Hello my friends! Busy day here - Linus and his brothers making more great progress on our garage! I made hambuger soup for lunch with our own yellow beans in it, plus some carrots, potatoes etc. It's a really good tasting soup, but I make it with our ground turkey instead. Love it!! We are going shortly to Lori's tonight to do the invitations. Anita - welcome to the thread and do come again!! I heard from my sister, Deil, that our sister, Erma, is in the hospital with double pneumonia!! Wow!!! She's the one with Parkinsons'. Praying for Bobbiesue, Felicia, shorelady, and all who ask for our prayers.
Nothing is ever quite as bad as it seems. Call on God and then practice
expectancy
and optimism and things will turn out better than you expect. Lord, thank
You for
tomorrow.
S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called in the one body. And be thankful." ~Colossians 3:15
M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y
We can be at home and comfortable in the world. Yet some of us live
lives of quiet desperation. This is the opposite of being at home and
at peace in the world. We can let our peace of mind be evident to those
around us. We can let others see that we are comfortable, and seeing
it, know that it springs from our trust in God. The dull, hard way of
resignation is not God's way. Faith can take the sting out of the winds
of adversity and can bring peace even in the midst of struggle.
P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y
I pray that I may be more comfortable in my way of living. I pray that
I may feel more at home and at peace within myself.
Hello my friends! Hope you all had a very blessed Sunday today! Beautiful
day here - Blessings include Lori coming for lunch - bringing food and
cooking it here for us! Then staying with us and we played the bean bag game
until the mosquitoes made us quit, then we had chicken on the grill, made by
DH, he got home early today so that was nice, later we all played Farkel
until just a little bit ago when Lori left. This morning Angie and I
listened to the last tape of that mini retreat - the whole thing was very
good and we got alot out of it! I have another good tape for us to listen
to tomorrow by another priest who is very good, Fr. John Bertulucci, he
spoke at Charismatic Conferences years ago when we went there.
The week is going fast with Angie being here, maybe she should stay two
weeks next time!
What blessings will you share with us?
Hi to Ocean, MB and Patf! Thanks for posting - without your posts the thread
would have stayed empty! I appreciate your posts so much! I just didn't have
time to come on during the day.
Food for Thought:
GOD WON'T ASK
Author Unknown
1. God won't ask what kind of fancy car you drove.
He will ask how many people you took to church who didn't have
transportation.
2. God won't ask the square footage of your house.
He will ask how many people you helped who didn't have a house.
3. God won't ask how many fancy clothes you had in your closet.
He will ask how many of those clothes you gave away.
4. God won't ask what social class you were in.
He will ask what kind of class you displayed.
5. God won't ask how many material possessions you had.
He will ask whether those material possessions dictated your life.
6. God won't ask what your highest salary was.
He will ask if you trampled over any people to obtain that salary.
7. God won't ask how much overtime you worked.
He will ask did you work overtime for your family.
8. God won't ask how many promotions you received.
He will ask what you did to promote others.
9. God won't ask what your job title was.
He will ask did you perform your job to the best of your ability.
10. God won't ask how many promotions you took to chase a dollar
bill.
He will ask how many promotions you refused, to advance your family's
quality of life.
11. God won't ask how many times you didn't run around on your
spouse.
He will ask how many times you did.
12. God won't ask how many degrees you had.
He will ask how many people you thanked for helping you get those
degrees.
13. God won't ask what your parents did to help you.
He will ask what you did to help your parents.
14. God won't ask what you did to help yourself.
He will ask what you did to help others.
15. God won't ask how many friends you had.
He will ask how many people you were a friend to.
16. God won't ask what you did to protect your rights.
He will ask what you did to protect the right of others.
17. God won't ask what neighborhood you lived in.
He will ask what other neighborhoods you visited.
18. God won't ask how many times you told the truth.
He will ask how many times you told a lie.
19. God won't ask about the color of your skin.
He will ask about the color of your heart.
20. God won't ask how many times your deeds matched your words.
He will ask how many times they didn't.
All of us will stand before God someday..and everything we did, said,
and thought will all come to light.
Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is only despised in his own country among his
own relations and in his own house.'
Reality and Appearances
The Church has to be a faithful messenger of the Gospel. There are those who
are willing to listen but there will always be those who reject the message
and the messenger. We have to do our best to communicate as well as
possible. This does not mean we have to change or weaken Christ´s teaching
to suit the modern world. The obedience of faith is a free assent to the
whole truth that God has revealed. This is to trust in God and to believe
the word of the Lord.
Personal Prayer
My Jesus, I accept you as my God, Redeemer, Teacher and Model. Help me to
see how I may imitate you more faithfully in my daily attitudes, words, and
behavior towards my brothers and sisters. Help me understand your Gospel.
Let me see more clearly the emotions which hinder me from drawing closer to
you. I wish to fight my childish fears and my immature behavior with the
wisdom of a true adult. Grant me a fuller knowledge of your teachings,
prudence to apply your truth to my daily living, wisdom to relish your
inspiring principles, and charity to keep me trying in spite of my human
failures. Let me love myself as you love me, and help me hate the
unreasoning anxieties and unreasonable fears that turn my mind and my heart
away from you. Amen.
God want us to be H.U.M.B.L.E.!
"H" is for the HUMILITY to acknowledge we are sinners in need of a Savior.
Jesus Christ is his name!
"U" is for UNITY. He wants us to be united as brothers and sisters in love.
He wants us to "bear with one another lovingly". (See EPH 4:1). We must
"bear with one another" because we are sinners with the strengths and
weaknesses that come with being human.
"M" is for MISSION. We must understand His mission for us as a Church
community and as individuals in the Body of Christ. We must continuously
seek God's will in our lives and then DO IT! ("When all is said and done,
more is said than done!")
"B" is for BOLDNESS. We must be bold in sharing God's love with others. We
must be willing to take the risk of being rejected. Rejection will happen to
us just as it happened to Jesus. We never know how the Holy Spirit may be
using us to plant seeds in another person's life even though we may
initially experience rejection. Be BOLD for Jesus!
"L" is for LOVE. Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and love your
neighbor as yourself. P.S. - Don't forget to love yourself. God made you in
His image!
"E" is for EVANGELIZE! It is the mission of the Church and everyone in it.
Tell the world and those around you that God loves them, that Jesus loves
them so much he died on the cross for them and that he sent the Holy Spirit
to purify us, to make us holy and to empower us to carry out his mission for
us with charisms!
Remember, God wants us to be H.U.M.B.L.E.
Humility, Unity, Mission, Boldness, Love, Evangelize!
Joe Boroden
SPECIAL ACT OF SORROW
Forgive my sins, O Lord, forgive me all my sins,
the sins of my age, the sins of my spirit,
the sins of my body, my sins of omission,
my serious sins, the sins I remember,
the sins I have concealed so long that
they are now hidden from my memory.
Forgive me all my sins, O Lord.
I am sincerely sorry for them all.
I know my sins have wounded your
loving Heart, my Savior.
Through Your bitter suffering and death,
free me from the power of sin and
give me a new heart. O my Jesus,
forget what I have been. O my Lord,
Jesus, remember me in Your Kingdom!
The Promise
There's a promise in our sorrow
and a blessing when we sigh.
There's a light beyond the shadows
and a cleansing when we cry.
So when we are discouraged,
and face tremendous grief;
it is during those times of trouble,
that the heavens send relief.
With our heart in tune with Jesus,
our source of joy and peace,
be mindful of His promise,
that all suffering He would cease.
He's cried our tears of sadness;
He's felt our every pain,
He's walked our path before,
all glory to His name.
Just listen for the spirit,
as it whispers to be still,
for there is joy and comfort
beyond sad Calvary's hill.
So if the sky should darken
and if the earth should quake,
remember life has struggles
on the journey that we take.
The aftermath of sorrow
is beauty and pure light,
if we can fight the battle
and pray with soul and might.
He sent us rainbow colors
to follow cleansing rain,
He showed us there are miracles
that come with all the pain.
Seek forbearance in the hardships,
or when we fear or roam.
Cast your burdens on the Savior,
and He'll come and take us home.
For He is our great Redeemer
our only true best friend,
He promised he would never leave,
He'll guide us to the end.
Author Unknown
GOD LIVES IN THE POST OFFICE
Author Unknown
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died,
my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much
she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that
when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I
thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with
you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have
her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to
swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know
that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith
________
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith
and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then
Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because
she said it would
take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That
afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few
days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her
that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front
porch addressed, 'To Meredith , ' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith
opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.'
Taped to the
inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened
envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and
this note:
________
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it
stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need
our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture
in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and
have something to
remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping
you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I
picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love,
God
EASY - DIFFICULT
Author Unknown
Easy is to judge the mistakes of others
- Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes...
Easy is to talk without thinking
- Difficult is to refrain the tongue...
Easy is to hurt someone who loves us.
- Difficult is to heal the wound...
Easy is to forgive others
- Difficult is to ask for forgiveness. ..
Easy is to set rules.
- Difficult is to follow them...
Easy is to dream every night.
- Difficult is to fight for a dream...
Easy is to show victory.
- Difficult is to assume defeat with dignity...
Easy is to admire a full moon.
- Difficult to see the other side...
Easy is to stumble with a stone.
- Difficult is to get up...
Easy is to enjoy life every day.
- Difficult to give its real value...
Easy is to promise something to someone.
- Difficult is to fulfill that promise...
Easy is to say we love.
- Difficult is to show it every day...
Easy is to criticize others.
- Difficult is to improve oneself...
Easy is to make mistakes.
- Difficult is to learn from them...
Easy is to weep for a lost love.
- Difficult is to take care of it so not to lose it...
Easy is to think about improving.
- Difficult is to stop thinking it and put it into action...
Easy is to think bad of others
- Difficult is to give them the benefit of the doubt...
Easy is to receive
- Difficult is to give...
Easy to read this
- Difficult to follow...
Easy is keep the friendship with words
- Difficult is to keep it with meanings...
UNANSWERED LETTERS
Author Unknown
There are many times when we begin a certain task that God lays on our
hearts and because we think our efforts are minimal and not making a
difference, we quit the job that God told us to pursue.
The enemy loves to plant seeds of doubt and lure us into thinking that
we are not capable of making a difference in this world, but with
God's help we can overcome and fulfill the destiny that God has for
every believer.
If you are going through a situation of doubting your task unto the
Lord, then I hope this story will bless and encourage you to never
quit what God has laid on your heart because you may never know of the
lives that you are touching.
I read of a man who was involved in a tragic accident. He lost both
legs and his left arm and only a finger and thumb remained on the
right hand.
But he still possessed a brilliant mind, enriched with a good
education and broadened with world travel. At first he thought there
was nothing he could do but remain a helpless sufferer.
A thought came to him. It was always nice to receive letters, but why
not write them--he could still use his right hand with some
difficulty. But to whom could be right?
Was there anyone shut-in and incapacitated like he was who could be
encouraged by his letters? He thought of men in prison--they did have
some hope of release, whereas he had none--but it was worth a try.
He wrote to a Christian organization concerned with prison ministry.
He was told that his letters could not be answered because it was
against prison rules, but he still decided to commence this one-sided
correspondence.
He wrote twice a week, and it taxed his strength to the limit. But
into the letters he put his whole soul, all his experience, all his
faith, all his wit, and all his Christian optimism.
Frequently he felt discouraged and was tempted to give it all up. But
it was his one remaining activity, and he resolved to continue as long
as he could.
At last he got a letter. It was very short, written on prison
stationery by the officer whose duty it was to censor the mail.
All it said was: "Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your
letters are passed from cell to cell till they literally fall to
pieces."
No matter what your situation may be like, you still have the ability
to encourage someone who is discouraged and lift up someone who is
feeling low.
Take this story as an encouragement to give your all for someone else
and do not worry about the results. No good work will go unseen and
only God knows of the impact that your life can have on someone else.
Let us not do our good works so that we may be praised, but let us do
good works so that others may be lifted up and God be praised because
of our intervention.
The only thing that we can take with us into eternity is what we have
done for the Lord. There are no bank accounts in heaven to show how
much your net worth was on the earth, but there will be accounts in
heaven of what you did to show your life as an example in leading
others to Him.
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