Is there a “Ben” in the house?

DSC_0083

[If you have missed the last few Catches, you will wonder who this “Ben” is. He is the main character in my novel, Saint Ben that we are bringing back for a re-release. To catch up, go to our website and scroll down to “Why Saint Ben?” and the next few Catches will summarize the story.]

And his smile will light a candle

That will burn in your heart.

                   – From a song I wrote about Chandler shortly after he was born

I suddenly realized we have our own “Ben” in the house. He’s way more spiritual than I give him credit for. He is a truth-teller, and he makes you into one too by the sheer force of his character. You can’t lie to him because the truth is laid bare the minute you look at him.

Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Fear not

[Today, with the magic date of June 15 around the corner and things returning to some semblance of normal, I went back to the first Catch I wrote that mentioned the pandemic and it was this one, on March 10, 2020. Even though we have much to celebrate, fear is still knocking on the door so I decided I would publish it again so we could all check to see how we are doing a year and a pandemic later.]

download-14

Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened, but in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 1 Peter 3:14-15

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

There is one thing I have to say about the global crisis that is facing us related to the current coronavirus outbreak that seems to be uppermost in everyone’s mind right now. The most important thing for us as followers of Christ is, yes, to listen to the advice of experts: be wise, be cautious, be safe — all of that is common sense — but more importantly: Do not be afraid.

Continue reading

Posted in pandemic | Tagged , | 1 Comment

‘Time to Get the News Out’

PSN-logo-2013

[If you are wondering what this Catch is all about, you have most likely missed the recent Catches that summarize the story behind my novel, Saint Ben. If so, go to www.catchjohnfischer.com and scroll down to the Catch for June 1, “Why Saint Ben?” and “Catch up” on the next four Catches.]

Getting the news out is a key element in the story of Saint Ben.

Jonathan Lieberman is a delivery boy for the Pasadena Star News, an afternoon paper six days a week with an early Sunday morning edition. Therefore it is Jonathan’s responsibility to get the news out 7 days a week. Ben assists Jonathan where possible, and like everything else Ben does, it becomes a serious enterprise — as if the real news of the day isn’t really news until Jonathan delivers it.

Continue reading

Posted in grace turned outward, Saint Ben, spiritual gifts | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Celebrating a homecoming

OIP-7

Last night in our fascinating interview with Os Guinness about his new book, The Magna Carta of Humanity, he mentioned how President Biden talks about reclaiming the soul of America, and the former President spoke about Making America Great Again, but neither one of them went back far enough to talk about and embrace what made America great in the first place. And what made America great in the first place was not the fact that we are a Christian nation and we need to get back to God, but that we are a nation founded on principles rooted in the scriptures, going all the way back to the Sinai Revolution led by Moses freeing the people of Israel from Egypt and the injustice of Pharaoh. Principles like justice, freedom, equality (in that all human beings are made in the image of God), and the fall of humanity into sin which necessitates checks and balances to curb our evil nature, and these values all need to be supported by the rule of law. These values all come from a Judeo/Christian framework which was part of the way the founding fathers thought in 1776, whether they were Christians or not.

Os mentioned that one of the meanings included in the Hebrew word for repentance is the idea of coming home. And as such, he is calling for a “homecoming” of the nation, to come back to its roots, not necessarily as a Christian nation, but back to its Judeo/Christian beginnings where both God and truth are present, and where men and women seek to submit to an authority higher than all of us.

A homecoming certainly suits our vision here at the Catch where we are committed to introducing the gospel of welcome — grace turned outward — to everyone everywhere. We have a loving, forgiving Father who always has His eye fixed down the road searching for any of his children who might be on their way back home to Him. He is full of grace and truth, eager to bestow upon us that which we do not deserve, but which comes freely from His heart of love.

Whether we are able to return to that foundation which created the greatest experiment of democracy in the history of the world is one thing, but we will always be able to celebrate the homecoming of a lost, repentant soul seeking a place in the heart of the Father-God. Welcome home.

Posted in gospel of welcome, grace turned outward, Justice | Tagged | 9 Comments

Whom shall I fear?

OIP-6

In Ecclesiastes 1:9, Solomon proclaims, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” That might explain the following verses from Isaiah, written thousands of years ago, that read like they were written yesterday.

Continue reading

Posted in freedom, pandemic | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Hole in the heart of God

OIP-5

This is the final piece of our story of Saint Ben — the closing scenes following Ben’s death. It contains Jonathan’s great grief, but ends in delight with profound implications for us all.

Following Bens death, Jonathan refuses to speak to anyone. The next time he is at church, he retreats to their secret place in the bell tower and lets Grizzly know his intent to stay up there indefinitely, and Grizzly guards him religiously. Since Jonathan isnt speaking, he and mute Grizzly are on equal terms. In fact, Grizzlys silence is the perfect receptacle for Jonathans grief.

Continue reading

Posted in Saint Ben | Tagged | 1 Comment

Saving the Edsel

OIP-3

We left our story yesterday with the boys having lunch in the rain under dripping juniper bushes having just been to the showroom to see the new 1959 Edsels over which Ben is supremely disappointed. And it is at this time that the connection between Ben and the Edsel takes on new significance as Ben is convinced that the inevitable demise of the Edsel is going to spell the early demise of his young life. It’s something that the boys sense but never talk about; instead they throw their energies into somehow saving the Edsel from extinction, thinking that in so doing, they are in fact saving Ben.

Continue reading

Posted in revolution, Saint Ben | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Forced out of hiding

downloadThis is a seriously abbreviated version of the Saint Ben story condensed into only three Catches. Next week I may pull a few short sections for reflection once you have a basic idea of the story. But if you get hooked (and I hope you do), we will have a couple of ways of getting the book out next week. In the meantime, one of our readers turned us on to abebooks.com that has a few inexpensive used copies, as does Amazon.

Referring to yesterday’s summary, Gene wrote me wanting to know what happened when the alarm clock went off in church. Details like that you’ll have to find in the story, except to mention that Ben got his hands on a microphone and put it up to the alarm clock which made it sound more like a fire bell than an alarm clock when it went off, sending most of the congregation jumping out of their seats, except for Homer Batts who had his hearing aid turned down so he could sleep through church.

So, here’s today’s summary:

Continue reading

Posted in Saint Ben | Tagged | Leave a comment

‘Awake thou that sleepest’

Re09efd207b9bb42713914f56afe36dac

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Ephesians 5:14 (King James Version – that’s all they had in 1958)

[A summary of the first few chapters of Saint Ben …]

Its a bright Sunday in March, 1958, when the new pastor, Jeffery T. Beamering and his family are being introduced to the Colorado Avenue Standard Christian Church in Pasadena, California. And it may have escaped some peoples notice, but the youngest of the three Beamering boys is the only one in the whole church not smiling. That would be Ben, age 10, and the sarcastic smirk on his face broadcasts the fact that he is not going to participate in one bit of superficiality … ever. Jonathan Lieberman, also 10, and the son of Walter Lieberman, the choir director, is one who noticed, and he had to admit a certain admiration for the nerve.

Continue reading

Posted in Integrity, Saint Ben | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Why Saint Ben?

downloadToday we begin a series on the story behind my novel Saint Ben. Marti and I have picked up this story again recently and were impressed with how timely it is to our current culture. Of course, nothing can substitute reading the book for yourself, but we will be outlining the story very briefly in the next few days which will provide us with something to talk about. Though the book is out of print, there are used copies available online; I just wouldn’t pay the $229 Amazon is asking for a new copy. If you can afford to pay $229 for a book, I suggest you buy a used one for $9.00 and send $220 to the Catch! That will be a much better use of your funds.

Right about now, some of you are wondering, “Why Saint Ben?” Here’s why we believe this story is timely for now.

Saint Ben is a wonderful piece of truth-telling. Only an eleven-year-old could get away with what Ben achieves here in an adult world, but in his persistence, he engenders the longing in us all to do the right thing no matter what the cost. Ben is unpredictable, but then again, his choices are totally inevitable if you know and understand the truth.

Continue reading

Posted in Saint Ben | Tagged , , | 5 Comments