Depending on how long you have known me you might know that I was raised in a family who faithfully attended services in the Episcopal Church. My Italian Catholic father married my Methodist mother and the Episcopal Church became the compromise and the place where they chose to worship God and bring us girls up in the Christian faith. I'm grateful that in those years of my upbringing, the Episcopal Church still held to the true tenets of the faith. At least I understood and believed that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and on the third day was resurrected to the right hand of God. But my journey in that Church, fast-forwarding into my adult years, was harrowing; and when I saw what happened in the National Prayer Service in Washington, D.C. this week, it brought back many memories that I lived through, and events that fueled the passion I now have for the Truth.
In the mid-90s I founded and led a Christian music group known as WhiteStone, who traveled the highways of the U.S. (and also abroad) bringing musical concerts, leading worship services, and sometimes weekend renewals. At first this seemed like just a joyful troupe of musicians who were being blessed with original songs from the Holy Spirit and bringing blessings and joy to many. We were booked mostly by Episcopal churches, but also some Lutheran, Methodist and Baptist churches. Eventually I began to be filled with a strong urgency and a sense that God wanted to use this WhiteStone group as a call to awaken the Episcopal churches and turn the people away from all the false doctrine that was creeping in. I knew we were being sent as an alarm, to warn them to hold to the Truth of the Scriptures. I have strong and deep recollections of priests around the country sharing their concerns with me. One by one, the dioceses of the Church were meeting to discuss and eventually vote on their belief in the Virgin Birth and the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I recall the agony of a priest/friend in New Jersey, when he discovered he was one of only a couple clergymen who voted to hold to those tenets of the faith. And I was right there, in the middle of it all, when I was invited to lead worship at the convention of a Diocese in central California. I can recall as if it were yesterday when Bishop John-David Schofield (now deceased) gave instructions to the clergy on how to cast their vote, which also involved the approval of ordaining gay clergy and blessing same-sex marriage. He took my breath away when he announced, "All who are voting NO, pass through the gate, drop your ballot, and go to the right side of the room. All who are voting YES, pass through the gate, drop your ballot, and go to the left side." In my spirit I knew I was watching a prophetic fulfillment of Matthew 25:31-33: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Back in the years 2000-2004, after fleeing from the Episcopal Church and going to Israel, where the LORD opened up all the truth of the Scriptures to me, I continued in a ministry of support to the many priests in the USA who came under the covering of African Anglican bishops, and who made tremendous sacrifices (even losing homes and retirement pensions) in order to stand on the Truth. I'm still in touch with many of them today and have deep admiration for the strong stand they have taken, despite the cost. I share these things with you, my friends, because as I watched this Episcopal Bishop, Mariann Budde, use this National Prayer Service as a platform for her progressive, leftist agenda, I understood the background of all this deception. She was chastising our new President and Vice President for not being "merciful" (showing love) to the LGBTQ community and the illegal immigrants. So, I asked the Spirit to show me how we could rightfully respond to this and here is where He led me: 1 John 5: This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. 2 John 5-6: And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. Perhaps I should send those words to the "dear lady," Bishop Budde. I know what has led to her denial of the true faith. In fact, this quote is directly from a blog she wrote, which I found online at this website: https://blog.adw.org/2013/04/total-loss-file-a-prominent-episcopal-leader-denies-the-need-for-the-bodily-resurrection-of-jesus/ "To say that resurrection is essential doesn’t mean that if someone were to discover a tomb with Jesus’ remains in it that the entire enterprise would come crashing down. The truth is that we don’t know what happened to Jesus after his death, anymore than we can know what will happen to us." What fear and instability these people in the Episcopal Church of today must live in! I am in such perfect peace and even joy, based on the firm foundation of my faith in the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the eternal life He gave to John because of his belief. I don't wonder where John is! Nor do I feel we should be giving mercy to those who illegally enter this country and expect the full rights and privileges of a citizen. In addition to all that, I believe the mercy that should be shown to those caught in the sin and deception of homosexuality is to bring them to the Truth of the Word of God, and help them break free from this lifestyle that has caused such pain and confusion. So, dear lady, Bishop Budde, I am praying for you, that you would study out the true commands of God, learn the real meaning of love and mercy, repent from leading so many astray, and come into the full joy and the knowledge of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
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Luke 18:1-7
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. Three dear friends, in three separate conversations, after hearing my story about going to the Social Security office to apply for Widow's benefits, likened it to this parable! I thought that was quite remarkable. I was indeed a widow who kept bothering the adversary. My telephone appointment to apply for Widow's Benefits had been set for January 13 at 1:30 pm. Since I had reported his death on November 20, this was almost a two-month wait before I could even apply. But I was told that this is how they do things these days; they do it all with a telephone interview. So, this past Monday, I arose from my bed so excited that it was finally SOCIAL SECURITY DAY! Finally, I would be able to file my claim and start receiving something from John's benefits to help me live. My calendar was cleared out and I kept my phone right under my nose the entire day, to be certain I did NOT miss this all-important phone call. But it never came. In fact, my phone never rang the entire afternoon! The clock ticked loudly in the silence, like some kind of ticking time bomb. When the hour reached 4:00 pm, I called the Social Security National Line and spoke with some guy to let them know that no one called at their specified, appointed 1:30 pm time. He could have cared less. "It happens all the time. Your phone thinks it's spam and hangs up on us. I show they tried to call you twice and no one answered." I protested loudly and made sure he knew that I was practically sitting on my phone all day, waiting for that call! His only response: "I'm re-scheduling you for March 3rd at 11:30 a.m." He hung up and I sat there, stunned. I thought about how many times it speaks in the Bible of God's great heart for the widows. Surely I wasn't really going to have to wait ANOTHER TWO MONTHS just to file this claim! I did not sleep on Monday night. I prayed almost through the whole night. I prayed in the Spirit and I sang praise songs to God and I really pressed in, believing that GOD WOULD MAKE A WAY. In the morning I got out of bed early, made some coffee and ate a little breakfast, then got dressed in warm, wool sweater and coat and headed out to the local Social Security office, about 30 minutes away. I arrived just as they opened the doors at 9 a.m. and was rather shocked to see so few people there waiting in line; maybe only ten or so. As a woman was checking people in she would ask, "Do you have an appointment?" Those that said yes were directed to have a seat and wait for their names to be called. Those of us who said no were told to "form a line at Window 11." I ended up in line behind five other people and I could hear all the conversations between each person and the Window 11 lady. Each person was told "There is no one who can see you today. You have to make an appointment and come back later." I heard her tell all five people this, and all five people must have gotten appointment dates sometime in the next quarter-century and left. Now it was my turn. I handed her the letter from Social Security with the appointment date and time and explained that they had failed to call me and I needed to apply for Widow's Benefits TODAY. She was terribly rude and snapped, "There is no one here who can help you, you have to make an appointment and come back." I replied, "No, I'm not leaving here. I cannot wait another two months for my appointment. I'll wait here until someone can see me." "I told you," she retorted, "NO ONE HERE CAN HELP YOU, YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND COME BACK." "No, I'm not leaving here," I continued to pester her. A widow should not have to wait FOUR MONTHS to file a claim for benefits. And Social Security failed to keep the commitment to call me at the appointed time." Now her voice became stern. "You'll have to make another appointment"! "No, I'm not leaving here," I repeated. "I am happy to wait. I will wait in this office all day until someone can see me and process my claim." Suddenly, as if she had appeared from some unknown realm, another woman came darting up to Window 11 and said, "We just had a no-show appointment. You can come back with me to Desk 5 and we'll get you taken care of." A no-show appointment! At the very moment I needed help! Really? You mean I won't even have to wait the usual three or four hours? She escorted me back to Desk 5 and introduced me to a young man with curly hair, who greeted me. "Hi, I'm John and I'll take care of you." I had to fight back tears. HE'S JOHN. HE'LL TAKE CARE OF ME. Oh God, my wonderful, Mighty God, how you DO take care of me! And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." Stand firm, my friends. Keep bothering the unjust judge and demand that you be given justice. You are chosen ones. You are sons and daughters of the King! And HE will see that you get justice and act quickly! |
AuthorKelly Ferrari Mills SubscribeArchives
February 2025
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