Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles Remembers Kobe Bryant’s Faith in God, Kobe & Daughter Gianna Attended Church Before the Helicopter Crash…

Hello World,

I cannot pretend that I’m a huge sports fan, but I cannot imagine that anyone who lives in the United States doesn’t know Kobe Bryant. I’m still in shock after learning about his death at a mere 41, the death of his 13-year-old lookalike daughter Gianna (known as Gigi) and the death of the other passengers on that tragic helicopter crash on Sunday. I was encouraged when I read this article about his faith in Catholic Courier. See an excerpt below…

As the world mourned the loss of basketball great Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others killed in a tragic helicopter crash Jan. 26, many recalled how Bryant gave much credit to his Catholic faith for seeing him through the bad times and strengthening his marriage and family.

A shooting guard, Bryant was drafted into the NBA at age 17 and played his entire 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships. He retired at the end of the 2015-2016 season.

News of Bryant’s death quickly prompted tributes on social media. On Twitter, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles said “he was sad to hear the news” and offered prayers for him and his family.

See the rest of the article HERE.

Also, Kobe and his daughter went to church that morning before they boarded the helicopter. See an excerpt of a Daily Mail article below…

Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi prayed together at Catholic mass at their local church hours before they both died in the tragic helicopter crash, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The basketball legend and 13-year-old Gigi went to the 7am service at the Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach. They both received Communion.

The father and daughter left the church and soon afterwards boarded the S-76 Sikorsky helicopter piloted by Ara Zobyan which was taking them to the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for Gigi’s basketball practice.

See the rest of the article HERE.

Saints, let’s pray for all of those who loved all nine of the people who lost their lives in that deadly helicopter crash on Sunday. This is a sobering reminder that our lives and time are utterly in the hands of God. I pray that we use our lives and time wisely and to His glory…

Any thoughts?

 

Sherri Shepherd’s 7 years at ‘The View’ & the Mysterious Meaning of No. 7

Hello World,

If you have read a blog post or two here, you know I am a big fan of Sherri Shepherd. Yesterday, Sherri, co-host of ABC’s “The View,” officially addressed rumors that she was leaving the daytime talk show while on the show…

“You know I’m a woman of faith, and seven is the number of God’s completion,” she said, alluding to the amount of years she’s been on the ABC daytime talk show.

“I’ve been here seven years, and my time with ‘The View’ is complete,” Shepherd continued.

Read the rest of the article at: nydailynews.com.

Her mention of the number seven in her official announcement, which happened on 7/7/2014, got me thinking about the number 7 and it’s significance in the Bible.  The number 7 in the Bible often denotes entirety or perfection. God created the earth in seven days. Seven churches were addressed in Revelation. The walls of Jericho came crashing down after they were marched around seven times. Mary Magdalene was possessed by seven demons…And there are many more references to the number seven in the Bible.

And the number seven is significant in my life, I was born on the 7th day of September. The first I book I wrote (which was never published) is my Christian journey from 1996 to 2003. It was only last night that I realized I chronicled the first seven years of my walk with God. In 2003, I began trying to get a book contract and prepare myself to meet my husband, and seven years later, both dreams were fulfilled….

In other celebrity and seven news, Pastor Rudy Ramus of St. John’s United Methodist Church of Houston revealed that Beyonce’, a member of his church, donated $7 million to the church. Her sizable donation enabled 42 homeless men and women to have homes…See a video of Pastor Ramus speaking about her donation below.

So has the number 7 been significant in your life? Or do you not believe that numbers are significant?

Any thoughts?

 

A Sudanese Woman Awaits Appeal of Death Sentence for Her Christian Faith…

Hello World, ibrahim

What are we willing to sacrifice for our faith? As I know that mostly Americans read my blog, I would imagine that most of you, most of us, very rarely if at all, consider true sacrifice as a part of our faith unless it’s Easter. By true sacrifice, I mean giving up something that is very costly, such our lives even, because we profess to be Christians…

However, in other countries that don’t ensure religious freedom, Christians must live in the tension of having faith in God while knowing they may be forced to give up their very lives because of their faith…

Such is the case for 27-year-old Mariam Yehya Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman who has been sentenced to death for refusing to reject her faith in Jesus Christ. According to a CNN article, Ibrahim has been in jail since January 17 and was convicted of apostasy on May 15. Complicating matters, Ibrahim was pregnant when she was jailed and gave birth to her second child, a girl, last month. In addition, her nearly two-year-old son is in jail with her. Her husband, Daniel Wani, who is Christian and an American citizen, told CNN, her case is now being considered by a Sudanese appeals court.

Although Ibrahim’s father was a Muslim, she was raised as a Christian by her mother, an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, after the father abandoned their family when she was 6 six years old. Apparently, her Muslim relatives are the ones that turned Ibrahim into authorities.

In addition to waiting on the decision of the Sudanese appellate court, Wani is also seeking assistance from U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte from New Hampshire, his home state.

As American Christians, we need to be, at the very least, praying for for Mariam Yehya Ibrahim and Daniel Wani. And as we pray, we should also consider what are we willing to sacrifice for our faith?

As the saying goes, Jesus is not willing to bear the cross alone…If you don’t believe me, read John 15:20-21Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say. People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don’t know the one who sent me.

And there are many stories in the Bible and beyond that demonstrate that some of us may have to pay for our faith with our lives…

I’m not a “gloom and doom” Christian by any means, but we have to know that having sincere faith in Jesus Christ will cost us something…

So I ask this question again: What are we willing to sacrifice for our faith?

Below is a video detailing some of this couple’s story…

Any thoughts?