The Content Composer Org

RENEW International has reached thousands of followers in the U.S. and in countries within six continents. Its programs and materials teach how the word of God is genuine and Relevant. By forming small Christian communities, RENEW International shows Catholics how their belief can help surmount personal challenges, trust in one another, and achieve peace.

RENEW International is a non-profit Catholic organization, reaching followers who are in inspirational need. This global ministry comes from the vision of Msgr. Tom Kleissler. He believed in a stronger, resuscitated Church with laypersons involved with parish and civic issues. He partnered with Msgr. Tom Ivory to make these ideas a reality and they began RENEW International. Since its inception, RENEW has helped thousands of followers find or rejuvenate their belief. Participants in their programs gather together in small trust-sharing groups to study, pray, and discover to live according to the Gospel. They find deeper meaning in Scripture and ascertain to connect its lessons to their lives.

RENEW International Grants parishioners a deeper knowledge of Catholicism. Participants experience a reawakened sense of spiritualism and make connections from Scripture to their lives. RENEW International nurtures friendships and serves followers find strength and sustenance in their kinship with God.

‘Showers of Wisdom’ is taught by JiGong, the Heavenly teacher of Tao of Heaven appointed by Lao Mu. JiGong is a very popular deity worshipped by Taoist in the millions. He was the reincarnation of one of the 18 Arhats and he was a monk dressed like a beggar during the Song Dynasty. A man of boundless virtues, he walked thousands of miles without a penny in his pocket and a roof over his head, preaching the truth until the day he died.

In the teachings of Tao of Heaven, Master Chang Tienzen of Jining, Shantung Province was the rebirth of JiGong. He was born on the 19th day of the 7th lunar month in the 13th year of the reign of Guangshu (1889) during the Ching Dynasty. Master Chang Tienzen became the Heavenly master in 1947, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon was the biggest, roundest and brightest. When he was born, it was stated that the Yellow River went clear signifying the birth of a sage. His left palm had a red mark of the sun and his right palm had the mark of the moon.

Part 1 of 3 is only a small portion of his teachings and this is what he says about bitterness of life to let us understand the pain and suffering that we have to face in life.

[1] The greatest sadness in a man’s life is to have a spiteful wife and an infilial son.

[2] The most wicked thing is to have someone repays one’s kindness with injury.

[3] The greatest misery is to be in an extremely distress state.

[4] The most disheartening thing is for one’s friend and family to abandon him.

[5] The greatest frustration is to have success snatched from one’s easy grip.

[6] The greatest regret is to let one’s words or actions stray into the wrong.

[7] The most exhausting thing is to be under tremendous mental pressure.

All these are the most painful and bitter encounters of a person’s life.

Life’s most unavoidable circumstances.

[1] The pain of not having what one desires to have.

[2] The pain of being separated from the one you love most of all

[3] The pain of feeling bitterness toward someone

[4] Illness, hunger, struggling for food, working hard for fame and profit, anxiety about the burden of family….

All of life’s accumulated virtues can be destroyed by just one vice, just like a bird in its ardent search for food is suddenly seized by a predator. All such tragic instances are caused by greed. To get bullied or killed by unnatural means, to get caught up in natural and human caused disasters, war and ruthless destruction…these are the most tragic fates of a person’s life.

Author: T.A Chew
Website: http://www.white-sun.com

T.A Chew became a devotee of Tao of Heaven in March the 15th, 1995. He was told by Goddess of Mercy to become a vegetarian and by JiGong to start preaching Tao in Oct 23rd the same year. Immediately he took the ‘vegetarian vow’ to become a life long vegetarian and started to write Tao book and preach the teachings of Tao.

Vanity- it’s easy to mask, easy to forget, and easy to justify. We hide it behind dignity and poise. The sins connected to this weakness aren’t quite as severe as those associated with pride, gluttony, and lust. But it can eventually lead up to some serious problems. And it can keep us from becoming an instrument of Christ.

The solution (humility) might be one of the most difficult virtues to master, but John the Baptist seems to have had a pretty good handle on it. Here’s the guy who baptized Christ, and later sends his own followers away because he knows his time is over. So what was his secret? How do we stop worrying about our own worldly décor, and start the journey to becoming Christ’s hand maid? The answer is self-love.

It might not sound like part of our Christian philosophy, but with the proper back drop, you can maintain selflessness and self-love in a co-existing format. How? By knowing our own self-worth, where our value comes from, and how to improve it. So what are we worth? Let’s start with the simple fact that we’re creations of God. And since God doesn’t make trash, that says pretty much for us. Now look at the fact that Christ Himself became man, suffered, and dies for us. Wow! That raises the value pot even more. We’re actually worth the life of God.

Why are we so valuable? Because God made us. That’s it. There’s nothing more. All that we’ve accomplished, our assets, and our actions mean absolutely nothing. In other words, our nice house, perfect hair, & stylish clothing are worthless. Our career and community stature are meaningless. Even our good and charitable works do nothing to make us better.

This almost answers the next question. ‘How do we improve ourselves?’ But it only almost answers it, because it doesn’t address the fact that God not only created us, but continues to work through us. So even though we can’t improve ourselves at all, we can let God do it. Give Him control, and He’ll make us better, reject Him, and our value will drop.

So by knowing, and loving ourselves, and desiring to make ourselves better, we can forget about the worldly illusions of greatness. We can overcome the vanity that might keep God from acting through us.