:The Flash Advancer

When you are apart of a religious institution, you have a responsibility to reach a wide range of people. Not only the congregants who attend services or meetings but also those who are interested in attending as well as those curious about the workings and tenets of your religion. When you build your own website, you have the ability to cater to all of these needs in detail and with ease. Here are just a few ideas on what a religious institution might like to have on their website.

A mission statement for your institution. What does your institution stand for? Is your institution different from others in your sect? Are there specials standards or beliefs that your institution adheres to? This is the page to lay out what it is that your group or religion stands for, your goals, and where you are in attaining those goals.

The history of your institution. Whether your institution is brand new or it started 150 years ago, a brief history of how your group got to where it is now may interest those who are considering joining you. As values, leaders, and goals changed, so may have your institution.

The history of your religion. Some may come to your site in hopes of learning more about your religion in general. Describe the origins and build up to the changes that led your particular group to practice the way that they choose. Offer profiles of important leaders and prophets. Outline basic tenets, guidelines, or commandments that are important to the foundation of your religion. Offer links to more information or contact information should readers have questions and would like to speak to a religious leader from your group.

Schedules and directions. Whether visitors need to find your building for a wedding or other ceremony, potential members want to know where you are located, or members would like to find out when a special event will happen or times for evening services, this is the page for it on your website. You will be able to easily update and make changes through your web host if necessary and even include contact information for group leaders should anyone have questions about the content and focus of a group.

A page for each group in your institution. In addition to the schedule on your web site, you may offer links on the schedule to a page dedicated to that particular group. This group page may have meeting times and event locations as well as leader contact information, upcoming special events, themed studies, and announcements. Member birthdays or special announcements, mission of the group, and group members and contact information may also be included.

Updates. The whole of your religious institution, if not large now, is growing. It may be difficult to keep up with everyone’s news. Whether it’s a marriage, a birth, or a death, a page dedicated to the special events in the lives of the congregants or members will help keep your religious institution as connected as any family.

Forums. Interactive forums are easy to build through your web host. Members can easily contact one another and discuss topics relevant to the institution at large or for individual groups. This is a great place to put a call to action or describe open volunteer positions or upcoming opportunities to serve the community.

Service notes and highlights. In order to assist your members in better learning the materials offered at meetings, it may be of interest to provide study guides or notes for future meetings as well as the scripture or holy writing references so that they may read ahead.

Contact information. Whether there are corrections, suggestions, or questions, certainly your religious institution will want to be accessible to the community. Posting contact information on your site will allow members and visitors alike to have equal access to those in leadership positions and create a larger community.

Madison Lockwood is a customer relations associate for ApolloHosting.com. She brings years of experience as a small business consultant to helping prospective clients understand the ways in which a website may benefit them both personally and professionally. Apollo Hosting provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, vps hosting, and web design services to a wide range of customers. Established in 1999, Apollo prides itself on the highest levels of customer support.

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A subject which seem to have been all but forgotten in America
today is Holiness. As a matter of fact, in some circles it has
almost taken on a negative connotation. I’m sure you have heard
the phrase “holier than thou” used before to speak of someone.
Perhaps that person was really trying to have holiness in
his/her life. But because of the negative thoughts and attitudes
of others, it was perceived as an undesirable trait rather than
an admirable one.

What is holiness? Is it something that we as Christians should
strive for, or is it something that a humble person would not
want to be considered?

In the scriptures, when something was referred to as “holy” it
was set apart for the service of God. These things were
dedicated and used exclusively for God’s glory. For example, the
temple was holy because it was the place which was set apart
exclusively for the worship of God. We read of the beauty of
Solomon’s Temple and we can see the devotion which the nation of
Israel had (at that time) for the temple as a holy place.

“Then he said to them, ‘This is what the LORD has said:
“Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. . .”‘”
(Exodus 16:23) There were days or seasons which were also holy.
The Sabbath was a holy day because it was set apart as a
memorial of God’s creation. God had created the universe in six
days, and rested on the seventh. He therefore established that
seventh day as the Sabbath and a day of rest for the nation of
Israel as well as a day to remember that God was our Creator.

“And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation…” (Exodus 19:6) The priests which conducted the various
functions in the temple and tabernacle were also set apart for
the service of the Lord. They were holy.

“And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for
glory and for beauty.” (Exodus 28:2) Objects were holy.
Garments, anointing oil and other objects used in the temple
were set apart for the service of worshiping the Lord.

The nation of Israel was also holy. It was the nation of Israel
which God had determined would be the nation through which He
would bring His Son into the world as our savior.

So, is it then possible for us as Christians to be holy? Can we
be set apart to glorify God? Let’s see what the Bible has to say
about Christians and being holy.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to
God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) We are
certainly expected to be a holy people. Paul admonishes us to do
those things which will make us acceptable to God as being set
apart for His service. We are to live our lives as “a living
sacrifice” or in other words to conduct ourselves in such a
manner that we could be considered a living sacrifice. When we
consider that we are to make our bodies a living sacrifice to
God we understand that our physical being is to be dedicated to
live a life which will bring glory and honor to god. This means
rejecting all those things which do not bring glory to God:
obscene, vulgar, immoral and profane behavior as examples.

“If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For
the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Corinthians
3:17) “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the
Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are
not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19) We see here the command from
God to keep our bodies as a holy temple of God for indeed the
Holy Spirit indwells each Christian. This is further evidence
that we are to consider our bodies as holy or set apart for the
service of and glory to God. As a matter of fact, we as
individual Christians are a part of the church which is also
described in the Bible as the dwelling place of God. (Ephesians
2:19-22)

We have seen in the previous paragraph that we are to keep our
bodies as a holy temple to God, but what about our actions? Can
and should they also be holy? “Therefore, as the elect of God,
holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility,
meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving
one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as
Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these
things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
(Colossians 3:12-14) We can, indeed we must, have conduct which
is holy if we are to truly serve God. How can we be a Christian
and not have those qualities which this Scripture talks about?
Tender mercies, kindness, meekness, patience and love is what a
Christian has in their lives. You simply cannot be a Christian
and not have these qualities. You can claim to be a Christian,
go to church, say all the right things, do all the right things,
go to all the right places; but without truly having these
qualities manifested in your life, you are not a Christian.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest
your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at
the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not
conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your
conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” (1
Peter 1:13-16) I really don’t think we have a choice to be or
not to be holy if we are to be a Christian. The very essence of
being a Christian is to be holy. To say that we are one without
being the other is a contradiction of terms. As indeed God as
said, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Not that the above Scriptures are not sufficient to make our
point, but consider the following: “But you are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you
out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a
people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy
but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9,10) It is our calling
to be holy!

What does holiness cause us to do? Or, in other words, if we are
indeed holy, what are some of the attitudes and actions which we
and others can and will see in our daily Christian walk? There
are many!

We will show respect to our parents and others whom we may call
our elders. Truly, the Elders of our congregations must have our
respect as the overseers of the body of Christ. We will show
respect to those in authority over us: the officers of the law,
agencies in government, our supervisors at work, our parents and
so forth. Even when we do not necessarily agree with the
decisions being made, we will respect those who are in authority.

We will show respect, reverence and a worshipful attitude toward
God. We will be faithful to the worship services, faithful in
our tithes and offerings, faithful in prayer and Bible study. We
will literally put God first in our lives.

We will remember the needs of others, have the right attitude
toward the property of others, have the right attitude toward
the less fortunate, and forgive and love our neighbors.

In short, we will have the attributes of thoughtfulness,
generosity, honesty, trustworthiness, compassion, justice,
truthfulness, mercy, love, reverence and moral purity. The
non-Christian may have some (or even all) of these qualities,
but he is not holy. We are only holy if we are set apart for the
service of and glory to God.

God the Father chose us for holiness (Ephesians 1:4), God the
Son died that we might be holy (Titus 2:14) and God the Holy
Spirit was sent to make us holy (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

Let us not be self-righteous or self-holy (for it is not we
ourselves that make us so, or are even able to make us so). But
let us be righteous and holy with the help of the Holy Spirit in
our lives. Let us be set apart for the service of God and the
kingdom.

All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version unless
otherwise noted.

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The atmosphere within the evangelical community has been heating up since the Evangelical Climate Initiative was introduced in early February.

The statement, which is endorsed by more than 80 prominent evangelical leaders, asserts that climate change is an urgent problem and that the Christian faith mandates a strong response to global warming. Evangelicals have been reluctant to embrace environmental activism because of its connections with liberal agendas. The group as a whole has had a general tendency to prioritize spiritual rather than social and physical concerns. As scientific data increasingly supports observations of human-induced climate change, however, many are now taking action.

“It is a very appropriate move in terms of a biblical basis and, in fact, long overdue,” said Fred Van Dyke, who teaches environmental ethics at Wheaton College. “The evangelical community has long associated the environmental agenda with a liberal agenda, but they are getting over it.”

Roy Spencer, principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and former senior climate scientist with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, said he is concerned that the initiative focuses too strongly on activism and not enough on science. He helped the Interfaith Stewardship Alliance draft a 19-page monograph on global warming called “An Examination of the Scientific, Ethical and Theological Implications of Climate Change Policy.”

The alliance is a coalition of religious leaders, scientists, academics and policy experts committed to applying a biblical view of stewardship to environmental issues. In the monograph, the alliance said that climate change science remains inconclusive.

“We cannot say for certain how much the planet may be warming, how much is due to human activities versus natural cycles, or whether these changes in global temperature would be mostly good or mostly bad for the majority of people,” Spencer wrote in the monograph.

Other prominent evangelical figures such as Focus on the Family chairman James Dobson, and Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries have also said they are concerned about the Evangelical Climate Initiative’s stance on environmental policy.

The media, in particular, has misrepresented the effort as the majority opinion among evangelicals, said Cal Beisner, an associate professor of historical theology and social ethics at Knox Theological Seminary and an adviser for the initiative. Because of this, he worked hard to discourage the 30-million member National Association of Evangelicals which has refrained from establishing an official statement on climate change from endorsing the initiative.

“What I would caution against is equating fidelity to the gospel of Jesus Christ with endorsement of a particular environmental scenario or policy response to it,” said Beisner. “I am concerned that the ECI’s call to action hazards crossing the line in that regard.”

Despite their differences, ECI and the alliance both state that global warming is a problem that must be addressed, and both are motivated by a concern for those living in poverty. The tension is over the appropriate policy response. ECI urges preventative action and argues mandatory emissions reduction policy is necessary to combat the progress of global warming, which will have the most impact on the poor living in low-lying coastal regions.

The alliance argues it is more prudent to invest in technology that will allow humanity to cope with a changed global climate. It also says mandatory emissions reduction policy will force a general increase in the prices of all goods and services that depend on energy as a production factor - therefore, having the largest negative impact on the world’s poor

“Right now we have a government that has done nothing effective about global warming and doesn’t listen to people like me scientists,” said Mark Cane, professor of earth and climate science, and academic board member of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. “They do listen to evangelicals, however, so [the Evangelical Climate Initiative] plays an important saving role.”

Matthew Trumbull is Web editor at Science & Theology News.

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Author Interview - Shower of Heavenly Roses by Elizabeth Ficocelli
By Lisa M. Hendey

I believe that my own strong devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux, lovingly known as “The Little Flower”, stems from the fact that she gives me such great hope - hope that someone who spends most of every day doing mundane little tasks (like washing laundry and driving car pools), can make these little acts holy by offering them to God with a loving heart.

In her new book Shower of Heavenly Roses: Stories of the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux (Crossroad Publishing Company, September 2004, paperback, 227 pages), author Elizabeth Ficocelli shares stories of countless hearts touched through the intercession of St. Therese. For those not acquainted with St. Therese and her wonderful autobiography Story of a Soul, Ficocelli’s introduction relates the life history and spirituality of this magnificent woman. In her Prologue, Ficocelli shares her own personal faith journey and the role in that journey played by St. Therese, as well as the meaning of the sign of the rose.

Millions have turned to St. Therese for aid and intercession in times of difficulty and despair. The stories shared in Shower of Heavenly Roses are stirring accounts of prayers answered by miracles, great and small. St. Therese inspired many with her words “I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.” Shower of Heavenly Roses shows that St. Therese’s spirit of love and service, her “little way”, lives on in our world.

I am pleased to share the following interview with author Elizabeth Ficocelli.

LH: It’s a pleasure to be able to share the following interview with Elizabeth Ficocelli, author of Shower of Heavenly Roses: Stories of the Intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux. Elizabeth, first off let me say that this book is a treasure! Would you please begin by telling our readers a bit about yourself and your family?

EF: I am a Catholic convert who entered the Church in 1983. I have been married to a wonderful man for 19 years, the man who first introduced me to the Faith. I am a stay-at-home mom and my husband and I are raising four boys — ages 13, 9, 6 and 4 — in central Ohio. For the last five years, I have been writing books and magazine articles to share my love and enthusiasm of the Faith with others. My desire is to excite and educate people about the sacraments and the other treasures that our Church offers.

LH: Elizabeth, this book has a great deal of personal meaning for you as you share your own story of conversion. Can you briefly relate to our readers your own personal experience with St. Therese during your faith journey?

EF: As I mentioned, I am a convert. I was raised Lutheran, and when I was eight years old, I found a medal on the sidewalk as I was walking to school. I thought the woman on the medal was Mary. For some reason, I kept that medal in my jewelry box, and it wasn’t until I was an adult Catholic that I discovered the meaning of the mysterious message imprinted on the back, “After my death I will let fall a shower of roses.” It was the famous quotation of St. Therese of Lisieux. This prompted me to read her autobiography, Story of a Soul, and like so many others, I fell in love with her. I felt she had always been present in my life, from my youth. Years later, I wrote a magazine article about the intercession of this saint in my life and the life of my son. It was my first published work, and it ran in Catholic Parent in January 2000. Interestingly, this was exactly when the relics of St. Therese were touring this country and creating quite a fervor, as they seem to do in every country they visit. I did not know about the relics tour when I wrote the article. The timing was all her doing. She accomplished this a second time with my book, Shower of Heavenly Roses. Due to the overwhelming response to my call for stories, the book was completed a full year ahead of schedule. It was released in September 2004, a few weeks before the launch of the major motion picture, Therese. I was aware that a movie had been made about her, but I had no idea it was going to be released this year until my manuscript was well into production.

LH: For our readers who have not yet had the opportunity to read Shower of Heavenly Roses please give us a description of the book.

EF: Shower of Heavenly Roses is a compilation of 65 stories that depict the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux in the lives of a variety of people. The stories are beautiful and inspiring examples of faith that I think the world needs to hear right now. But I wanted to do more than present some beautiful stories. I wanted to make the world aware of this special Saint and the lesson of love that she teaches us all. That’s why I provide an introduction about her life, her spirituality, and why she was named Saint and Doctor of the Church. In my prologue, I talk about saintly intercession in general, and I address how this idea can be easily be misconstrued or self-serving. And that’s not the point at all. The saints are one of our terrific gifts from God, an example to us all, and yes, their help is available for the asking. But we should not limit ourselves to simply asking for personal favors. We really should be asking these holy men and women to help us follow the wonderful example they left us.

LH: In reading the stories included in Shower of Heavenly Roses, I was deeply moved by the impact that St. Therese has had on so many lives. The stories come from such a broad cross section - old and young, lay and religious, male and female…how did you go about collecting the stories for the book?

EF: I used the Internet for my primary research. I discovered many organizations, publications and private web sites dedicated to St. Therese, in addition to lay and religious orders. I contacted organizers of the relics tour and was able to get a list of most of the churches and monasteries that hosted the relics. A few Catholic publications posted my call for stories, but for the most part, the word was spread electronically.

LH: Of the stories you share in Shower of Heavenly Roses, do you have a favorite?

EF: That’s a tough question. All of the stories have special meaning to me; that’s why I selected them for the book. I have developed friendships with the contributors — many of them have become like family. I had the great pleasure of meeting two of the contributors in person when I did a book signing at the National Shrine of St. Therese on October 1st. They were delightful — I wish I could meet each one. A few of the stories do have an extra special place in my heart. The very first story to come in, within 24 hours after I sent my call for stories, came from Brazil. It’s about a mother who locates her grown children halfway around the world after many years of separation, thanks to the intercession of St. Therese. This story set the tone of the book for me, and therefore I placed it as the first story that appears in the book. There are some “wow” stories, like St. Therese making her presence known in a wedding photo. A quieter story that touches me is called, “My Dad’s Devotion.” It is written by a grown daughter, recalling her father’s love/hate relationship with St. Therese. By “hate” I mean that when things weren’t working out as the father would have liked, his statue of St. Therese would be turned around with her nose against the wall. When things were okay, she was facing front again. I found this very open, honest and human relationship with the Saint very real and simple, like St. Therese herself.

LH: Elizabeth, St. Therese has long been one of my favorite spiritual friends and confidants so I am pleased with the influx of recent projects about her such as your book and the Therese movie. What message do you hope to share through Shower of Heavenly Roses?

EF: I hope the book will inspire people to learn more about St. Therese and her little way of great love, particularly through her autobiography, Story of a Soul. I also hope the book will lead people to discover other saints and the blessing they are to all of us. I think most importantly, I would like people to come away with the realization that God exists and loves us very much, and that His community of saints is just one more way He shows us that love in our daily lives. That’s why I’m personally sharing this book with people of other faiths and those with no faith at all.

LH: As a fan of your books for children, Child’s Guide to First Holy Communion and Child’s Guide to Reconciliation, and now this latest book, I’m curious to hear about your plans for upcoming projects. What are you working on next?

EF: I am currently writing another adult book that will have a similar format to Shower of Heavenly Roses. This book is going to be about Medjugorje. I attribute Medjugorje and its call for peace, prayer, fasting, conversion and the sacraments as having a significant influence on my own Catholicism today. Since my pilgrimage there in 1989, Medjugorje has really helped to make my faith come alive. Because there is much controversy about these apparitions, my intention is to release a book in 2006 (the 25th anniversary of the apparitions) that will bring healing and understanding to this controversy. Therefore, I am compiling stories of how individuals have been converted by their exposure to Medjugorje and its messages, and what is happening as a result of that conversion, 25 years later. For many people, it has spawned new ministries. The stories I have been receiving are wonderful testaments that these apparitions continue to bear good fruit in the world. I think the Church needs to hear these stories as it continues to observe the events happening in Medjugorje.

LH: Elizabeth Ficocelli, author of Shower of Heavenly Roses, thank you so much for your time and for this gift of this wonderful book. I know that it will touch many hearts and bring many into a closer prayer relationship with St. Therese of Lisieux. Are there any closing thoughts you’d like to share with our readers?

EF: I thank you for your web site that provides such helpful information for Catholic moms like me. I also appreciate this unique opportunity to talk about my own writing ministry. Readers are invited to visit my web site at www.elizabethficocelli.com for a complete list of books and magazine articles, or to submit a Medjugorje story. Books can be ordered through this web site or by contacting your local bookseller. Thank you, and God Bless!

For more information or to order Shower of Heavenly Roses: Stories of the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0824522567/digitalcropper-20 or www.elizabethficocelli.com

Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous web sites, including http://www.catholicmom.com and http://www.christincoloring.com, and an avid reader.

About the Author

Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous web sites, including http://www.catholicmom.com and http://www.christincoloring.com, and an avid reader.

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Change requires power. Any kind of change is a formidable challenge for most people. Yet the Lord asks us to change from our old ways and do things His way. Not an easy task!

“Put off … the old man, … and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and… put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Eph. 4:22-24) “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Rom. 12:2)

In your daily world, especially in this hectic instant access global culture where technology changes by the minute and you have to be adapting constantly, change is inevitable. You are being pulled in diverse directions and the older you get the less elastic you become. You get in the habit of doing things a certain way and become less tolerant to external demands to alter our lifestyle. Modifying learned responses to habitual routine tasks often causes stress and anxiety, especially in older persons.

However, when the Lord requires you to change your lifestyle, He not only gives you the power to do so, but the result is a much more powerful you! Some people say they love the Lord but refuse to make a commitment because they’re just not “ready” yet! If only they realized that with the Lord everything goes smoothly, peacefully, and painlessly! Yes! Really!

First of all, it’s your love for Him that prompts you to make adjustments. Secondly, He has given you the Holy Spirit to be your comforter, counselor and help. (John 14:26). All you need to do is lay your life before Him and ask Him to fashion you into a precious vessel for His use. You cannot change on your own. He is the potter, you are the clay. The clay just lies there as a lifeless lump on the potter’s wheel while the master twists and turns it until it is just right. All that is required of you is a willingness to want to be like Him.

The more readily you give yourself fully to Him the more instant the transformation. It all starts in your mind. Once you align your thoughts with those of Christ and understand His Word and His ways, then all the old habits and mindsets fall by the wayside. Suddenly they don’t seem so important any more. When you were in the world your mind, alienated from God through ignorance and blindness, prompted you to do things your own way. Once you know the Truth, you will want to put off all the vices and let your mind be washed by the Word.

Besides the Holy Spirit, the Lord also knows that you need tangible support here on earth. That is why He has established you, who has been called out of the world, into His Body, the church. There He has provided leadership and support “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ!” (Eph. 4; 12-13)

I pray, with Paul, that you will be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may come to comprehend His Love and be filled with all the fullness of God! He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to His Power that works in us! (Eph. 3:16-20)

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