Hello my friends! Hope your day went well - mine is going too fast! With Angie here, the time flies by fast - and all of a sudden I realized I hadn't gotten this thread out yet so here I am! Tomorrow our other classmate, Shirley who also is Father Jerry's sister, is coming for lunch - looking forward to that. She doesn't live far from here. Tomorrow Linus works so it'll just be us three girls. Then Thursday night Angie is planning on getting together with her nephews and nieces who live around here and that's great! They are meeting at a restaurant. Friday night Lori invited us over for supper. Tomorrow we dog sit for her and she'll be here for supper. So much going on! Today Linus' brothers were here to help put up some cupboards in the garage - it looks so nice!! Lots of blessings by God for today - how about you? Waiting to hear from Bobbiesue and Felicia - maybe Felicia's still in the hospital, she wrote she'll be in there for 8 days following the surgery. Shorelady - how are you? Harlene, how's the foot?
Never let what you can't do get in the way of what you can do. Lord, help
me to recognize my abilities and focus only on my strengths so that each
day I will get nearer to my goals
Scripture for the day:
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the
mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and
foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult." ~Psalm 46:1-3
Meditation for the day:
"God is our refuge and strength." God is a sanctuary, a refuge from the
cares of life. We can get away from the misunderstandings of others by
retiring into our own place of meditation. But from ourselves, from our
sense of failure, our weakness, our shortcomings, where can we flee?
Only to the eternal God, our refuge, until the immensity of God's spirit
envelopes our spirit and it loses its smallness and weakness and comes
into harmony again with God's.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may lose my limitations in the immensity of God's love. I
pray that my spirit may be in harmony with God's spirit.
Here's some food for thought:
CHANGE IS GOOD
Contributed by Melanie Schurr
My life has taken an interesting sudden change. As my children have
both flown the nest, and it is now just my husband and I, I could not
deny I missed that nurturing side of me that still had so much more to
give. I don't recall exactly how the idea of being a "nanny" came upon
me, but
the thought of making a little extra cash at something I knew I'd be
good at was appealing.
It wasn't long before I found someone who was seeking exactly what I
had to offer, but I cannot deny that the first week of taking care of
an eight week old infant was not without its difficulties. Not only
had many facets of child care changed since my own now adult children
were little, but I was also now approaching it as a forty-seven year
old woman, not an energetic twenty-something.
By the end of the day, I was pooped!
However, in a very short time, it all began to come back to me; all
those little tricks and skills us mothers learn by way of hands-on
experience. I also noticed that being around a young child again
caused me to have a rekindled appreciation of new life, along with a
sense of meaning and purpose for my life now as a more mature woman.
"I have the ability to teach this child," I thought. "I hope that I
can become a positive light in her life."
Sometimes change can be frightening or difficult. However, all change
for the better is always a step in the right direction!
What about you?
Is there something in your life you need to change, get rid of, stop
doing or break ties with?
Today is the day to make the change!
Five Ploys of Satan
Doubt - Tempts us to question God's Word and his goodness, forgiveness, and
love
Discouragement - Tempts us to focus intently on our problems rather than
entrusting them to God's care
Diversion - Tempts us to see the wrong things as attractive so that we will
want them more than the right things
Defeat - Tempts us to feel like failure so that we don't even try
Delay - Tempts us to procrastinate so that things never get done
Reflect on these ploys of Satan, and if you find that he has darkened your
life on any of these counts, lift up the situation to Our Lady in prayer.
YOUR LIFE IS JESUS TO SOMEONE
YOUR LIFE is Jesus to someone,
though tattered and torn it may be.
Though often times weak and unstable,
you're all of God someone will see.
YOUR TONGUE is Jesus to someone.
That idle, insensitive word
reflects to at least one searching heart
an idle, insensitive Lord.
YOUR GOALS are Jesus to someone.
What you put first, they believe,
are the goals of God for the Christian.
Your life is all they receive.
YOUR FAITHFULNESS... that's Jesus to someone.
Their judgement of how God is true,
rests unquestionably in the faithfulness
they see day by day in you.
YOUR LOVE is Jesus to someone--
that someone who is seeking to know
that Jesus will follow and guide and
befriend wherever in life they might go.
SO BEWARE lest others blaspheme
God by what you say or do,
for the only Jesus that someone knows
is the Jesus they see in you.
Unknown
Believe what God believes...
Overcoming negative feelings, whether they stem from childhood or current
situation, takes time and effort, but change is possible.
Christian psychologist, Dr. Richard Dickerson, has written a beautiful summary
of how God looks at you. Read this passage aloud to yourself every morning
and evening for the next month, then evaluate how your feelings about
yourself have changed:
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE IS SLOW TO LOSE PATIENCE WITH ME.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE TAKES THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF MY LIFE AND USES THEM IN
A CONSTRUCTIVE WAY FOR MY GROWTH.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE DOES NOT TREAT ME AS AN OBJECT TO BE POSSESSED AND
MANIPULATED.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE DOES NOT NEED TO IMPRESS ME WITH HOW GREAT AND
POWERFUL HE IS BECAUSE HE IS GOD. NOR DOES HE BELITTLE ME AS HIS CHILD IN
ORDER TO SHOW ME HOW IMPORTANT HE IS.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE IS FOR ME. HE WANTS TO SEE ME MATURE AND DEVELOP IN
HIS LOVE.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE DOES NOT SEND DOWN HIS WRATH ON EVERY LITTLE
MISTAKE I MAKE, OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE DOES NOT KEEP SCORE OF ALL MY SINS AND THEN BEAT ME
OVER THE HEAD WITH THEM WHENEVER HE GETS A CHANCE.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE IS DEEPLY GRIEVED WHEN I DO NOT WALK IN THE WAYS
THAT PLEASE HIM BECAUSE HE SEES THIS AS EVIDENCE THAT I DON'T TRUST HIM AND
LOVE HIM AS I SHOULD.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE KEEPS WORKING PATIENTLY WITH ME EVEN WHEN I FEEL
LIKE GIVING UP.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE KEEPS ON TRUSTING ME WHEN AT TIMES I DON'T EVEN
TRUST MYSELF.
BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME, HE NEVER SAYS THERE IS NO HOPE FOR ME. RATHER, HE
PATIENTLY WORKS WITH ME, LOVES ME, AND DISCIPLINES ME IN SUCH A WAY, THAT IT
IS HARD FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH OF HIS CONCERN FOR ME.
Prayer When in a Bad Mood
Heavenly Father, I awoke this morning in a bad mood, and I have been unable
to shake it so far. Everything bothers me and everyone rubs me the wrong
way.
I just cannot seem to get my true bearings. Help me to think of your
salvation---
your countless gifts and overwhelming love for me.
Let me relax and forget life's cares by placing myself wholly into your
hands. Grant that this mood will soon pass and I will be able to bask in
your love and communicate it to others. Amen.
God Qualifies
There are many reasons why God would not want
you--but don't worry. You're in good company.
Moses stuttered.
David's armor didn't fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Abraham was too old.
David was too young.
Timothy had ulcers.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer. So was Moses.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worrywart.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul--well, lots of folks did.
But God doesn't require a job interview. He doesn't hire and fire like
most bosses, because He's more our dad than our boss. He doesn't look at
financial gain or loss. He's not prejudiced nor partial, not judging,
grudging, sassy, nor brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need.
As much as we try, God's gifts are free.
We could do wonderful things for wonderful people and still not be ...
wonderful.
Satan says, "You're not worthy."
Jesus says, "So what? I AM."
Satan looks back and sees our mistakes. God looks back and sees the
Cross. He doesn't calculate what you did in '98. It's not even on the
record.
Sure. There are lots of reasons why God shouldn't want us. But if we are
magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next
breath, He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been or what we
look like.
Step out of your limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is.
Author unknown
Remember God knows who you are and He loves you in spite of your short
comings.
Prayer to our Lady of Mount Carmel
"Flos Carmeli" - Prayer of St. Simon Stock
O beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, Splendor of Heaven, holy
and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a Pure
Virgin, assist me in this necessity. O Star of the sea, help and protect
me!
Show me that Thou art my Mother.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!
Remember The Bent Tree
I was lying in bed this morning thanking God for his healing and then
praying for greater healing from some childhood damage I have often
struggled to overcome.
I began thinking about how nice it would be if those events had never
happened. But as I was praying about it, the thought came to me to
"remember the bent tree".
The "bent tree" story is one I heard as a young boy when an elderly
pastor was talking about it to his adult congregation. Being a "young
tree" myself at the time, I didn't then fully understand the story.
From my childhood memory, it goes like this:
A large family with several children had just moved to a home in the
country. The children were delighted to discover that on the property
there was a pond suitable for swimming. On a bank at the side of the
pond a young oak tree was growing. The tree was so young that its trunk
and branches were thin and quite flexible--not capable of supporting
much weight.
The children discovered that with a running start they could make the
thin branches swing and arc over the pond enough to drop in with a
satisfying splash. They spent many happy summer hours playing in the
pond and swinging from the tree. But after a few years they outgrew
the pond and the tree was no longer used.
There was damage to the small tree, however. The branches and trunk had
been bent and twisted and strained so much they were no longer straight
as they had been before. The tree looked like it was crippled forever.
Time passed and 35 years later, the long-since grown children came
together for a reunion in the area of their childhood. They asked the
new owners of the property if they could explore once more the place
they had grown up. And of course, they walked out to the pond.
In their mind's eye, they expected to see a spindly young oak at the
side of the pond.
But things had changed.
What they saw was a large mature oak tree whose trunk and branches had
become thick and massive. But through the solid branches they could still
see the unnatural bend in the trunk they themselves had created--it had
become part of the tree's character.
I think the story might have ended there as the pastor made the point
that "as the twig is bent, so grows the tree". I think he was teaching
that all of us, as parents and neighbors, affect the lives of our
children and people around us in ways that can change their lives for
good or bad forever.
But this morning, as I remembered the tree, I saw there is more to the
story. Yes, the tree had been damaged and bent. But where there had been
damage and weakness there was now massive strength and attractive character.
The curving trunk and branches arching over the pond could no longer be
moved. In fact, the tree now provided stability to the bank on which it
grew and extra shade over the pond for comfort to others. A new rope had
been hung from the now solid branch for a new generation of children to
swing over the water.
It was as if the Lord was telling me that I was praying for the healing
He had started long ago. And the healing He often chooses is turning
weakness and damage into strength and character that may be used by Him
to provide support, comfort and teaching to others. Yet the healing I
had been praying for was to "make it as if it never happened."
Thinking about the bent tree helped me understand a little more what the
Lord has told us before--that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
When I realized that He has been healing me all along, I saw that my prayer
for healing needs to change--not so much that He will make it as though some
pain in life had never happened, but that His strength will be all the more
manifest-- because of it.
Author Unknown
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