Who is the Holy Spirit? There is more than one symbol used in the scriptures that tells us of who He is and what He’s about. There is for instance the Dove. The Dove speaks of the Spirit’s gentleness and His peace-like nature. There is fire. The fire conveys to the Christian a type of power, a power that at times overwhelms us. It burns in the very center of our being in accordance with our faith, and therefore can cause us to become great in word and in deed. We mustn’t forget the Wind. The Wind portrays the mystique of the Holy Spirit, and indeed He is mysterious. Jesus compared the Spirit to the mystery of the wind when describing to Nicodemus that holy birth given from above: “The wind blows where it wishes,” he said, “and you can hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The peaceful and gentle Dove, the all consuming Fire, the mysterious Wind. We call this imagery, and it is this imagery that gives us a glimpse into the nature of the One we call the Holy Spirit.
Yet the imagery that I have found to be my very favorite cannot be discovered in the scriptures. It is however certainly biblical. Though it would reveal the Spirit’s peace, its consummation of us, and its mystique, these are not its emphasis. Its emphasis is the Spirit’s infinity, yet all of the Spirit’s attributes are to be found in the picture. I believe that the imagery of which I speak was given me of the Spirit, and I have come to cherish it to this day. I once envisioned an infinite ocean – a sunlit infinite ocean of peace and love and joy, and really every good gift that comes down from “the Father of lights.” Not on the north, or the south, or the east, or the west, was there seen a shore. Likewise there existed no floor to the Great Ocean. It did however have one border. The Ocean ended at the top, I guess is a way of putting it. Yes, the Ocean’s only border was the surface. But the surface is needed since this is the Ocean that we are baptized down into when we are baptized into God’s Holy Spirit. It is much different than being baptized into water. When we are baptized into water, the water is physical and without life. Also it has borders, even if they are not within our view. But when we are baptized into the Holy Spirit of God the waters are spiritual and altogether alive. These are the living waters that we read of in the scriptures. To add, there are no borders, since this Ocean is God the Holy Spirit, and all who believe in Him and know Him also know that He is from everlasting to everlasting.
It is a very sad thing that the average Pentecostal believes that speaking in tongues signifies that the baptism of the Spirit has been made complete. But the fact of the matter is that this great baptism is never made complete. For what the first step of a never ending journey is to the remainder of the journey, so is the experience of speaking in other tongues to this Spirit baptism. It is only one of the very first things to occur, yet we make it to cover the length and breadth of our adventure. This I say because we use the terms “tongues,” and “baptism of the Holy Spirit,” interchangeably, as though there is no difference at all between the two. But I repeat, “tongues,” is only a small part of this experience. It occurs when we first go under the surface of the waters, being as I said, one of the very first things to occur. That is why we often hear it referred to as the “initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” However, from that point God wants to move us on; He wants to take us deeper under the surface. He wants us to come to know Him down in the depths of His Spirit – an intimate knowing of Him.
There are many Christians who speak with other tongues whose lives all but fall apart in times of trials. When the stormy tempestuous winds blow they are tossed to and fro. Why is this? It’s because they have never ventured very far down beneath the surface of the waters, where they had first received the gift of tongues. And don’t we all know how the waters at the surface get tossed about during the times of great gales? Since those waters are the spiritual lodging places of many, the many are tossed about. However, the waters far down under are not moved at all. When the fierce winds blow, the waters of the deep remain still and calm, and full of peace. Likewise, those who know their God in the depths of this Spirit Ocean are still and at peace during the dark and threatening days of their lives. This is why our Lord was so calm during the storm on the Sea of Galilee, as opposed to His disciples, who were frantic with fear. Their lodging places were on the surface of the waters in those days, and it was those very same disturbed waters that were actually symbolizing who they were.
There is a very important factor about this Ocean that makes it different than any ocean of our Earth. The further down you descend in any of the oceans of our world, the darker it becomes, for we are going further away from the sun. On the contrary, the further we go into the great Spirit Ocean, the lighter it becomes. For now we draw ever more near to the True Light of the world, of which the sun is only in some ways a type. Also we become engulfed in the “Father of Lights.” And do they not speak of the knowledge of Him? Oh the joy and the power of the waters made alive by His Spirit! And their length and breadth are from everlasting to everlasting. Praise Him; praise Him for the life eternal that He bestows upon those who call on Him, whoever descends to know the heart of the Father in the fullness of understanding. Other tongues? We’ve only just begun, as a lady once sang. We have only broken the ocean’s surface. And the surface waters will always afford us many wonderful pleasures in our God. But they should not become our lodging place. For the Ocean is great. And where can its boundaries be discovered? Let us not be afraid to know Him in the deep.
J. Pecoraro
Feb. 10th, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Another Kind of Brother: Remembering Raul Velez
Some days ago I received a bit of tragic news from the director of Chicago Teen Challenge, a place where I had worked on a part-time basis, from February of 1996 to January of 2003. As we rode along in his vehicle he informed me that Raul Velez, a student I had come to know well in those days, had been shot and killed on his sister’s front porch. It happened on the day before Thanksgiving, while he was calling on his nephew. Upon hearing this I cried out in anguish, “oh no!” Never had I reacted so emotionally in hearing of someone’s death, whether friend or relative. I had even surprised myself. But Raul was special in my eyes. Sometimes you meet a person, and after getting to know them awhile, you sense that they are of a like spirit as your own. That’s the way it was with him and I. Over the months that he was there we had developed a mutual appreciation for one another.
I would say that about seven hundred men entered that program in my seven years there. I considered us all brothers, not sons of one human father, to be sure. We were brothers of another kind, sons of our Father above. And never were we this more, than when our spirits were joined together to study the Word of Truth. Of all seven hundred, I cannot think of one whose friendship I valued more than I did Raul’s. And this was the one who I had received the horrifying news about. In the past, I don’t know how many times I’ve told my wife that the Cubs had traded my favorite player. It seemed this happened every year for quite a few years. However, that was only one out of thirty players or so. But now, out of seven hundred, I’d lost my favorite brother. I only hope that a real gem is given us in his place.
Only two years ago, I and another former student of Teen Challenge, went to pick up Raul at his house. It was great to see him again. All three of us were gone from the program a good while now. I learned of how some months before, Raul was shot multiple times by a gang banger, a former rival of his. He had nearly died, but was spared. Raul lived in a gang infested neighborhood, in which he himself was once involved in gang activity. Not only this, but he was an important figure, feared and respected by many. He also had a reputation of brawling with the men in blue. It seemed he had no fear of anything in those days.
It was sometime around 2001 that Raul entered Teen Challenge. He had grown tired of all his evil ways, and no doubt, numerous incarcerations. He knew that somewhere God was watching, and that with Him there must be forgiveness; he was determined to seek His face and to throw himself upon His mercy. This is what he’d done. He finished the program, refusing to drop out as did so many. Raul’s life had become a changed one. He struggled more than most to stay on the right path. Still, if he wandered off, he’d find his way back again. He was not of the quitting kind.
Living only two or three blocks from the Teen Challenge center, he would often take walks there. He found that visiting and talking with the staff proved to be a means of spiritual support for him. It was during one of those walks that he was badly shot up. Seeing the vehicle approach, he knew there was nowhere to run. All that he could do was to throw himself under a parked car. The offender then hopped out of his own car, and mercilessly placing his firearm under the vehicle where Raul lay, he let the hot lead fly. I later saw his scars- not a very pretty sight.
Back somewhere around fifty years ago, a smash hit play came to Broadway. Later it became a movie. Over time I’ve viewed it again and again. If it hasn’t become my very favorite movie ever, there couldn’t be more than two or three others that would rival it. The name of it is West Side Story. Both the setting and its story line seem for some reason to resonate deep within me, making a connection in my spirit that I could never put into words. Being drawn to the inner city, and the love that I have for it, is a thing that God has placed in my heart, I’m sure. My desire is towards it and its people. No doubt this is why the Lord has led me into ministry in these areas. Raul Velez lived his entire life in the inner city. Surprisingly, his life mirrored that of one of West Side Story’s main characters. His name was Tony. For most of Tony’s days, few as they were, there was but one thing that he lived for. It was the gang to which he belonged. Also his gang brothers considered him a very important person to the family. These same things could have been said about Raul.
There came a day when Tony sensed a very beautiful thing coming his way. It was just around the corner, just down the street; this was what he had told his best buddy. The news seemed good to Riff. But what scared him was the fact that this thing may not have been connected to their way of life. For as of late Tony seemed to be losing interest in the Jets – the Jets – that which had become their world. Likewise it occurred with Raul. He’d reached a point where he had envisioned another road for himself, a brighter hope, a greater future, one in fact that would span eternity. Subsequently, upon coming to Teen Challenge, he came to believe in the concept of everlasting life in a wonderful city of pure light, a city made without hands, as the scripture tells it. Raul came to believe in such a place. Beyond this he learned to embrace its promises.
In the movie, West Side Story, Tony’s dream appeared to him one night, just as he believed it would. It came in the form of a beautiful young lady. He’d met her at a dance. It was love at first sight, as we like to say. The two wasted no time in making plans. First and foremost they would marry. And though she was the sister of a rival gang leader, they would win him over. They would also make Riff understand. Beyond this they would bring the Jets and the Sharks together in peace. Lastly, due to the fact that the two were not of the same race, they’d also cause their parents to see through the same new eyes that they had discovered. Then, upon changing so many lives for the good, they would leave the inner city. They would seek out open spaces – a place to stretch out their souls. They’d find peace and quiet and raise their own family. Their hope was firm and their joy was bursting, while they looked ahead to a bright future. It was never meant to be for the young couple, so filled with love for each other. When news of the two reached the ears of a certain member of the Sharks, he found Tony and gunned him down. The sounds of shots sent members of both gangs running to where he lay. Also, there came the one he loved. As he drew his last breaths, Maria sang to him even now a beautiful song of hope. Tony died on the same bloodstained streets he once played on, and later fought on, the only streets he would ever know. Very similar were the circumstances surrounding the death of Raul Velez. After completing his time at Teen Challenge, he began to distance himself from his former associates. More time passed and he had moved to a neighborhood further west of where he grew up. It wasn’t considered a high crime area; neither was it gang infested. Raul had become engaged and was looking forward to a marriage in which he was about to become a father to a young boy about ten years of age. He had received his CDL and it seemed it was but a matter of time before he’d be landing a job. But just like with Tony, his dream for some reason was not meant to be. Who knows why but God and the angels - most especially the ones who knew and walked with Raul? But we poor mortals could only speculate. Would the words of fools sound empty to the wise? Nearly every time. Would the words of the wise make sense to fools? Probably not. But in the end it still remains that it is God alone who fully knows and understands every matter. What the family and friends of Raul Velez could only know for sure, is that on November 26th, 2008, the day before Thanksgiving, he was shot to death on his sister’s porch. He drew his last breath on the same bloodstained streets that he once played on, and later fought on, the only streets he would ever really know. His blossom fell, and short of the bright future he had begun to envision. I must believe that he’s been caught up to an even brighter place, a land of eternal light, where he’ll again know the young lady and her boy, but then in a much more perfect way. And he’ll know not only them, but the untold number that his God shall bring him. God bless my brother. Eternal life to my good friend.
J. Pecoraro
Jan 28th, 2009
P.S. Pray for the family of Raul.
I would say that about seven hundred men entered that program in my seven years there. I considered us all brothers, not sons of one human father, to be sure. We were brothers of another kind, sons of our Father above. And never were we this more, than when our spirits were joined together to study the Word of Truth. Of all seven hundred, I cannot think of one whose friendship I valued more than I did Raul’s. And this was the one who I had received the horrifying news about. In the past, I don’t know how many times I’ve told my wife that the Cubs had traded my favorite player. It seemed this happened every year for quite a few years. However, that was only one out of thirty players or so. But now, out of seven hundred, I’d lost my favorite brother. I only hope that a real gem is given us in his place.
Only two years ago, I and another former student of Teen Challenge, went to pick up Raul at his house. It was great to see him again. All three of us were gone from the program a good while now. I learned of how some months before, Raul was shot multiple times by a gang banger, a former rival of his. He had nearly died, but was spared. Raul lived in a gang infested neighborhood, in which he himself was once involved in gang activity. Not only this, but he was an important figure, feared and respected by many. He also had a reputation of brawling with the men in blue. It seemed he had no fear of anything in those days.
It was sometime around 2001 that Raul entered Teen Challenge. He had grown tired of all his evil ways, and no doubt, numerous incarcerations. He knew that somewhere God was watching, and that with Him there must be forgiveness; he was determined to seek His face and to throw himself upon His mercy. This is what he’d done. He finished the program, refusing to drop out as did so many. Raul’s life had become a changed one. He struggled more than most to stay on the right path. Still, if he wandered off, he’d find his way back again. He was not of the quitting kind.
Living only two or three blocks from the Teen Challenge center, he would often take walks there. He found that visiting and talking with the staff proved to be a means of spiritual support for him. It was during one of those walks that he was badly shot up. Seeing the vehicle approach, he knew there was nowhere to run. All that he could do was to throw himself under a parked car. The offender then hopped out of his own car, and mercilessly placing his firearm under the vehicle where Raul lay, he let the hot lead fly. I later saw his scars- not a very pretty sight.
Back somewhere around fifty years ago, a smash hit play came to Broadway. Later it became a movie. Over time I’ve viewed it again and again. If it hasn’t become my very favorite movie ever, there couldn’t be more than two or three others that would rival it. The name of it is West Side Story. Both the setting and its story line seem for some reason to resonate deep within me, making a connection in my spirit that I could never put into words. Being drawn to the inner city, and the love that I have for it, is a thing that God has placed in my heart, I’m sure. My desire is towards it and its people. No doubt this is why the Lord has led me into ministry in these areas. Raul Velez lived his entire life in the inner city. Surprisingly, his life mirrored that of one of West Side Story’s main characters. His name was Tony. For most of Tony’s days, few as they were, there was but one thing that he lived for. It was the gang to which he belonged. Also his gang brothers considered him a very important person to the family. These same things could have been said about Raul.
There came a day when Tony sensed a very beautiful thing coming his way. It was just around the corner, just down the street; this was what he had told his best buddy. The news seemed good to Riff. But what scared him was the fact that this thing may not have been connected to their way of life. For as of late Tony seemed to be losing interest in the Jets – the Jets – that which had become their world. Likewise it occurred with Raul. He’d reached a point where he had envisioned another road for himself, a brighter hope, a greater future, one in fact that would span eternity. Subsequently, upon coming to Teen Challenge, he came to believe in the concept of everlasting life in a wonderful city of pure light, a city made without hands, as the scripture tells it. Raul came to believe in such a place. Beyond this he learned to embrace its promises.
In the movie, West Side Story, Tony’s dream appeared to him one night, just as he believed it would. It came in the form of a beautiful young lady. He’d met her at a dance. It was love at first sight, as we like to say. The two wasted no time in making plans. First and foremost they would marry. And though she was the sister of a rival gang leader, they would win him over. They would also make Riff understand. Beyond this they would bring the Jets and the Sharks together in peace. Lastly, due to the fact that the two were not of the same race, they’d also cause their parents to see through the same new eyes that they had discovered. Then, upon changing so many lives for the good, they would leave the inner city. They would seek out open spaces – a place to stretch out their souls. They’d find peace and quiet and raise their own family. Their hope was firm and their joy was bursting, while they looked ahead to a bright future. It was never meant to be for the young couple, so filled with love for each other. When news of the two reached the ears of a certain member of the Sharks, he found Tony and gunned him down. The sounds of shots sent members of both gangs running to where he lay. Also, there came the one he loved. As he drew his last breaths, Maria sang to him even now a beautiful song of hope. Tony died on the same bloodstained streets he once played on, and later fought on, the only streets he would ever know. Very similar were the circumstances surrounding the death of Raul Velez. After completing his time at Teen Challenge, he began to distance himself from his former associates. More time passed and he had moved to a neighborhood further west of where he grew up. It wasn’t considered a high crime area; neither was it gang infested. Raul had become engaged and was looking forward to a marriage in which he was about to become a father to a young boy about ten years of age. He had received his CDL and it seemed it was but a matter of time before he’d be landing a job. But just like with Tony, his dream for some reason was not meant to be. Who knows why but God and the angels - most especially the ones who knew and walked with Raul? But we poor mortals could only speculate. Would the words of fools sound empty to the wise? Nearly every time. Would the words of the wise make sense to fools? Probably not. But in the end it still remains that it is God alone who fully knows and understands every matter. What the family and friends of Raul Velez could only know for sure, is that on November 26th, 2008, the day before Thanksgiving, he was shot to death on his sister’s porch. He drew his last breath on the same bloodstained streets that he once played on, and later fought on, the only streets he would ever really know. His blossom fell, and short of the bright future he had begun to envision. I must believe that he’s been caught up to an even brighter place, a land of eternal light, where he’ll again know the young lady and her boy, but then in a much more perfect way. And he’ll know not only them, but the untold number that his God shall bring him. God bless my brother. Eternal life to my good friend.
J. Pecoraro
Jan 28th, 2009
P.S. Pray for the family of Raul.
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