Author: Editor, Kingdom Revelator

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Praying Over Football- Right or Wrong?

SPECTATOR’S PRAYERS

The renewal of my faith meant I knew my Father loved me deeply and intimately, and being a father myself I could relate to Jesus’ words: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11) Likewise I now understood St. Paul’s words: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”(1 Corinthians 10:31) Logically, given that in any football match there are likely to be praying fans on both sides, to suggest fans’ prayers can affect the outcome of match is ludicrous. But that doesn’t mean it is wrong to pray: as a fan, we cannot control the outcome of the match…this sense of helplessness is what can drive many believing and nonbelieving fans to prayer. And there is, I would say, something entirely healthy in realising our own limited nature and then turning to God with the situation. Instead of the fans, it is the twenty two men on the pitch who have control of the outcome.

 

Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

 

ONLY A GAME

Lionel Messi does it. So does Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge, along with almost everyone who has watched England take penalties in a World Cup. But why do we pray over football, and should we? Surely prayers should be limited to those things that really matter? Football, despite what Bill Shankly, the former Liverpool manager, famously said, is after all only a game. This is the attitude I used to have, although even then being a Spurs and England fan it was often difficult to avoid resorting to prayer. However, after the Holy Spirit renewed and enlivened my faith, I found that prayers just tumbled out of me, prayers for the biggest things and the smallest things, prayers of request and prayers of thanksgiving.

PITCH PRAYERS

One welcome development in the modern game is that it has been increasingly common to see players praying both before the kick-off and when they score. Lionel Messi, possibly the greatest footballer of alltime and a committed Catholic, described meeting Pope Francis as “one of the most special days of my life.” He always points to the heavens in praise when he scores a goal (of which, as European football’s record goal scorer, there have been many). Football is what Messi does. In their moments of success he and other Christian goal scorers follow St. Paul’s advice by giving the glory to God. But St. Paul said in whatever we do, give glory to God – yes, give him glory in our successes…but what about giving him glory in our moments of failure? One of my abiding memories of last year’s World Cup was when hosts Brazil crashed out of the tournament, losing 7-1 to Germany in the semi-final. This proud football nation hadn’t just lost a match they had been humiliated in their own backyard. And yet, while some of his teammates fell to the ground in tears at the final whistle, Brazil captain David Luiz knelt down, held his two index fingers up and prayed out loud. This is what faith looks like. Praising God, when to all those around you it looks as though He has abandoned you. Pray, knowing that in those moments of weakness and defeat all is not lost, because we believe in a God of resurrection. (Used with permission from www.ccr.org.uk the web-site of Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the UK.)

Written by John McKenna

Reflection 

DO WE STILL NEED A SHEPHERD?

Although Psalm 23 was written about three thousand years ago it can still speak to our hearts. We take a fresh look at each line and what it means to us today.

 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

On my own I wander through life, trying different things to make me feel happy and fulfilled but when I put my trust in God He will provide everything that I need.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He helps me to stop and look around at all the good things that he has given me, my friends, my family, my home and to appreciate all the blessings that I have received.

He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul.

24/7 my senses are bombarded with information, music, adverts, video games, TV and films. I fill my life with distractions but I need to stop occasionally and remember that I am a child of God. I need the silence of prayer to turn back to my loving Father, who is waiting with His arms outstretched to welcome me back.

He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

We have so many choices to make in our lives, especially when we are young. How can I know that I am making the right decision? If I allow God to lead me then I can be confident that even if I mess things up and make the wrong decision then God will show me and lead me back to the right path.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

If I trust in God He will protect me and give me the strength to get through difficult times. Sometimes our problems can seem overwhelming but nothing is impossible for God. The shepherd uses his rod to beat off any wild animals and his staff to pull back the sheep who have wandered away from the flock. In the same way God will protect me when I am threatened or under attack and He will gently bring me back when I try to go the wrong way.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Imagine that you are invited as guest of honour by your favourite football team, band, film star or celebrity to a banquet given in your honour. It is a magnificent party and you are seated on the top table with the other important people. All the other guests would know that there is something very special about you. This is how God feels about me, I am the guest of honour at His table. In God’s eyes I am like a king or a queen, whose head has been anointed with oil, and He will bless me until my cup of blessings overflow. There is no limit to His generosity.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

God is on my side and He loves me so much that there is no need for me to worry about tomorrow and what it will bring. God will always love me and He will continue to bless and protect me throughout my life and beyond.

Prayer:

Lord, I am like a lost sheep wandering in a dry barren land. I am thirsty and hungry, looking for something that will satisfy my soul. Please come and be my shepherd. Guide me, protect me and feed me. I give my life into your hands today. Show me your way Lord and lead me to everlasting life. I know that you are the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for me, His beloved sheep, and I trust in your love and protection. Amen

Life 

TURNING UP THE HEAT

MY CHILDHOOD FAITH

Growing up in an Indian Catholic family I was used to attending Daily Mass, family prayer, retreats and Bible Conventions but I used to dread all these as they seemed so boring and meaningless to me. I always believed there was a God because I found it impossible to say that everything came from nothing, as many people do. But I never really knew much about my faith and that I was called to love God and live for him. Why? Well I thought he was only for older people and he wouldn’t want anything to do with a kid like me. But He has proved me wrong, and He really does care about me and not just me but you also!

SCHOOL OF EVANGELISATION

Two years ago, I was living as a lukewarm Catholic when I heard about a five day retreat called the School of Evangelisation that was being held for teenagers. So, along with many of my friends, I decided to go and packed my bags. I had no idea that this was all part of God’s plan to change my life along with the sixty nine other teenagers, who also attended. I was excited to be going because I thought that it was going to be some sort of camp, where we would sit round the fire singing Jesus songs and eating marshmallows! But something far greater awaited me.

ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS

During the retreat, many teenagers were having extraordinary encounters with Jesus, and a new joy, love and peace filled their hearts. I too met him during those days. Now I feel blessed to call Jesus my first and greatest love. Through the preaching, the Holy Mass, Praise and Worship and times of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament I fell head over heels in love with Jesus. I came to understand a deep truth; that Jesus is not some imaginary friend that Christians have to cope with their daily problems, He is truly alive and He is living now. Yes now in 2015! “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

JESUS IS ALIVE

I began to wonder if Jesus is alive, why doesn’t everyone in our churches know the fullness of this truth. If Jesus is alive why are so many Christians lukewarm? This wasn’t the case with the early Church when Christians were unimaginably persecuted and killed in many different ways. Christians, who were blamed for burning down the city of Rome by Emperor Nero, were made a public spectacle. They were imprisoned, persecuted, tortured and fed to the lions. No one was spared. While the spectators laughed at them, they never stopped worshipping God throughout their suffering because they knew that God had promised them eternal life. This explained the great joy that radiated from them. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

A NEW PURPOSE

I gave my life to Jesus and like a little baby, I cried for not having known this love earlier. I used to be ashamed in school for being known as a Christian who went to church but Matthew 10:32-33 says, “Anyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge them before my Father and anyone who denies me before others, I will also deny them before my Father.” When I discovered the truth that God sent His only Son for a sinner like me, I was overwhelmed. Jesus died for me and I used to be ashamed to even talk about him. He wasn’t ashamed when he accepted death on the cross for me. Since returning to school there hasn’t been a day without kids making fun of me because of my love of Jesus, but as Paul says, “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18) So I try to take each of these tiny persecutions and offer them as little gifts to Jesus. I love Jesus greatly, and my life now has a new purpose and reason. I wish that all my brothers and sisters could know this love. St. Joseph Escriva said “Don’t you long to shout to those people around you, Leave those worldly things and come with us in search of love.”

 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

 

Written by Jeril John

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WHICH CAME FIRST DINOSAUR OR THE EGG

FINDING OUT MORE

Life is full of questions. Which came first the Dinosaur or the egg? Can you name the latest model of your old smart phone? What is the circumference of the earth? When we want to find the answers to most questions these days we just google them, but what about our spiritual questions? How do we know what to believe? How can we find out more? God our Father has given us the tools we need to find the answers to all our questions. They can all be found in a person, Jesus and He can be found in Holy Scripture and in the Catholic Faith. In the book of Wisdom 13: 9 it says, “If they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?”

HE IS THE WAY

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14: 6) Jesus is the way and He will show us the way to God and answer all our questions. Jesus reconciled us to God through His death on the Cross and His Resurrection from the dead. He paid the price for our sins and our turning away from the love of God. The prophet Isaiah describes it this way, “He was pierced for our ever in the history of mankind, but we believe that the Son of God came down from heaven to save us. He is called Jesus and was born, a helpless baby, in humble surroundings. His mother was a virgin called Mary and He redeemed all mankind, through His death on the Cross and His Resurrection from the dead. After appearing to many people after His death, He ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of his Heavenly Father and one day He will come back again to judge the living and the dead. This is the foolishness of the Gospel that we preach so that others can be saved. This belief is the foundation of our Christian life and is summarised in the Nicene Creed. If we recite the Creed daily our faith will be strengthened. transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53)

 

“If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.” James 1:5

 

A FOOLISH MESSAGE

St Paul explains it this way, “Since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21) God knew that we could not find salvation from our sins on our own so He decided to send His Son to save those who believe the Gospel message from eternal damnation.

WE BELIEVE

The message of the Gospel may sound to some people like the biggest foolishness ever in the history of mankind, but we believe that the Son of God came down from heaven to save us. He is called Jesus and was born, a helpless baby, in humble surroundings. His mother was a virgin called Mary and He redeemed all mankind, through His death on the Cross and His Resurrection from the dead. After appearing to many people after His death, He ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of his Heavenly Father and one day He will come back again to judge the living and the dead. This is the foolishness of the Gospel that we preach so that others can be saved. This belief is the foundation of our Christian life and is summarised in the Nicene Creed. If we recite the Creed daily our faith will be strengthened.

ACCEPT AND BELIEVE

We may not fully understand the Creed that we recite but we don’t have to; all we have to do is believe that it is so. It’s like when we switch on a light. Most of us don’t understand how the electric current moves round the circuit to make the light bulb glow, but we know that when we press the switch the light goes on. We learnt this when we saw it work for other people. In a similar way when we accept and believe the Gospel message, it is like the first time that we actually press the switch and turn on the light. Because when we truly believe the Gospel message, then Jesus, the light of the world will reveal himself to us and dispel our darkness and our doubts and His light will shine in us.

WHAT MATTERS

The mysteries of our Salvation that we recite in the Creed are celebrated at every Holy Mass through signs and symbols. “The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1409) We do have many questions but it doesn’t matter whether the egg or the Dinosaur came first, what is important is that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and we are one in Christ and in His Church through the Sacraments.

 

Written by Sebastian Sales

Editorial 

March 2015 – Editorial

We wish all our readers a happy and holy Eastertime. At this time in the Church’s year we celebrate new life. The new life of Jesus, risen from the dead and the new life that we received in our Baptism. When we died with Christ, were freed from our sins and were reborn into a new life in the Spirit as children of God. That really is worth celebrating! We can call Almighty God our Father and know that He loves us and cares for us. There is no need to worry any more. Each day He wants us to look in the mirror and say to our reflection, “You are beautiful, you are God’s precious child.” Because it is true, you are very special to God!

In the magazine this month we look at what actually happened two thousand years ago when Christ rose from the dead and we include an article written by one of our readers who discovered that the power of the Cross is still effective and relevant to young people today. We also include two articles about prayer. One looks at the Rosary and the other asks if it is ok to pray for the result that you want at a football match.

The highlighted Saint this month is Nicholas Owen, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, a very practical man who used his building skills to save hundreds of priests during a time of great persecution in the sixteenth century. We have some inspiring testimonies, the Bible story and the popular puzzles page.

If you enjoy reading this magazine please pass it on to someone else when you have finished it. We can also send copies to your school or Parish, free of charge, so why not show it to your Head Teacher or Parish Priest and suggest that they contact us at krcopies@gmail.com for more copies. The Editorial team wish you the peace and joy of the Risen Christ.

Saints 

St Francis of Assisi

HIS EARLY LIFE

St Francis was born in Assisi, Italy. His father, Peter Bernardone was a wealthy silk merchant and his mother was Pica de Bourlemont. When he was born his mother named him Giovanni (John) after John the Baptist but at the time his father was on a sea voyage and when he returned his father changed the boy’s name to Francis. As Francis grew up he received a good education and there are stories that as a young man he liked to party and drink with his friends. He also went to fight as a soldier for Assisi and was captured and held prisoner for over a year. After his release he was ill and returned home to recover but then he set off again to rejoin the army. Halfway through the journey, he had a vision that led him back to Assisi. This vision changed his life; he turned back to God and started preaching in the streets. He gave away all his possessions and began living a life of poverty and simplicity based on the Gospel message of Christ.

HIS MISSION

The godly life of Francis attracted many others and he quickly gathered a group of followers around him. These became the first Franciscans and his Order was authorized by Pope Innocent III. He also developed an order for women, known as the Poor Clares, as well as the Order of the Brothers and Sisters of Penance. At one time he walked into the ruins of the San Damiano church, and led by the Spirit, he knelt down before the crucifix. Then he heard a voice saying, “Francis, Francis can’t you see my house is in ruins? Go and rebuild it.” Francis took this literally and began to restore the church building. But he soon realised that God was calling him to rebuild, not just the church buildings but the whole Church; that is the people of God. So he started travelling around and went to many places including the Holy Land and Egypt to preach, following the words of Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”

HIS LOVE FOR NATURE

Francis loved nature; he could see God in all created things. He especially loved animals, and God gave him a special ability to talk to them – again following the instructions of Jesus to preach the Gospel to all creation. There is a story told of a wolf in the town of Gubbio that was killing all the livestock and attacking the people there. The mayor of the town called for Francis, knowing that he had a special way with animals. Francis came to the forest where the wolf lived and as he approached, the wolf appeared and encircled the holy man. Francis said to him “Brother Wolf I will not hurt you. Come, let us talk in peace.” The wolf realized that Francis meant no harm and went to him. Seeing the wolf’s injured leg Francis realised that he couldn’t catch wild animals and that was why he was taking the farm animals. Francis spoke to the wolf and tamed it and soon the people and the wolf became friends. This shows that Francis had great faith that God would protect him when he approached wild animals. It says in Matthew 17:20, “Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.”

STIGMATA AND DEATH

There are many amazing stories told about Francis. One Christmas, when Francis was setting up a Nativity scene, people saw the statue of baby Jesus playing in Francis’ hands! Francis had a great devotion to Christ crucified and two years before his death, when he was praying, during a 40 day fast on a mountain, he had a visit from an angel and felt a tingling pain in his hands that made him feel joyful. When he looked at his hands, he saw that he had the same wounds that Jesus had when he was crucified! Francis was the first person to have the stigmata. He tried his best to hide the wounds, but soon the word had spread. Francis died on October 3rd 1226 and the man’s holy soul departed to heaven.

PATRONAGE

St Francis is one of two patron saints of Italy, along with St Catherine of Siena. He is also patron saint of animals, merchants and the environment. The feast day of St Francis is October 4th. Through the life of St Francis, God shows us how we can build up our faith by obedience and prayer. St. Francis was loving and kind to everyone, from lepers to birds. He recognized that our Father in heaven loves everything that he has made, and we should too. He also knew that true happiness is found in God alone and so he gave up all his possessions and lived a very simple life.

 

Written by Christine Sabu

Christian Living 

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

I believe that the greatest satisfaction that you can receive is when you help others who are less fortunate than yourself, through the grace of God and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that when you comfort and help others you are helping and comforting Him.

It is difficult sometimes to see the suffering that others are going through, especially when we have our own problems. But when we humble ourselves and put others first we will be great in the eyes of God and this is an important part of our Catholic vocation. God will never forget anything that we do to help others. When judgment day comes God will say to the righteous “I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25, 35-36). And God will reward them with eternal life.

Jesus wants us to show his love to others and when I say others I mean our brothers and sisters. Everyone has a soul and we are connected to God and to each other through our souls so we are all brothers and sisters and God is our father. Therefore we should help and love everyone. “Do for others just what you want them to do for you.” (Luke 6-31) We can do this by charitable acts that will help our brothers and sisters in need.

May the Holy Spirit dwell in us and inspire us to help others so that we bring joy to their lives through the love of God.

 

“In the same way your light must shine before people, so they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5-16

 

Written by Athulya Lukose

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WEAPONS FOR THE FIGHT

God has given us five important things to help us to live a Holy life. In a message to the seers at Medjugorje, Our Lady referred to them as five weapons that could be used against the wiles of Satan. They are prayer from the heart and the Rosary, the Eucharist and Holy Mass, the Holy Bible, fasting and monthly Confession.

PRAYER FROM THE HEART AND THE ROSARY

It’s very important to pray from the heart. It gives us a more reassuring feel that our prayer will be granted; but more importantly, God will hear our heartfelt prayer. The Rosary is a very powerful prayer that God has given us to fight evil. When we pray the Rosary, even if we are distracted we should persevere. When we stay strong and carry on praying the Rosary with our hearts; it makes us and our prayer life stronger. Pope Pius XI said, “The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put demons to flight.” Bishop Fulton J. Sheen described its power as ‘beyond description’. We should always carry a Rosary with us wherever we are. It is like a shield against the evil forces and it is especially important that we pray the Rosary together in our families.

THE EUCHARIST AND HOLY MASS

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) paragraph 1324. It is the Eucharist, the body and blood of Jesus that we receive in Holy Mass, which makes the Church so special. Everything we do is “oriented towards it.” (CCC 1324) So all the activities we do for the Church; will, in some ways be related to the Eucharist. We, as followers of Christ, should try to go to Holy Mass as often as we can, every day if possible. We get many blessings from going to Holy Mass and it gives us the strength to do what God is asking us to do. When we receive Holy Communion, since we consume the body of Christ; we and Christ are one in Spirit, so it helps us to act and think like Christ. When we participate in the Holy Mass, we can offer up to God our spiritual lives as well as all our needs and the problems that we face.

THE HOLY BIBLE

“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The Word of God is a sword, a powerful weapon in our lives. “In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, but as what it really is; the word of God.” (CCC104) The Church teaches us that the Word of God is like food for us, sustaining us on our journey of life and faith. Jesus says in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This is why we have so much strength in our Church. The Word of God has kept us going.

FASTING

Through fasting we can gain spiritual strength. In Matthew chapter 4, we see the temptation of Jesus in the desert. For forty days Jesus had fasted and not eaten anything and this gave him the spiritual strength to fight Satan. It also marked the start of Jesus’ three year ministry of preaching and teaching that led to his crucifixion and resurrection. There was a lady named Alexandrina da Costa, who felt that God was calling her to suffer and fast in order to unite herself with the sufferings of Jesus. She didn’t eat any food, except for the Holy Eucharist, for the last thirteen years of her life until she died in 1955. But Jesus told her that when she died He would come with His Mother to take her to heaven. This shows the strength and grace that she received from fasting and suffering until eventually she went to Paradise.

MONTHLY CONFESSION

“Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offenses committed against Him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church.” CCC1422. The Church teaches us that when we sin, we sin against God, but we also become separated from the Church and the people of God. The Sacrament of Confession brings us back to the Church and back to God. Our sin builds up a barrier between us and God and without God’s help we struggle to fight against temptation and sin. When we confess our sins and restore our relationship with Him, God will give us the strength to overcome temptation and start afresh in our spiritual battle.

CONCLUSION

As young people living in a materialistic and unspiritual world, we must use the weapons that God has given us for our spiritual warfare.

 

Written by Sabu Sebastian

Uncategorised 

Evidence for God

DID GOD CREATE EVERYTHING?

It is very unlikely the world came into being by chance. How can humans be made by chance? Our bodies are too complicated. Our internal organs work perfectly together and they each have a function that we rely on. If we look at the natural world around us, it’s so wonderful there had to be an artist to create all these things. How can flowers, birds and butterflies have been created randomly? Charles Darwin, himself said that all these things couldn’t happen by chance. So there had to be an intelligent designer.

IF GOD EXISTS WHY IS THERE EVIL IN THE WORLD?

God has given everyone freewill, so we can choose whether to do good or to do evil. We can choose to love God or to reject him. If we all worked together, mankind could do something about the poverty in this world, however, God won’t make us do it. Imagine what it would feel like if someone had control over you and you couldn’t do what you wanted to. God has given us freedom to choose what to do and He has also given us the Holy Spirit to guide us to make the right decisions. But, it is our choice if we want to listen to Him or not.

ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD

God reveals himself to some people personally and this usually has a big impact on their lives. For many people these personal encounters help them to understand what God is asking them to do with their lives. Mother Teresa decided to lead a religious life and to help the poor after a religious experience in 1946. Other people experience or witness miracles of healing that demonstrate God’s power and prove His existence.

MESSAGES FROM GOD

God has also revealed himself when he has spoken to the Church and the world through the Blessed Virgin Mary. There have been a number of official Marian Apparitions when Our Lady appeared to people with a message or a warning from God. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims believe that God has spoken through Our Lady and visit Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe and other apparition sites each year seeking healing and a personal encounter with God.

SEEING GOD TODAY

God still wants to make his presence known in the world today. He can be seen through the created world that He made and also in new scientific discoveries and advances in medicine and health care. God is not opposed to science – he knows more about the working of sub-atomic particles and the structure of the universe than anyone, he is the one who is holding it all in perfect harmony. He is also still working through miracles and healings. To experience the presence of God more fully we need an open heart and an open mind and to pray for a deeper experience of God in our lives.

Written by Crisilda Jojo