Hell -Part I

My friend -

A week ago I read a book written by a woman about the horrors of hell.  According to her, she was visited by Jesus and escorted to hell for 30 nights.  At the end, Jesus took her to  Heaven for 10 days.  I plan on reading the second book -"A Divine Revelation of Heaven".  I'm curious why only 10 days.

Back to the subject... the visions Mary had of hell spoke of unending fire, inhuman stench, and an overpowering sense of fear and hopelessness..  There were a handful of individual encounters that intrigued me.  There was a man who was preaching the Word of God.  Hmmm... why would a preacher be in the depths of hell?  Well, apparently this man at some point went from preaching the Word to preaching what was good for him.  He led many people away from the Truth.  Interestingly enough, according to Mary, those who had been led astray were tormenting this man in hell.  Moral of the story... be careful who you follow. 

[SIDE NOTE: In my early Catholic years, we had a priest who decided after 25 years of serving the people, he was "owed".  He gave beautiful, inspiring homilies at Mass, but he was also leading a separate life.  He was living in a house several blocks from the parish and had phone calls forwarded to the house.  This man played golf EVERY Tuesday with the Bishop and a couple of priest friends.  Not one of them knew he had a separate house or that he was stealing from the parish.  He was lying to his Bishop, his friends, his parishioners, and himself.  He went from serving to being served.  His indiscretions were brought to light and the parish was ripped apart.  There were those who blindly believed and followed him and then there were those who sought the truth and found it.  Being a "new" Catholic, people were concerned this would make me falter, but my faith and belief was in God, not a man.  There are priests that I love and adore, who challenge me to be a better Catholic, but I do not blindly follow them.  My hope is in Christ.  After reading this book, I wonder if this priest will be like the preacher in hell and will those who defended him be there with them.  I pray they will see the Truth and repent.]

The stories in the book spoke of witches and those steeped in the occult, of a woman who was faithful but became hateful and full of vengeance when her husband had an affair.  He begged for forgiveness, but she refused.  Bitterness enveloped her and she ended up murdering her husband and the woman.  One common thread among them was as much as they begged Jesus to forgive them and rescue them (and they sounded sincere), He reminded them they made their choice.  They turned from begging and pleading to cursing and swearing at Jesus.  I don't know about you, but doesn't help your case to curse Jesus.  Mary related the pain and sadness on Jesus' face with each of these encounters.

Jesus keeps promising Mary that He will never leave or forsake her.  One night, as they ventured deep into hell, Jesus vanished.  She was alone in the depths of hell without her Savior.  She was tormented and felt abandoned.  It reminded me of the early disciples.  They walked with Jesus on a daily basis, lived with Him, and witnessed His miracles.  And yet, they didn't grasp what was right there in front on them.  Jesus promised Mary he would never forsake her and yet she doubted it.  She cried out for him in fear and begged to die.  Jesus appeared and relieved her fears.  

How often do we doubt the Lord's presence in our lives?  Mary was told He wanted her to experience Hell to better lead others away from a life that leads to this unending pain.  I almost wrote ...and sorrow, but with each story Mary relates, there is no sorrow.  There is only self pity and justification for their sins.

I don't know if Mary truly experienced hell and Heaven.  Does it matter?  If her books and talks steer people away from the wages of sin, then that is a good thing.  I know the Catholic Church teaches there truly is a hell and "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin". (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1864)

I think this needs another day.  So tomorrow (or later tonight) will be Hell Part II.  Harden not your hearts, my friends, but seek God's face and be kind to one another.

Be well~

Linda

Lenten Season

The Lenten season has begun!  Since becoming a Roman Catholic, Lent has become one of my favorite parts of the year.  It is six weeks of self reflection, prayer, and almsgiving.  There are those who EVERY Lent give up chocolate, soda, or sweets.  While for some that is a great sacrifice, for most it is not.
At the end of Lent, we should be different.  We should feel different.  It is not just about giving up something, but doing something.  Spend time with another person and completely focus on THEM, not you.  Do a good deed.  Spend more time in prayer or reading uplifting, positive books.  
You have six weeks to be a better you and then celebrate it at Easter.  Easter is my favorite time of year.  If I could choose a time of year to die, it would be during the Easter season.  It is filled with hope, faith, and the joy of the Resurrection.  The messages during the Easter season are positive and uplifting!  He is not dead, He is risen!  But before we can rejoice, we must journey through Lent.
What are my plans?  I'm going to write.  God has given me a talent to write and I need to honor that talent by doing it.  I'm spending time in prayer and reflecting on where God is leading me.  
I must warn you that the adversary does not like Lent.  When we choose to grow closer to God, Lucifer readies for battle.  He knows what brings us to anger, what depresses us, what causes us to move away from God.  Stand firm and strong, my friend.  Do not falter!  God will send His angels to protect you.  Just ask!
Another "thing" I plan on doing is keeping my blog up to date.  So... tomorrow's topic will be Hell.  I finished a book written by Mary K Baxter called "A Divine Revelation of Hell".  I have my own thoughts about it.  
See you tomorrow!
Faith and peace, 
Linda

New Year

Happy New Year!
 Time for resolutions, new beginnings, and change.  Yes, I am among those who will make resolutions this year.  My friend Brenda gave me a book -"The Happiness Project" for my birthday.  So 2012 will be filled with happiness, joy, and all things good.  A perfect project for an optimist!!  So please bear with me when the trials of real life show up.  Okay, with that out of the way, let's move on to resolutions!


I resolve to focus on the positive.   In every situation there is a positive response and a negative one.  In the past six months or so, I seem to have looked at the negative.  A bit disconcerting for an optimist.  A co-worker has challenged me to put a penny in a jar every time I'm negative.  Hopefully it won't be too full.


I resolve to lose 3.3 pounds each month.  (I was going to put 40 pounds for the year, but that seemed too big a goal.)  How will I lose the pounds?  Exercise =I'm going to walk at least three times a week and work out at the gym twice a week and change my eating habits =more fruits and veggies, less chips and cookies.


I resolve to spend 15 minutes every day writing something!  I'd like to resolve to finish a book in a year's time, but I don't want to scare myself!  If December arrives and a book is complete -that will be my Christmas present!


I resolve to be a better wife, mother, family member, friend, and co-worker.  My life is filled with so many good things.  It is the people in my life who help me and encourage me.  My husband is wonderful, my children are kind, loving human beings, my family loves me, and my friends are always there for me.  I work with some really awesome people.  Together we rock!


What do you resolve to do and be?

"It's a Wonderful Life"...

I'm sitting here watching "It's a Wonderful Life".  It is one of my most favorite Christmas movies.  How many of us, if given the chance, would like to see what Life would be like if we didn't exist?  George Bailey was one of the good guys.  He was self-less.  He sacrificed his adventure, college, and his career dreams for the people of  Bedford Falls. He could have left town with his friends, but he stayed.  I wonder what would have happened to George and the people of Bedford Falls if he had left town, gone to college, built all those wonderful things he imagined. 

We all have choices to make in life.   Who we marry, where we go to school (if we go to school), do we take the job that gets us by or our dream job?  No one has a crystal ball to see where we will end up.  How are you living your life?   Do you think of others first, how your decisions and choices will affect those around you?  Or do you make your decisions based on what is best for you?  

It seems like George gets the raw end of the deal.  Every time he tries to leave Bedford Falls, he gets pulled back in from one crisis or another.  And yet he has built relationships with people.  Offered them opportunities to own their own homes, helped them when they struggled, and treated them as friends.  And though he didn't have monetary wealth, he was truly the richest man in town.  He was loved and when he was in a rough spot, those he had helped rallied around him.  Many would say that is karma.

The moral of this fictional story - treat others as you wish to be treated... even if....   

I sat on Santa's lap today and he asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I thought for a moment and then said, "I wish people would be nice to one another."  A pipe dream?  Probably, but I truly meant it.  There is too much meanness in this world.  Be kind for we all have our own battles to wage.  

So, if only for the next 22 days, let us be kind.

Merry Christmas, 

Linda

So many thoughts for the first of December 2011...

There are so many thoughts and ideas running through my brain.  Such is the life of a writer!  Having a vivid imagination doesn't help matters much.  A good example is during a recent visit to a local museum, "characters" and a story line started creeping out from the shadows of my imagination!  Someday you might get a chance to "meet the gang" as they plot to steal works of art in "Heist at the Haggin".  I even enlisted the help from a couple of friends in my "research" as we toured the museum. 


Writers can be inspired by so many things.  Another plot I have in my "notebook" came from watching a couple walking on the beach at Pacifica.  I imagined they were newlyweds on their honeymoon.  The woman had never seen the ocean and her husband was all too happy to  introduce her to it.  She would get to the edge and then gleefully run back as the waves as they chased her.  Being a writer can be a curse and a blessing. :)


December
Switching gears....  December is a month filled with various religious holidays.  It is also a time when stress, commercialism, and angst abound.  Let's make this December different.  
I challenge you this Advent season to set aside your grievances, the pettiness, holding onto grudges, all those negative thoughts and for the next month choose to be joy-filled.  If someone or something annoys you, let it go.  Choose to be cheerful, grateful, joyful.  However you choose to celebrate this December, bring joy to those around you.  


I know there are those of you who are in mourning.   The holidays, especially Christmas, bring a mixed bag of emotions.  Know that I am praying for you, praying peace for your grieving soul.  There is good news, but it can wait for awhile.  Embrace your grief, wrestle with it, get angry, and then, if you need to, let the tears flow.  If you need a shoulder, call me.  I know your grief -I have my own.  


Until tomorrow... choose joy!  It is much better than the alternative.  :)


Faith and Peace -
Linda

Hello!

Hello!  I have taken the proverbial plunge into the blogging world.  Writing has been a passion of mine since the third grade.  I saw the fulfillment of my dream when "Carolyn's Search" was published in 2004.  It was amazing and scary and awesome!  Barnes and Noble in Stockton was gracious in allowing me to have a book signing event at their store.  People actually bought the book AND asked me to sign them!!   It was a great feeling of accomplishment.


This blog will be a smattering of my thoughts, writings, and hopefully news of upcoming books!  I have a couple of manuscripts in varying stages of completion and look forward to having at least of them ready for printing by next summer.


Bear with me as I figure out this blog business!


Faith and peace, 
Linda


Favorite quote: "Remember in the darkness what God has taught you in the Light."