesbro brought up interesting facts (some specific to Oklahoma), regarding human sexuality. The first were statistics regarding teen pregnancy. In the Nation, Oklahoma ranks second among 18 and 19 year olds in teen pregnancy. We are fifth in the Nation among pregnant teens in general. He made mention that this appears to be the case in places like Oklahoma with high conservatism.


He broke down sexual diversity into various categories. They are as follows: anatomical, biological (genetic), gender identity, sexual orientation, gender role, and sexual behavior. Mr. Chesbro stated, “Sexuality is a complex interplay between biology and environment.” He further said, “Environment can, in fact, have an effect on a person’s sexuality.” Essentially, different people respond differently based upon their genetic makeup. I found this statement to be interesting as most people in favor of gay adoption, for instance, stand firmly on the opinion that gay couples raising children has no effect upon the sexuality of the children. This is not to say that heterosexual couples do not “turn out” gay children, either, I only found it interesting considering some arguments I have heard used.


Several times during Mr. Chesbro’s presentation, he mentioned that many cultures determine sexual orientation based upon gender roles differing instead of the “boxes” or stereotypes currently subscribed to in our own culture. He discussed that stereotypes fuel stigmas, as well. I asked him to elaborate on those cultures, specifically.


Mr. Chesbro made mention of several Native American cultures (prior to European contact) allowed for various genders. In many instances, he stated these people were revered. In some Asian cultures the people are friendlier toward transgendered individuals. He specifically talked about Thailand having a famous actress who is transgendered. Further, he discussed that some Pacific Islanders expect that young boys have sex with one another in order to become “men” and then, later, are still expected to have a family and produce offspring.


While I appreciate his historical information and discussion of these cultures, I could not help but think about the fact that his first example was about people who believed such things in the distant past. For me, this is not unlike the growth of many cultures where they find nothing wrong with certain taboos until they develop beyond them and realize their harm (i.e., slavery, abuse of children through grueling working expectations, women having no rights and viewed as property, the Aztecs believing human sacrifice was appropriate, etc.). Some Christians even believed in slavery, murdering those different from us, etc. However, none of those things are just, correct, or acceptable. Each is considered to be deviant behavior and not a part of the culture with good reason.


Mr. Chesbro’s second and third examples were of cultures that struggle with moral corruption of the highest degree (Thailand is one of the top places to experience sexual depravity – an “anything goes” culture). These examples were meant to illustrate how some cultures define deviance differently. I understand that point. However, it further pointed out (to me, personally) that because a culture finds something to be acceptable, it still does not make it socially or on any other level to be correct. I also cannot help but notice the utter poverty in which the people in these two examples exist and wonder if a study exists to review a possible link between that and the accepted social NORMS in those areas?


In my opinion, it is imperative we do not lose sight of those things that will serve only to further harm our society all in the name of wanting to be accepting and so-called fair. I believe our culture and many others continue to support the reality of right and wrong. Some rights and wrongs are not a matter of fitting into “boxes” or being relative to a particular culture. For instance, I cannot see a place or time where a man having sex with a boy (think NAMBLA) is acceptable nor should it be accepted. In other words, I cannot foresee a time when that act would not be considered deviant behavior. At times, yes, a thing is simply wrong and while we are called to respond with love, we are, nonetheless, called to respond.