The Words of the Cox Family
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The Words of the Cox Family |
"The deeper you plant a seed, the
longer it takes to sprout. Don't be impatient. Since restoration
history was planted over the course of 6,000 years, how can we expect
it to sprout in a day?"
Sun Myung Moon
The architecture of New England churches is special, with the bell towers and spacious sanctuaries. Many times I looked at one of these lovely buildings in our town. Our belief is that God and True Parents belong there, because this church is the spiritual center of our larger community, traditionally and in reality. We began to think how happy this church would be if True Parents were welcomed there, and as representatives of True Parents, we have been attending for about two years.
We attend an interdenominational service known as The Gathering at the First Baptist Church nearby. I play guitar and my wife plays piano in the band every other Sunday. We attend the Unification Church based service the other weeks. From the start many of the people were quite friendly toward our family. Our daughters often have sung in the group. Our base of friendships is growing and we are getting to know many of them well.
We made friends with one couple based on playing music together at a social gathering at their house. We played and sang their favorite songs, mostly beach music. We had breakfast with them one Sunday before church, and when they asked how my wife and I met, we began to explain about being blessed in a large marriage ceremony in Korea, how we were matched, and we gave an outline of the Divine Principle in one hour focusing on the three Adam figures. It turns out they had met online and had a sweet story of their own. Now we have a few others we are witnessing to about True Parents and Father's ideas. Several students who are international Christians have expressed an interest in going to our Unification Church based service, and our pastor was contacted by a campus minister who had had been approached by the students and will attend the Unification Church service. A few of our contacts have heard the overview of the Principle, and the other, a leader in the community, was in a Bible Study we initiated.
In practice, we have found that it is through speaking God's word which is the way to reach out to people as we get to know them, and become friends. Father's ideas are penetrating. One mention of The God of Night and Day can be like a bolt of lightning. We seek to have the heart of God and True Parents and consider that people are seeing them in us, a reality one must always be aware of. We just have a simple joyful heart. We are so happy, especially going as a family or couple. Doing Hoon Dok Hae for a few hours a day enables us to purify our hearts and minds and God is recreating us and our family through the power of the word. God knows what the people need in order to receive grace and hope. To give the blessing, first we have to move one person's heart, to experience God, the life-giving spirit, who lives in the word.
God wants to dwell in every church community, especially the searching pilgrims of the USA.
If you choose to attend a church, you may try to become involved in an area of your special talents like music or some other art or hobby, or any common base. Then just attend meetings, Services, and study groups on a regular basis. People will love you without a doubt.
Make friends, invite them to your home, participate in community events.
We invited our close neighbors to come with us, and they sense our energy.
Because we represent True Parents, our friends connect to True Parents through us.
With a prayerful mind, we try to constantly remind ourself that we are there to help and serve, and do not have a trace of an agenda in our hearts.
We focus on loving, not results. We are aware that the Spirit world can and will do the unseen miracles based on sincerity.
In public prayers we pray sincerely and personally to God from a humble attitude. We have been asked to lead a group for couples, which we are preparing.
We are there to liberate the people and God to use public spaces in a Heavenly way. We are there to learn to know each person individually and what they need. After a while we really felt a Parental love toward our new friends.
We are initiating small groups focused on things that are interesting to the people in the church as well as with our neighbors. We have had movie night with popcorn with our neighbors. We are using books and materials that are able to convey completed testament age truth. People have to come to their own conclusions, so all we have to do is give them the Heavenly ideas. The spirit world is moving their hearts and minds. In many cases, I am humbled by the sincerity of the church members and their posture toward God and Jesus, so I have learned a lot from them and am open to learning more from them. I seek balance in discussion and try to ask thought-provoking questions.
This is one idea of a small group we also are working on. At a small meeting after service, we mentioned the topic of Mary Magdalene, and that she had been unfairly spoken of and that there have been a lot of materials produced concerning her closeness with Jesus. This topic brings together a lot of ideas for discussions, especially focused on the concept of the restored Adam and Eve and the trinity. A few people we know have accepted the belief that God has a feminine side, and two of them pray to Heavenly Father and Mother.
Our pastor believes the Holy Spirit is a feminine entity.
I often think that people are comfortable in their lives, their church, and families, but when I look below the surface, people are often desperate, fearful, bored, and uncomfortable. Their belief system may be stale and limiting them in their relationship with God. The culture takes children astray and leads them to lives of extreme selfishness and isolation, and makes them even more desperate for love, love that can not come from parents with empty hearts and struggling marriages. To save this world, God is working hard to open the gates of Heaven and give life saving words to His children.
Our family is a church, a microcosm of God and the True Parents of Heaven and Earth and Humankind.
We are a Family Church, so that is what we are always thinking of and representing to others. This is inclusive and universal. In this culture, people will listen easily to reasoning and sincerity that resonates from within them. In this culture because of the level of intellect, in general, people can be taught indirectly so they can be allowed to discover the conclusion through their own reflection and careful consideration. This is working for us. The spirit world teaches them. God has to speak to people in their own language and level of understanding.
We are trying to apply practical strategies to build our faith community. When something works, we write it into our daily journal, which we use to document what we do in detail. The church we found is already doing many nurturing ministries which console and support people with needs as well as hobby and life learning groups. However, not so much is available to help couples and their families, which we understand as the core of the heavenly family centered on true love. Therefore the completed age truth is absolutely required at this time, as well as the practical and contemporary ways of making it available. Forming small family groups are the easiest and most practical means of creating a foundation for God to come and exist within. If you have a neighbor, you can think of them as part of your small family group. Be creative and find a way to serve and love them, their couple, their children. What do they think about? What are their concerns? What do they want to do in the future? What kind of cultural activities do they like?
Establish real friendships with people and study individually with them whenever possible. Work with them in a Bible study or inspirational readings, abel type movies, music, and coffee or teas, listen to them and introduce ideas that can shine a brighter light on their concepts and understandings. Share equally, in a balanced conversation, and be interested in their perspectives. This is liberating for people who have all kinds of thoughts and questions. You can love them through your sincere interest in them and listening to them. The best way we have found to connect with people is at a meal or social function.
Study yourself so that you can deepen your appreciation about Christianity and Jesus, always preparing a foundation for completed testament truth.
Respect people and their faith.
Use the Internet to establish a blog that covers your small group activities, and use Google Drive or a storage site to publish your study materials and web links so the group members can have access to the ideas you are talking about.
Good questions for ministers and sincere Christians......
The Blueprint, the crime of the Archangel, God and the will
Did God have a plan? What was it?
Did Jesus exist with God from the beginning of creation, or before the plan?
Did Jesus have a mission other than salvation through the cross?
What is the origin of Satan? Why did Jesus call Satan ruler of this world?
Is the earth intended by God to be eternally an evil place?
What is redemption of the flesh?
Is there a difference between paradise and Heaven?
Do people live as individuals in the spirit world or as couples, families?
Is the Bible the last word?
How will Christ appear at the Second Coming?
What will His mission be?
What is the New Heaven and Earth?