Catholic rocker Matt Maher finds cross-over appeal among evangelicals

Omar Shamout, Religion News Service, May 17, 2013

Growing up Roman Catholic in Newfoundland, Matt Maher never imagined that his childhood interest in music would lead to a career as a Grammy-nominated, chart-topping Christian rocker—let alone a crossover artist featured on Christian radio and in evangelical worship.

After he stopped going to Mass as a freshman in high school, Maher wasn’t even sure about his own faith. The idea of maintaining a personal relationship to God seemed a foreign concept.

“Where I grew up, evangelical Christianity really hadn’t made any strides,” said Maher, now 38, describing the mainline religious culture of his wind-swept Canadian homeland.

Listen to any of his catchy, guitar-driven pop-rock anthems, such as his new single, “Lord, I Need You,” and it’s clear God is never far from Maher’s mind these days.

Maher’s 2009 album, “Alive Again,” reached No. 6 on Billboard’s “Top Christian Albums” chart, and he’s received two Grammy nominations for songs co-written for Christian singer Chris Tomlin. He just launched a five-month North American tour in support of his new album, “All The People Said Amen.”

“Lord, I Need You” is already climbing the Christian radio charts, proving that Maher’s lyrics strike a chord with Protestants too.

Maher said one of the things that reignited his love for Catholicism is what he describes as its “all-encompassing worldview” that welcomes people from all walks of life. He said the same principle drives his songwriting, and the title of his new album is intended to spread this message of “unity” and “community.”

Maher is one of the most successful Catholic artists to cross over into mainstream Christian rock and find an audience among evangelicals, said David Wang, a Catholic rock musician and lead singer of the Canadian band Critical Mass.

“The evangelicals are seeing that it’s the same style of music they’re used to hearing, but with a little more depth to the lyrics,” Wang said, adding that it used to be “unheard of” for Christian radio stations to play music by Catholic artists.

Jonathan Mason, an evangelical who plays bass in a group called the Andy Needham Band, said he often plays Maher’s songs when he performs at worship services.

“I don’t look at the lyrics of his songs and see things that contradict what I believe,” said Mason. “He’s just a great songwriter. He’s very Christ-focused.”

Maher said he didn’t find Jesus until 1995, when he moved to Phoenix to study at Arizona State University. His cousin started taking him to Mass, and one night she suggested they go to a youth group event organized by members of the parish.

Maher said he was shocked to see people his age talking about how their love for Jesus had changed their lives for the better. Maher recalled feeling very confused. “I thought, what is this, a cult?”

Turns out, it was a meeting of charismatic Catholics, part of a movement called the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Many observers have likened charismatic prayer sessions to Pentecostal revival meetings.

He went back to Mass and youth group meetings over the summer, though he still had “no clue what was happening on a spiritual level.”

But one night that fall, it all clicked. On the weekend of his 20th birthday, Maher watched his new friends perform a skit called, “The Broken Heart,” about a young girl who gets a new heart from God after giving hers away to a young boy.

As he watched, Maher experienced what he called a “profound awakening.”

“I was standing in the back of the room and I burst into tears,” Maher remembered. Not long after, he started writing worship songs for the group’s prayer sessions and devoted himself to performing Christian music.

Maher said he believes God called him “to write music with Protestants and be in ministry with them” as a means to strengthening his own faith.

None of Maher’s current tour mates, singer-songwriter Chris August, or the six members of the band, Bellarive, are Catholic.

“What’s fantastic about it is we’re all Christians from different denominations and we’re learning to understand each other,” Maher said. “It just means that we’re writing about mysteries that we don’t fully understand.”

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God’s Chesspiece: You can’t, but He can!

by D. Brandt Berg:

You can’t, but He can!

God doesn’t want you to try or pretend to be something you’re not and couldn’t possibly be. However, He teaches in His Word that almost anybody can be almost anything if they have faith and it’s according to His will. Anybody can be somebody or somebody can be anybody, because with God nothing is impossible and all things are possible to those who believe (Luke 1:37; Mark 9:23).

A lot of Christians make idols of the great men and women of God of the past. They idolize the heroes of the Bible, the patriarchs and the prophets, the Christian saints and martyrs, and they exalt them to such heights that they make it almost impossible for others to believe they could ever do the same things. And sad to say, it seems that all too often people do that to excuse themselves.

They say, “It’s impossible to be like that today. That sort of thing is reserved for Bible times, or saints or patriarchs or prophets. Ordinary Christians aren’t supposed to try to be like that. It’s impossible. Don’t even try! People today can’t expect to do miracles or have other gifts of the Spirit like the apostles and great Christians of the past had. The day of miracles is past!”

And one of the biggest lies the Devil tells people is, “You can’t be that way because you’re sinful and make mistakes, and you cannot be both good and bad.” Well, God’s Word says, “There is none righteous, no, not one… For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23). And that includes whom?—Not only you and me, but the saints and the prophets and the apostles and the patriarchs, and everyone else except the Lord Himself.

Now that changes the picture! That brings the apostles, prophets, and heroes of the Bible down to our level, and that means it’s possible for us to become more like them. Regardless of our sins and mistakes and faults or whatever, we too can be used of the Lord. So if the Devil tells you that you’ll never amount to anything for the Lord because you’re so bad, don’t listen to him. That isn’t so!

God created man and put him on earth in part to demonstrate His power in giving him salvation—to show that in spite of all our faults and shortcomings He can save us and make us useful. He can even use you. The fact that God can use you, bad as you are, gives the glory to Jesus when you do anything good or right. As the old hymn says,

I’ll give all the glory to Jesus,

And tell of His love, His wonderful love.

I’ll give all the glory to Jesus,

And tell of His wonderful love!

Even the great apostle Paul lamented, “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” He as good as said, “I stink! I’m a horrible mess!” But then the Lord encouraged him with the answer to his dilemma: “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 7:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:57).

Now, doesn’t that give you some hope? When the Devil reminds you of your mistakes and faults and shortcomings, it helps to remind yourself that, yes, you’re no good; yes, you’re a sinner; yes, except for the love and mercy and grace and goodness of God, you’d never make it!

It takes a miracle of the grace of God! It all has to be a miracle! Your thoughts, your love for the Lord and others, your work for the Lord—all of it is a miracle of God’s grace, “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). It’s God’s work. You just have to have the faith that God is going to do it through you.

For many years I was convinced that I was nothing and nobody and could never do anything! I was too sinful, too carnal, I didn’t read the Bible enough and didn’t pray enough. How could I ever hope to do anything for God?

Of course you can’t do it! Of course you can’t save yourself! Of course you can’t live a perfect Christian life! Jesus Himself said, “Without Me you can do nothing.”

Be honest. Isn’t that the way you feel sometimes? I’m sure the Devil lies to you like that too. When he does, slap him in the face with Scriptures, like Jesus did when the Devil tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Where sin and human faults and failings abound, God’s grace does more abound (Romans 5:20). That’s what it’s all about!

Why do you think the Lord lets you make mistakes? Why do you think God let Adam and Eve fall prey to temptation in the Garden of Eden?—To prove that they needed God, and to prove that you need God! You can’t do it on your own! And what does that do?—It glorifies the Lord!

Of course you can’t do it! Of course you can’t save yourself! Of course you can’t live a perfect Christian life! Of course you can’t be good or do anything good of yourself! Jesus Himself said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). A lot of people have been taught the false doctrine that they’re supposed to do most of it with just a little help from God, but I want to tell you right now, God does it all! Isn’t that a comforting thought?

You don’t have to have faith to do things that the Lord isn’t asking or expecting of you. You just have to have faith to be what He’s made you to be and to do the job He has for you, whatever that may be. Don’t try to be somebody you’re not, but don’t let the Devil lie to you that you can’t be who God can make you, or do what God wants to do through you. God won’t ask you to do anything more than He knows you can do, with His help.

Too many Christians have been taught two conflicting doctrines: first, that they can’t be saintly and perfect, and second that they can’t be saved unless they are. Both are the Devil’s own doctrines! It’s no wonder that a lot of Christians give up trying to be or do anything for the Lord!

But the wonderful truth of the matter is that you can do anything with Jesus’ help. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). With His help you can do anything, go anywhere, and be anybody God wants you to be.

God has given us a free will, but to be successful for the Lord or even as happy as He would like to make us, we have to continually yield that will to Him. We have to find out from Him what His will for us is—what He knows is best for others and us—and then choose that.

Everybody has their place and job for the Lord, like the pieces on a chessboard. Chess pieces have no will of their own. When a player picks up a chess piece and moves it to another square, the chess piece doesn’t protest; it yields and goes where it’s sent, right? Well, you’re in God’s hands! Think of that whenever the Devil tempts you to worry about this or that. You’re in the hands of the Master Player and He’s going to put you wherever He wants you, so just trust the Lord.

You don’t have to make all the decisions; you only have to be yielded. But you’re a free moral agent and you can choose not to be yielded. When it comes right down to it, the only decision you have to make is to choose to do God’s will, whatever it might be. Simply yield to His moves and let Him do the thinking and the choosing. He can see the whole game, the whole chessboard, and all the pieces. You’ve got very limited vision and very limited power, but He sees and has it all.

Simply be what God wants you to be. Don’t worry about what you can be or can’t be or will be or won’t be, like I did for nearly fifty years! I spent over half my life worrying about what I would be, when all the time I was being exactly what God wanted me to be and learning all the things God wanted me to learn.

There have also been times when I’ve chosen to do this and do that, and God’s had to change my mind or do something else in spite of me—and I always found out in the end that He knew best.

It’s wonderful to let God decide, because He always has our best interests at heart and He knows what’s best. He never fails. Even if He should let us get His instructions wrong or do something wrong, He’s able to use even that to teach us some lesson and bring about some good if our hearts are right with Him (Romans 8:28).

God has given us a free will, but to be successful for the Lord or even as happy as He would like to make us, we have to continually yield that will to Him.

So quit worrying about what God’s going to do. You’re in God’s hands. “Rest in the Lord, and do good” (Psalm 37:3 KJV). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left’” (Isaiah 30:21).

When a guide leads you down a path that’s new to you, he doesn’t tell you what you’re going to need to do before you get to the turn or the fork in the way. He waits till you get to the point where you need to know before he tells you what to do or where to go next—and that’s the way it is with the Lord. In most cases, you don’t need to know all the details of what you’re going to do tomorrow. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow. You often have to plan ahead, but you’re not to worry about tomorrow. Just do what God knows you can do and what God asks you to do today, and be prepared to do the same tomorrow.

God made you a particular kind of chess piece, and He’s given you powers accordingly. God is the player; you’re just the chess piece. You’re His piece, and all you have to do is what God tells you to do. He doesn’t even expect you to do it yourself. He’ll reach down and take a hold of you and move you where He wants you to go. You can’t do it, anyway—but you can with His help! You can’t, but He can!

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Our Best Lifeline

By Steve Hearts

As a boy, I listened to a drama story about a young paratrooper in the U.S. army, named Keith, who depended on his faith and connection with the Lord to bring him through many perils. So strong was his faith in the Lord’s protection that he refused to even carry a gun, despite the protests of his friends and superiors.

One day, while on a plane with a failing engine, with nothing but the ocean below and still a good ways from land, instead of panicking along with the others on board, Keith prayed out loud, beseeching God to make the motor start again. It did so before his prayer was even finished, eliminating the need to parachute out of the plane.

“Say,” said one of his buddies, “are your prayers always answered like that?”

“Jesus is a friend who never fails,” replied the young believer.

“No wonder you don’t need a gun!” exclaimed the former.

At another point in the story, a fellow soldier called out to the two paratroopers to come to a gathering in a Flying Fortress1 to hear a radio broadcast from America. This greatly interested Keith’s buddy. Keith, on the other hand, insisted that they should continue with what they were doing.

“Don’t you like to listen to the news from home?” asked his buddy.

“Yeah, but I have a feeling,” said Keith. His friend agreed to stick with him. No sooner had they turned down the offer and continued on their way when an enemy plane came flying by, bombing the Flying Fortress and killing all of its occupants. “That would have included me, except for you and your ‘feelings,’” commented Keith’s friend. Through these and other such incidences, the young man became a believer.

A number of happenings in my own life have caused this story to ring true—making me see the urges I often feel as more than mere “feelings.” My family and I currently live in northern Mexico, where there is much crime and insecurity. We regularly learn the importance of keeping in tune with the Lord, obeying the tugs and nudges He puts on our hearts.

A few months ago, my stepmother was preparing to go to a nearby store to buy some needed items. Just as she was about to step out the door, she felt a strong urge to not leave yet but to instead work at home. She had not been working long when she heard shots in the distance. She later found out that a shooting had occurred on the very road she had planned to walk in order to get to the store.

It is often easy to dismiss or brush off the urges of the Spirit, especially when following them means a change in routine or an interruption. When I was a teenager, I was taught a lesson along this line.

My father was out sharing the Gospel in a rather dangerous part of Los Angeles, California. At one point during the day, my mother felt a strong urge to stop what we were doing back home and pray for him. Not wanting to be interrupted, I dismissed her suggestion, thinking she was overly concerned. Only minutes later, Dad called, informing us that the car had been stolen. Although it was miraculously found and brought back to us only days later, the lesson was not lost on me.

Just recently, we planned to attend a weekly Bible study with some good friends of ours. But at nearly the last minute, we felt the urge to instead stay home and do an activity with the little ones. The next day, we found out that violence had broken out throughout the city, including in the area where the meeting was held. We praised the Lord for His prompting and direction, and for helping us to follow it.

One evening several years ago, while visiting relatives, I felt a strong urge to pray for the safety of an aunt who was on her way over. I stopped what I was doing to pray. She arrived several minutes later and told us that while stopped at a light, she’d had a close call with a driver who was heading full speed in her direction. She shot up a prayer for him to put on the brakes and he did, just in the nick of time for a serious accident to be averted. When I asked what time this had happened, I found out that it was the exact same moment in which I was urged to pray.

How easy it is to overlook prayer at times and focus instead on the multitude of things that “need” to get done. Yet, in doing so, we may fail to see what a “lifeline” prayer and communication with the one above really is. No matter how many gifts we have, prayer is, and will always be, our best lifeline.


1 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps.—Wikipedia.

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Be Positive

You can’t always choose your circumstances, but you can choose your outlook on life. You can choose to be stiff, stern and grumpy, or be upbeat, cheerful and positive. Sure, you may sometimes feel down or you may be struggling with pain or discomfort, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be an encouragement to those around you.

Every stage of life has its upsides and downsides. Focus on the upsides. Be positive. Think and talk about the good things-and keep at it for the rest of your days.

It says in the Bible that as a person thinks, so is he. If you make a habit of viewing situations positively, you will not only be happier for it, but you will be a positive person-the kind others love to be around.

from the book "For the Golden Years- From Jesus with Love" www.auroraproduction.com

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Brian Young- Doubts about Creation?

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Flesh or Spirit?- Mountain Streams

Mountain Streams

by David Brandt Berg

The most raging religious controversy the world has ever known has been between the do-it-yourself religions and the God-alone-can-save-you kind. Man has always been trying to save himself, to work his way to Heaven, with just a little help from God thrown in. That way he can give himself most of the credit and go his own way.

The first murder was committed by a religionist of the do-it-yourself kind, Cain (the oldest son of the first couple, Adam and Eve). Cain killed his brother Abel, a man who was trusting God (Genesis chapter 4). This was the beginning of the persecution of the true church by the false church. Cain was religious, very religious. He was trying very hard to save himself in his own way, even sacrificing to God and claiming to worship God. He was doing his best to ask God to help him earn his own salvation—but his best wasn’t good enough! His way was not God’s way, but was the way of all false religions.

Those who follow false religions are all dependent upon self-righteousness and their own way. Most of them claim to be worshipping God and seeking a little help from Him to make it, but because they work so hard at trying to earn it, they figure they deserve it—with or without His help—and are quite offended if He doesn’t seem to appreciate their goodness. They say, “Why, look at all we’ve done for You, God! You ought to give us a medal! We really deserve to be saved! If You’re ever going to save anybody, You should save us! If anybody’s going to make it to Heaven, we should certainly make it!”

On the other hand, Abel just did what God told him to do—and he “offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4): the sacrifice of pure faith in what God told him to do. By sacrificing a lamb, which was a foreshadowing of Jesus dying on the cross for the sins of the world (John 1:29), Abel showed that he was trusting God alone to save him. He knew he had only God’s righteousness, and none of his own, and that salvation was purely a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Abel’s humble sacrifice made such a fool out of the hardworking Cain, the self-made man and devout religionist, devoted to his own form of worship, and it so totally exposed the futility and hypocrisy of Cain’s hard work, that Cain was furious. After all his labors of the flesh, his legalistic reasoning, and his demands for salvation in return for all he was doing, Cain was so humiliated that he tried to wipe out the awful truth that his religion had failed to save him—and he did so by killing the man whose simple faith in God’s grace had exposed him.

Thus began the battle royal between pride and humility, between the damned religionists and the saved sinners—the perpetual warfare that has been waged ever since between the false church and the true church, flesh and spirit, works and faith, law and grace, self and God.

This conflict has resulted in some of the greatest misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the Scriptures that have ever existed. Most people have been trying to save themselves ever since, with as little thanks to God as possible, and they have twisted the Scriptures to try to prove they could do it! But God can’t help them to save themselves. He does not help those who think they can help themselves, but only those who know they can’t. They can’t save themselves, no matter how much they try to get His help to do it their way.

The religionists of ancient times wound up serving their do-it-yourself religions instead of God, and were destroyed in the flood of His judgments—and Noah and his family alone were saved by the grace of God in the ark. The very waters that destroyed the wicked, unbelieving world delivered the trusting believers (Genesis chapters 6 through 8).

But still the works religionists didn’t learn. As the German philosopher Georg Hegel (1770-1831) observed, the only thing we ever learn from history is that we neverlearn from history. They were soon at it again, this time building themselves a tower to try to get to Heaven by their own works, to try to make a name for themselves and take credit for their greatness. But that didn’t work either. It only resulted in Babel, or total confusion, and we’ve been suffering from this confusion, this babbling of many languages, ever since (Genesis 11:1-9).

Even the patriarch Abraham tried to pull a few tricks to save himself and his posterity, until God had to show him that it was all by faith and the miracle-working power of God, not by his own efforts (Genesis 20).

When Moses tried to liberate the Hebrews his way, he fell flat on his face before God in the desert when he found out he couldn’t make it on his own.

The children of Israel tried to win battles their way, and were defeated many times when they thought they could save themselves by their military might. Even Samson discovered that he was a weakling without the power of God.

Kings Saul, David, and Solomon all found that they only made fools of themselves whenever they tried to go it on their own. They all learned that only God could save them.

This “grace versus works” debate was the biggest cause of division amongst the early Christians. Could one simply believe and be saved, or was it necessary to also keep some of the hundreds of Jewish religious laws? The Jewish Christians just couldn’t help but believe that Jews were a little bit better than Gentiles, even amongst Christians. “Sure, we believe that Jesus is the Messiah,” they said, “but we still have to help Him save us by keeping the Mosaic Law.” This obnoxious mixture of works and grace so nauseated the apostle Paul that he publicly bawled out Peter for it and spent years fighting it in epistle after epistle (Galatians 2:11-21).

As a young Christian, I too was deceived for a time by the delusive doctrine of off-again, on-again, gone-again eternal insecurity taught by some churches and “works” religions. But then one day as a teenager, I was thrilled to discover the simple truth of John 3:36. After years of discouragement and defeat and lack of assurance of my own salvation, I found that all I had to do was believe. That was enough! Jesus said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life”—right now! No ifs, ands, or buts about it! No “providing you’re a good boy or girl and go to church every Sunday,” and none of this “sinless perfection” business.

I just hadn’t been able to make it on my own, and I knew it. It seemed that the harder I tried to be good, the worse I got! As the apostle Paul lamented, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

That was all there was to it. There was nothing else, no other way, no righteousness of my own, none of my own good works. None of these could keep me saved any more than they could save me in the first place! Only Jesus could do it! Not only had He needed to save me, but He also had to do the good works through me. It was allJesus, and nothing of myself or my own goodness or self-righteousness—just Jesus. I was so relieved to learn that, as I knew I could never make it otherwise. It had to be God. I just couldn’t do it—so He did!

The trouble with many Christians today is that they’re still living in the Old Testament. Their Christianity is a works religion. Years ago I remember hearing about some missionaries who had gone to Japan. Upon arrival they were asked by the local people, “Are you Old Testament or New Testament Christians?” At first the missionaries didn’t understand what they meant, but they soon found out that “Old Testament Christians” referred to those who placed a great deal of importance on church buildings, ceremonies, formalism, and tradition—those whose religion was primarily a works religion. A “New Testament Christian” was one whose major emphasis was not on the things that are seen—buildings and ceremony and pomp—but rather on the unseen things of the spirit and the simplicity of everyday Christian living, like that of Jesus and His disciples. What a comparison, and how true!

Too many religions and religionists are still living in the past. They have inherited too many hangovers from pagan idolatry with its love and worship of buildings, sanctimonious priesthood, elaborate trappings, complicated ceremonies, and superstitious traditions. Their leaders have exerted a dictatorial stranglehold on the souls of men, making merchandise of them through their insistence on salvation by works—their kind of works, their particular religion, the special corner on God that they claim to have!

In the Old Testament, God had a hard time getting the children of Israel away from the idolatry of Egypt. He used the Mosaic Law as their schoolmaster to teach simple truths through object lessons and rituals: the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, and animal sacrifices. These were types and shadows, analogies, mere pictures of the spiritual realities and eternal truths He was trying to lead them into, almost like you would do with little children (Galatians 3:24-25). He had to take what they understood—the forms and ceremonies that they were familiar with in the religions of Egypt and other heathen nations around them—in a fatherly attempt to audio-visualize for them the genuine spiritual truths of the true mature worship of God Himself. As the apostle Paul says, these were all types of the true (Romans 5:14), mere visual likenesses or illustrations of the unseen realities of the spirit world.

Paul says, “When that which is perfect has come [Jesus’ Second Coming], then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:10-12 KJV).

Paul was saying that even the gifts of the Holy Spirit of this New Testament era are almost like toys, gifts from a loving Father to His simple little children, to help communicate understanding of Himself and His will.

How much more, then, were the material object lessons of the temple worship of the Old Testament childish toys for even tinier children spiritually, to help them understand their heavenly Father’s love? But “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

When Jesus came, He told the Samaritan woman at the well, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). This is the spiritual era in which we are now living.

But Paul goes even further than this in his prediction to the early Christians of Corinth when he says that the time is coming when we shall see Jesus face to face and put away even these childlike gifts of communication in the spirit. For “whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). Even what we have now is only a sample of the glorious realities to come!

In the Old Testament were the illustrations, and in the present New Testament era are the spiritual truths that we have now by faith alone (John 1:17). But when Jesus comes again, we shall see Him as He is and literally be like Him and actually experience the fullness of the realities of God and the world to come!

“Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

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The Eternal Riches of Heaven

By Maria Fontaine

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We have received a lot of prophecies from the Lord about how if we’ll look ahead more, if we’ll step back and see the big picture more, if we’ll keep our eyes on heaven more, we’ll have an easier time with the difficulties of today.

It’s about perspective. If you’re only looking at what’s happening around you right now, things can seem pretty rough. That’s true for everyone. It took Thomas Edison more than a thousand experiments before he produced a practical, functioning light bulb. All those failures must have been very frustrating and rough, to say the least. But what if he had gotten his eyes off the goal when he was on failure number 998 and quit? He wouldn’t have developed the light bulb after all and would have just wasted a lot of money, time, and effort.

Paul said something that we’d do well to take note of: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”1 In other words, we have to look beyond what we’re going through today to the long term: the rewards, the happiness, the surcease from life’s battles. We have to look to the time when we will be victorious, and that will give us the strength to keep going. All of that is part of keeping the heavenly vision.

We have so much to look forward to, and we can really have a good time anticipating it! And as we do, the little day-to-day bumps in the road will be easier to bear.



Jesus says:

Keeping the heavenly vision means stepping back from the small, day-to-day tasks and to-dos and remembering the big picture of why you’re on earth. It’s remembering that you are on earth for a very short time, and that soon you will come to the place where all the struggles, difficulties, and problems won’t matter anymore, and only the eternal and lasting things will come with you.

Keeping the heavenly vision is also remembering Me, remembering My promises of love and comfort to you, and how much I have in store for you when this life is over. It’s what I was trying to impart to My first disciples when I encouraged them about the many mansions in My Father’s house, and that although I had to go away, soon they would be where I am and we would be together again.2

It is so important that you keep this perspective. Don’t lose the heavenly vision by becoming too wrapped up in the cares and trials of earth. Your present existence is such a fleeting thing; your life is but a vapor. Soon, so many of the things that seem so difficult for you are going to be wiped away, and in their place you will receive a crown of life and everlasting rewards for having bravely stayed the course and kept the faith.

But when you forget all of that, life can seem discouraging and difficult at times. I can even start to seem far away, pushed to the back of your mind, and the promise that I’m going to return again and gather you to Myself seems very distant.

When you forget the big picture, I seem small and irrelevant, and all the things of the world seem so important. That’s why you must keep your eyes on heaven and on Me. That’s why you have to remember that compared to all of the happy eternity that you will spend with Me, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in you and to you.3

You have to remember that there is a reason, a plan, and a purpose for everything that’s happening to you. I allow it all, so that when you come to My realm, you will have gained valuable lessons, skills, and insight that you couldn’t have gotten any other way.

No one, while they were alive, had the whole picture and understood the full meaning of their existence and why they were on earth, or even why there was an earth in the first place. Although many people had some understanding, still, as My Word says, “You see through a glass darkly” right now.4 You won’t understand the larger concepts in full till the end of your time on earth, when I finally reveal it all and make My plans plain. But until then there is a lot that you do know—certainly enough to make good choices and base good decisions on.

With the information you have right now, you know that it’s important to Me that while you’re on earth you love Me and keep My commandments, that you love your neighbor as yourself and learn lessons of love, that you win others to My kingdom, and that you give your children positive training that will last for eternity. These things will last forever.

So you must stop from time to time and look at what you’re doing in relation to Me and eternity. Ask yourself if it’s eternally sound, if it’s something that you can take with you when you leave earth, or if it’s something that’s going to pass away and be lost. You’ll be happy when you discover that what you’re investing your life in is eternal and lasting, and is not only fulfilling My will, but is reaping you benefits in the world beyond that will last forever.

If you are working for that which does not fade away, that which has eternal value, you should feel happy about this! Let this fact encourage your heart that you’re using your time wisely.

You can be certain that when this life is over, you have a happy heaven full of rewards and blessings awaiting you for your faithfulness. You can know that I love you, and that as you’re working for Me and pleasing Me, and manifesting your faith that isn’t dependent upon sight or understanding—you’re learning important lessons, and it’s going to pay off in the life hereafter.

You can know that in My kingdom there is no sorrow or loneliness or hardship or sickness or worry or death or lack of love or any of the things that can be so hard on you now. With that in mind, you can more happily brave your current sorrows or troubles, knowing that soon they’ll be gone. And in the meantime, I have promised that My grace is sufficient for you, and you can determine not to let the things of earth hold you back from gaining and gleaning from your time there the things that will last.

That’s the heavenly vision—knowing that there is a much bigger world full of love, rewards, meaning, and happiness just beyond this earthly one. When you look at the heavenly vision you’re reminded of and motivated by what’s really important and what’s worth living for and caring about.

Things tend to snap into perspective when weighed against eternity. And, oh, the comfort it can bring to your heart when you remember that no matter how tough a battle may seem, your life on earth is just the tip of the iceberg in eternity.

You need to pause sometimes and think about these things. It’s so good for you to take a few minutes to stop what you’re doing and ask Me to help you to get the heavenly vision again.

Think about the things that are difficult for you and remember that one day they’ll all be gone, and in their place will be a reward for your faith. Think about whether what you’re doing in life is working toward something eternal that will still matter once you’re gone from this earth. Think about the things you love or that matter to you right now—are they going to come with you into the world beyond? Or are they temporal things of this world that are going to pass away?

As you think about this, you may find yourself wanting to change the way you live, or make adjustments to the things that are important to you, based on Me and eternity.

When you’re not keeping the heavenly vision, self becomes so much more important to you—your own happiness, your own comfort, your own fame and wealth and pride. But when you live for heaven, I become the most important one, and you remember just how fleeting it is to chase your own satisfaction in the short time that you have on earth.

In the next life, you’re truly going to be glad that you lived for Me. You’re going to shine as the stars if you’ve been wise and turned many to righteousness.5 You’re going to be eternally glad for all the times that you laid down your own will and said yes to Me. You’re going to someday count the things of this earth as dung compared to the eternal riches of heaven.6

Originally published 2006. Updated and republished May 2013.
Read by Bethany Kelly.


1 1 Corinthians 15:19.

2 John 14:2–3.

3 Romans 8:18.

4 1 Corinthians 13:12.

5 Daniel 12:3.

6 Philippians 3:8.

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Church Must Help the Poorest, Not Dissect Theology, Pope Says

Reuters, May 18, 2013


VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis shared personal moments with 200,000 people on Saturday, telling them he sometimes nods off while praying at the end of a long day and that it “breaks my heart” that the death of a homeless person is not news.


Francis, who has made straight talk and simplicity a hallmark of his papacy, made his unscripted comments in answers to questions by four people at a huge international gathering of Catholic associations in St. Peter’s Square.


But he outdid himself in passionately discussing everything from the memory of his grandmother to his decision to become a priest, from political corruption to his worries about a Church that too often closes in on itself instead of looking outward.


“If we step outside of ourselves, we will find poverty,” he said, repeating his call for Catholics to do more to seek out those on the fringes of society who need help the most,” he said from the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica


“Today, and it breaks my heart to say it, finding a homeless person who has died of cold, is not news. Today, the news is scandals, that is news, but the many children who don’t have food—that’s not news. This is grave. We can’t rest easy while things are this way.”


The crowd, most of whom are already involved in charity work, interrupted him often with applause.


“We cannot become starched Christians, too polite, who speak of theology calmly over tea. We have to become courageous Christians and seek out those (who need help most),” he said.


To laughter from the crowd, he described how he prays each day before an altar before going to bed.


“Sometimes I doze off, the fatigue of the day makes you fall asleep, but he (God) understands,” he said.


Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, said the world was going through not just an economic crisis but a crisis of values.


“This is happening today. If investments in banks fall, it is a tragedy and people say ‘what are we going to do?’ but if people die of hunger, have nothing to eat or suffer from poor health, that’s nothing. This is our crisis today. A Church that is poor and for the poor has to fight this mentality,” he said.


Many in the crowd planned to stay in the square overnight to pray and prepare for Francis’ Mass on Sunday, when the Catholic Church marks Pentecost, the day it teaches that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles.

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Start Anew Today

          Life is all about the little decisions you make every day. Decisions of the past have had their effect, but every new day can be a new start. No matter what has happened up until now, you have a chance to make the right decisions today.

          Don't waste time believing the pain of past mistakes and decisions. That only saps your power to do what you can do today. You can't change the past, but the future is what you make it, starting right now, so take full advantage of the present.

          Learn from past mistakes and put them behind you today. Forgive those who have wronged you and ask forgiveness from those you have wronged. That probably won't be easy, but don't put it off.--Do it today. Look to Me and My word for fresh courage and hope, starting today. Dream new dreams today. Set new goals today. Love your family today. Be a friend today. Do things better, starting today.

          With My help, your future can be filled with wonderful accomplishment and fulfillment that will more than make up for past disappointments-- and it all starts today!

From Jesus With Love--For Troubled Times

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Praise brings peace!

          Why endure another sleepless night? Why suffer from anxiety when you can give your cares to Me and I can give you peace of mind? Even in the bleakest circumstances, I can give you amazing peace that will relieve the mental and physical stress caused by worry and fear.

          My peace comes to your heart when you turn your eyes from your troubles and toward Me. Stop worrying and think about Me. Find one thing to thank Me for-one special thing that I have done for you in the past-and praise Me for that. Or think of the worst thing that's ever happened to you and the fact that you're still here, and turn that thought into a prayer of thanksgiving. Even if you didn't pray at that time, even if you didn't yet know Me at that time, it was I who brought you through that situation. I've been watching over you your whole life, and I have either helped you through or spared you from more troubles than you can imagine-just like I'm going to help you through your present problems.

          The more you praise Me, the more My peace will fill your heart.

From Jesus with Love-For Troubled Times

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