Conversations with Ray Martinez

My cousin, Curt Moore, passed away on April 3, 2022 @ 11:20pm.  The family asked me to deliver the eulogy, which I am very grateful about, for the Mass that was held April 23, 2022 at 1:00pm.  Cousin Joannie Moore conducted the Rosary on behalf of the family as well.  Curt will always reside in our hearts forever more.  He leaves us a legacy of friendship, family, and loyalty in our fondest moments of life.  St. Paul said in 2Corinthians 5:8, "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."  We do believe that is where Curt is today, in the presence of the Lord.

The average person has more than 6,000 thoughts in a single day. That’s a lot of thinking! There are so many distractions in our lives. Even with the chaotic pace of our days, there are quick and simple ways to focus on being mindful. The practice of mindfulness is simply bringing awareness to the current moment, without judgement. God wants us to take our thoughts deep inside our minds and stay focused on him or be constantly thinking about His guidance. The scripture teaches us to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." We will identify what the three voices of our life are i.e. heart, soul and mind. Our conscience can be a good guide, as long it’s germinating from our heart (spirit). If we truly mind our own business, it will be the mind of Christ and what he is doing through us. Be mindful of this.

The believer’s power over sin and the ability to lead a new life stem from identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. From God’s perspective, Jesus’ death to sin is ours as well. His rising to new life means that we also begin to lead a new life, and in the future our bodies will also be raised. In scholastic achievments, we can read a book and know what it says, but we may not necessarily believe it. In the life of Christ, we cannot possibly “know God’s word” without believing in Him. Our “old selves” are not a nature that we possess or just one part of who we are; it reflects who we were in Adam. We are heirs of the sin and death that Adam introduced into the world (Rom 5:12), we were slaves to the power of sin. But as people who are now in Christ, we have gone through crucifixion with him (see also Gal 2:20). When Jesus died on the cross, we also died to sin that ruled in our former selves.

The timing of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is one of the most controversial issues in the church today. First, it is important to recognize the purpose of the tribulation. According to Daniel 9:27, there is a seventieth "seven" (seven years) that is still yet to come. While this does not necessarily indicate that the church could not also be present, it does bring into question why the church needs to be on the earth during that time. Another crucial passage on the timing of the rapture is Revelation 3:10, in which Christ promises to deliver believers from the "hour of trial" that is going to come upon the earth. Will we know when the rapture occurs? Of course, we are in it…but how far in advance? Listen in and we will take a deeper dive into how we will know.

Experiments, and research has uncovered an astonishing number of poor health outcomes that result when we are deprived of touch. The correlation between anxiety, depression and stress and touch is large and inversely related. There is something about “touching” that is so relevant and needed not only for healing, but for comfort, and a unique way of communicating.  The laying on of hands was an action referred to on numerous occasions in the Bible to accompany the conferring of a blessing or authority. The laying on of hands was used to bless and provide an inheritance to families. If my mother didn’t hug me or my grandmother didn’t put her arms around me, I worried.  Today we will learn a lot about why  the laying on of hands is important.

Yes, the miracles of the Bible are to be taken literally, just as all Scripture is to be taken literally, except those portions which are clearly intended to be symbolic.  Each of the miracles in the Bible served a purpose and accomplished something that couldn't be accomplished in any other way.  Once we begin to doubt the reality of any miracle, we have to discount everything the Bible says came about as a result of the miracle, which puts all of Scripture in doubt.

You've undoubtedly seen the ubiquitous Capital One ad campaign featuring celebrities asking that now famous question “What's In Your Wallet?” The company wanted to use the quote because it's an interesting question. The stuff in our wallet represents financial security, purchase power, and prosperity. Today we’re gonna be talking about what’s in your toolbox or what’s in your wallet. How do we use scripture to secure us, to reassure us, and procure our needs?

Being and serving one another is scripturally based for sure.  Let’s think of some other scriptures, from the Words of Jesus, that discusses the idea of “one another”.  If we don’t know how to comfort one another, Paul teaches us that God  is “the source of all comfort.”  Follow in his steps, one step at a time. We are taught to accept one another, to forgive one another, serve one another, honor one another, exhort one another, encourage one another.  And then there are the do nots to one another.  We will capture a lot in today's podcast.  I encourage you to listen in.

Five other times in Scriptures the word “fix” is used by God to give us direction. God gives us a clear direction to keep our focus fixed upon His will; for us to permanently maintain our focus, our centre of attention, firmly on God.  We are admonishes to keep our hearts and minds, our intellect and the very fibre of our being, always feasting on the word of God, constantly meditating on His word and doing His will.   Satan can’t get your attention when your mind is preoccupied with something else. That’s why the Bible repeatedly tells us to keep our minds focused: ‘Fix your thoughts on Jesus. (God’s words and your words combined as one) fixing your conversation, or the narrative, woven with God’s word.

People do not drift  towards holiness.  People do not gravitate towards holiness, obedience, prayer, scripture, and the delight in the Lord. We drift towards compromise and call it tolerance, we drift towards disobedience and call it freedom, we drift towards superstition and call it faith, we drift”… It’s important that we engage with faith driven effort. We have to be in pursuit. The biblical writers intend to instill steadfast hope in the readers to keep them from drifting about aimlessly through the Christian life. In today's podcast, we will learn from the word how not to drift and how God can use driftwood, regardless of its state.