beautifulthorns.com
beautiful thorns: March 2015
http://www.beautifulthorns.com/2015_03_01_archive.html
Friday, March 27, 2015. Behind the Name, Beautiful Thorns. Years ago I went through a severe trial and very intense spiritual warfare. After that happened, I cried out to the Lord and told him, "I just want a normal, leisurely life"! Well, he heard my prayer and he left me alone for the next 6 years. Needless to say, I was miserable! There were no spiritual consolations; I did not sense or hear from the Lord at all during that time. The worst part about it though was my passion towards him was gone!
whyimcatholic.com
Catholic Revert: Tom Ponchak
http://whyimcatholic.com/index.php/conversion-stories/catholic-reverts/166-catholic-revert-tom-ponchak
Tom Ponchak earned a degree in theology and was involved in ministry in the Catholic Church then left the Church for ten years. After spending time as an evangelical pastor he returned to the Church in 2007. He and his wife, Lisa, live in central Florida with their six children. And then I left the Catholic Church. The chancellor listened and then politely asked that I stop praying for healings in my classroom lest anyone be offended or upset! He did allow for the formation of an after school club for su...
beautifulthorns.com
beautiful thorns: Behind the Name, Beautiful Thorns
http://www.beautifulthorns.com/2015/03/behind-name.html
Friday, March 27, 2015. Behind the Name, Beautiful Thorns. Years ago I went through a severe trial and very intense spiritual warfare. After that happened, I cried out to the Lord and told him, "I just want a normal, leisurely life"! Well, he heard my prayer and he left me alone for the next 6 years. Needless to say, I was miserable! There were no spiritual consolations; I did not sense or hear from the Lord at all during that time. The worst part about it though was my passion towards him was gone!
beautifulthorns.com
beautiful thorns: January 2015
http://www.beautifulthorns.com/2015_01_01_archive.html
Wednesday, January 21, 2015. Roller Coasters, Puppies, and Learning to Fly! The past eleven days has been a real roller coaster ride! I am not a big fan of roller coasters, either at amusement parks or in real life! They make me nauseous and I'm not a fan of the thrill. Sometimes however the trials of life that feel like roller coaster rides can help us grow the most in faith. Hopefully the story I am about to tell will produce growth in me. After-all, the Lord can use anything (Romans 8:28)! The younger...
beautifulthorns.com
beautiful thorns: May 2015
http://www.beautifulthorns.com/2015_05_01_archive.html
Saturday, May 30, 2015. After all, shouldn't we be doing spiritual acts out of love for God and not just to gain an indulgence? This year, the topic of indulgences has come up multiple times among Protestants I know, who are considering Catholicism. Also, a group I belong to at my church had a discussion about indulgences recently. These things have provided an opportunity for me to look into the topic more closely. The spirit of this age is pervasive! The good news however is there is another way! You a...
beautifulthorns.com
beautiful thorns: Most Popular
http://www.beautifulthorns.com/p/most-popular.html
No Greater Love.(A Eucharistic Miracle Story). The Most Important Thing. Subscribe to: Posts (Atom). View my complete profile. In the Secrecy of the Soul. Painting: Charles West Cope*. The Ramblings of a Crazy Face. In the Wake of The World’s Tragedies. I have been working almost every day for the last few weeks. My days off are full of a million things to do, so I haven’t really been able to keep up w. Feelin' the Seabreeze, Squelching the Angst, and Vindicating Fun Mom Status. We walked arm in arm alon...
catholic365.com
Love Came Down
http://www.catholic365.com/article/569/love-came-down.html
Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. Quote of the day. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Photo Credit: Flickr/Giuseppe Milo. Ldquo;This I command you, to love one another.” (John 15:17). Ldquo;For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 3:16). Ldquo;God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Rdquo; (Romans 2:4). Would that woman have really heard Christ and had her life changed? You can find more of Tom’s writings at ...
mysteriumdei.com
Who We Are
http://www.mysteriumdei.com/who-we-are.html
Tom and Lisa were featured on the radio program "Living Witnesses with Mary Graham". You can hear the podcasts of the interviews by clicking on the link above. Tom Ponchak graduated with a BA in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. While in college, Tom served on the leadership team for various campus ministries. After graduation he worked as a parish youth minister in Maryland and a high school religion teacher in Michigan. Through many difficulties in life, the Lord has taught Lisa ...
beautifulthorns.com
beautiful thorns: What is Prayer?
http://www.beautifulthorns.com/2015/02/what-is-prayer.html
Thursday, February 26, 2015. I don't know if anyone else suffers from this problem, but I tend to forget things easily. I am also not a very organized person and can be scatter-brained so if I don't write things down, I easily forget. One spiritual thing I realized I forgot about recently was " The Jesus Prayer. Do you know what began to happen? True prayer is transformative! Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom). View my complete profile. In the Secrecy of the Soul. Painting: Charles West Cope*. Feelin' th...
beautifulthorns.com
beautiful thorns: November 2014
http://www.beautifulthorns.com/2014_11_01_archive.html
Wednesday, November 19, 2014. Be a Living Rosary! Drawing by Anna Ponchak. I believe God calls us to the vocation that is going to best help us encounter him and help us grow in holiness. The more we encounter him and grow in holiness, the more joy we will have. For me, that vocation is Motherhood. One day I was sitting in the rocking chair, that she dictated I sit in, and nursed her while also reading a book a friend gave me. The book was Interior Freedom. By Fr Jacques Philippe. This is also what we as...