Saturday, January 21, 2017

La Posada, God at Work

La Posada Providencia Is…

La Posada a shelter for refugees and immigrants. It is in San Benito, Texas.  The address here is  La Posada Providencia, 30094 Marydale Road, San Benito,TX 78586,



 The La Posada answers the biblical call to “Welcome the Stranger.”  See their web site for inspirational insight into their services, https://cdpsisters.org/la-posada-providencia)


 Main Task

Their web site indicates that La Posada provides a safe, nurturing environment to immigrants, asylees, and asylum seekers who have come to the United States seeking safety, protection, and a better life. All shelter residents are in the process of seeking legal refuge in this country. La Posada has welcomed people from more than 70 different countries.





La Posada's Extended Goals

On the web site, you will read that their goals extends beyond shelter to helping their clients adjust quickly to United States’ culture.  Clients participate in life skills and English language lessons and receive personalized case management and transportation.

I teach English as a second language under the guidance of Sister Therese of The Convent of the Holy Spirit from Ireland.  My main tasks are involved in helping to offer these extended goals.  Each day clients are offered the opportunity to learn English and are exposed to the culture in the United States. 

Our lessons this week included prepositions denoting position.  Students learned to read and understand such prepositions as: at, across, in, on across, under, below and above.


Since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday was this week, we learned why our country celebrates his birthday as a national holiday. 

Like those who marched with Dr. King, my prayer is that these new citizens of the United States will “overcome some day.”

To Think About

As noted above, the English lessons I taught this week were in part the prepositions of position.  “On and In,” the concepts in these small words were part of a study from an E. Stanley Jones’ book, The Way to Power and Poise.  On” also showed up as part of the United Methodist Women Daily Prayer Calendar and Bible Reading Guide.  These resources helped me to realize the difference between “on and in” as they relate to the Holy Spirit.



When Samuel anointed the shepherd boy David as king, the Spirit came on him for the task of his kingship.  However, in the New Testament we have the truth that the Holy Spirit is in us. 
The Bible tells about the difference the experience of Pentecost made on Jesus’ disciples.  With the Holy Spirit in, they became contagious Christians transforming the world.





The Holy Spirit precipitates a crisis!  The Holy Spirit convinces of us sin, not believing and not making Christ the center of our lives.  Convinces us of righteousness, the righteousness we might have had if we had totally surrendered and walked our way, in the Way

Let’s praise God that because of Jesus on the cross, evil met its match and is defeated.  “The ruler of this world is judged.”  


On our way, in The Way, let’s pray for immigrants and refugees!

Consider sending gifts and donations to La Posada Providencia (address above).

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Rule or Ruin

I continue to read books by E. Stanley Jones.  He was my mother’s favorite author, and a famous Methodist missionary and preacher.  Below are my reflections on my reading of the ideas on p 54 titled Destiny in Directions from the book, The Way to Power and Poise.

Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end.  Jesus declared, “I am the Way! 

John 16:13 The Holy Spirit will declare to you the things that are to come.  Certain ways fit in with God’s ways, and the future is with them- reality backs them.

We can live ahead of the times, when we are receptive to what the Holy Spirit reveals to our hearts.  In Jesus, the past, present and future is revealed to us.

Destiny is morally discerned, certain events are bound to follow certain causes.  Everything that fits in with Jesus is destined to rule, and everything that does not fit in is doomed to ruin

The Way of Jesus is always the Way and every other way is not-the-way.

Because of Jesus, evil has met its match, and has been defeated.  All evil we face has the footprint of the son of God on its neck.


Let’s live as a convincing demonstration of Christ’s transforming Power