Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Keep yourself young in spirit always by thinking new thoughts and getting
rid of old habits. Lord, may my spirit never become a frail and my abilities
never become barren.

Scripture for the day:

"Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a
stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things
but on human things. 'Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If any want to become
my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose
their life for my sake will find it.'" ~Matthew 16:23-25

Meditation for the day:

We were born with the Divine within us. Living a selfish life can hinder
the Divine from being expressed and shared. The celestial fire has to be
tended and fed so that it will grow into a real desire to live the right
way. By trying to do the will of God, we grow more and more in the new way
of life. By thinking of God, praying to God and having communion with God,
we gradually grow more like God. The way of our transformation from the
material to the spiritual allows God to work in and through us.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may tend the spark of the Divine within me so that it will
grow. I pray that I may be gradually transformed from the old life to the
new and fuller life.

Hello my friends! Today's blessings - fresh raspberries, fresh carrots,
fresh beans, fresh tomatoes, fresh cukes and fresh peppers! could go on and
on! Love to eat those tomatoes! I made a stir fry for supper tonight with
our fresh veggies. Then we had puppy school for Ollie - had it now because
Friday is the night before the Wedding - Rehearsal and dinner. He is doing
good, he's learned a lot! Lori and I are even thinking of taking him to
intermediate classes - and we'll split the cost, he'll learn more and in
more depth. That will be Monday nights at 7 and that works out for her. It
sure helps me to be there to know how to train him when he's at my place.
Like today - I had both dogs sit, and I commanded the "leave it" and they
did - excellent! Funny though, when they are supposed to sit, that's
alright, but lie down, Ollie does, but Sammy rolls over, and over and over!
So Ollie is starting to roll over now too! Funny! They make me smile. Only
one fight I had to referee. It's getting better. What's so funny is that
Ollie is ball obsessed, and he give the ball to Sammy to throw and Sammy
wants him out of his face!! My goodness I played ball a lot with him this
afternoon! He brings it right to my lap and drops it. He did take a little
nap this afternoon.
Both did. Anyway lots of blessings that came my way today! Praise God!
Praying for you all - thanks for your prayers for us.

THE TURTLE PICNIC
Author Unknown


A turtle family went on a picnic. They had prepared seven years for
their outing. The family left home, searching for a suitable place.
During the second year of their journey, they found it. For about six
months they cleared the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and
completed the arrangements. They discovered, however, that they had
forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they
all agreed.

After lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve
the salt at home. Although he was the fastest of the slow-moving
turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in the shell. He
agreed to go on only on one condition: that no one would eat until he
returned. The family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed- and the little turtle had not returned. Five
years. Six years. Then in the seventh year of his absence, the eldest
turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was
going to eat and began to unwrap a sandwich. At that point, the little
turtle suddenly popped out from
behind a tree shouting, " SEE! I knew you wouldn't wait! Now, I'm not
going to get the salt."

Some of us, like that little turtle, don't trust anyone or give anyone
the benefit of the doubt. We waste away our lives waiting for people
to live up to our poor expectations of them - and they always do. We
can be thankful that God doesn't treat us that way. He accepts us just
the way we are. He believes in us. He cheers us on. He thinks the best
for us. He is proud of us.When we mess up, He forgives and forgets, and
gives us another opportunity to do good. That's how God treats us, and
that's how we are to treat others. Let's not think the worst of each
other. Let's expect the best.

THE CROSS
Author Unknown


A young man
Was at the end of his rope,
Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees
In prayer


"Lord, I can't go on," he said.
"I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied,

"My son,
If you can't bear its weight,
Just place your cross
Inside
This room.

Then, open that other door
And pick out any cross you wish."



The man was filled with relief and said,
"Thank you Lord," and he did
As he was told.

Upon entering the
Other room, he saw many crosses;
Some so large the tops were not visible.
Then, he spotted a
tiny cross
Leaning
Against a far wall.

"I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered.

The Lord replied,
"My son that is the cross you just brought in."

When life's problems seem overwhelming,
It helps
To look around and see
What other people are coping with.

You may consider yourself
Far more fortunate than you imagined.


YOUR CROSS

Whatever your cross
Whatever your pain
There will always be sunshine
After the rain

Perhaps you may stumble
Perhaps even fall
But God's always there
To help you through it all


May the good Lord give you manifest the blessing that were thrust upon
you for you were wonderfully made.

Less Is More
Here's a unique story based on the thought that "Less Is More". So often we
feel like we have to explain, convince, argue, etc... when fewer words may
be just what someone needs to hear. Someone once said that it is no
coincidence that God gave us 2 ears, and only 1 mouth... :-)

An insurance agent learned that he would receive his company's award for
having sold more life insurance than anyone else in the state. The big
problem: He had to make a speech at the time he got the award. He was
supposed to tell the other insurance agents how he did it. Joe had a phobia
about public speaking, but he was still expected to give the speech.

So he went to work on this speech. He wrote it and rewrote it. Finally, he
got it just right. He typed it up on cards and taped the cards on his
shaving mirror. Every morning while he was shaving, he memorized that
speech. Finally, Joe had it imprinted into the grooves of his brain cells
like a laser disk. He was ready.

The great evening came. The huge auditorium was filled with insurance
salespeople from all over the state. Then they called him forward to receive
the award. Pressing a plaque into Joe's hand, the president of the company
patted him on the back and said, "Now, tell us, how did you do it?"

Joe turned to his great sea of eyes, waiting expectantly for him to say
something profound. But he could not think of the first line. Groping for
it, he said, "Ah, uh, ah..." He couldn't remember the first line but he
finally thought of a line from down in the middle. (If you are in that kind
of situation, you are willing to start anyplace.) So he said, "Ah, uh - See
the people...."

But Joe was so frightened that he couldn't remember what came after that. So
he started again, "Ah, ah - See the people, ah, uh. See the people!" And he
sat down.

Most of the people in the auditorium thought Joe said exactly what he
intended to say. They heard it as a dramatic speech and gave him a standing
ovation.

The Fire
------------

A couple, whom we shall call John and Mary, had a nice
home and two lovely children, a boy and a girl. John
had a good job and had just been asked to go on a
business trip to another city and would be gone for
several days. It was decided that Mary needed an
outing and would go along too. They hired a reliable
woman to care for the children and made the trip,
returning home a little earlier than they had planned.

As they drove into their home town feeling glad to be
back, they noticed smoke, and they went off their
usual route to see what it was. They found a home in
flames. Mary said, "Oh well it isn't our fire, let's
go home."

But John drove closer and exclaimed, "That home
belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant. He
wouldn't be off work yet, maybe there is something we
could do." "It has nothing to do with us." Protested
Mary. "You have your good clothes on lets not get any
closer."

But John drove up and stopped and they were both
horror stricken to see the whole house in flames. A
woman on the lawn was in hysterics screaming, "The
children! Get the children!" John grabbed her by the
shoulder saying, "Get a hold of yourself and tell us
where the children are!" "In the basement," sobbed the
woman, "down the hall and to the left."

In spite of Mary's protests John grabbed the water
hose and soaked his clothes, put his wet handkerchief
on his head and bolted for the basement which was full
of smoke and scorching hot. He found the door and
grabbed two children, holding one under each arm like
the football player he was. As he left he could hear
some more whimpering. He delivered the two badly
frightened and nearly suffocated children into waiting
arms and filled his lungs with fresh air and started
back asking how many more children were down there.
They told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and
screamed, "John! Don't go back! It's suicide! That
house will cave in any second!"

But he shook her off and went back by feeling his way
down the smoke filled hallway and into the room. It
seemed an eternity before he found both children and
started back. They were all three coughing and he
stooped low to get what available air he could. As he
stumbled up the endless steps the thought went through
his mind that there was something strangely familiar
about the little bodies clinging to him, and at last
when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air, he
found that he had just rescued his own children.

The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she
did some shopping.

Author Unknown

Little Prayers to the Holy Spirit
Dear Holy Spirit, help us not to be ignorant or indifferent or weak, help us
to be strong with the love of God.

Dear Holy Spirit, please pray for our needs for us.

Dear Holy Spirit, help us to respect God and to avoid sin. Help us to live
in the Father's will.

Dear Holy Spirit, help us to keep Your commandments and to respect
authority. Help us to love all things as You will us to love them. Help us
to want to pray and always serve God with the greatest love. Help us to know
the truth. Help us to have the gift of faith, hope, and love. Help us to
know what is right and what is wrong.

AN ACT OF DESIRE
Eternal Father, turn Thy merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon
poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the
sake of His sorrowful passion show us Thy mercy, that we may praise the
omnipotence of Thy mercy for ever and ever. Amen

Eternal Father, turn Thy merciful gaze also upon the company of Thy chosen
ones in Thy vineyard--upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow
them with the strength of Thy blessing. For the love of the Heart of Thy Son
in which they are enfolded, impart to them, Thy power and light, that they
may guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to
Thy boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Mother Teresa Said...

"In my heart there is only one vacant seat.
It is for God and nobody else.
Temptation is like fire in which gold is purified.
So we have to go through this fire.
The temptations are allowed by God.
The only thing we have to do is to refuse to give in.
If I say I do not want it, I am safe.
There may be temptations against purity,
against faith, against my vocation.
If we love our vocation, we will be tempted.
But then we will also grow in sanctity.
We have to fight temptation for the love of God."



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.