Tag Archives: religion

Lent

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Greetings Friends and Family:  _MG_9174

In 2015, Pope Francis said the following in his lenten address:

“Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience. God is not indifferent to our world; he so loves it that he gave his Son for our salvation.”

During Lent we like to either give up a bad habit, spend extra time in Church, or with the poor and needy – some personal sacrifice that reminds us of the gift we all have received of salvation through the suffering of Christ.

Earlier in the month we were in a city in Florida which has a considerable amount of homeless and in some areas people were laid out asleep on the streets in daylight, not half a mile from hundreds of luxury yachts. When I remember that these people are just as precious, unique and special to Jesus as any other, it comes again as a wake up call.photo 6 There are so many people in this country who depend on voluntary help from churches and organizations like the Salvation Army. They receive shelter, food and fellowship, from people who give of their time, energy and resources. These helping hands are going to be even more needed in the years to come as the government walks a path away from those in need, towards those who exploit for commerce.

 

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This month Christine has led two icon writing retreats, one at The Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota, FL and the second at Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY.

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What extraordinary experiences these retreats have been with people spending time in deep prayer and learning, as they are skillfully led by Christine to write an Icon, for many of the participants this was their first one.photo 1

Writing an icon, it is called writing because the painted image represents the written word, is a truly appropriate spiritual discipline to undertake during lent. All those taking part went through their own inner journey as the Lord brought to mind aspects of their lives for them to pray through.

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The primary icon which Christine was using for their initial work, was the face of Christ. It is wonderful to see the different variations created by the different hands and personalities of the group derived from the same original. It is a reflection of how we are all individuals before God. Each one of us is unique, to and for the Lord. Each one of us has a precious reason for being, we are a special facet of His church.

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This month CIVA, Christians in the Visual Arts   Serious Art, Serious Faith, published a piece written by Christine on Icons and the American Iconography.  It’s worth taking a look at!

The next Icon Retreat Christine will be leading is at MorningStar Retreat Center in Miami Florida.  This will be a Tritium Reteat for Holy week,  with Stations of the Cross on Good Friday in the beautiful outdoor garden at Morningstar. Register now.

This Lent, let’s keep our country, the poor, and the disenfranchised in our prayers.

Father, show us the way to bless those who need your blessings,  Help us to help others.

“Today if only you will hear His voice do not harden your hearts.”  Psalm 95:8

We send you love, joy, and anticipation of Easter!

Christine and Michael

Mick’s Photography website   Christine’s Paintings   Christine’s Icons

Ash Wednesday

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As I drink my tea in the morning, my favorite cup reads,
‘Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’ Hebrews 11:1. But when I go back to my ESV bible the same verse reads, ‘Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.’img_6592

Those slight variations in translation can be an opportunity to explore further the nuances of the Holy Scripture or the beginning of misunderstanding and doubt. The whole chapter of Hebrews 11 digs deeper into those faith filled people of the past. But what of today? Who are the people really walking in faith with Jesus?
Our church, the whole body of Christ, seems to be divided as to what truly walking in faith means. Is that because there are so many ways to translate the bible, or so many ways to interpret what it says, or so many ways to make it fit with our own life styles and values; or even political world views? img_6480

Those are all good questions. However the question of real significance is, are Christians truly getting the benefits of walking in faith, believing they are new creations in Christ and receiving fully the power God assigned for that walk? Are we Christians making things happen, which in our own strength could not be possible, because we have faith that the Holy Spirit will back us up? Are we so grounded in our relationship with Jesus that we are sure we are walking in His will not our own? When we are in that intimate relationship, God will do extraordinary things through us, more than we can possibly imagine.img_6549

God calls us to take the first step and believe that He will be there with us when we take the second step and the third. It is our faith that He will be there for us that enables us to move forward. Having God’s path for us, completely set forth from the start to the finish with all the details in place, has never happened in my own experience, as Hebrews 11:1 says, ‘the conviction of things not seen’. I believe He calls us to push forward in ways far beyond what our rational minds can see, but by being guided by the Holy Spirit and having faith, Jesus is with us. We will fulfill His call on our lives. It is in the journey that we share daily with Christ that we receive His promise of life and life more abundantly.img_6582

Christine has been working on an icon of the Archangel Michael which depicts the scene of Revelations 12:7, where there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels and the dragon lost the battle. It is an extraordinary icon and dynamically shows the energy of the fight. The dragon is seen with seven heads and each spitting furiously. It is always a good thing to hold fast in our minds that the dragon and his angels lost. That is a fact we can have faith in as we keep our focus on Jesus and what He is doing through our lives as we walk as new creations in Christ.***  cshportrait

 

Christine is preparing for three Icon Writing Retreats this Lent.  The last one will be at Morningstar Renewal Center in Miami Florida, and will finish with the Stations of the Cross, using her Icons for prayer and meditation.

Another one will be at Holy Cross Monastery, in West Park, NY, March 21, 24.  There is still time to register! Contact Br. Joseph, guesthouse@hcmnet.org

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As we often pray for you, each one, we continue to send our prayers and thoughts for your good health, wisdom, and peace.  I’d like to pray a blessing over you now, that comes from Roy Godwin’s book “The Way of Blessing“:

“I bless you in the name of Jesus, that God may reveal to you everything you need to know to enable you to be fully who you were made to be, and that you receive everything you need, that the fulness of life might be released to you.”

Amen!

Love and prayers,

Michael and Christine

Mick’s Photography Website    Christine’s Painting Website  American Association of Iconographers

 

 

Volunteering

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Dear Friends and Family:img_6023

Some of the fun when volunteering for different organizations is meeting other volunteers and getting to know them. This month Michael has been blessed with the chance of making a short video for an organization called ‘Books for Kids’. This came about when a man spoke from the heart about a charity he had formed for kids who grow up in homes where there are no books available. The consequences are that during the summer months those children fall behind in their literacy skills, compared to children who do have books and parent who read to them. Consequently each year they progressively get left further and further behind in their reading ability. ‘Books for Kids’ is a program which supplies volunteers to go into schools and read books to the kids and then give each child a book to take home, each school month. I volunteered to make a video of what the program does, to help with its promotion to possible volunteers and businesses which could support the program.

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It is wonderful to see how much it means to the kids to get these books and how much it means to the volunteers to have the chance to help. The blessing works both ways. It happens because the leader, Ted, has such a heart to help the kids that it becomes infectious. Michael got the chance to pray with Ted and revealed to him how this was a calling from God and how he was stirring up others to follow through his complete dedication to the work._mg_8047

 

img_5993Twelve years ago John had a stroke which left his right hand curled up and without function. He has difficulty walking and getting up to his first floor apartment. Pretty much every morning he makes his way to his car to drive it into a sunny spot in the car park and just sits there for two or three hours. He likes the warmth of the car. He also loves to have people stop by and chat through the car window- so of course I go and pray with him. It can take him a little while to get the words out but he always tells me how much God loves him and will be coming soon.img_5491

This week I was also blessed to pray for people’s healing in Jiffy Lube, in our launderette and in a food pantry. There is joy in the every day chance meeting when one steps out and offers prayer. Doors get opened, people’s countenance changes as the Holy Spirit moves through them bringing things back to life, in their minds and in their bodies. It is so wonderful to be a part of God working even in the smallest way.

img_5898These are the opportunities which we ‘gently approach’ to bring a living Jesus to people around us. So many people need healing in their bodies but few look to prayer for healing. Sadly many Christians do not pray for healing, or pray without real belief that something will change with their prayer, it is done more as a rote or obligation.

Praying for healing can be one of the most exciting things a Christian can do, Jesus only did what God the Father asked him to do and he healed throughout his active ministry time.

Icon Talk
Christine’s Icon talk at Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota this month

 

Sometimes when praying, we know what Jesus is doing, but often we do not. But I am sure he loves it when we do pray for healing. Then occasionally there is an e mail in your IN box that lets you know.

 

“We wanted to thank you for praying for all of us at the Alive Church. We thought you might have been an angel showing up! I had recently been saying that a lot of us need healing for our backs. I know the Lord answers prayers ♡ We were and are grateful for your humble and obedient spirit. My back hasn’t given me trouble and I am happy for that manifestation.” Mellody C.

So, thank YOU for praying for us, and we continue to pray for you as well!

Love and prayers

Michael and Christine

Mick’s website    Christine’s website    Christine’s Icon website   Icon Blog

The Kingdom School Builds Momentum!

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Hello Family and Friends!

We are grateful for such great weather and the beauty and fullness of a Hudson Valley summer.        At the same time, we are excited about the Opening of the Olympics in London. The opening ceremonies were inspiring and the bell ringing across the nation as “a prophetic act, a turning point, which will shape the future of the nation”  sponsored by the More than Gold Agency which helped churches make the most of the games asked everyone to join in and pray at 8:12AM on July 27 for God’s Kingdom to come and for there to be a turning point in the nation.

We are very excited too about our “Kingdom School” opening in September here in the Hudson Valley.  

Here’s a quote from a book my friend Carol leant me by Jerry Trousdale, “Miraculous Movements” that explains the ethos around the type of evangelism we feel the school will encourage:

“But Jesus’ example takes a different approach: in fact, it works almost in the reverse. Jesus chose some ordinary men to walk with Him as He revealed the truths of God and asked them to live their lives according to those values.  Eventually they began to do what He did and they also began to experience God’s power and blessings in their own lives.”

We are so excited about presenting this school to the Hudson Valley where we already see the beginnings of Revival in many of our friends who are quietly, tirelessly investing in planting God seeds in their communities.  We believe the school will strengthen these folks as well as produce a crop of new, young people to continue reaching our communities with faith and works of the Gospel.

I, Christine have been taking online classes in growing an art community through exhibitions, talks and teaching classes.  I know that many artists have been alienated from their faith through constant contact with todays art world.  I know we can grow together in art and faith, and that is what I am investing in, in addition to the Kingdom School.  That, and completing some commissions and helping Michael with admin ( 🙂 ) is how God is blessing me with a beautiful summer.  You are all in our prayers every day. May God continue to pour out His blessings and healing on you and your families.

I Michael, have been trying to get the word out about the Kingdom School looking for people in the area who are hungry for more of Jesus. It is a great opportunity for people to get to receive teaching from over 45 people who have poured their lives out for the Lord and learn from their personal experience in many different areas. So I am meeting with pastors and people to see who wants to pick up the commitment of learning to walk naturally in the supernatural. The classes will be online, broadcast from GSSM in Mechanicsburg, PA to one of our locations: Gospel Community Church, Coxsackie, or St. Michael’s Church, Colonie, NY.  We are getting some great people who want to do it and I am very excited that it will create a pool of people in the Albany region who are ready to push into what God is doing here.

This month I have traveled for my photography work and flew across this enormous country. When you travel you get snap shots of what the country is up to: like advertising trying out machine guns in Nevada, having Buddha in a phone booth in New York or looking at beautiful wildflowers overtaking pastureland of a dairy farm in its first year closed down.

Thank God we have a powerful God who can save a nation in a day. We are praying for revival in our area and please join us in prayer that God would bring the people and resources for the Kingdom School to thrive.

Lots of love and prayers,

Christine and Michael

PS: Thanks to  all of you who are  partnering with Kingdom Arts Ministry by praying for us, and for contributing financially. We can’t do this without you!! Please send  checks made out  to: “Unto Life”, care of Michael Hales, PO Box 927, Philmont, NY  12565  

PPS: There’s a seat waiting for you at The Kingdom School!  The Kingdom School is a Satellite School of Randy Clark’s Global Awakening Ministry.

Spring Prayers

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We have had such a dry winter and spring that the landscape was looking really dried out gasping for rain. Finally we had two days of soft rain and spring is really here and the trees are filling out with fresh green leaves. Sometimes it takes a long time for a breakthrough to come but when you have faith that it is going to happen you keep pushing and pushing for it.

We just had a wonderful weekend with Tom and Maryln Litteer at Living Waters fellowship in Newton, NJ, and we were praying for healing for people. On the Friday evening while praying for someone I got a word from the Lord, ‘Egypt’ so I asked the person we were praying for if that meant anything to her. She said ‘No’.  The next day we were praying for a man who had slight one hearing in one ear only and limited peripheral vision from birth. We were praying with him on and off through the day and at one point I asked him where he was from and he said ‘Egypt’. At that point I knew God meant to heal him and told him, ‘I believe God wants to heal you today,’ and related to him the word I had received the day before. So we kept on praying and praying and I would have given up but for that word we kept on pushing until God showed us how to pray for him and his breakthrough came. His non functioning ear opened up and he could hear with that ear and was not using a hearing aid in his other ear. We are still believing his eyes will open to a full vision as well. To watch someone receive a gift from the Lord like that is so beautiful as they truly understand how much God is a powerful God and loves them in a tangible way. It is as though they receive their own personal springtime with the Lord and all is made new for them.

We are so excited about what the Lord is doing in our area as we start to get feedback on the GSSM satellite school we will be starting in September with our friends Susan and Ralph Baker Borgeson. We are still getting the word out and gathering information as to who would be interested in joining the student body. It is such a great opportunity for people both young and old to be transformed into walking in the supernatural ways of the Kingdom of God naturally every day. We believe it is it a part of our calling in this season to get this underway.

One of the discernments which has come out of our Thursday evening gatherings for prayer and worship is the need to AWAKEN this area, that there is a spirit of slumber over it. The area has taken on the mantle of Rip Van Winkel, the fictitious character who slept through his responsibilities after taking a drink. We have the Rip Van Winkel bridge which joins Columbia and Greene counties, over the Hudson river. Today in our village we had an announcement that there is to be a large Rip Van Winkel puppet show on our village green this Saturday. So we are just praying for that spirit to be lifted off this area that there would be an awakening in the community of the presence of the living and active Lord.

In all these areas that we are involved with we really need to have your prayers. God asked us ‘To build an ark in Philmont.’ and sometimes we call out to Him for more direction. We do ask for your prayers in all we are doing here.

We are excited about re-connecting with our friends in England and joining in with the prayer movement at Penetecost. Prior to the ARISE Pentecost meeting in Bristol, the Olympic torch will pass through and along with it, a prayer baton.  Thousands of UK Churches are organizing to make the most of the media attention on their cities and creating prayer activities to engage people in God’s Kingdom!

From Charisma Christian News,  More than Goldorganizer, Peter Meadows said:”Our conviction is that prayer and mission go hand in hand as churches respond to the Games. So, we are inviting every church, group and organization to explore creative ways to pray for all that will happen before during and after the Games,”Visit www.morethangold.org.uk for more information, and for Bristol related prayer events visit: www.bristolnetworks.org.uk

 We are so grateful to those of you who contributed to make the UK trip possible. Thank you!

Christine is planning a summer icon class on Tuesday afternoons in Woodstock, NY, God willing, and she’s been blessed with sales of some of her prophetic paintings this month.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours.  We need each other! Love and blessings,  Michael and Christine