FOCUS Catholic’s Post

Are you practicing lent this year? 🕊️ Traditionally, Christians have prepared for Easter by focusing on fasting and prayer. In a world of hyper-focus on ourselves, Lent is a time of self-denial where Jesus invites us to look to him and what he cares for instead. Take a look at five ways you can practice lent for others ⬇️ https://bit.ly/4bVgQsW #Lent #Easter #ThrowbackThursday #LentPractice

"All around the world, the global tapestry of believers are waiting in anticipation to worship Jesus and His birth. For many, Christmas celebrations follow the four main themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love." Take a look at this article in The Washington Times by our CEO, John Heerema, as we reflect and focus on these four themes of Christmas advent. https://hubs.la/Q02dqgf60

Merry Christmas. Christmas is a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ’s day”) is of recent origin. The earlier term Yule may have derived from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the feast of the winter solstice. The corresponding terms in other languages—Navidad in Spanish, Natale in Italian, Noël in French denote nativity. The German word Weihnachten means “hallowed night.” December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. Since the early 20th century, Christmas has also been a secular family holiday, observed by Christians and non-Christians alike, marked by an increasingly elaborate exchange of gifts. In this secular celebration, Santa Claus plays the pivotal role in delivering gifts. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/2Luqbh9

There are many, many people working within organizations, churches and businesses because they believe that they are there for a larger purpose. Some people believe God gave them the job they are in right now. Yet, prayer doesn’t mark their daily lives. There is no marked difference between dinner meetings or memos. We who claim to “be doing this for a reason” rarely pause to reflecf, meditate and orient around that reason. I hope you’ll take a moment to do that today, tomorrow and always. Because every good revolution, I’m convinced begins and is sustained with silent or spoken prayer. —- The more I pray and read about #Jesus. The more I believe that #Prayer is a rebellious act. It is a revolutionary deed. Faith in the face of injustice is activism. If you believe that prayer is merely talking to the ceiling, commit yourself to pleading for suffering and injustice to cease every day. Commit yourself to longing for more beauty, love and kindness in the world. Commit yourself to meditating on what a more beautiful and kind world looks like for a week, 21-days, 40 days, one season - any committed length of time and see what happens. The world may not be the same but you will unrecognizably transformed. #prayer #faith #beautyandresistance #propheticimagination

⚖️ True justice heals, restores, and hopes. ⚖️ Discover why the cross of Jesus is the cornerstone of justice as we unravel the misconceptions and embrace the essence of humility. Join the journey towards a more just world. Read our insightful blog #TrueJustice #CrossOfJesus #Healing https://lnkd.in/g2iBgQCG

080. And Lord Jesus, not only write Your name upon the gates of my house, but engrave it at the center of my heart and my affections - on my first, and last, my earliest and latest thoughts. Robert Hawker (1753-1827). #treasurelifequote #lifequote #RobertHawker #prayer #watchmythoughts #Hisnames Lin

As Christians, we can't be like the world. We can't just cancel people because they made a mistake, said the wrong thing, or hurt us. No, we must forgive and love them just as Christ forgave us! ❌ 📲 Watch this full message at https://lnkd.in/gmQv5biK

Jesus + Seltzer Vol.1 pg62 Justice is not something God has. Justice is something that God is. A.W. TOZER Hmm, this sounds really good, but how often are we left with a sense that justice wasn’t served? First off, either God is who He says He is, or He’s nothing at all. Scripture says in Deuteronomy 10:17-18, “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” Is it possible that our definition of justice may need some tweaking? When I think of justice, it’s mostly self-centered. Who has wronged me? What do I think I’m entitled to? Often, I’m guilty of not seeing those who are marginalized in our society, who need justice in their own lives. I believe those of us who practice a personal faith should be the first to stand up and give voice to those who have no voice. That’s what the Gospel is all about. Jesus says to “love your neighbor as yourself ” (Mark 12:31). Who is your neighbor? Read the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37. I must confess that prior to finding freedom from my addictions, my spirit wasn’t always attuned to the needs of others. It’s only been through my recovery that I’m learning how to love others as myself. Love, it’s what it’s all about. #AWTozer #Justice #NoPartiality #LoveYourNeighborAsYourself www.jasonumidi.com

Did you know you can become a personal member of the Evangelical Alliance? Uniting around our shared basis of faith, the Evangelical Alliance is made up of thousands of individuals, churches and organisations. We make the following commitments to our members: 👉 We promise to introduce you to like-minded Christians from across the UK. 👉 We promise to share the wealth of resources, expertise and idea of our members with our members. 👉 We promise to champion the freedoms we have in the UK to have a public faith in Jesus and share that faith with others. 👉 We promise to represent the needs and interests of the church in politics, the media and civil society. Becoming a member of the Evangelical Alliance is easy: for £3 a month, or more if you can, you become part of a body of people who passionately believe that together we can make Jesus known across the UK. buff.ly/3PAg7UI (Shout out to Phil Knox holding our logo 📸)