I find reading Charlie's blog The Next Right Step, the writings of Canadian prophet Mark Mallett at The Now Word, the writings from prison of falsely imprisoned Catholic Priest Father Gordon MacRae at These Stone Walls, and also prophecies without commentary from a person under the direction of retired Catholic priest of the London Ontario Diocese Father Sam Johnston at Life in the Spirit very helpful for grounding me in my faith, and above all in Love.
The opening line of the most recent prophecy at Life in the Spirit, "Living in the Present Moment" seems to me to be providential in light of all that is going on in our world, and in the words being presented to us by the above men.
Transformation of the heart is your life's mission, not of anyone else, for it is only one's own heart that you may change.My heart needs lots of work, and often times I have no idea how to go about it, though, oftentimes, I find that I have no idea that I really need it.
But, last night at Sunday Mass at Holy Family Parish in London Ontario, Father Ben Huyge delivered an interesting homily that when I read Charlie's article above later in the evening started to coalesce for me.
Father Ben spoke about accompanying the youth of the parish to see the new Star Wars movie. As a Star Trek fan himself, he was prepared to be underwhelmed. But, the use of 3D in the film grabbed him, and so as he said it led to a homily. Father Ben can see a homily in a John Deere tractor, so a blockbuster movie is a step down for him.
As I pondered his words, it came to me. Believers in the lordship of Jesus Christ are called to live in a third dimension in a world that is actually only two dimensional. Hence the title of this article.
The Next Right Step is current and prophetic writings that are not for the faint of heart. Charlie, in his own inimitable style is trying to prepare those who embrace Christ to live today and every day simply, seeking to always take the Next Right Step. He has warned us repeatedly that we are embarking on a Storm, the proportions of which are beyond any type of storm we can imagine, and the repercussions of which will be catastrophic for many, but which are meant to draw all back to the arms of God.
God draws straight with crooked lines, and so he uses people like Charlie, Mark Mallett, Father Sam, you and me, the crooked lines, to get to and take others to the foot of the Cross, to enter into the loving outstretched arms of Our Dear Saviour Jesus Christ.
I imagine that it is often exasperating for Charlie and for anyone who has a prophetic mission that we just don't get it, and so he, Mark and others keep presenting it over and over again, with different nuance in hopes that we will have the aha moments required.
Proverbs 29:18 says: "Where there is no vision the people get out of hand; happy are they who keep the law."
It seems to me that difficulties we face in our daily lives are because of the narrowness of our vision, and this can be seen from time to time in comments that pop up on The Next Right Step.
As much of what Charlie writes on TNRS is about the Storm, and an ultimate Rescue, some comments ask about when and what specifically is going to happen. When is it going to happen, end, get really going, or whatever? When will it end? Can I still get my meds, access my cash, eat chocolate etc.?
These are all two dimensional questions, and typical of the questions we would ask in our daily lives.
We, as Christians, are called to live in the world, not to be of it. We are called to be disinterested in much of what goes on, not in the people to whom things are happening, but in the things themselves. Our home is not here. It is, in fact, in another dimension, heaven. So, we are being called to live in that third dimension of heaven. Matthew presents the words of John the Baptist in 3:2: "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand."
So, we do not by our experience, know how to live in 3D. And that is where Charlie, Mark and Father Gordon come in, and others who are trying to be bearers of the same or similar messages.
Charlie gives us three directions that are key to the third dimension. He has been trying to drill into us as a Drill Sergeant would the following: Acknowledge God. Take the Next Right Step. Be a Sign of Hope for others.
Acknowledging God is beyond our 2D world, because this 2D world is all about me (or you), even if we don’t think so. Acknowledging God takes us outside ourselves, and without doing so we cannot possible move on to taking the Next Right Step. But, acknowledging God is not meant to be like we acknowledge someone we pass on the street. That nod of the head, is in fact not real acknowledgement, and not what that word really means. Merriam Webster defines Acknowledge to mean:
:to say that you accept or do not deny the truth or existence of (something)and, among others
:to recognize the rights, authority, or status of
Acknowledging God is not a trivial undertaking. It is serious business. To accept or recognize God we must enter into a relationship with Him, in His threefold personhood, and this cannot be done without effort on our part. Acknowledgement of God is about that transformation of the heart referenced above in the prophecy from Life in the Spirit.
If we try to take the Next Right Step (NRS) without acknowledging God, we will do so only in 2 dimensions. We might get the NRS, but if so, it will be by accident, or divine intervention. The Next Right Step we take, is not about us, and actually has very little to do with us. It is our individual step, all right, but taken properly, is ordered into the full 3D world, not just the 2D image we live in.
Some readers of TNRS are focused on what devotion to undertake, at what time of day, and where, and when and how things are going to happen. Devotions are a means of communing with Our God, but they are not a checklist, and there is no one checklist if they were on one. The many sacraments, devotions and practices of the faith that are available are to draw us deeper into relationship with the God we are to acknowledge. They are means of that acknowledgement.
But, to get overly focused on the particular practices, and not on the one for whom they are means of devotion is to be basically saying that one does not want to make the Next Wrong Step (NWS). If so, the point is missed.
If we are trying to avoid the NWS, then our acknowledgment of God is merely tacit, and there is no way to move to the next item and be a sign of hope for anyone. Trying to avoid wrong steps is a sign of fear of failure, and that is not helpful.
Pray the Rosary with your heart. Attend Mass with your heart. Go to Confession with your heart. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with your heart. Spend time in an Adoration Chapel with your heart. But, do so when each, any or all of these are the Next Right Step to take.
Charlie has guided readers, after Acknowledging God and taking the Next Right Step, to be signs of hope for others. Being a sign of hope for others is actually an advanced Next Right Step and Acknowledgement of God, but cannot be taken by one who has not oriented themselves to Acknowledgement of God and taking the Next Right Step such that their life is by itself a sign of hope.
Today in the article linked above there was an interesting dialogue in the comments largely involving Charlie and a bishop of the Church, who uses the handle Yong Duk. They were mulling over respectfully a weighty matter involving the use of lies for a particular purpose, in this instance the case of the videos of Planned Parenthood and the selling of aborted baby parts. Of great interest is that they are somewhat apart on the matter, but carefully weighing the input of the other, and insertions from other readers as well. In the 2 dimensional world we inhabit, it is all ultimately about me or you, and so I have an interest in being right, and often have trouble laying that down to get to the truth. That is not what I have observed here, as I see 3 dimensional thinking and interaction, and that is a witness to the faith we are called to live. Wow!! It is a sign of hope for us.
There is in fact a Next Right Step for each of us relative to what has been written. The issue of “Truth” and “Lies” is a serious matter, and as our world (the 2D one) keeps unraveling, we will be faced with serious challenges to protect ourselves, our families and our friends in the face of persecution. If we do not contemplate how we will handle serious challenges in the future and prepare ourselves, we are likely to make mistakes that could be disastrous for loved ones, and others God is calling.
Part of taking the Next Right Step is taking right steps today that will set us up to take the Next Right Step again tomorrow when the going gets tougher.
If, and only if, we have acknowledged God, and taken the Next Right Step repeatedly, then and only then can we be a sign of hope to others. Being a sign of hope, though an extension of Acknowledging God and taking the Next Right Step is going to prove crucial to helping our loved ones, and those we have not had occasion to love yet to get to safe and holy ground in the coming days.
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