Tag Archives: Family

NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos Remembered As Man of Ministry

Officer Rafael Ramos, murdered at the hands of a madman on Saturday, was remembered as a man with a deep commitment to the church and a passion for ministry.

Ramos, 40, had been working to become a chaplain and was just hours away from completing the New York State Chaplain Task Force at the time of his death.

“Ralph Ramos was a long-standing member of 14 years at Christ Tabernacle. When he was not working, he was highly involved in our church. He served as an usher, was part of our marriage ministry and life group ministry. He and his family are well loved throughout the congregation,” said Rev. Adam Durso of Christ Tabernacle Church.

“Ralph was definitely a family man. He always talked about his kids and how well they were doing athletically and academically. He loved his church and family. He leaves behind his wife, Maritza, and two sons, Justin and Jayden, plus a host of family and friends. This is a tragic loss for us as a church, but we are committed to Maritza, Jayden and Justin to give them what Ralph gave us week in and week out.”

The daughter of Eric Garner, the man who died after a chokehold incident with the NYPD, reached out to the son of Ramos after Jayden Ramos posted a tribute to his father on Facebook.

“It hit my heart because I know what it feels like with this upcoming season and you don’t have your father around,” Emerald Garner wrote to Ramos. “I know firsthand what you’re feeling.”

Building Family Traditions

When God gave me and Jim our five beautiful children, I wanted to create traditions in our family that they could remember over the years and pass down to their own children (as Little Lori is now doing).

One of those traditions that I dearly love is reading the “Legend of the Candy Cane” at Christmastime.  I believe it’s so important to honor the birthday of Jesus at Christmas in everything we do, so this was a perfect blend” of the “sweet” things that go along with Christmas!

Our children also love reading the “Christmas Story” (another family tradition) along with the “Legend of the Candy Cane.” In fact, some of them even learned to read with these family traditions! Continue reading →

A Tribute to Grandma Maxine

I can look back over my life of nearly 75 years now and count on one hand the number of Godly women that have impacted my life so dramatically as Grandma Maxine Smith. I loved her dearly, and she loved me. It seems that God always sent me exactly who I needed when I needed them and Grandma Maxine came into my life at a time when God was restoring the things I never dreamt would be restored – the love and affection of a Grandma, for instance. You see, all my Grandmas had gone to heaven and God must have known how much I still needed one, so He sent me Grandma Maxine to fill a huge hole in my heart and fill it she did, right along with Grandma Irwin, my natural Grandma who had gone to be with Jesus many years before, and with Vestal Goodman, another of my adopted Grandmas.  Vestal held us all together when we were being torn apart in our great time of testing back in the ‘80’s. She was a great woman of God, and she loved us unconditionally. Continue reading →

Almost One in Four American Families Seek Church Food Pantry Help

A new study from LifeWay shows almost a quarter of American families have sought help from church food pantries to meet their needs.

The survey of 1,158 families found that 22 percent have “relied on a church program to feed their families.”  Only 26 percent of those families were churchgoers and only one third said they were Christians.

“There is an abundance of food in the U.S., but plenty of people still go hungry,” LifeWay Research vice president Scott McConnell said.

The food bank network Feeding America said that 50 million Americans struggle to put food on the table.

“Many churches respond by faithfully following the biblical principle of being open handed to the poor and needy by maintaining well-stocked food pantries to share,” McConnell said.

Reflections on Thanksgiving

First of all, I’m thankful for the call God put on my life even before I was born. The Holy Spirit has been at work in my heart all my life and He called me to be a born again member of God’s own family. God continues to work in my life and will make sure I get to heaven safely because I trust in Him. It was God Who gave me the Dream, Vision and Purpose of my life’s work, and it is He Who enables me to keep doing it as long as He gives me strength!

Even though the going gets rough in life at times, we are tested and purified by fire:

1 Peter 1:7 ESV So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Continue reading →

A Thankful Heart

There are so many things I could speak of that I am thankful for that it’s hard to zero in on just a few, but I will try for the purpose of this writing. To tell of them all would be a book of which the volume is far too large for a blog like this.

But just to frame what I’m about to say, it’s important to remember how essential it is to have a thankful heart – a heart that is grateful for all things. This is more than just a cliché. This is a principal for living an overcoming life in the Kingdom of God. Being thankful comes against any prideful attitude that may hinder our spiritual growth. Thankfulness presupposes humility, which is in direct contrast to pride. And we all know that it was pride that got satan kicked out of heaven  (Isaiah 14:12-15)! Continue reading →

Russell Moore, Rick Warren Join Pope’s “Interfaith Conference”

Two major evangelical Christian leaders have accepted invitations from Pope Francis to take part in a worldwide “interfaith conference on marriage and family.”

In addition to Catholics and Christians, the “Complementarity of Man and Woman” conference will feature leaders from Judiasm, Islam, Hinduism and multiple other faiths.

Moore, a driving force in the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote on his website that he is attending because he will take the true gospel of Christ anywhere that he’s invited and he hopes to be able to reaffirm the true definition of marriage.

“I hope that this gathering of religious leaders can stand in solidarity on the common grace, creational mandate of marriage and family as necessary for human flourishing and social good,” Moore wrote.  “I also hope that we can learn from one another about where these matters stand around the world.”

Warren and others who have reached out to the Catholic Church have received criticism that they are ignoring the truth of the Gospel the conflicts with parts of Roman Catholic teachings.

Saeed Abedini’s Mother Flees To U.S.

The mother of an American pastor imprisoned in Iran because he’s a Christian has fled for the United States because of threats to her life.

“Facing threats in Iran, Saeed’s mom is now safely out of the country,” Naghmeh Abedini, the pastor’s wife, told FoxNews.com. “We look forward to seeing her soon here in the United States. It has been a difficult time for all of us — including Saeed’s mom.  She did not want to leave Iran. She did not want to say goodbye to her son.”

Abedini’s mother has not been released because of security reasons.  She is still in the nation and is in an unnamed country awaiting her travel to the continental U.S.  She revealed that Iranian officials have banned her from visiting her son at Rajai Shahr prison.

The ACLJ says that Saeed is continuing to be beaten for his faith and is in need of medical attention.

“We remain concerned about the health and safety of pastor Saeed, who continues to be held in an Iranian prison because of his faith,” said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the ACLJ.  “We know that he needs medical care for injuries received during his captivity. It is an increasingly frustrating time for pastor Saeed and his family, both in this country and in Iran.”

New York Court Rules Marriage Valid Between Uncle and Niece

The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that a marriage between an uncle and niece is not a violation of restrictions against incestuous marriage.

The court ruled that “parent-child and brother-sister marriages . . . are grounded in the almost universal horror with which such marriages are viewed . . . there is no comparably strong objection to uncle-niece marriages.”

The case focused on a Vietnamese citizen who married her uncle in what the government said was an illegal marriage in an attempt to not be deported.  A judge in 2000 ruled the marriage invalid and ordered deportation.

The husband in the case was the half-brother of the girl’s mother.

“This really was an all-or-nothing issue for them,” lawyer Michael Marscalkowski commented. “If this would have been denied, she would have been deported and sent back to Vietnam.”

The lawyer argued that because they were only half-siblings, they only had at maximum 1/8th of the DNA like cousins, who are allowed to legally marry.

Imprisoned Pastor’s Wife Speaks Out On Second Anniversary

The wife of imprisoned American Pastor Saeed Abedini is speaking out about the lack of moment by the U.S. government on her husband’s behalf as he marks two years behind bars.

Naghmeh Abedini addressed the issue on Friday ahead of her speech Saturday at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.  She says that the Obama administration has gotten better about speaking about her husband’s plight over the years.

“They’ve come a long way,” said Naghmeh. “The first six months when Saeed was in prison there were no statements. The last year and a half we’ve seen a few statements.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last spoke of Saeed’s plight where he also called for the release of other Americans being held by Iranian authorities.

“The United States respectfully calls on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to release Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, and Jason Rezaian to their families and work cooperatively with us to find Robert Levinson and bring him home,” said Kerry.  At the time, Kerry claimed the government was working hard to see the release of the prisoners.

Naghmeh Abedini is not so sure.

“I have to say it is frustrating. It has been two years. It seems like there are a lot of statements, but no action. What are we doing to get him home?” she said.

Naghmeh says that she has felt stronger support coming from countries other than the United States, which boosts her hope that her husband may soon be released from custody.

“It’s encouraging because now it just isn’t between the U.S. and Iran,” said Naghmeh. “It’s the whole world speaking out. Brazil, Canada, England and other European nations have been a great support.”

Prayer rallies for Saeed Abedini were held around the world Friday on the two-year anniversary with over 400 gatherings in countries from Brazil to Kenya.