Welcome to A Sign of Hope

Posted on by charliej373

welcome to the site

By Charlie Johnston

Welcome to our new site, “A Sign of Hope.” As the old year came to an end, we saw many promising cracks in the monolithic anti-God culture around us. Pious pretensions in Hollywood, the media, and politics came crashing down in a sudden tumult. Oh, the usual suspects are still braying, but it is the braying of those who are seeing their power slip away and their day pass. In the Middle East it seems that one of the things Jihadists are accomplishing is to convince many Arabs that they don’t want to be Muslims any more. The caliphate of ISIS collapsed suddenly and dramatically last fall. Oh, they still have murderous soldiers, but they no longer control vast swaths of territory. America now recognizes Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. Despite the best efforts of the anti-Semitic United Nations, other nations are considering similar action – and the Palestinian Arabs’ dreams of accomplishing “peace” by destroying Israel entirely are coming to an end. The captive people of Iran are once again rising against their murderous rulers – and this time with America supporting the people instead of the dictators. Though few know how serious it has gotten, Planned Parenthood is facing a brutally tough year. They are fighting on six or seven fronts – and are on the defensive in all of them. The only reason you don’t know this is because the establishment media has busied itself parroting PP’s talking points, regardless of the facts. But that media will soon look as silly as Baghdad Bob if it doesn’t start reporting what is actually happening in the trenches. Of course, this last year has persuaded me that the establishment media does not care how much it beclowns itself.

Even so, there are many rivers yet to cross, many battles yet to be fought, and many agonized souls yet to be ministered to and given effective witness to the joy which is in Our Lord, Jesus Christ. We will talk here together about culture, the faith, the Church, politics and global affairs from a fully faithful perspective, confident that God is ever with those who call on Him – and in the sure knowledge that the arc of history bends toward communion with the Master.

Beckita remains as managing editor, Steve BC as tech guru, along with most of the rest of the team as we begin this new leg of our pilgrim journey.

The site will be a work in progress over the next week or two, incorporating many of the things you enjoyed and came to expect from the old site, minus the personal prophetic outlook. If you have a suggestion, note it in the comments and we will take a look at it. Truth is, I am fumbling my way through this all over again. It has been four years since I set up a site.

I thought you might be interested in why I chose certain design elements. First, the logo in the little box above my head is, of course, Mt. Meeker, near Estes Park, Colorado. It remains very important and meaningful to me – and I love this photo with the moon over Mt. Meeker. The background starry sky is significant to me, too. If you look at the lower right corner of it you will see the constellation, Orion’s Belt. I don’t know much about constellations beyond the Big and Little Dippers, but when I was on my pilgrimage, I came to appreciate how important the night skies were to people in earlier times. I picked out Orion’s Belt at one time, which I will ever call the ‘Easter Cross,’ because to me it looks like a cross with a sash thrown over it. Before going to sleep most nights, I would find the Easter Cross in the sky and orient myself by it. Finally, I chose the green color as an homage to St. John Paul’s call for a “Springtime of the Gospel.”

I will post two or three times a week. In the next week I have planned a piece about our sexually disordered society entitled, “Love Among the Ruins;” a piece on the foundation of legitimate authority, and will reprint my meditation on the Book of Job, entitled “Into the Whirlwind.”

May this be a glorious New Year for Christians and for all – a year where people learn how to live simple joy and happiness again, by living the ordinary call to acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around you. May we all be Signs of Hope to each other throughout this year.

189 thoughts on “Welcome to A Sign of Hope”

  1. The Henri Nouwen Society had this daily meditation on Jan. 8th. I thought it appropriate to share it with all of you:
    “Often we want to be able to see into the future. We say, “How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?” There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day. The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go. Let’s rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all shadows away.”
    Henri Nouwen

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  2. Still sort of laughing at all the “green comments” really sort of funny! Charlie, you must be scratching your head on that one. On another note…I’m noticing deep frowns & unrest of spirit with a lot of folk Im running into…I have my own demons I face daily but it just dawned on me that we have all here been through unbelievable boot camp for surrendering all but God…& it seems no matter what comes our way, we are immune to the sense of hopelessness because of our training these past few years. Others seem to “just” be realizing that the world is changing… When I see these dear fellows, I can’t help but pray to Our Beautiful Mother to ignite the Flame of Love in their sadder hearts. Thank you, Charlie for teaching us the way in these times😀

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    1. “Boot camp” yep sums it up Linda. Was getting despondent in the midst of my trial but you have reminded me we are so privileged to be in Our Lady’s boot camp. Or as Ivan the visionary calls it O.L.’s “School of Holiness!” ❤️🙏👍

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  3. For the present, all we can do is be the best Christians we can be, and try to be a light for others. By not worrying about the darkness in society , is exactly how society degenerated to it’s current state today… These things aside, if the “woman clothed the sun with a crown of 12 stars” actually happened in 2017; what was the dragon event? (North Korea?); also: John mentions a period 3.5 years, but doesn’t plainly say three years and a half year (it is said as one year, two years, & a half year), it seems like the author is drawing our attention to one year after the event… what’s supposed to happen during and after the 3.5 years?

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  4. .
    ,’Back on the move back on the high way, on the road from place to
    place, the moon is resting on the mountain, i guess it’s taking time
    to think’ …… your new site echoed the opening lyrics of a song i wrote a few years ago Charlie…
    we’re all travelling on different roads from different places but watching the same moon
    resting on the mountain… and thinking/wondering. Priceless picture.

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    1. Praying for you, cory. May you reach out to someone near you to bring your fears to Christ’s Light and Support via the listening ear of a friend or, perhaps, priest.

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    2. I’m also praying for you, cory. Have asked the Blessed Mother to wrap her mantle around you and hold you close to her heart. Look up at Jesus, don’t look down. Do talk to someone.

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    3. Cory, I just asked Our Lord to rebuke the spirit of fear which troubles you; and I asked Saint Michael to cast that spirit into hell where it belongs. May the Spirit of “power, and of love, and of sobriety” fill you with His peace and joy (2 Tim. 1:7).

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    4. No need to be scared I hope as we are on a journey of some sort. The brighter folk on sites such as this one will tell us of He having already won. Well He knew/knows the plan so I suppose we could take some comfort in that thought. I oft times wonder if this is what faith really is as we have to wonder if our prayers are listened to. That I suppose is really a form of hope as I recount each time I hear it spoken….Look not on our sins but look on our faith.

      In any regard as a by the way. For some reason as I read your avatar I seen the word “journeyman”. That of course is an old word here to describe people of my father’s time who traveled about the land for work. Men and women would travel about this world to hiring fairs. Rent out their labour for set times of the year and go home with their earnings if lucky. I worked with many such men who traveled to Scotland to pick taty’s. Tatty Hokers they were know as who would hire out for seasonal work in Scotland mostly.

      Which leads me to think on that iconic picture of the great depression as it was called. You may know the one to which I allude as of the mother resting hand on chin with a few nippers about her. She no doubt was also scared. As was my old mother if I recall her as a child sitting on the step of our back door. Waiting, worrying, wondering only to be relieved to see a mail from a sibling who had emigrated. That sibling of course I joined in my time as we seem to be as some poet recounted, the men that don’t fit in.

      I’s good you are scared really as it seems to be a sign of the times we are meant to pass through. Bravery it seems is found in the oddest of places. In fact to admit you are scared is a brave act in it’s own self. A hero I imagine are a thing born of instant necessity which is also a thing born of knowing what is the right thing too do at a given moment. Performance is a thing of actors which must surely be the second oldest profession. Have no fear is all I could give by way of advice as at any given time we hope you know the right thing to do….Now just what is that old mantra of Charlie’s ?

      Anyway…….Just a thought or two as I perused yer new place Charlie. Perhaps Cory will take heart the more he/she reads on your very own missive. I don’t always agree with some of the hero’s you seem to cling to but I do wish you, Cory and all on here my heartfelt thoughts. Wish you well Charlie on this new place, wish you all well………….

      Mac Clancy.

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        1. Hello Mick.

          Thank you for the thought. Be the way. That used to be my name on sites in the long ago. That of course and Paddy. I did ask an old English bird one time as to how she knew my name was Mick ? Do you know any of my family back there I enquired ? The more she blushed the more I enjoyed it. Long story short…..I told her that happened to be my name but there were quite a few other names back there also…….

          Regards, Murt.

          Liked by 3 people

    2. Littleone, I hope this story helps: This past weekend, I went to a 3-day Catholic Charismatic conference. My particular spirituality is not particularly Charismatic (I’m more of a Latin-Mass, smells-and-bells type), but I went because one of my favorite priests in the whole world was one of the featured speakers. Anyhow, one minute there were 1,000 Catholics exuberantly and loudly praising God with unabashed joy; and the next minute all were on their knees, silently and profoundly adoring our Eucharistic Lord. There were old people, little kids, 40- and 50-somethings, and lots of teens and millennials. There were white folks, black folks, Asian folks, Hispanic folks, healthy folks, sick folks… you name it, the congregation had it.

      At one point, we were encouraged to turn to the person next to us and pray for his intentions. The 36-year-old gentleman next to me was named Joe. I prayed for his ill wife (type-1 diabetes… her name is Jodie, and I ask you to pray for her). I asked him to pray for each of my kids. He prayed the most incredible, moving prayer that I had tears streaming down my face by the time he finished. After we prayed, we chatted for several minutes, during which I found out that he and his wife aren’t even Catholic; their Assemblies of God. Yet there Joe was, hanging out and worshipping with 19 priests and a thousand Catholics. At that moment, it hit me that I was experiencing a foretaste of what Charlie has told us about so many times: Catholics and Protestants and faithful Jews and others of good will are eventually all going to have a home in the Catholic Church. The Catholics will bring the Sacraments, the evangelicals will bring their appreciation of the Holy Spirit and the Charisms, and so forth. We will truly be “one fold with one shepherd”; and if what I witnessed this weekend is any indication, it’s going to be awesome. And loud. 🙂

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        1. Yes, Hopenjoy, that was the Encounter Conference. How do you know about it? Are you from either Michigan or Ohio? I gather that most of the people there were from those two states, although there were several people from over a thousand miles away–including one guy who flew in from Seattle, 2,300 miles away.

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  8. Wow, lots of new as well as old names. Took a few days to visit with my spiritual director and reset my compass for this year. Planning on simplifying life quite a bit and keeping my focus internal to the family (wife, son, and granddaughter) with emphasis on generational healing. More to follow as directed by our Lord in coordination with Beckita.

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  10. OH my gosh, I just discovered that Charlie put up another message. I’ve been going on the site and looking at that first message for the past 16 or so days, thinking there wasn’t a new one. Then I happened to bop on down to the bottom and saw the name for this message. Yikes. Before, the new messages always came up first for me, and then the older ones. This time, at least for me, it seems to be the opposite. I will be more careful in the future! Glad I found this new message, well, dated Jan. 7th! (new for me I guess!)

    Liked by 2 people

  11. I also have been waiting for a new post. Since I was no longer getting emails about new posts, I missed 4 posts. I am so happy to be back with everyone Such a blessing. I rarely post, but have been faithfully following every post and look forward to Charlies take on the current events from a truly Catholic perspective from a very blessed servant of God. Keeping all RNSteppers in daily prayers.

    Liked by 6 people

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Published by charliej373

Charlie Johnston is a former newspaper editor, radio talk show host and political consultant. From Feb. 11, 2011 to Aug. 21, 2012, he walked 3,200 miles across the country, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went. He writes on cultural, global and political issues from an orthodox Catholic perspective. He emphasizes that we find God most surely through the ordinary, doing the little things we should with faith and fidelity. His constant refrain is that, to live real joy, we must acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. He lives in the Archdiocese of Denver in the United States.