Musing – A Spiritual awakening or My Testimony

 Hebraic Musing – A Spiritual awakening  or   My Testimony 

While at work on January 23, 1969, I received a phone call from the Hospital that our baby daughter, Catherine Margaret, had been in an accident.  Dashed to the hospital and right there in the ER while staring at lifeless Catherine, I clearly vowed to myself “This will not break up our marriage.”  This started a Spiritual challenge. 

Seven years later… PeggyMom and I attended the next step in my Spiritual Awakening, a Marriage Encounter weekend, Feb. 14, 1976.  I don’t remember many dates, but that one was the start of My testimony.

After our Marriage Encounter experience, I became a curious seeker and enjoyed the fellowship and learnings in our monthly Renewal meetings with other couples.  One couple I especially admired was Bill and Mary Blessing.  They had something I wanted; and they frequently talked about their Cursillo weekend experience.  I did not understand what was happening; but the Holy Spirit made me desperate to go on a Cursillo week-end – a Thursday evening through Sunday Evening commitment.  I was so desperate that I bypassed the invitation process and had Bill Blessing sponsor me, even though they would be vacationing in Florida that weekend.

So on a Thursday afternoon in August 1977, I rode with friends of the Blessing the 75 miles to a pre-monastic facility outside of Momence, Illinois, for the three day retreat.  As I exited the car I asked, “Aren’t you coming in?”  They answered, “No. We were just giving you a ride” and they drove off leaving me with no car or transportation.  That act of love was the beginning of a weekend of loving experiences.

On the second day, August 26, 1977, as we were listening to speakers and sharing what we heard, Father Tony Tascheta spoke and his message, presentation and testimony was awesome.  I kept thinking that he missed his calling; he should have been a VP of Sales!!!  After his talk we started discussing the topic but I was in a daze.  Our discussion leader suggested the seven of us at the table go to the prayer room; so we all dutifully made our way to the Palanca Chapel.  “Palanca” is Spanish for leverage or crowbar and the name of the prayerful love letters we kept receiving during the weekend.

As we walked into the Palanca Chapel, I saw Father Tony Tascheta on his knees praying and thanking Jesus for all the words Jesus had given to him for the “men out there.”  Here was a man whose skill I so admired, down on his knees thanking Jesus for those words!  My knees gave out and I found myself kneeling, crying crocodile tears and saying almost out loud “Jesus Christ, you are real.  I need to learn more about you.”   At that moment I knew I would never be the same; the genuineness of that experience was validated during the next two days.

For the closing ceremony of the Cursillo weekend we entered a big hall and I saw Bill and Mary Blessing there; they had cut short their Florida vacation in order to see me at the closing!  I fell apart!  As part of the closing ceremony we each had to stand up as the Holy Spirit led and tell what the week-end had meant.  Eventually I went to the podium, froze, fell apart and finally blurted out “I talked to Jesus!”  That’s all I could say.  It may not have been much of a speech but it spoke volumes.  I was never so choked up in my life.

Very late Sunday night, or Monday morning, the Blessings gave me a ride home.  I immediately woke up Peggy and said, “Guess what happened to me on the weekend?”    She said, “Huh?”     So I repeated the question and she said, “What?”    I told her, “I talked to Jesus”.       And she said, “Does that mean you are ‘born again’?”      To that question I answered, “I don’t know what you call it, but all I know is that I talked to Jesus....  And I want you and all five kids to experience what I experienced.”       She replied, “It’s too late Joe; we already have.  We’ve all been praying for you.”  (She could have added “…for 10 years.”)

Points to Ponder

I was 39 years old on August 26^th, 1977; I know how blind a man, a husband , a non-believer can be.

Is there someone in your life who has something you want?  (I wanted what Bill Blessing had!)

Never stop praying for loved ones who do not yet know Jesus as their Lord.
Don’t underestimate the leveraging power of Palanca, prayer.

Don’t underestimate the power of your testimony.   What is yours?

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,” Rev.12:11

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                             May 9, 2023
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”     Weekly “Hebraic Musings”    insightsbyyosef.blogspot.com

P.S.  And since that day, I have had “A Joyful Life”!