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MAY 2002 Dear Friends, May the Holy Spirit of Christ reign in your hearts! In every age, throughout salvation history, God has raised up ordinary men and women to accomplish extraordinary things in the fulfillment of His divine will in the lives of mankind. Beginning with the patriarchs, judges, kings and prophets of Israel we see this principle at work, as God formed His people. In the New Testament times, through the lives of Mary and the apostles, the martyrs, saints, and church leaders, we can see how God has brought forth ordinary men and women to lead and guide others into the fullness of the infinite love and mercy of the Father. What is it that transformed these ordinary men and women into such dynamic saints? Many times I have read about the day of Pentecost described in the Book of Acts and each time I find myself desiring that extraordinary power that changed a group of uneducated fishermen from Galilee into saints through which the world would never be the same. The transforming power of the Holy Spirit poured out on the apostles at Pentecost is alive and well in our world 2000 years later. Why is it that we do not experience this power in our own lives? The truth is that some people do experience this power in extraordinary ways. These spiritual pathfinders are always identified by an unreserved "yes" to the calling of the Holy Spirit in their lives as with Mary's fiat at the Annunciation. They are often called from unlikely beginnings, so that no one may attribute their accomplishments to the work of human hands, but all must acknowledge them as being done by the hand of God for the glory of His name. We have witnessed in this very age and in our own lifetime the Lord raising up a simple, pious, Polish priest to become the beautiful and world changing gift of Pope John Paul II. We have seen the Lord transform a humble, holy nun into a Mother Theresa, acknowledged by Christians and non-Christians worldwide as an authentic witness of the Lord's charity and grace. Perhaps on a smaller scale, yet no less authentic, those of us in the Community of God's Delight have experienced the power of Pentecost; and, like Bobbie Cavnar, have had the privilege of coming to know Christ and of entering into His personal, dynamic, charismatic life in the Spirit. It is through the Spirit of Pentecost working in us that for the past fourteen years the Lord has used ordinary men and women of the Christian Community of God's Delight to do extraordinary things through the production of THE WAY HOME weekly television program. My name is Mike Wagner, I am the new leader and head of the Christian Community of God's Delight. "Produced by the Christian Community of God's Delight," is the first credit seen at the end of each program. Indeed, our community has been behind all of these one thousand and sixty weekly programs produced over the last twenty-one years. Bobbie Cavnar, who introduced THE WAY HOME program and authored all of the Newsletters for the past fourteen years was the founder and leader of our community for nearly thirty years. My father, Jack Wagner, was also on the leadership team of the community for nearly fifteen years until his death in 1988. For those of you who remember The Glory of God program, it was my father's voice you heard, introducing and closing each program. We are very grateful to Chris Cavnar for his assistance during this time of transition with the letters and programs about his father, following Bobbie's death in February. Comforted and strengthened by the intercession of Bobbie, my father and of many other holy men and women from our community who are now with the Lord, we press on. Much like the early church fathers that followed in the footsteps of the great apostles Peter and Paul, we now place our gifts and talents more fully at the service of Christ to continue the legacy of our fathers in the calling of Catholic evangelization begun in our midst. Constantly seeking His face and inspiration, we pray for new means to share His love in ways that speak to the hearts of His audience as only the Spirit can. With our lives and with our prayers, we desire to share through the media of television more effectively than ever before the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the vision for the Bobbie J. Cavnar Training Center for worldwide Catholic television and production training prematurely announced in last month's newsletter. Unfortunately, the Lord has not provided the underlying financial support necessary for that project to proceed and we have chosen to delay this endeavor indefinitely. We will continue to serve the Church with training services, as we have in the past, using our current facilities and capabilities. Instead, we have elected to revisit our roots. We begin this new era in THE WAY HOME with inspired teachers such as Fr. Tom Forrest and Bishop Valerian D'Souza, as well as beautiful stories of great faith from all over the world like Cuba, Guatemala, and Russia. We will also share with you testimonies and experiences from our community life here in Dallas, Texas, where individuals and families, just like you, are finding unique ways to live the life of holiness in our secular culture, as we seek to serve the Lord with our whole hearts. We invite you to join us in this calling not only by watching THE WAY HOME, but also by entering into the ministry of Catholic evangelization. Tell a friend about THE WAY HOME. Invite a friend to church, a bible study or a prayer group. Let the light of Christ living in you shine out for the world to see and watch to see if the Lord will not do extraordinary things in someone's life through an ordinary you. Please visit THE WAY HOME web site at lumen2000.com where you will find a number of prayers to the Holy Spirit, inviting him to come and renew your life. You will also find there the special Pentecost Prayer Sequence used by Father Bob Hilz, our resident Chaplain, in his daily prayers. Also available are Father Bob's commentaries on the scripture readings for daily Mass, book lists on the Holy Spirit and Spiritual direction, clips from the program and copies of our monthly newsletters. As always, during these trying financial times, we actively solicit your financial support. THE WAY HOME is a nonprofit ministry that maintains its existence through the support of viewers like you. We thank you for your support in the past and ask that you continue your support as the Lord provides the means. You may make a contribution now through our secure server by clicking here.. You may submit your prayer intention so that we can pray for by clicking here . Also, you may order the tape offered this month, Personal Pentecost of Father Tom Forrest, by clicking here . . All prayer intentions are lifted up daily by our staff, at the weekly prayer gathering of our community and at various masses during the week. Please pray for us as we continue to pray for you. May the God of Pentecost bless us and fill us with the power of his Holy Spirit as we travel together on THE WAY HOME. Forever in His Service, Mike Wagner |
