The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith
subcategory of Authors
Our family tradition for Thanksgiving grace is sung to the tune of “Edelweiss” from the Sound of Music. The Von Trapp family at the festival performed the forbidden national anthem as they prepared to escape the country. Bless our friends, Bless our food, Come, O Lord, and sit with us. Make our talk glow with...
Right on the Mark!
When we are asked how we first realized that Jesus is our Lord who loves us, few will be able to share a coherent and extemporaneous narrative. We will probably recall our stories of faith randomly without order. Her many suggestions, especially of journaling and creating a timeline, make for a better understanding of our lives and later, for sharing our stories. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and had to carve a particular time to read it. I did not want to rush myself through the book because I found it spiritually nourishing to be able to dig deep into my memory files to recall those incidents in my life when I realized Jesus was with me. As she was going through her tips and techniques, I knew I was going to implement these in my future writings. The emotions that she felt during her journey were so alive that I thought I was walking in her shoes in my journey as well. A very inspiring read and a treasure-trove of writing tips and faith stories – An Anonymous Writer
You need not be a public speaker or author to share your Catholic faith story with the world, and Nancy Ward has proven that in her new book, Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips & Testimonies, published by The Word Works. In her book, Ward shows just how easy it can be to simply and spontaneously share with others how the Catholic faith has changed your life.
“Right now, the Holy Spirit is using me and the book to help all of us who are coping with the transition into a new lifestyle of constant restraint and change. I didn’t know that Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story would be used for this purpose, but I’m now realizing that the Holy Spirit had many uses in mind for it. People want to know how to get through this and this book has answers”–Nancy Ward
Who should share their faith story? Everyone! It doesn’t matter if you are outgoing or shy. Ms. Ward encourages her readers by sharing her own initial reticence and explains how the Holy Spirit helped her to move past those feelings. We all need to spread the good news. We live in a very hungry world. Sharing Your Faith Story makes it easy. In the first half of the book, Ms. Ward provides all the tips and tools you need to realize and share your own story.
“Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story” encourages Catholics to use the simple, workable tools outlined in the book to help organize and share their stories with others. The personal stories leave the reader inspired and motivated to share their stories. Each story is unique. I loved all of them because each story shared their journey of faith where they were at, what happened, and where they are now.
“Acquire the Holy Spirit and thousands around you will acquire salvation” – St. Seraphim of Sarov St. Seraphim dreamed big. Honored by both the Roman Catholic (today) and Orthodox (January 15) calendars, this wonderworker emphasized seeking communion with God as the true purpose of life for every Christian. St. Seraphim’s life demonstrated that everything else was merely the means for “acquiring the Holy Spirit.” Wait! Didn’t we acquire the Holy Spirit at baptism and weren’t we sealed with the gift of the Spirit at Confirmation? Can’t we acquire more of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or receive the Eucharist? A resounding “yes” to all of these.
Enjoy six posts on JoyAlive.net that launched the Christmas season we are celebrating. A letter home from my Father on Christmas Eve from Germany in 1944; Catholicmom.com: Something wonderful is about to happen recalls how, as a young mom far away from home, I almost missed experiencing the spirit of Christmas; Friar’s Corner: Rejoice! Jesus is always with us; Last Buy One, Gift One Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story of the year; Don’t miss the great blessing of Christmas like the Innkeeper at Bethlehem; Friar’s Corner: Christ’s Mission is possible! We are Jesus’ friends, ambassadors and evangelists, sent to bring God’s good news into the world.