CHARLOTTE — He is an internationally known speaker, author and journalist who now serves as the editor of Charlotte-based TAN Books, but Dr. Paul Thigpen was not always Catholic, or even a practicing Christian.In his teenage years, Thigpen rejected his Christian beliefs and dabbled in the occult. He turned back to God in 1972 when he was 18, first becoming an evangelical Protestant and eventually a pastor before converting to Catholicism in 1993.
What he came to understand from that experience of turning away from God and towards the devil, and then back to God, has prompted Thigpen to write a "Manual for Spiritual Warfare" which he hopes will make people more cognizant of the spiritual battle being waged for each of their souls.
"Through these activities (in my teen years as an atheist) I began to encounter powerful, malicious non-human intelligences that didn't fit into my world view, but reminded me of certain Gospel accounts I had learned about as a child. So I went back to the Scripture in a desperate attempt to understand better what I was experiencing. That was one of the realizations that eventually led me back to faith in God in 1972.
"In a sense, you could say that I came to believe in the devil before I came to believe in God. And if there was a devil but there was no God, then I knew I was in big trouble. Encountering him sent me running back into the arms of Our Lord.
"In the years both before and after I entered the Catholic Church in 1993, I have continued to find clear evidence (unsought) that demonic powers are real and active in our world. But I also find that most people, including Catholics, either don't believe in the devil at all or are unaware that his demonic allies are at work in their lives to lead them away from God, most often through temptation."
He believes we are in a critical spiritual battle for our souls, whose outcome will determine our eternal destiny – and it is part of Satan's stealth strategy to remain unrecognized through it all.
"So, with the encouragement of my colleagues at TAN Books, I decided to write a book that would alert people to the war raging all around them and within them. Drawing from sacred Scripture, sacred tradition and the lives of the saints, I wanted to help readers identify their spiritual enemy and his strategies, then tell them about the spiritual comrades, weapons and armor that God has given us to be victorious in this battle."
The 341-page manual contains practical advice, prayers and Church resources that readers will find useful. It has been granted an imprimatur by Bishop Peter Jugis and a "nihil obstat" from Father Matthew Kauth, who is currently in residence at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte and serves as the chaplain at Charlotte Catholic High School. An imprimatur is official permission from the local bishop to publish a book about the faith or Catholic moral teaching, and a "nihil obstat" is a judgment by an official of the Church that the book does not contain doctrinal or moral errors.
"St. Paul urges us to 'fight the good fight of the faith,'" Thigpen says, referring to 1 Tim 6:12. "Take this 'Manual for Spiritual Warfare' with you into battle."
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
More
At www.tanbooks.com and www.paulthigpen.com: Order the "Manual for Spiritual Warfare" and find other resources from Dr. Paul Thigpen.
MONROE — Zuleyma Castrejon is a gifted young artist who wants to use her artistic talents to serve God by serving others. Castrejon has been a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe since her parents, Severiano and Esmeralda, moved to that town in 1996 from Guerrero, Mexico, just months short of her third birthday.
Now a senior at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, she didn't pick up the paint brush until high school. To fulfill a graduation requirement, Castrejon took a basic art class and learned how to paint watercolors – and she hasn't stop painting since.
"I then took Art 2, Art 3 and Art 4," she says with a laugh. "It just came very natural to me."
She was an honor student at the Central Academy of Technology and Arts High School in Monroe, a magnet school for the Union County school system, and with the help of a caring Charlotte teacher, Castrejon earned a full scholarship to study at Johnson C. Smith. Currently, she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in visual and performing arts with a concentration in studio art.
During her junior year, film professor Sitara Sadler took notice of her artistic work and told Castrejon about an opportunity to illustrate a new children's book entitled "How Will I Love You from Heaven" by Cassandra Miller. She contacted the author and sent samples of her work. After Miller saw her work, she commissioned the young painter to illustrate her upcoming book.
"The book deals with the theme of cancer and how a mom is going to love her child from heaven after she dies," Castrejon explains.
The young artist is in the process of designing the book cover, and she will also do a total of about 15 pages of illustrations.
"For the book I'm using mixed media, I'm using watercolors, acrylics and colored pencils," she says.
Since entering college, she has exhibited some of her art locally at the Charlotte's Latin American Coalition and the Latin American Festival, held annually in Charlotte. Most recently, her work was exhibited as part of "Family Day" at the McColl Center for Art and Innovation in uptown Charlotte.
Father Benjamin Roberts, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, says, "Zuleyma is an outstanding young woman – totally devoted to her faith – and she really desires to bring the beauty of art and culture to the expression of faith."
The artist credits her faith in God with all her academic successes.
"My Catholic faith has held me together all throughout my studies. I have witnessed the love that God has for me through the many blessings He has blessed me with all throughout my collegiate career. Before any test, job interview or internship interview, I pray to the Holy Spirit so He can guide me – and He always does."
The oldest of five children, she is the first person in her family to go to college, and she wants to go on to graduate school and combine art and psychology to heal others.
"Because of my faith and trust in the Lord I have witnessed the fruits of my hard work...I truly feel that art therapy is my calling."
— Rico De Silva, Hispanic Communications Reporter