What the Next Right Step Really Means

Posted on by Beckita

By Charlie Johnston – first published on October 3, 2014

(Here’s the second archived piece from the triad series which I think is vital to revisit. Alleged private revelation keeps rolling in, found all over the internet. But, Friends, most of it is by and large repetitive of what we already know in the general sweep of things. How will further details, given in alleged messages – whether they’re to be taken literally or figuratively – actually hearten us in reading them, help us build trust in the Lord, and know what to do in tending to others? With each new convulsion in the world around us, I grow more deeply appreciative of the core message which is fostered here!

With this piece, I again edited out some text and, then, I took the liberty of highlighting certain pearls of luminous wisdom which reflect some habits of the mind which Charlie has promoted and reiterated at TNRS and ASOH since the beginning of writing to shepherd and prepare us. Rock solid and steadying it is. ~Beckita)

“What you desire most is most effective against you. Desire God and all shall be added to you.”

Before I ever began talking to my priests, before I was received into the Catholic Church, before I had children, before I was married I was told that a time was coming when I would not be able to see more than a step ahead of myself, a time when even that step would often be hazy, a time when I would have to completely rely upon God for every step. It was a mysterious thing to me. Like the dunce I often am, I wondered if it meant I was going to go blind. That is not what it meant (though who knows, I suppose I could still go blind). Today, I will tell you a little bit about what it means…and take you deeper into my interior understanding of these things than I ever have before. It is time you need to hear some of these things.

(text about mystical experiences edited out) First, it burnt much of the vanity right out of me. In this world, I’m a pretty smart fellow. But when dealing with the next, I’m as dumb as a box of rocks. All my smarts here are worth less there than a pocketful of Monopoly money is at the local mall here. It helped me to understand my true stature – which most surely is not heroic. Second, it – and the rest of my lifetime of ongoing experiences – have taught me to see a little from the perspective of how they see from that side of the veil. It is so profoundly different that my sight is little different than blindness – but that is what a lot of this has been about…to see a little as they see…and I needed every bit of the smarts God gave me here to rise to the level of blathering idiot there (a status I have not yet achieved, but I’m working on it).

We misunderstand almost everything, sometimes in small ways, usually in large ways. It is not just that the world is changing in large, unexpected ways: as the Storm rises to greater fury, our instincts become more useless. All of us have gotten to where we see a set of circumstances, then use our reason and logic to make a plan. All of us do that. As we separated our reason and experience from its root in God, things have gone downhill at a geometrically accelerating pace. Now people look to prophecy, even try to make a concordance of prophecy to see what will happen. Why? So they can make a plan. Your plans won’t work and are useless. Your instincts don’t apply to the Storm that is upon us. The more you plan, the deeper you will sink into the quagmire. It does not matter whether you are an active opponent of the faith or whether you spend five hours in Adoration and say 50 Rosaries a day. When you use the information you glean to formulate a plan, you trust to yourself and your own cleverness. God will let this Storm we have brought on ourselves rage until that confidence in our own capacity is burned out of everyone. That is why we all must lose hope before the rescue. Whatever we say, even if we think differently, it is ourselves we rely on – not God. That is why people restlessly seek more information on what is coming: so they can make a plan.

It is why I pray that God give me no information more than what is necessary for me to carry out the work He has laid out for me. I am subject to the same temptations as anyone else on this matter. I KNOW that the more specifics I know the more likely my silly mind is to start formulating a plan of my own devising – rather than looking to God for each step, which is the only path to safety. Here is a paradox: If you look to God first and just take the next step in front of you, He will flourish it, even if it is the wrong step. If you make the perfect plan, perfectly informed by the best, fully approved prophecies, you will fall into a pit. All of your plans will blow up in your face. Yet every step you take after acknowledging God – WITH EACH STEP – will flourish. This is a subtlety that many, probably most, deceive themselves on. If you humbly ask God to help you be what He calls you to, He will bless your efforts. If you, instead, dedicate yourself to helping God rescue the world, you will founder. God does not need you to accomplish His will; you need Him to remain in His grace. If you keep that straight, He can use you as a profitable tool. If not, you are useless to Him, however scholarly, pious, or orthodox you think yourself to be. The sooner you get that, the closer we all are to rescue.

When you are sitting on a placid lake in a canoe with a paddle, you can use the paddle to steer, to choose where you want to go. When you are in that canoe in a fast-moving, frothy, rapid river, you do not choose where to go. In fact, if you try to steer, you capsize. Rather, the paddle can only be used to react to the current and the rapids…and every bit of skill you have must be used to keep from capsizing as the river takes you where it will. We are in the rapids. We are not in control. But if we are humble and skillful, we can dramatically reduce our odds of capsizing.

You will see nation rise against nation, bishops fighting with other bishops, leaders trying to undermine the faith both from within and without. I have long known that. But what I also know is that the whole world has succumbed to a zeal for locating and diagnosing the splinter in everyone else’s eyes. If you have a baseball team in which all nine players are too busy critiquing the flaws of their teammates to bother playing their own position, the problem will not be solved by the third baseman’s ever more penetrating analysis of how the center fielder is messing up. The situation will not stabilize until each player understands his own limits – and resolves to quit worrying about his teammates, except to back them up well, and relentlessly devotes himself to playing his own position with every ounce of skill he has. This is why I am so slow to condemn anyone who purports to play for the Christian team. Even if your analysis of the center fielder’s deficiencies is spot on, it will avail you nothing if you have not devoted yourself to playing third base as you were assigned. It is painful for me to hear good people eager to detract others on matters they are only partially informed about. These people think they are cutting their targets, but they are actually cutting themselves and losing blood by the minute. God has not found those who disagree with us wanting: he has found us all wanting. We may deceive ourselves on the matter, but God is not deceived. You want to know who killed Christ? I killed Christ. Pound that into your head. Every one of us killed Christ. Internalize that and you are at the beginning of wisdom.

We understand nothing. We think God punishes us for sin. Religious folks think it is just; non-religious folks think God is a killjoy. Neither understands the nature of sin. God warns us away from sin because, by its very nature, it wounds us. He loves us and wants to protect us from harm and spiritual death. If a man atop a mountain aerie puts up a wired gate blocking access to a rickety bridge and posts warnings that the bridge is unsafe, that if you venture there you will likely fall to your serious injury or death – if you go ahead and mount the fence anyway, go charging across the bridge and fall, breaking your arm and ankle, do you think the man is punishing you for disobeying him? Of course not! He was trying to protect you from behavior he knew would wound you but you were too stupid to believe.

People think the increase in natural disasters and catastrophic events is a punishment from God. Again, we understand nothing. Has it never occurred to you that the dynamic tension of the natural forces that sustain life are normally more volatile and violent than we recognize? In normal times, God is constantly staying the brunt of these things. Now we dismiss Him from the classroom, dismiss Him from assemblies, dismiss Him from the public square – and so He obliges. That means His hand is not there to stay the rougher edges of natural events. It is not He who chooses to subject us to these things, but we who have sullenly demanded out from under His thumb – and now we dare to complain of what happens when we expose ourselves?

As you know, I have been an advocate for refuges, for people preparing to help others, to live simple solidarity, one with another. But I see religious people acting as if they think that these are going to be enclaves completely secluded from the Storm in which Jesus will be our maitre d’ and the angels and archangels will serve as our waiters and cocktail waitresses. The refuges are not places we will go to be treated like visiting satraps by the heavenly host. They are an opportunity for us to serve and live solidarity with each other as we weather the Storm. I have seen tales from visionaries who have probably seen true but can interpret nothing that further this nonsense. At one place of refuge, they told me how they had been told they will know who to let in because of a glowing Host that will appear in their foreheads and that the deer will walk right up to them and fall dead for food. I told them bluntly that while that is metaphorically true, in that they will perceive differently when they acknowledge God in all things and that it means there will be sufficient food, it is not literally true. I reminded them that God promised to deliver the Israelites to a land flowing with milk and honey – and He kept His promise. But when they got there, they still had to milk the cows and keep the bees – and if they had waited for the heavenly host to act as their stewards, they would have died in that very land flowing with milk and honey. In the refuges, you will work hard, have many trials, and will know hunger, though not starvation. Live it well and you will be startled at what joy you find in the midst of such hardship.

Some people have gotten queasy when I speak of my anticipation of being able, if I have kept faith, after the Storm, to devote myself to helping raise the money and materials for the building of the Shrine. They think we won’t need any of that, since Jesus will reign directly. No, He won’t. I am not a millenarianist who claims we are going to have an earthly Paradise. We don’t get heaven until we actually get…heaven. The world that we will have after the rescue is a fully natural world. We will have to get jobs, raise families, pay bills, and organize societies and governments. God is giving us another chance to get the natural world right. He will give us the visible sign of our miraculous rescue by Our Lady to help fortify our resolve. It is VERY important that we take it to heart, because the next time there is a massive falling away like now, it will be the end. But we are getting another chance to get our hearts and heads right – and how well we keep faith will determine which of us ultimately gets heaven, but it will be a fully natural world that we go back to.

Some have complained that they cannot imagine such a thing because it has never happened that way. Really?! When God actively intervenes in human affairs, He usually acts in a way that is unprecedented in human history. When the flood came, there never had been, before or since, such a comprehensive disaster – and his fellows mocked Noah for his foolishness in preparing for such an event. When Israel left Egypt, never before had a captive people been spontaneously set free by their captors to go and found a great nation. When Christ came, Israel was used to prophets. Because, in part, Christ did not fit any of their previous categories, He was rejected by the very people He was sent to. When, after decades of existential war, France was on the very brink of permanent annihilation, it pleased God to send an unlettered teenage girl to rally the country and save the nation. God is always startling, fresh and new. It is we who constantly fail to have the wit to see what He is doing – particularly when it does not fit in with any of our previous experience of Him, which it usually doesn’t.

Shortly after I was received into the Church I read St. Therese of Lisieux’s The Autobiography of a Soul – and fell in love with her and her little way. I recognized in it the only way forward in the chaotic times ahead – and know that the way of simplicity is the way to endure this Storm. There will be so much chaos that it will make your head spin. No one can possibly keep up with it. You cannot divine the mind of God. If you seek to be a heat-seeking missile aimed at heresy, you are just as likely to hit a St. Paul in the making as you are a betrayer. In fact, God allows some errors among His servants to draw out the deeper errors of those so caught up in their own vanity that they cannot help but restlessly pick at the splinter in others eyes to avoid contemplating their own splinters candidly. Try not to be one of them. This does not mean you should not authentically proclaim the faith. You should. But again, you will be held to account for EVERYONE you could have given effective witness to but did not because you wanted to show how clever and what a shrewd aide to God you are. AND you will be held to account for EVERY case where you could have defended the faithful from an assault but did not out of false tolerance. If you can wrap your mind around those two dictums, you know it is impossible. A man cannot be that discerning. That is why the ONLY hope is to acknowledge God, take the next right step and be a sign of hope to those right around you. Trust-Do-Love. Now you know where I got the phrase, “The Next Right Step” from as well. It is an iteration of what I was told from the beginning these times would be like. The way of simplicity is the only way to endure.

 (text edited out)

Our plans mean nothing. It is best to know as little as possible in detail, in order that we are not tempted to formulate more useless plans. The only thing that will put flesh on the bones of our plans is to relentlessly acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. Do that and you will be an island of peace and strength throughout the Storm.

 

142 thoughts on “What the Next Right Step Really Means”

            1. You too, Noreen, Oh Faithful Reader. How’s your family? We’ve prayed much for them and whenever I see your comments I’m reminded to pray again.

              Liked by 8 people

      3. I missed Teo, but an excellent reminder it is.Thx Becks.

        The line between self initiative and active trust is too deep for me to discern. That God will make something worthwhle when I get it wrong is comforting.

        “Those things we want the most,” -financial freedom in my case-, “will be used against us most effectivelly ” is another tough one;

        Unrelated good news, President Trump retweeted Dr. Taylor Marshal !

        God bless.

        Liked by 6 people

        1. I know,.,my hubby works foundry (sand cast aluminum) and machining. Most days he comes home black with soot or silver like the tin man from grinding out their product! He’s 57. Wants just to make it long enough for SS but really wonder if it will still be there. No pension. But I guess God has a plan and we were meant to live, work , die and hopefully someday be in heaven with Our God. Michael always says…we’re just passing through…imagine the dear folksies in China or North Korea and so many other countries! 😬

          Liked by 3 people

  6. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! … PM 😉

    http://blog.adw.org/2020/07/right-fear-wrong-fear/

    Will wonders never cease? Cdl Dolan emerges from under his desk!
    https://nypost.com/2020/07/01/stop-demonizing-the-nypd-cardinal-dolan/

    Baby Killers at “Work” ;-(
    https://whbl.com/news/articles/2020/jul/02/us-supreme-court-sends-indiana-abortion-cases-back-to-lower-courts/1035611/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/07/02/explosive-about-all-these-new-positive-covid-cases-state-health-departments-manipulating-data-changing-definitions/

    Lots of worthwhile articles @:
    https://townhall.com/
    https://www.frontpagemag.com/

    From Canada:
    https://galganov.com/2020/07/01/gearing-up-for-more-than-debat

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/02/5-ways-you-can-fight-back-in-the-cultural-civil-war/

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/07/nihilism-and-attacks-monuments-john-radzilowski/

    Ya can’t trust NYT … PERIOD! …. nor ABCNNBCBS-PBS …… ;-(
    https://saraacarter.com/tom-cotton-you-cant-trust-anything-the-new-york-times-reports-on-trump-and-russia/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 7 people

    1. CD, thanks for sharing this piece from Msgr. Pope, He hit what I have been feeling right on the head! I especially like this phrase, “Yes, the world is dangerous, but at some point, we have to put on our “big-boy pants” and go out there and live our lives anyway.” That sure hit home, and sounds like something that Charlie would say in one of his pieces. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m sure many of you remember my adventures from 2015 to 2018 as a NRS Squirrel.… I practiced living and surviving in a wall tent in South Dakota in the winter, chopping firewood. I packaged and stored a ton of food for long-term survival, I stockpiled weapons and ammunition, I stored medicines and medical supplies, and I arranged with a few friends a couple of ideal locations as possible refuges for the Storm.

    My mind has changed about this type of material preparedness.

    “The best-laid plans of mice and men, go oft awry.”

    Without making ANY plan or provision for my immediate future, I resigned from my well-paying job.

    I do not know where my next job will be.
    It might be in north eastern Wyoming, or somewhere in Montana, or a clinic in western South Dakota, or with the IHS, or maybe North Dakota. Alaska? I have no idea.

    Where am I going to live? Stay here in Montana? Move to Spearfish? Move to Wyoming? I honestly don’t know. I couldn’t even guess.

    Why should I worry or concern myself about these things? I abandon myself to Him. I trust in the Lord.

    Whatever I plan will have to change as the chaos of the world changes unpredictably. My only choice — in fact, my very best option — is to learn to trust completely in the Lord and to love and serve my brothers and sisters. I must be a sign of hope for them because I *AM* prepared for the Storm in ways they simply are not….just as many of you in your own ways are prepared for the Storm. Others will desperately need our help, and when the TIME comes, we will do the best we can!

    Liked by 13 people

    3. I will pray that you be led to where you most need to be, Patrick. I’ve been in the same place, and I found amazing things came in. It can take a little time, though. Patience and faith, quiet listening, and pursuit of happiness in the old sense of the word. 🙂

      Liked by 9 people

      1. Thanks Steve.
        I was surprised to hear Fr. Benedict Groeschel say he lost his first few jobs as a psychologist, but today remembering this fact provides me comfort – that someone so amazingly talented and intelligent as him would ever get canned. Eventually he did find “the right fit.”

        Steve, I pondered your phrase “where you most need to be.” I know you are very precise with your words and am not scrutinizing them. But you gave me an interesting thought to ponder: where am I needed?

        I can say with certainty that I am needed MOST right here in Broadus. What a great need this community has as they have suffered with spotty and substandard care for so long! And they will continue on after I leave. I suppose *where* isn’t the important question, but rather *what * I do and *how much* I love…. wherever I am.

        “Wherever you go, there you are.”

        My resignation almost feels like a “running away” from the situation, and it actually is, but after being pushed toward the door for months by 3 people, I finally relented. I’ve prayed on whether the Lord wanted me to continue to suffer in this way (hostile workplace) because everything else about this job is nearly perfect. It was my ego that demanded/expected respect from others

        No point to second-guess it now. We’ll see *where* I go next!

        Liked by 2 people

  11. Beckita and or Charlie, can you give me an example of this scenario? I’m not quite understanding the meaning of this sentence….

    “AND you will be held to account for EVERY case where you could have defended the faithful from an assault but did not out of false tolerance.”

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Ok thanks Beckita🤗 I wasn’t sure if it meant that or if someone is being attacked morally by temptation by the satan. That makes more sense to me now ❤️🙏😘🇺🇸

        Liked by 5 people

  12. “you are just as likely to hit a St. Paul in the making”
    Woah!
    Just thinking of all my hatred for those tearing down statues.

    Liked by 7 people

  13. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    A prayer sent to me by the American Family Assoc. for Independence Day:

    A Prayer for America by Dave Butts

    Father of all that is, I bow before You acknowledging You as creator and king over all. As I come to pray for my country, I realize that the prophet Isaiah told us that “the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales” (Isaiah 40:15). No great empire or humble province lasts forever. Yet Your will brings nations into being and uses them as instruments for Your purposes. The Apostle Paul told us, “From one man he (God) made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact place where they should live.” (Acts 17:26).

    I thank You for calling into being the United States of America. I am grateful for the godly foundation laid by men and women of faith who built into the very fabric of our country a commitment to freedom that was seen as being a gift from You. Thank You for the sacrifice of so many through the years who gave time, effort, and sometimes, their very lives to preserve and protect that freedom.

    With no lessening of my appreciation for this nation, I also realize that we have fallen short of our promise. We have increasingly depended upon our own strength and wisdom rather than that which comes from above. We have often catered to the wealthy and ignored the needs of the poor and afflicted. We have failed to accept all life as a gift from You and have treated the unborn, the ill, and the elderly with increasing contempt. In spite of our stated values of equality and justice, we continue to harbor racism and injustice within our society. Most of all, we have turned our back on You and sought to live as though You were not.

    We face troubling times. Our economy has been damaged and many of our citizens are hurting. Our nation is fractured and badly divided in so many ways. The issues faced by our leaders are enormous. Grant them Your grace and peace. Fill them with Your Holy Spirit and give them wisdom and discernment in this critical hour.

    Lord…we repent! Please pour out upon our nation a spirit of repentance. Help us to turn from sin and turn back to You. As we seek Your face, would You revive Your people once again? Would you empower Your church in this nation to be the salt and light You have called us to be? Would You help us to love You with all of our mind, heart and soul and strength, and to love one another deeply with kindness and goodness? Make us one, Lord, as You and the Father are one. Holy Spirit, teach us how to honor and respect one another and to journey together with one heart – the heart of Jesus. Transform us into image bearers of Christ who bring glory and honor to our Father whenever we speak or act.

    Father, in these days of decision, fulfill Your purposes for our nation. I stand in prayer with my brothers and sisters in Christ and re-commit the United States into Your care.

    Restore to us the vision of being a city on a hill, a place from which the light of Christ can shine to the nations. May we be a nation whose God is the Lord! Amen.

    Harvest Prayer Ministries was founded in 1993 by David and Kim Butts.

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 11 people

  14. Love and Prayers to all followers of this site. I am unable to continue to type comments but I want all of you to know I LOVE all of you and consider all of you my family and I pray for all of you.Please keep me in your prayers and know I am with everyone during this storm.

    Liked by 14 people

    9. Will continue to keep you, your family and your intentions my prayers. God bless you Noreen, now and moving forward.

      Like

  15. Mind you, this is a winters night in Brooklyn. What will happen when it is hazy, hot and humid in August? Who may advise how to police an incident like this? Notice how the main instigator ‘ramps up’ the situation once police arrive.

    video is 4:42 minutes. Once again, males are standing around watching & recording. Females are the fighting.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Community trust is essential. Trust police to do the job and stop complaining the police should have been kinder and gentler politely asking several times to disperse.

      Policing is a violent job and situations like this escalate exponentially. If citizens are unwilling to back the police up, don’t call them to respond to a gang fight. Then complain about how they performed their job under hostile circumstances.

      Liked by 5 people

        2. I do also. In my morning prayers I have long prayed for our military troops. Now I say for all our troops and law enforcement. I would love to tell our city’s police that I pray for them (as well as all others around the country).

          My cousin in is a retired police chief and his son is still on the force. God bless them all. May they not lose heart and know that many support them.

          Liked by 5 people

  16. We were just discussing how to break through life disappointments enough to have healthy desires when we read: “What you desire most is most effective against you. Desire God and all shall be added to you.”
    And one of us said ‘ well, maybe it’s not such a bad thing to easily let go of desires”.
    But we decided that yes, what we desire most is God! And even if that is used by the Satan against us, we can overcome even through a blind Next step as Charlie describes.

    Liked by 9 people

  17. I liken this to the example I give to seminarians about why they must deeply study their moral theology classes:

    Once ordained, they are going to have to climb into that confessional, or sit behind a screen, or sit face to face with a penitent. They are going to listen to his or her confessed sins, absorb them, ANALYZE THEM ON THE FLY, give them a solid heartfelt analysis, decide whether they have made a sincere confession, decide if the intended END of their acts was moral or immoral, whether the means they chose were moral or immoral, hear their act of contrition, decide whether they truly have a firm purpose of amendment not to repeat those sins again, decide upon and give them their penance, give them whatever council you must, then grant them absolution – or not.

    On average, you have to do all that within five to ten minutes. EVEN IF YOU RECEIVED NOTHING BUT THE HIGHEST GRADES IN MORAL THEOLOGY – YOU WILL NOT HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING ALL OR EVEN MUCH OF THAT RIGHT WITHOUT DIRECTION FROM AND HAVING ABSOLUTE TRUST IN GOD. You should crisply ask for that grace prior to each and every confession you hear.

    The other side of the coin is, if you are lazy in your studies of God’s law on moral behavior here in seminary, the odds are high you will make many mistakes in administering the Sacrament of Confession which you would not had you been responsible in your studies in Moral theology.

    If you say to yourself, ‘It’s OK, the Holy Spirit will fill in all the gaps in the knowledge I should have had, you will then be tempting the Lord your God. You will not morally get away with it in that case, any more than you can say to God, I’m going to walk off this balcony, and I’ll depend upon You to save me before I hit the pavement eight stories below.

    Preparations of asking for guidance and trust at each step – those which God expects us to take – will be what will make it possible to totally depend upon and trust in His guidance at each and every step when the feathers really begin to hit the fan. Charlie is telling you the same truths on that score, as seminarians must learn in the seminary on how to be a competent confessor. Do the spiritual work expected of you now, and then you will be able to trust in Him completely.

    All my love in Christ

    Desmond

    Liked by 13 people

    2. Amen, Desmond. We spoke of the “skill” of developing a right heart holding right desires. It’s developed by praying enough to recognize God’s voice — which will tell us things like: “study!”.

      Liked by 8 people

    3. What you said, makes sense to me. Thanks.

      Trying to find the proper mix between Matthew 6:25-34 & not “putting God to the test”.

      The only kind prepping that matters is of the soul, as we don’t know the day nor the hour our lives will be taken nor anything else.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Was watching a youtube by a preacher this morning wherein he related four separate dreams he had about Donald Trump.

    First dream in 2015: He is instructed by The Lord to preach on July 4th 2016 concerning the election. This is about a year before the election. So he preaches on a theme from James 1 about Hillary Clinton. She will wither like the grass in the heat of God’s exposure.

    Second dream: Dreams Donald Trump asks him to serve in his Cabinet. What the heck? The Lord tells him that he has to serve as something like a surrogate bringing the message to the people.

    Third dream; Dreams Donald Trump asks him to run as his running mate in in his re-election effort. Before he is elected the first time around. Double what the heck does that mean? The Lord tells him it means that it is going to take more than one term to accomplish what he needs to accomplish. The preacher needs to “run with him in the Spirit”. Like on a track team. Needs to suit up the school colors and get on the spiritual track and run the race alongside Donald Trump.

    Fourth dream: Dreams he is standing on a platform bumping Trump’s should and kidding around with him. Trump turns to him and says to him: “This is the Presidency of the United States.” Preacher feels shocked and ashamed. The Lord says to him that he is not taking the Trump presidency seriously enough. That it is the Lord who put him in this office. There are dark forces of the world trying to crush our country and Donald Trump is the one to thwart the one world designs of the dark forces and we have to get serious in prayer and action to prevent that from happening.

    It’s that third dream that catches my attention: I want you to be my running mate. Run with me. Shoulder to shoulder down the track. A spiritual track team running together to win the track meet.

    Gives a whole new meaning to the term “running mate.” Are each of us called to be Trump’s running mate?

    Another curious point he made and that is that it is important for Christians to run with Trump because the Lord told him that he can do things for him (us) that he can’t do for Donald Trump. I guess it comes under the heading of One Body many parts. Each member of the body has to do his part for the success of the whole enterprise. That’s an interesting thought. Shocking. But interesting.

    Liked by 10 people

  19. During this month dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus, I remember every painful step He had to take to Calvary and when He reached there, His reward was having His feet nailed to a cross. His love for us is so great!
    Jesus, I will never be worthy but I trust in Your love for me, for those whom You have given me and all here.

    Liked by 13 people

  20. Great minds think alike…

    “If you want to do something for the Lord, do it! Whatever you feel needs to be done, even though you’re shaking in your boots and you’re scared to death, take the first step. The grace comes with that first step, and you get the grace as you step. Being afraid is not a problem. It’s doing nothing when you’re afraid, that’s the problem.”
    – Mother Angelica

    May the Holy Spirit guide us as we take the next right step; whether some tiptoe g-g-gingerly and others no doubt trod VALIANTLY.

    Liked by 10 people

  21. Little did I know that I would have a taste of this these past few months: “What you desire most is most effective against you.” The Lord has placed me into the most amazing job since 2011, working for a university in a county-based setting doing positive youth development and healthy living programming. A true joy using my God-given gifts to serve my community. When COVID-19 hit, we had to leave our offices and start working from home. So the joy of being around kids, teens, teachers, volunteers, and even people at meetings was completely gone. All of the complications and worries of COVID arose. Then came warnings of budget cuts due to downturn in the economy. I was really grieving these losses and having a hard time adjusting to such a change, plus not being busy enough I am using vacation time to fill my timesheet. The Lord showed me that I had made an idol of this wonderful job, that this position had maybe given me too much satisfaction and joy, and that He is slowly removing it from my life and focus.

    And now, several of our volunteers are extremely frustrated with the state and university guidelines and requirements for safe programming with youth during this health crisis, and have decided to abandon the official university youth program and do events like day camps and fair independently. As of a meeting last night, my position has literally been closed out by the volunteers “going rogue” and I have been set aside from the official work I would normally be doing getting ready for next month’s fair, as they have decided to do it themselves. My wonderful job has literally been used against me.

    Several of these volunteers tend to react very negatively and reactively to the Jesus in me…whatever is in them gets very agitated when they are around me. So that spiritual warfare aspect is playing into everything as well. Absolutely fascinating. The other day I started praying “my times are in Your hands, Lord” and He has taken me up on this.

    The Lord is so good! Honestly, having the responsibility for next month’s event had been already weighing on me, so many requirements for sanitation, hand washing, health checks, contact tracing, sizes of groups, and physical distancing, I was dreading about writing, signing and being responsible for the mandatory communicable disease plan for the event. So now I am FREE, with literally no responsibilities for what is normally one of the most hectic times of my work year. In the midst of my job being used against me and being professionally discarded by the community, the Lord is setting me free from stress and worry, keeping those who do not care for me at a safe distance, and protecting me from possible liability issues if this event ends up being a COVID spreader. Praise the Lord! And this gives me even more quiet, peaceful time with Him.

    Liked by 12 people

    2. Hopenjoy I sure understand where you are coming from!!! I found that I too was just too busy for God before the pandemic and when the pandemic came EVERYTHING stopped!!! It was so surreal! But then I started cleaning and organizing my own house and on most days I just went and prayed for everyone for like an hour all by myself at our local church… no public Masses, but open for 🙏 I remember days having to keep my hat on in the church for the heat was off,,, but I found the greatest joy in just simply living and praying in my state of life! I never felt so close to God…then I got this really weird rash that is finally almost gone, so then I just stayed home and prayed and itched for months!!! Hahahahaha!!! Again, it was like I just knew I was where a God wanted me to be! It’s probably gonna all happen again, Charlie says that first round was only dress rehearsal! Lol I actually am looking forward to it again!🤗❤️🙏🇺🇸

      Liked by 4 people

    3. Thank you for sharing Hopenjoy,

      I learn more from people’s stories than anything.

      Praying for you and for peace.

      Liked by 5 people

    4. Thank you, Hopenjoy. It’s true, we learn much from each other. Hearing what someone else has gone through makes something more concrete and real, rather than wondering “what does that statement mean?”. Sometimes it’s hard to turn my brain off, thinking, wondering, imagining!

      Liked by 4 people

  22. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! … & Happy Independence Day;-)

    https://stream.org/jesus-is-the-answer-for-the-world-today/

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/racism-against-whites-is-a-sin-too

    https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vortex-enemies-of-the-people?mc_cid=3db7a57663&mc_eid=2a0b6c7ef6

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/give-me-attila-the-hun

    https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2020/07/02/california-bans-singing-in-church/
    …… meanwhile elsewhere in California:
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/gavin-newsom-keeps-winery-open-tastings-4th-july-weekend-orders-beaches-restaurants-closed-targets-family-gatherings/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/code-pink-plans-rallies-california-4th-july-rest-state-not-allowed-hold-family-gatherings/

    https://stream.org/fourth-of-july-salute-military/

    https://stream.org/a-july-4-message-for-the-next-generation-what-was-america/

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/07/independence-day-and-woke-revolution-bruce-thornton/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Happy Independence Day all! I watched President Trump and the events in SD last night. It was fantastic! My husband and I were there back in February and visited the Rushmore Monument again when it was cold and quiet. The speeches by Governor Noem and President Trump were outstanding. I wonder if our Patrick was there or nearby?

      Liked by 9 people

  26. America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.
    and many thanks to all the Servicemen and women of the USA!

    Liked by 10 people

  27. For the first time in years my husband and I stayed up until midnight and watched President Trump speak at Mt. Rushmore. I cannot express the emotions as the tears fell. It was incredible and exactly what we needed to see and hear. I am so beyond grateful for this magnificent country GOD blessed us with and President Trump ..a man of GOD to lead the fight against the onslaught of evil surrounding us. I’ve never given up hope but I must admit in the dark of night clasping my rosary I am begging GOD to please help us..and then as JESUS in his agony in the garden..I surrender and ask..PleaseFATHER your will not mine. It always brings me to the story of Job ..and I understand of course GOD knows best what must come.This morning I watched the YouTube video of a pastor from Kentucky..his name is Dana Coverstone the title “ Brace Yourselves” I urge all to watch this. I know the Blessed Mother has been warning us for years to come back to GOD to repent and follow JESUS..so many have..and so many are blind. I feel What this Pastor is saying along with Charlie’s messages and the homily of the Priest I watched from June 13 are all the same message.. I also know all things are possible with GOD.. Can this horror be stopped with enough prayer and conversion of hearts ..or must this come? Whatever the outcome we must have our eyes glued to GOD..

    Liked by 11 people

    1. Watched it, Robin. Both President Trump’s and Governor Noem’s speeches were outstanding. I firmly believe that if the current governmental system of America falls, God has another way and we’ll co-create with Him in doing something new.

      Liked by 10 people

      2. I totally agree!!!
        God has His own way. Please people here, pray for me, I am in a condition of 2 children (one 29 with a 6 yr old boy and a daughter who has left her 2 children, 11 and 16 , or abandoned them due to mental health issues) . Just pray for us all. Thanks so much for all of you on this site and extended prayers!

        Liked by 7 people

        9. Prayers for you and your family, Mary T, and for your daughter that she may get the help she needs.

          Like

    1. THAT was awesome given the date here on the 4th for sure! Awesome all year round song for me! Thanks Beckita!! I’ll shut up even tho I have so much to say. Prayers for all here including families of families.

      Liked by 3 people

  29. Oh Beckita, how beautiful and moving, It’s especially so because It’s connected to our first family TV when I was a child. Kate Smith was often part of our watching, along with the “clean” comedians my Dad loved – Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Martha Ray, and all the other wholesome shows! I’m dating myself 🙂 with all those old names!

    May God continue to bless our country and allow us to thrive once again, but in a holy way.
    Happy 4th to all of you!

    Liked by 6 people

  30. A lot of information and hope in this video. First, twelve year olds should be fast asleep in bed by 1130 pm. Second, instincts! The white boy saw it coming, chose to ignore his instinct, turned his back in trust and got slammed to the ground.

    Third, the fellowship exhibited by his peers is a sign of hope in this troubled Country.

    https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/brutal-knockout-game-black-man-sucker-punches-12-year-old-boy-in-missouri/

    Liked by 6 people

    1. It is really heartbreaking the *monsters* we have created. I only read about these incidents, more times than than not. It gets to be too much to watch these videos/clips routinely for my sensibilities. 😦

      Liked by 5 people

  31. Amazing 4th of July at the White House. President Trump and the First Lady showed us what America is all about. Loved it.

    Liked by 7 people

  33. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    https://www.thegregorian.org/2020/this-sunday-jesus-offers-rest-if-you-are-little

    https://www.catholicleague.org/toppling-religious-statues-is-vintage-left/

    Sunday is usually a slow “News Day” but being an Independence Day Weekend some of my favorite sites are full of interesting articles.
    Sadly, many of the articles reinforce my belief that battle lines have been drawn and we are long past “Can’t we All Just get Along” …. Submit or Fight are the two options ;-(
    https://stream.org/category/us/
    https://townhall.com/
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/
    https://newsbusters.org/
    https://justthenews.com/

    https://www.understandingthethreat.com/battle-cry-in-america-liberty-or-death/

    https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/america-demonically-oppressed

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/07/trumps_finest_speech__and_a_press_that_lies_about_it.html#ixzz6RIy9B6Qj

    https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/anti-semitic-incidents-showed-dramatic-increase-in-2019/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 7 people

  34. Friends!

    Join me if you are able:

    Let Freedom Ring: 40 Days to Freedom from the Devil

    Goal

    Through acts of reparation, fasting, penance, charity, and prayer (both personal and sacramental) we call upon the power of God to release ourselves, our families, our parishes, our dioceses, and our nation from all demonic influence and oppression.
    Method

    Each day will be broken into prayer, reflection, and reparation.

    Reflection: A reflection (rotating from Fr. Peckman, Fr. Altman & Fr. Heilman) will be written for each day on a particular manifestation of the demonic and the sin it leads to. It will commend a corresponding virtue to cultivate.

    Prayer: Prayers of reparation and exorcism will be followed by a litany

    Monday: Litany of Humility
    Tuesday: Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
    Wednesday: Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
    Thursday: Litany of St. Joseph
    Friday: Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
    Saturday: Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
    Sunday: Litany of the Blessed Sacrament

    Acts of Reparation and Penance: Factoring into this will be variables of age, ability, and availability.

    * To pray a Rosary for the Intention of exorcism of the day’s area of reflection

    * To pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet in reparation for the sin caused by the area of the day’s reflection

    * To commit one act of either a spiritual or corporal works of mercy for either one who has been harmed by our sin or who has harmed us by their sin.

    * To commit to fasting or abstinence days as prescribed below.

    * To commit to a prescribed time of exercise based on one’s abilities

    * To commit to going to confession once a week (where available)

    * To refrain from all use of the conventional media throughout the 40 days and to limit one’s use of social media to one hour a day for non-business or evangelical use.
    Levels

    Understanding that age, health, and the Covid 19 pandemic are current factors…

    White Level: Recommended for pregnant women, senior citizens, those with serious medical conditions:

    Acts of Reflection and prayer remain intact. Abstinence 3xs a week from sweets, soda, junk food, & fast food instead of fasting. Half hour of exercise instead of an hour. That other half hour can be used to do spiritual reading. It should be noted that praying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet can be done while exercising.

    Red Level: Recommended for those who do not think they can do the blue level:

    Acts of Reflection and prayer remain intact. Person commits to fasting 2xs a week on Wednesdays and Fridays. Abstinence from sweets, soda, junk food, and fast food for the other four days. One hour of exercise, with the understanding that one can exercise and pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet at the same time.

    Blue level: Recommended for those called to go “All In!”

    Acts of Reflection and prayer remain intact. Person commits to fasting 3xs a week (Wednesday, Friday, and any other day, save Sunday). Abstinence from sweets, soda, junk food, and fast food for all 7 days. One hour of exercise with the understanding that one can exercise and pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet simultaneously.

    Black level: (For clerics)

    Acts of reflection and prayer remain intact. Added is a commitment to a Holy Hour every day. Cleric commits to fasting 3xs a week (unless age or medical condition is an issue). Cleric commits to abstaining from sweets, soda, junk food, and fast food for all 40 days. Clerics with medical conditions and over the age of 65 commit to a half hour of exercise. Otherwise they commit to one hour of exercise, with the understanding that one can exercise and pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet at the same time. They also commit to making more time for the confessional, daily Mass, and praying the entirety of the Divine Office (all hours) for the 40 days. The prayer, reflection, some acts of reparation can be done during Holy Hour and/or exercise time. Clerics commit to confession once a week. Clerics, in a special way, should offer the prayers for those placed under their pastoral care and do their acts of reparations for those harmed by the actions of any cleric, including themselves.

    Prayer for Freedom from the Devil
    (We will all pray the following prayer each day)

    My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
    At a word from You the devil and his minions flee in terror.
    You are the source of all truth. You are the source of all strength.
    By the power of Your Cross and Resurrection, we beseech You, O Lord
    To extend Your saving arm and to send Your holy angels
    To defend us as we do battle with Satan and his demonic forces.
    Exorcise, we pray, that which oppresses Your Bride, the Church,
    So that within ourselves, our families, our parishes, our dioceses, and our nation
    We may turn fully back to You in all fidelity and trust.
    Lord, we know if You will it, it will be done.
    Give us the perseverance for this mission, we pray.
    Amen.

    Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception … pray for us
    St. Joseph … pray for us
    St. Michael the Archangel … pray for us
    (the patron of your parish) … pray for us
    (your confirmation saint) … pray for us
    Communication

    A reflection will be sent out every day via US Grace Force email (sign-up below). Prayers and Litanies will accompany each day. It will also be posted on US Grace Force Website (usgraceforce.com) and shared on various platforms of social media.

    ENLIST IN THE UNITED STATES GRACE FORCE

    Liked by 6 people

  36. I propose a mission statement for the new tnrs initiative: Make America Holy Again.

    Keep it simple.

    A good mission statement reflects the core principal and when employees face a conundrum, they may ask themselves, is what i am doing, fulfill the companies mission? If not, stop and reevaluate. I believe our mission is to make America Holy again. When we return back to God, our Country will be blessed. Of course, other citizens shall insert their countries name properly.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Make America Holy Again is an awesome goal, Sean, and it’s actually the oft repeated motto of Fr. Richard Heilman in all his initiatives to do just that

      Liked by 2 people

        1. Oh yes on the gear, Barb, and as a long time reader and friend, I understand MAHA, it’s the overarching theme of all the prayer initiatives Father has spearheaded. Thank God for Fr. Rick! And thank God for the thousands of faithful who have responded in prayer and deeds!

          Liked by 5 people

        2. A few months ago, I purchased several “Make America Holy Again” BB caps from his website. Gave one to my Pastor.

          Liked by 7 people

  37. I was wondering how Charlie thought to do battle against legion demons of anarchy with an army of common folks. Then I remembered the path thru the Red Sea, Jericho, Transubstantiation, Resurrection, loaves and fishes multiplying, Battle of Lepanto, Our Lady of Guadalupe converting Mexico…….Nothing is impossible for him who believes. If you should say to that mountain……..

    Liked by 6 people

  38. Keep in mind, Rick, that this was vvritten and published six years ago. I have not changed my mind since then.

    Mark does some very good vvork. Even so, there are significant differences in our approaches – and time has served to highlight those differences. I said from the beginning that vvhen the troubles take hold seriously, hovv much vve knovv is not nearly as important as vvhat vve do. I continue to think that, even vvhen I agree vvith a particular interpretation. I also remain emphatic that this is NOT the end. It is our call to action from God.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Thanks for that insight – that’s helpful. We are so inundated with information that we are distracted to the point of non-functionality. It’s almost like a form of PTSD or shell shock. I am trying to focus on the good and be that source of hope. Tougher than it looks

      Liked by 6 people

    1. Thanks for sharing, http! I am so dad gum sappy. I love our country–that song has always given me chills, but seeing the video with it makes me cry.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. I-love-this-song! If our national anthem would ever gets shot down, I’d vote for this as the new one. Love the video! Thanks for sharing this HTTP!

      Liked by 2 people

  42. Thanks again Charlie for the refresher. It is really hard sometimes to resist preparing physically when our humanity screams “stockpile food!” “get a gun!” “batten down the hatches!” “leave town!” etc. I know this is going to be a different kind of storm, one that if the bible hadn’t been written yet would have probably been a prominent story in it like Noah’s and Moses.’

    Every day I am trying to re-wrap my head around all that is happening in our world. We live on the edge of Minneapolis and thinking about what has been so close, what is upon us and what may be coming sometimes scares the heebie-jeebies out of me. I like to watch ‘The Five,’ on Fox and it boggles my mind how one person can see something a certain way and another person can turn it up-side-down to fit it another way and really sees it that way. How have we gotten it so wrong? I constantly think about it, about what I could have done differently, or not being so scared of confrontation and standing up for what is right. I still have issues with confrontation, I avoid it at all costs. Probably why I am such a homebody when I can be there.

    I just pray that when the time comes that God calls me to be courageous, I can be instead of being a blundering idiot. (Which is why the lack of wanting confrontation). Most of the time my best skills are listening, being a sounding board. I like to try to find the good in people, even if they drive me crazy, as I am sure I do to some also. That is why I love trying to live your message. Then I don’t have to worry about the moments down the road. They are not guaranteed anyway.

    Whenever anything was bothering me, my mother’s wise words to me were always, “Give your worries to God.” My hope is in the fact that God takes our worries, sufferings and trials and uses them for our redemption and His greater glory. So if I don’t quite see the next right step, I can at least trust that He will lead me to it. He is my sign of hope so I can be His.

    Liked by 6 people

  43. Charlie, as I have noted on many of your other posts, your descriptions, explanations and guidance are always needed and so helpful in giving me the spiritual support on where my focus should be. Only God can save us through the unimaginable storm coming both in the actual world around us and in accepting with humility the unveiling of the extent of all that is in me that is not of His will. I know that trust in God is the only option to making it through all aspects of the storm. I admit I fear my many weakness, but at the same time know in my heart, God can firm me up, so to speak, if I truly give myself to Him. I know words are cheap, but the real test is do I have the will to really let go and let God take over.

    Liked by 1 person

  44. I don’t wish to appear to be obtuse in what I am about to say, but I would like some clarification regarding the statement: “That is why we all must lose hope before the rescue.” If that means “hope in ourselves” then I agree. However, if it means the hope that God gives us – the Theological Virtue of Hope, then I would be concerned about the inclusion of the statement.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’re not at all obtuse, ptgman. You’re pondering and that’s a good thing. To understand the meaning of the sentence it needs to be pondered in context and you actually nailed it by saying, in effect, we must turn from trusting in ourselves or another person when our primary core of trust must be in God. When it seems evil has won – and in this, I often, think of the old wisdom saying: “There are no atheists in foxholes.” – every person will have the opportunity to experience, in ways never to be forgotten, the absolute need to rely completely on God. It is one of THE major purposes of this Storm. We’re in this worldwide mess because of failing to totally rely on God.

      “When you use the information you glean to formulate a plan, you trust to yourself and your own cleverness. God will let this Storm we have brought on ourselves rage until that confidence in our own capacity is burned out of everyone. That is why we all must lose hope before the rescue. Whatever we say, even if we think differently, it is ourselves we rely on – not God. That is why people restlessly seek more information on what is coming: so they can make a plan.”

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Losing hope vvill shovv us hovv fragile our faith truly is – and hovv strong our faith is that vve can formulate a plan. At that moment, people must either trust in God in a truly radical fashion or be lost. VVe can’t lose a faith in God that vve only deceived ourselves that vve had. God is forcing us to go all in. He is revealing us to ourselves – and I think a lot of people vvho think they are entirely faithful are not going to be pleased vvith vvhat they see. But all vvill ultimately be better for it.

      Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.

Published by Beckita

Beckita, widow, mother and grandmother, lives in Missoula, Montana. After more than thirty years of service, she retired from two careers: elementary school educator and director of liturgical music ministry in a local parish. Serving the Catholic Church in many capacities since early childhood, she now provides care for a nearly 90 year old priest of Chinese origin and collaborates with him in evangelizing the Chinese people. For more than twenty-five years, she has welcomed words from heaven concerning these sobering times in which we live and, like so many, takes seriously Our Lord and Our Lady’s call to intercede for the return of souls to God. Responding to heaven’s call for prayer, for her, included making pilgrimages to shrines in Europe, Asia and South America. She says these travels, added to her years as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa in the mid-seventies, have expanded her heart to hold dear all peoples of the world. She is a longtime member of TNRS community and when she began reading Charlie’s posts, immediately, she found that his mission and message harmonize well with Church approved private revelation of our times. In September 2015, she accepted an invitation to become part of TNRS Answers Team. As events of the Storm evolved, last fall (2016), she accepted Charlie’s invitation to become managing editor of TNRS should he need to leave the site. With great gratitude to and for Charlie, founder of TNRS, and with great respect and admiration for the lifelong experiences and God-given gifts he brought to bear on his work at this site - she knows we all know he’s irreplaceable – still, she considers it a great privilege to serve the TNRS community.