“…the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you,”

“…blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”

Matthew 13:16

 

Every year at Thanksgiving it seems that I take just a short pause, to look at my life and scan over a “mountain of places” that I am so grateful for. All the gifts, abilities, and the Spirit that gives identity to who I am – the love of my wife and kids – my whole family and the friends who bless my life – the people – the places – the experiences – the gifts of this amazing earth and a vocation that allows me to work in it – and everything I need to live comfortably – just to mention a few… and at the very top of all that is my relationship with God, where it all comes from…

Many years ago, being a lot younger and thinking I could conquer the world at some point, becoming the king of this castle I thought I was creating, seemed like the mission ahead, and creating it was by my own ability and works.

Back then the places I was grateful for had much to do with me, and those places I was grateful for had a way of increasing the “false sense” of the image I carried of myself to the point of every gift, talent, and ability, was the work of “my hands.” And at the mention of anyone of those gifts would be a big “I”

I had the abilities, I created the opportunities, I was the one who worked for it, I was the one who thought of it, I, I, I… was the one to be praised…?     

Was it just me – or can you relate?

It sounds a lot like the society we live in today!

This year I took a closer look (and I always knew it – but it seems that I never really take the time to honor it) and asked the question: “When was the small kingdom of Jim I lived in back then (and sadly, still sometimes today), changed into the never-ending “life giving” Kingdom of God I find myself in today?

Listen carefully, this is where you become part of the story of who I am today…

As I share in one of my talks on the Cursillo weekend: “there’s a bold mark on the timeline of my life; it’s titled “new life in God” or as we know it – Cursillo!

That weekend changed everything in my life…  

It changed my perception – it gave me new eyes – it opened my mind and heart like never before… it was the gift of a major “reset” in how I was going to direct my life from that point on… God was always pouring His love out for me, but now I knew it, now I could see it, and now I could start living this reality…

And the amazing thing about God’s love, as I’ve come to a greater understanding of it, is it continues to change me every day if I allow it… and all of you are part of that for which I give thanks to God over and over again…

Everything forward of that bold mark in my life has been made new, awakened, strengthened… fears have turned into faith and courage – the unknown has given me a greater patience and a stronger will – and the love I feel from God has strengthened and sustained me, filling my life with faith and hope in His  promises… His love is like no other…

Today, the gratitude in my life is pointed in the direction of our God who has always given me everything I just mentioned and more, and continues today to be the biggest giver I’ve ever known…

He loves me in a crazy way…!

And through the Cursillo He shows me that love in a special way, finding in each one of you the friendship and love we share with each other today.

Relationships that offer the encouragement, strength, and support to stay the course – to live out the journey together – because after all, we were never meant to journey it alone…

This is God’s plan for us, working alongside one another, each with our own uniqueness, to change the hearts and minds of the people who seek a relationship and a way of life in God’s Kingdom here on earth…

It’s the only place to live!      

I know I’m preaching to the choir, but I have to say what I just said to be mindful of this reality of God’s love in my life, and to keep it fresh in my heart and mind, to remember who I was before my Cursillo – and who I am today as a result of that “mystery weekend” I found myself on…

The Cursillo breathes life into the lifeless, and I so believe, especially right now in these times we are all facing, that we are called by God to keep the Cursillo – this amazing experience of God’s love, fully alive and available to anyone who may be thirsting for the hope and the peace found nowhere else, but in a relationship of intimacy and love with God…

This is the gift of the Cursillo experience.

And I just want you to know that I feel so blessed by each one of you, for all you are and all you give, each with great desire to share this amazing gift of Cursillo…

You continue to be part of the process God is using to shape me into the authentic man He always intended me to be…

The new Jim looks so much better than the old Jim!

So, gentlemen, pray with me, that God continues to use us in this most extraordinary way, to place in us whatever is needed, to invite, and to call people out into this amazing relationship God so desires to have with each one of us…     

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…   James 1:17

Together, let’s continue to live as gifts from above, freely given with the love of God in each one of us…