[Jane Gootherts]

My time before the Lord was seeking His will for my ministry of sharing Jesus with others. Moving to a new community has had the challenge of starting over to find new people who are interested in joining me in this ministry. I have had a period of time being disappointed that things were not happening fast enough. Evangelization is a new concept in all three churches that I have made contact with in my new community. My time before the Lord confirmed that there is a season of planting which entails preparing the soil. What I cannot see, the Lord is working with the hidden growth. I sense His word to me is to persevere, continue to share as He gives me opportunity and He is the Lord of the increase and harvest in due season.

[Jane Gootherts]

God bless you, Maureen, for your attentiveness in your heart for God. I like what God said to you; it is a reminder to surrender to His plan and timing. God bless you!

[Jane Gootherts]

The Liturgy of Hours has become a regular prayer practice especially since the lock downs. My church, St Stephen the Martyr Parish in Renton WA, started a FB livestream 6:30-7:30am with the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer with the Eucharist exposed. My habit continues to join at 7am for morning prayer and devotion then I share a call with my friend and we pray the Office of Readings. It has become a healthy part of my spiritual growth because the readings of scripture and church writings bring a depth of holiness to my growth.
I attend daily mass about 4 times a week. This has become a prayer support for our team outings to pray for those we will meet and for those we have met. Offering them up to God our Father for the Holy Spirit to touch their hearts and lead them to full salvation in Jesus in the Catholic Church.

[Jane Gootherts]

When we dine out in a restaurant, I like to ask our server is there anything the server needs prayer for as we are going to pray a blessing on our food and we will pray for our server. This has opened up conversations and I have shared that God is our Father and He has created each of us and He desires to have loving relationship with us. He even gave His only Son to die for our sins so that our lives can be restored in perfect relationship when we turn to Him. God desires to bring healing and peace into our lives. That peace is what I receive because of Jesus.
Sometimes the conversations go longer some shorter but I give them a card with the names of 3 Catholic Churches nearby and my contact.

[Jane Gootherts]

One short testimony that I have given when sharing with people is my journey in the Episcopal Church. I attended a wonderful church that was Biblical and orthodox and full of the Holy Spirit. During the prayers for communion, I would ask God to tell me the Truth about this bread and wine; tell me where the Truth is found to be the Body, Blood and Soul of Jesus. I knew this is the Catholic Church and God desired my earnest seeking for the Truth of His Body and Blood to lead me to the Catholic Church. It was many years before I did come in to the fullness of the Catholic Church and I am grateful for the prayers along the way.
I share this with non-Catholics so they too can learn that Jesus is truly present in the Catholic Church. Many do not understand or know that this is the reason they should visit the presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle. I invite them to visit any Catholic Church in their area or be my guest.

[Jane Gootherts]

I enjoyed this activity as it helped me to reflect on what God has been revealing to me this Lent 2023. The parable of the sower reminds me of the different conditions on which the seed lands. There have been times that God has exposed the rocks in my soul which bring about temptations to fear, anxiety and criticism. I need to surrender to God’s will in all matters of interaction and not allow the rocks to interfere with God’s word becoming fruitful in my life, my family, friends and evangelism encounters. May the Precious Blood of Jesus continue to till the soil of my heart and bring about the good fruit with my perseverance.

[Jane Gootherts]

My partner and I have gone twice to the community dinner provided by the church I attend. We set up our table close to the door that the dinner guests enter so we can greet them. I say, “Good evening or afternoon, God bless you, thank you for coming to the dinner. If you have a prayer need we are here to pray with you now or after your dinner.”

These guests have been coming to the dinner for quite awhile so they recognized us as being new. Many made eye contact with us and smiled. One lady came to us and asked more about what we were offering. I explained that we are here to pray for her or with her. Asking her if she had a need I could pray for, she hesitated as if not sure what to say, She may have felt vulnerable about sharing anything too personal. I offered to pray a general prayer for her and asked if I could place my hand on her shoulder. Using the ACTS format, the prayer invited God to make himself present to her in all her needs, physical, provisional and spiritual. At the end, I asked her if there was anything else needed and she answered with tears that the prayer covered all the areas she needed.

[Jane Gootherts]

I read the Devout Life when I entered the Catholic Church in 2010. It had a big impact on me then and I am happy to be rereading it now. I am visiting in Long Beach CA and I found a lovely chapel that has Adoration all day twice a week. It was special to sit before Our Lord Jesus as I read the first three meditations. It brought me to the comforting realization that I am here because God wanted me as His child of God. Not because of anything I have done but created me to come sit before this most gracious and benevolent Father God, Creator of the Universe.
This has brought much peace to my heart today. He encourages me to continue to believe, have faith and trust that my response to His love for me and my prayers are important in the spiritual economy of Salvation in Jesus Christ. Glory be to the Father to the Son to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever, world without end!

[Jane Gootherts]

We moved to the Coeur d’Alene area in April 2022. We have gotten to know our neighbors (8), none who are Christians. I will pray for them that the Holy Spirit soften their hearts to Jesus and to be open to conversation.
I gave a printed invitation to Raquel today, I will pray that the Holy Spirit moves her heart to desire to go back to church and to try the Catholic Church.

[Jane Gootherts]

Somewhere along the way in my journey in the Catholic Church which I joined in 2010, I heard the importance of my baptism into the fullness of faith in Jesus as my Savior. I celebrate this occasion at Thanksgiving weekend every year.
My baptism was November 25, 1972 when I was 14 yrs old. It was during a retreat of an Episcopal Youth group in CA. I was not raised going to church and my parents we not religious. During the summer, my friend invited me to join the youth group (I am a big supporter of inviting people to church) and I met the love of Jesus in the teaching and the people. I had always had a heart for God but did not know Jesus until then. This experience was very real to me and baptism would complete this commitment.
As the water was poured over me, I felt the bright, loving light of God embrace me in a very powerful way. Repentance, forgiveness and the Holy Spirit filled my heart and began my journey with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

[Jane Gootherts]

“Well, I was raised Christian, and I’m still spiritual, but I’m not religious.”

Praise God! I am spiritual also. Do you believe in the spiritual world? Have you had any experiences with God’s love for you?
If you have not, let me assure you that God loves you and desires perfect relationship with Him as your Heavenly Father.
So often our lives do not have peace, may even experience loneliness or isolation. God is always close to us and desires us to be close with Him.
God so loves the world, you and I, that He gave His only Son Jesus to die on the cross so that we might live with God forever.
I experienced this love from God when I was 14 yrs old and learned about Jesus. I learned that my sins kept me separated from God but through repentance and confession I would receive salvation through Jesus. When I was baptized I felt the fullness of God’s cleansing love bring me into His perfect relationship. Would you like more information about how to receive God more fully into your life?

Other questions to pursue:
Have you had a negative experience that hurt you in church?
What do you believe happens after you die?
Would you like to go to this church which is open and experience God’s presence in Adoration?

[Jane Gootherts]

“Please post in the Community Forums about your experience doing this practical activity.”
PRACTICAL ACTIVITY FOR THEOLOGY OF EVANGELIZATION COURSE 2: “THE FULLNESS OF TIME”: SALVATION IN JESUS CHRIST
I could not find a topic started for this course 2, so I am posting here. I hope I can be redirected if necessary.

Dr John Bergsma does a wonderful job of teaching the true of the Gospel of Jesus and all that God put into place to bring us to the fullness of salvation. Especially this phrase in 2.4: “Then, Jesus’ death is not something that takes place apart from us or away from us. Jesus’ death is communicated to us in our baptism. When we are baptized, we undergo Jesus’ death. We are joined to Him in His death and then we are raised with Him to new life. We participate in Jesus’ death and resurrection and then our baptism marks our whole life so that all of our sufferings and ultimately our own personal deaths become participations in Christ’s suffering and death, which He accepts because of our sin.”

Having spent 30 years in non-catholic churches, this is an honest, orthodox teaching of baptism. It is this point that I make talking to people that because of our rejection of God, we need baptism to bring us back to that perfect relationship with God the Father that He longs to have with us.

In 2.3 – “We all know that the Eucharist is not just a symbol, but it’s a Sacrament. What is a Sacrament? A Sacrament is a sign which participates in what it is signifying. So, the Eucharist not only symbolically represents what’s taking place, but actually makes it take place. We really are receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord. We truly are becoming the family of God when we receive the Eucharist.”
This is the offering, the Covenant, God gives us to participate in the life of the Resurrected God, the Son where we find the fulfillment of this perfect relationship.

I love to cover these two points when I am talking to someone, especially if it is a brief encounter, that God the Father desires relationship with us as His children. Through baptism, He restores us from the Original rejection that separated us. Through the Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of God the Son Jesus, He brings us into healing and wholeness to experience daily perfect relationship with Him.

I shared most recently on Sunday when I went to give communion with a woman in the hospital. I talked to her daughter about this reality of receiving the Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus.

[Author]

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