https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4uB2-lN1kE The 1976 Christian musical Firewind is a dramatic musical based on the first four chapters of the Book of Acts, focusing on the power of the Holy Spirit and the early Christian community. It was co-written by Terry Talbot, his brother John Michael Talbot, and Jamie Owens-Collins, with music featuring prominent “Jesus Music” artists of the era. Backstory and Key Artists The musical was released as an album on Sparrow Records in 1976. A notable aspect of the production was its cast, which included well-known figures from the burgeoning Jesus Music movement: Barry McGuire (known for his secular hit “Eve of Destruction” and later Christian music work) sang the role of the Apostle Peter. Keith Green, before releasing his first solo LP, was featured as a performer on the album. Anne Herring and Matthew Ward of the band The 2nd Chapter of Acts also participated. Narrative and Themes The narrative of Firewind is drawn directly from the biblical book of Acts, chapters 1-4. The story covers events immediately following the resurrection of Jesus, including the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (“fire and wind”), the bold preaching of Peter and John, and the life of the early church as they shared their possessions and spread the gospel. The album was described as a “dramatic musical” rather than a traditional stage play, likely intended for performance in churches or as a concept album. One story from the time mentions Barry McGuire and Terry Talbot performing segments of the musical in concert during the mid-90s, years after its initial release, rekindling a long musical association. The music itself was an example of the passionate, sometimes controversial, art of the Jesus Movement, aiming to present the story of Jesus in a relatable and inspiring contemporary format.

Prayer - A Spiritual Battle Strategy Are the issues of the day upsetting you? Bring them to God and let Him lead you to speak out in an effective way. Article up at https://thefiretongue.com/2025/11/15/prayer-a-spiritual-battle-strategy/ #christian #spiritualwarfare #Godisgood #prayer #prayerispowerful #speakout #youmatter

Charlie Kirk - Family and Sexual Health Advocate Saint Stuart September 12, 2025 The explosion of tension right now on the internet around Charlie Kirk’s assassination is exposing the opinions and positions of many people. Some are showing sympathy for Kirk and his family only to lose many followers, receive hateful comments and even death threats. Others are flagrantly celebrating his death, many of them getting terminated from their jobs. This shows a deep divide in society today, not necessarily a purely political one, but it is often tied to political leanings. I think much of it comes down to an understanding of religious, especially biblical, teachings and values around sex. Charlie Kirk spoke out against important issues in society today from gender ideologies and transgenderism to abortion and conservative political views. He was often antagonize from people who disagreed with him, and we see online today a lot of labels being thrown around by both sides. From the left ‘fascist’ ‘Nazi’ and ‘bigot’ are commonly used, and from the right ‘is woke’, ‘communist’ and ‘socialist’. Let’s take a look at these terms and how they relate. Fascism is a style of leadership that puts a dictator in place for the sake of national interests who suppresses rights and freedoms of people they disagree with. Two notorious fascist leaders were Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler around the time of World War II. It is often characterized as xenophobic and hostile toward outside groups, often based on race or nationality. Nazi ideology is a type of fascism with support for dictatorship, fervent antisemitism, anti-communism, scientific racism, white supremacy and homophobia. These are all ideologies that most of society today regards as evil, including far right Christians. However, many conservatives hold values and opinions that oppose some things that fascists also opposed, such as homosexuality and socialism, and it’s for that reason that I think far-right thinkers are often labeled fascist. Under Biblical teachings, homosexuality is immoral, and many believe that the sexually-deviant lifestyles and ideologies that come from that culture are also evils that can lead to a life of mental illness. The consensus among conservatives today, however, is not a fascist solution to those problems, but an open dialogue to encourage discussion and debate, exactly what Charlie Kirk was doing. The actions of the shooter, on the other hand, exemplified fascist ideology more so by advocating violence against a dissenting voice, and every person who celebrated that act, every voice that was happy that Charlie Kirk got assassinated, has acted EXACTLY like the fascist and Nazi dictators we ALL so vehemently oppose. RIPCharlie #charliekirk #woke #Fascism #sexualhealth #family #mentalhealth Full article: https://thefiretongue.com/2025/09/12/charlie-kirk-family-and-sexual-health-advocate/

The Ten Commandments: III By Saint Stuart “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7 ESV) I’ve come to understand this commandment as refraining from saying God’s name as an expression of frustration, as in saying a curse word. In doing so, we invoke His holiness in the midst of reacting in failure to a problem and leave it at that. In vanity, with selfish ambitions in mind, we say God’s name and no more. To escape that sin I have learned to run such expressions into a prayer, and I have experienced much deliverance as a result. “Oh my God…” I would say in frustration, then realise my sin and change my attitude by adding to what I just said and turning it into a prayer “…thank you for the means by which I can resolve this situation.” I felt released after that. It turned from me habitually saying His name without any sentiment of respect or reverence as a reaction to frustration, to saying a prayer as a means to instead resolve that frustration. In a similar way I learned to refrain from using all expressions of frustration and confusion by stating my intentions to be useful instead of defeated. God knows the way to all solutions and victories, so using His name in our personal turmoil without looking to Him for resolve does not make sense. From: https://thefiretongue.com/2022/12/29/the-ten-commandments-iii/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #swearing #cursing #thirdcommandment #thetencommandments

The Ten Commandments: II By Saint Stuart 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20: 4-6) This commandment doesn’t seem to come up much in modern times. Idol worship has been discouraged throughout the centuries and would be ridiculed by many people today. When Moses was up on Mount Sinai, however, the Israelites were, along with the first commandment, in the process of disobeying this commandment as well. They were intent on worshipping God who led them out of Egypt, but had fashioned an image of an earthly animal, calling it God. Not only is such a practice entirely inaccurate, but it also sparks jealousy within God, who as our Creator and Provider of all that is good has very good reason to be jealous. Our praise, worship and thanksgiving, tangible and fulfilling expressions of emotion to God, are justly deserving to Him alone. If those expressions are directed toward something that has no part in their origin then God and man both miss out on an authentic experience of worship. We must worship and acknowledge God in how we experience Him in our lives, and how scripture presents Him, not in any other depiction, description or speculation, unless it is an expression led by the Holy Spirit. Pictures of Jesus and depictions of God are created over time artistically, but to regard them as completely accurate and bow down to them and serve them as such would be a gross misconduct compared to direction those devotions to our mind’s actual experience of who God is through spiritual interaction in prayer and scriptural contemplation. I have contemplated another sort of idol – our mind’s depiction of God that is not a true representation backed up by scripture or an authentic spiritual encounter. Some might regard God as accepting of their sin, or make assumptions of His nature based on human reasoning. “If I was God, I’d do things this way, so I assume God is like that.” No human will ever be close to what God is, and unless His wisdom is received through scriptural revelation or direct communion with Him, our own understanding will not be reliable. Know God by comprehending His ways as described in the Bible and through spiritual utterings, meditation and listening in prayer and praise to Him. The ways we are able to worship and serve God are a primary importance to our walk with Him. God declares that He shows “steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:6). Obeying God is a way of worshipping Him, and when we do that we discover even more to offer praise and thanksgiving to Him for. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). In order to direct all of our heart, soul and strength solely and completely to a God with no earthly attributes, except His form as Jesus, we must keep any other earthly forms from distracting from the focus and attention of what we express to Him alone. From https://thefiretongue.com/2022/12/28/the-ten-commandments-ii/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #commandments #10commandments #thetencommandments

The Ten Commandments : I By Saint Stuart “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3) To me, this commandment signifies that God demands our focus and attention on Him alone when it comes to divine things or objects of worship. Until recently I often took this to mean that other gods are false, or even that they don’t exist. I don’t read it that way anymore. If anything, it is a biblical confirmation that other gods do exists, and God is telling the Israelites as His very first commandment not to have them before Him. What is a god? Is it a being that has attained a divine status, able to greatly influence mankind? Is it that thing in our life we expend a great amount of emotional energy thinking about, dedicating time to giving praise and thanks to instead of our divine creator? This commandment doesn’t say to deny those things exist, or to avoid considering them, but to give credit where it is due. God is the originator of those things and alone deserves the praise and thanks for them along with the many other blessings He has provided us. When I read this commandment now, I start to consider the belief of other gods, but know that my worship belongs to the one true God. Many people have come into the world to influence masses of people with human teachings that appease carnal knowledge and passions. If we are swayed by their doctrine and start to live without God’s purposes in mind, then I believe we are breaking this commandment. Let’s consider the latter type of god – the blessings we have that might distract us from our relationship with God. Money, friendships, popularity, competition, knowledge, innocence, good works, music, entertainment, stories, health and fitness, romance. These are all good things, many of which God commonly wants for us. If they become a priority in our lives, though, and we fail to acknowledge their source – God’s love – then that can become an existential problem. It’s like enjoying something without saying thanks to who made it possible. “Say thank you,” is what God is saying to us in this commandment, as a parent would say to their child when someone does something kind for them. We shouldn’t give praise and thanks to the act or provision itself, but to the one responsible, in turn strengthening our relationship with them, and acknowledging that we appreciate and benefit from their act of love. The Israelites broke this commandment many times throughout the Bible. They were in the midst of it while Moses was up the mountain receiving it as a commandment: “1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”(Exodus 32: 1-6). What an odd turn of events. They lost their leader and it’s as if they needed something to collectively focus on, to unite them, but what they did was fashion an earthly image and declare it to be God that brought them out of Egypt... Read the full article at https://thefiretongue.com/2022/12/27/the-ten-commandments-i/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #commandments #10commandments #moses #law #firstcommandment

Forgiveness By Saint Stuart Forgiveness can be tough. Someone brings pain and destruction to the life of another and we’re supposed to forgive them? What does that exactly mean? To forgive. I’ve grown up with certain conceptions of forgiveness, but until I began to practice it as the Bible teaches, I didn’t really understand how important it is to maintaining a life of true peace. To many, I think it’s seen as a sign of weakness, or even a way of saying “what you did was not wrong.” “If I forgive them, that means they win.” We don’t need to let down our guard, however, when we forgive. We don’t need to admit defeat. Forgiveness can be uncomfortable even in the simplest scenarios. “I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.” is a common exchange, as the person who was offended flusters to find an excuse as to how it was really their own fault. No. It’s not okay. The victim should accept the apology and offer forgiveness. If anything, forgiveness is a validation that what the offending person did was wrong. Do we forgive people who haven’t done any wrong? Hopefully not! Some people might not understand that what they do harms another, even when they are told that it does and asked to stop. Forgiving them might even offer some insight for them to understand their behaviour. Most people probably expect something before offering forgiveness—an apology, a display of sincere sorrow, restoration to what was lost, a change in behaviour and attitude, and an explanation or understanding of why what they did was wrong. For some, even those things aren’t enough to convince them to forgive something so heinous and horrible that a life of hatred and resentment seems a just response. The Bible teaches us to forgive others daily, though, without any stipulation. How can that be earnestly accomplished, and what good does it bring? What is forgiveness exactly? “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors,” Jesus taught to say in prayer to God. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14) Why does God ask us to forgive others in order to receive His forgiveness? Well, why do we seek God’s forgiveness? We can know forgiveness by receiving it from God or another person. We sin, causing destruction, and a sadness lingers—a regret. We’ve made someone upset, and we know why. Will there be a punishment? Living with the consequences sometimes seems like punishment enough. Forgiveness can easily be understood in terms of debt, as with the parable in Matthew 18 of the king who had a servant with a debt of ten thousand talents that he couldn’t pay. The king commanded that the servant, his wife, children and all that he had be sold in order to receive a payment. Measures were needed to be taken in order to compensate for what the servant was obliged to pay back. The resolution was very drastic for the servant and his family, leaving them with no possessions. The servant fell down before his master, saying “have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” (Matthew 18: 26). The master was “moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.” Read the full article at https://thefiretongue.com/2022/12/28/forgiveness/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #forgiveness #grace

The Problem With Gambling By Saint Stuart To understand why gambling is frowned upon by many people, one must first understand and appreciate the concept of making an honest living. Being financially compensated for providing a beneficial service or product to the world is a very fulfilling way to be productive, and to the honest person it makes sense. As a practice of good virtue, each person should contribute their own good to the world. Doing so makes the world a better place for present and future generations, and for each person who does that, the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day are immense. Receiving the financial compensation to live a life of comfort and good health seems a very just and deserving agreement. Ideally, to the honest earner, every dollar should be put to wise use, either in providing for a secure, healthy and enjoyable family or personal life, putting away to savings, investing in ventures that will have a positive impact on the world, or donating to help people in need. With those good practices in mind, the notion of risking money to either gain more without having done any good to have honestly earned it, or to have an even greater chance to simply lose all of that hard-earned money completely based on chance is very poor reasoning. Gambling is very poor financial practice, and future generations ought to be taught instead the importance of honest earning and wise spending. Doing so will ensure their financial security for the rest of their lives. https://thefiretongue.com/2023/11/09/the-problem-with-gambling/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #gambling #addiction

Under the Influence By Saint Stuart To understand the dangers of being affected by substances from hallucinogens to simple stimulants like caffeine, I think an appreciation must be developed for the body’s natural development and maturity. Using substances to alter our minds and certain moods, we can have the danger of inhibiting us from maturing into better people. If we simply feel bored, uncomfortable, confused or drained of energy, resorting to mind-altering substances to help change these conditions keeps us from learning how to let our body and mind naturally deal with and find solutions to these and many other common daily challenges. For instance, the tendency for social gatherings to resort to alcohol and drugs to “enhance” people’s moods, I think seriously inhibits the practice of those people to enhance their moods by their own wit and good reason. In some cases, high consumption of alcohol will cause people to completely forget the social experience, depriving them of the quality experience of social growth they could have had. I’ve felt the impact of substance use, feeling uncomfortable at social gatherings unless there are others to partake in mind-altering substances with. Regrettably, it’s an indication of poor social maturity and development. Developing the habits of mind alteration instead of bringing an honest, sober self to an evening of social opportunity can greatly interfere with the benefits of a much better quality of social experience. The effects of addiction bring this disruptive principle to many other areas of the life of the person affected. Unless they are influenced by a substance, they have great difficulty functioning on their own. What they feel is a solution to their problems is actually impeding them from letting their body and mind grow and mature through them naturally. Without the skills developed to face those problems, they may feel that their mind-altering substance is their only solution, and convince themselves they are unable to change. Their sober mind confronts them with their challenges and they can either let themselves face and deal with those challenges with courage, or fall to fear and escape the discomfort of doing so with their addiction. Life can be uncomfortable, confusing, exhausting and full of many challenges. If we sincerely meet those challenges with a sober mind (while also confiding in social supports), we can learn to be better people and find the solutions that will bring success and wholesome happiness to our lives. That is an integral part of maturing as a person, and if we instead resort to mind-altering substances, we will miss out on the many daily opportunities to become the better people we deserve to be. From https://thefiretongue.com/2023/11/09/under-the-influence/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #addiction #substanceabuse #drugs #alcohol

None Are Righteous? By Saint Stuart This is a verse I’ve come across many times in my path as a believer. Romans 3:10-12 “As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” I’ve had some discomfort around this notion for quite some time. I’ve heard people use it to define them, saying there is no righteousness in them, or anybody, ever. I don’t think that is the case. The verse in Psalms that it was referring to is either Psalm 14:1–3 or Psalm 53:1–3: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” Again we find in Psalms 143: “Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! 2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.” At first it seems as if David is talking about a specific group of people, as he often lamented about evil people who were after him, but then in verse 2 of Psalm 53 he says that “God looks down” … “to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” Is this saying that God has never found anyone throughout history who seeks Him? I think not. From what I know, many people have and do seek after God, and there are also many who have done and still do good in the world. Then in Psalm 143, the psalmist laments, “no one living is righteous before you.” Was this a statement to the heart of men at the time, or a broader truth about humanity in general? Perhaps “before you” simply means that God’s righteousness is the root of all righteousness, because there are many instances of the same psalmist describing people as righteous as we will see later in the article. Some seem to have taken these verses to mean that no one in existence is ever righteous. Is that true? No. The bible tells us to put on a breastplate of righteousness, and other verses speak about how God loves righteous people. Read the rest at https://thefiretongue.com/2024/11/05/none-are-righteous/. #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #righteousness #righteous #Romans #Paul #psalms

The Armor of God By Saint Stuart Ephesians 6:10-20 “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Over the years I have made a habit of daily praying on each piece of the armor of God. Here are my personal prayers for each piece: “Lord, I pray on the Belt of truth. The truth of Your word and world are the support for my spiritual life, and keep together Your protection for me” “Lord, I pray on the Breastplate of Righteousness. Guard my heart with right thoughts and right actions, so I may grow purely in Your ways.” “Lord, I pray on the Boots of the Readiness of the Gospel of Peace. May I ever be ready to bring Your peace of the gospel wherever I may go.” “Lord, I pray on the Shield of Faith. You are Emmanuel. You are with me, and Your presence and unwavering dedication to guide me will keep me free of harm from all attacks of evil.” “Lord, I pray on the Helmet of Salvation. Guard my mind with the hope of Your promise of everlasting life.” “Lord, I pray on the Sword of the Spirit. Your Word invigorates my spirit to speak against all forms of evil. I will wield it by giving praise to You and knowing Your commandments and teachings from scripture.” I also recommend Praying the Armor of God by Rick Stedman. #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #armorofgod #ephesians

Living For Eternity By Saint Stuart Dedicated to Queen Elisabeth II and my grandmother. The thought of living forever changes my outlook on life in a very positive way. Though my time on Earth is limited, I’ve felt often as a comfort of love from God that my soul will live on into eternity. I don’t know fully what that will be like, but it inspires me and causes me to think about my time here on Earth in a different way. The question as to whether a person’s soul will live on after death is a very important one, and the guidance God has given us points to two possibilities– eternal destruction or eternal life. Passing through life not knowing the outcome, one might feel frustrated, thinking what’s the point building and working on a life only to have it destroyed as we see through the inevitability of death. What we leave behind becomes an important purpose we can develop– our contributions, memories that others have of us and any children born. Naked a man comes into the world and naked a man leaves, but we have a chance to make an impact on the world while we’re here, hopefully improving it for future generations. Still, the lives of the past and future will inevitably die, as will everyone currently living. Surely there must be a way for all those souls to continue to appreciate what they worked so hard and beautifully to make of the world that God has provided for us. I think there is, and along with other blessings that visions of heaven bring, it inspires me to make the most of my time here on Earth. Praise God! Knowing that I’m going to be around to remember and see the results of everything I’ve done with my life makes me think more seriously about what I ought to be doing. The limited time we have is often enough for many to feel pressured to make the most of what they can, but the added hope of an eternity to enjoy after spurs the mind in many wonders. How will what we do here affect that eternity, and who will we be there with? Our minds are unable to even fully comprehend eternity, but the foundations of our own eternity seem to be rooted in how we develop our lives. Read the rest at https://thefiretongue.com/2023/01/16/living-for-eternity/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #heaven #eternity

Life as God's Kingdom By Saint Stuart This Christmas I started to think about what it is to feel life and the world as God’s Kingdom– to feel enchanted, like a saint, or a mystic, or just like the person you’ve always wanted to be, feeling deeply enriching natural ecstasy, discovering enlightened moments of divine wisdom–theosophy–and seeing my life as a continual process of benefit and love to the world we share. That’s what the Holy Spirit led me to. That’s what I found when I applied the teachings of Jesus to my life. That is the path that God leads me to show how to reveal the way to, by living devoutly to Him and His Word in every moment of every day. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Mark 1:3). Making ourselves the rich soil in which the seeds of the gospel will grow is a crucial starting point, and knowing if we are working with our own finite understanding or God’s ultimate illumination is the difference between directing the progress of His kingdom to our own selfish ambitions or His perfect plans for all. The key to discovering that is in growing daily in interaction and communication with God. Keeping our minds focused on things related to Him, even if just for a few moments each day, will condition our souls to know His presence. Read a scripture verse, say a prayer, acknowledge Him when you wake and when you go to sleep each day, and know what it is to commune with God as a regular habit. That will help anyone discern whether divine or human understanding is at work in your life. Have you brought a belief to God who will reveal His wisdom concerning it or have you formed it based on a limited capacity of knowledge? When devotions are a foundation to each day, you will notice when they are absent by being skipped or forgotten. When all of your beliefs are in line with God’s, you will notice when your mind is processing a belief that just won’t sit right. This is the preparation of the soil that will grow the seeds of God’s Word to bear rich, nutritious fruit, and roots that will grow deep and strong. It will be an ever-present source of life-affirming confirmation of God’s love for you. Speaking of the seed that “fell on good ground, sprung up and yielded a crop a hundredfold” (Luke 8:8), Jesus said “are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). When we recognize the things of God, we value them and apply them to our lives as He guides us to. We mature. Read the rest at https://thefiretongue.com/2022/12/26/life-as-gods-kingdom/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #devotion #parable #godskingdom #thykingdomcome

Loving Work By Saint Stuart When I was younger and not as mature as I am now, I dreaded a vital part of life that I now greatly value and enjoy — working. In my 20s life was a prison to me. I did not choose to be born into this society, yet I was forced to labour for the majority of my life just to survive. My aspirations were to philosophize and write, not drive to some office or factory to do monotonous tasks for the next forty years of my life so I could have a roof over my head and food on the table. I became depressed and unmotivated, even suicidal at one point, as I distracted my anxiety with mind-numbing stimulations. I was smoking cigarettes and weed, binge-watching my favourite shows, playing hours of video games and had an unhealthy addiction to pornography. My bad habits were only conditioning me to further failures in life, socially, financially and emotionally. I didn’t have any motivation to change where my future was headed, preferring to drown in my distractions, and ended up in a hospital one night after failing to kill myself. Fast-forward ten or so years. I’m living closer to my friends and family, working again and on a path to break free of my addictions. I had big debts haunting me and low-paying jobs sustaining me, so my anxiety was still high, but I pushed myself through it and would soon find myself paying off debts easier than I imagined. Before my outlook on work changed, I was in jobs that weren’t very labour-intensive. My work experience was in computer programming, graphic design, customer service, cashier and tech support. I was good at it and it paid the bills, but I needed a change as the work was becoming sparse where I was at the time. With a love for gardening and plant care, I soon found myself in my first labour job — landscaping. Read the rest at https://thefiretongue.com/2022/08/07/hello-world/ #Christian #Catholic #Jesus #Christ #God #bible #church #spiritual #religious #believer #blessed #faith #hallelujah #praisegod #employment #work #motivation #inspiration