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    <title>topic Daily Positive Thread for Monday in Community Chat</title>
    <link>https://community.qvc.com/t5/Community-Chat/Daily-Positive-Thread-for-Monday/m-p/1251502#M450708</link>
    <description>&lt;P&gt;Hello my friends!  Another start of another week!!  Praying it all gives you many blessings! We all need those special Blessings that only come from our Lord and Savior, Jesus! He blesses us with our Faith, He blesses us with our families and our loved ones, pets and everything good comes from Him. You all know where the bad comes from, not Him. Well today's blessings - a restful day, and just an ordinary day except that it was Sunday filled with the Blessings of Holy Mass this morning!  We will try harder to get to daily Mass again, it's such a wonderful way to start out our day!  I was surprised that with all the standing I did yesterday in canning, my part of it, I didn't have leg cramps last night and today I felt normal, so that's a great blessing!  What are your blessings?  Praying for you all and praying for healings from surgeries, Felicia, and Love Roses.  May God grant you healings faster than normal, that is my prayer for you.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If a person or a situation causes you to feel insecure, you have&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;forgotten who you really are. Lord, You are my Father. I am Your&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;child. How can I ever feel like less.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Scripture for the day:&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;"No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;You cannot serve God and wealth."  ~Luke 16:13&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Meditation for the day:&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Sometimes we'd like the full and complete satisfaction that we can&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;find in serving God and all the satisfactions of the world as well.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;It is not easy to serve both God and the world.  It is difficult to&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;claim the rewards of both.  If we work for God, we can still have&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;great rewards in the world.  We can also be prepared to sometimes&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;stand apart from the world.  If we turn to the world for all the&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;rewards which life has to offer we can be disappointed.  If we try&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;sincerely to serve God, we can have other and greater rewards than the&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;world has to offer.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Prayer for the day:&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;I pray that I may not expect too much from the world.  I pray that I&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;may be content with the rewards that come from serving God.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Father,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;May I always remember&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;that all the parts of my body are good because you made them,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;that my body does not belong to me but to you,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;who bought it at my Baptism&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;at the price of Christ's Cross&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and that my body is the living temple of the Holy Spirit.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Give me self-control over my passions, appetites and imaginations;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;give me respect for the opposite s#x&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and esteem for my own;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;create in me that wholeness and integrity&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;that all my powers may be consecrated to your service&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;according to my state in life.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;May Mary the Blessed Virgin Mother,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;watch over me through Christ our Lord.  Amen.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;- - -&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Matthew 5:8 - "Happy are the pure in Heart; they will see God!"&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Don't you know that your body is a temple for the &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?  You do not &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;belong to yourselves but to God; he has bought you for a price.  So use your &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;bodies for God's glory.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Mother Teresa Said...&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;"That is why Jesus made himself bread&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to satisfy our hunger for God.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;See the humility of God.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;He also made Himself the hungry one&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to satisfy our hunger for God&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;through our love, our service.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Let us pray that none of us will be unfaithful.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Let us pray for our poor people.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;They are also hungry for God."&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;THE WAY TO GOD&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If my days were untroubled&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and my heart always light&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I seek the fair land&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;where there is no night;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If I never grew weary&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;with the weight of my load&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I search for God's Peace&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;at the end of the road;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If I never knew sickness&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and never felt pain&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I reach for a hand&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to help and sustain;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If I walked not with sorrow&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and lived without loss&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would my soul seek solace&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;at the foot of the cross;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If all I desired was mine&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;day by day&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I kneel before God&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and earnestly pray;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If God sent no "Winter"&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to freeze me with fear&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I yearn for the warmth&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;of "Spring" every year;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;I ask myself this&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and the answer is plain-- &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If my life were all pleasure&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and I never knew pain&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;I'd seek God less often&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and need Him much less,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;For God's sought more often&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;in times of distress,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;And no one knows God&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;or sees Him as plain&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;As those who have met Him&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;on the "Pathway of Pain."&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;By Helen Steiner Rice&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;[source: Only The Real Matters by Francis Kong]&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;"No one knows what he can do until he tries.  Do not let countless job &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;promotions and opportunities pass you by for fear that you would not be able &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to do what is expected of you.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Such fears are baseless."&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Handel wrote his best music after his doctors had told him about his &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;impending death.  While Beethoven wrote the Fifth Symphony after he had &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;become deaf.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Three of the world's greatest poets - Homer, Milton, and Dante were blind &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;men.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Hannibal and Lord Nelson, both outstanding generals, each had one eye.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Daniel Defoe wrote the classic Robinson Crusoe while in prison.  So did John &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Bunyan with his Pilgrim's Progress.  Martin Luther translated the Bible in &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;the Castle of Wartburg.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Dante wrote for 20 years in exile while awaiting execution, Cervantes wrote &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Don Quixote in a Madrid jail.  The apostle Paul himself wrote his epistles &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;joyfully while under arrest.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Hold on to your dreams.  Tell God about them and if He approves them, lift &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;them up in prayer and they will come to pass.  Without God, it is not worth &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;dreaming about them.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;The Cross (Today we celebrated the Exultation of the Holy Cross)&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;The power of the cross...an incredible story&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;In 1967 while I was taking a class in photography at the University of &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Cincinnati, I became acquainted with a young man named Charles Murray, who &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;was also a student at the school and training for the summer Olympics of &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;1968 as a high diver. Charles was very patient with me as I would speak to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;him for hours about Jesus Christ and how He had saved me. Charles was not &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;raised in a home that attended any kind of church, so all that I had to tell &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;him was a fascination to him. He even began to ask questions about &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;forgiveness of sin. Finally the day came that I put a question to him. I &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;asked if he had realized his own need of a redeemer and if he was ready to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;trust Christ as his own Saviour. I saw his countenance fall and the guilt in &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;his face. But his reply was a strong 'no'. In the days that followed he was &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;quiet and often I felt that he was avoiding me, until I got a phone call &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;from him. He wanted to know where to look in the New Testament for some &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;verses that I had given him about salvation. I gave him the references to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;several passages and asked if I could meet with him. He declined my offer &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and thanked me for the scripture. I could tell that he was greatly troubled, &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;but I did not know where he was or how to help him.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Because he was training for the Olympic Games, Charles had special &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;privileges at the University pool facilities. Sometime between 10:30 and &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;11:00 that evening he decided to go swim and practice a few dives. It was a &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;clear night in October and the moon was big and bright. The University pool &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;was housed under a ceiling of glass panes so the moon shone brightly across &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;the top of the wall in the pool area. Charles climbed to the highest &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;platform to take his first dive. At that moment the Spirit of God began to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;convict him of his sins. All the scripture he had read, all the occasions of &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;witnessing to him about Christ flooded his mind. He stood on the platform &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;backwards to make his dive, spread his arms to gather his balance, looked up &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to the wall and saw his own shadow caused by the light of the moon. His &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;shadow was in the shape of a cross. He could bear the burden of sin no &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;longer. His heart broke and he sat down on the platform and asked God to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;forgive him and save him. He trusted Jesus Christ twenty some feet in the &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;air. Suddenly, the lights in the pool area came on. The attendant had come &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;in to check the pool. As Charles looked down from his platform he saw an &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;EMPTY pool which had been drained for repairs.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;He had almost plummeted to his death, but the cross had stopped him from &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;disaster.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Galatians 6:14&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Invocation to the Cross&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Oh Almighty God who has suffered death on the Cross for all my sins...  Be &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;with me.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Have pity on me.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Be my hope.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Ward off from me all cunning weapons.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Pour unto me all good.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Turn away from me all evil.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Make me reach the road of Salvation.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Ward off from me all murderous attempts.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Preserve me from all corporal and temporal &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;accidents.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;May I adore the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ forever.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Jesus of Nazareth crucified...    Have mercy on me.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Grant that the evil and harmful spirit fly away forever.  Amen&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;In honor of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;In honor of the Incarnation by which He can lead us to Eternal Life...&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Have Mercy on us.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Note: While these invocations are apparently addressed to the Holy Cross, in &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;fact, we are praying to Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. Just as on Good &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Friday we have the ceremony which we call the Veneration, or even Adoration &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;of the Cross, but, in fact, we are venerating or adoring the: One hanging on &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;the cross. The Cross itself is simply a piece of wood, used as an instrument &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;of our salvation. When we come to kiss the cross, it is the Body of Christ &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;that we kiss, and not the wood of the cross itself.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;TURN YOUR SECURITY SYSTEM ON!&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Author Unknown&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;A horrible thing happened to me today.....a thief broke into my house. It&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;happened shortly after I awoke this morning. I got up and began rushing&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;about. I had a thousand things on my list and was already running behind.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Quickly, I gulped down breakfast, took a shower and got ready for work.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;In my rush, I forgot to turn the security system on at my house. It was just&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;about a half an hour later that the thief broke in. Of course, he didn't&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;make a sound. Just kind of snuck inside, not drawing any attention to&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;himself. In fact, none of the neighbors ever saw him.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;But, I did.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;You see, I WAS HOME when the thief broke in.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;He naturally startled me, as I was unprepared for his visit. He, of course,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;didn't announce that he was coming and I certainly had not invited him over.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;And yet, I found myself face to face with danger and I felt so powerless. I&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;also felt so very stupid, because this whole incident could have been&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;avoided if I had just taken the time to turn the security system on.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;You better believe I'll be turning it on tomorrow morning! I thought I'd&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;warn you about this guy, because he's still on the loose. Chances are, he's&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;in your area. Possibly even headed for your house.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;His name? His name is Satan. You see, this morning when I jumped up in my&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;haste to get started on my busy day, I skipped my prayer time - opting to&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;"pray later today." In other words, I DIDN'T TURN ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM. My&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;defense wasn't on, my guard was dropped ..... and when the thief came into&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;my home to attack me, I was unprepared to do battle. He tempted me and I&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;felt powerless. Like I said, I also felt so very stupid, because I could&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;have avoided the incident if I had just taken the time to pray.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;My friend, the thief has come to "steal, kill and destroy." And, as a Child&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;of God, you are on his "hit list." He'll probably pop over to your house&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;today. He may be lurking outside your door right now, just waiting to catch&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;you off guard.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Take time to pray this morning. Ask God to bind Satan from your very&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;presence, to protect you and empower you to do battle. In short ..... don't&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;forget to turn your security system on.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt;</description>
    <pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2014 02:24:23 GMT</pubDate>
    <dc:creator>gloriajean</dc:creator>
    <dc:date>2014-09-15T02:24:23Z</dc:date>
    <item>
      <title>Daily Positive Thread for Monday</title>
      <link>https://community.qvc.com/t5/Community-Chat/Daily-Positive-Thread-for-Monday/m-p/1251502#M450708</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Hello my friends!  Another start of another week!!  Praying it all gives you many blessings! We all need those special Blessings that only come from our Lord and Savior, Jesus! He blesses us with our Faith, He blesses us with our families and our loved ones, pets and everything good comes from Him. You all know where the bad comes from, not Him. Well today's blessings - a restful day, and just an ordinary day except that it was Sunday filled with the Blessings of Holy Mass this morning!  We will try harder to get to daily Mass again, it's such a wonderful way to start out our day!  I was surprised that with all the standing I did yesterday in canning, my part of it, I didn't have leg cramps last night and today I felt normal, so that's a great blessing!  What are your blessings?  Praying for you all and praying for healings from surgeries, Felicia, and Love Roses.  May God grant you healings faster than normal, that is my prayer for you.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If a person or a situation causes you to feel insecure, you have&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;forgotten who you really are. Lord, You are my Father. I am Your&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;child. How can I ever feel like less.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Scripture for the day:&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;"No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;You cannot serve God and wealth."  ~Luke 16:13&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Meditation for the day:&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Sometimes we'd like the full and complete satisfaction that we can&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;find in serving God and all the satisfactions of the world as well.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;It is not easy to serve both God and the world.  It is difficult to&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;claim the rewards of both.  If we work for God, we can still have&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;great rewards in the world.  We can also be prepared to sometimes&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;stand apart from the world.  If we turn to the world for all the&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;rewards which life has to offer we can be disappointed.  If we try&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;sincerely to serve God, we can have other and greater rewards than the&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;world has to offer.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Prayer for the day:&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;I pray that I may not expect too much from the world.  I pray that I&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;may be content with the rewards that come from serving God.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Father,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;May I always remember&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;that all the parts of my body are good because you made them,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;that my body does not belong to me but to you,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;who bought it at my Baptism&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;at the price of Christ's Cross&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and that my body is the living temple of the Holy Spirit.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Give me self-control over my passions, appetites and imaginations;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;give me respect for the opposite s#x&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and esteem for my own;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;create in me that wholeness and integrity&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;that all my powers may be consecrated to your service&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;according to my state in life.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;May Mary the Blessed Virgin Mother,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;watch over me through Christ our Lord.  Amen.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;- - -&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Matthew 5:8 - "Happy are the pure in Heart; they will see God!"&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Don't you know that your body is a temple for the &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?  You do not &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;belong to yourselves but to God; he has bought you for a price.  So use your &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;bodies for God's glory.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Mother Teresa Said...&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;"That is why Jesus made himself bread&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to satisfy our hunger for God.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;See the humility of God.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;He also made Himself the hungry one&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to satisfy our hunger for God&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;through our love, our service.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Let us pray that none of us will be unfaithful.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Let us pray for our poor people.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;They are also hungry for God."&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;THE WAY TO GOD&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If my days were untroubled&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and my heart always light&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I seek the fair land&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;where there is no night;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If I never grew weary&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;with the weight of my load&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I search for God's Peace&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;at the end of the road;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If I never knew sickness&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and never felt pain&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I reach for a hand&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to help and sustain;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If I walked not with sorrow&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and lived without loss&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would my soul seek solace&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;at the foot of the cross;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If all I desired was mine&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;day by day&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I kneel before God&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and earnestly pray;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If God sent no "Winter"&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to freeze me with fear&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Would I yearn for the warmth&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;of "Spring" every year;&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;I ask myself this&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and the answer is plain-- &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;If my life were all pleasure&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and I never knew pain&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;I'd seek God less often&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and need Him much less,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;For God's sought more often&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;in times of distress,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;And no one knows God&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;or sees Him as plain&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;As those who have met Him&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;on the "Pathway of Pain."&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;By Helen Steiner Rice&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;[source: Only The Real Matters by Francis Kong]&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;"No one knows what he can do until he tries.  Do not let countless job &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;promotions and opportunities pass you by for fear that you would not be able &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to do what is expected of you.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Such fears are baseless."&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Handel wrote his best music after his doctors had told him about his &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;impending death.  While Beethoven wrote the Fifth Symphony after he had &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;become deaf.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Three of the world's greatest poets - Homer, Milton, and Dante were blind &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;men.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Hannibal and Lord Nelson, both outstanding generals, each had one eye.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Daniel Defoe wrote the classic Robinson Crusoe while in prison.  So did John &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Bunyan with his Pilgrim's Progress.  Martin Luther translated the Bible in &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;the Castle of Wartburg.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Dante wrote for 20 years in exile while awaiting execution, Cervantes wrote &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Don Quixote in a Madrid jail.  The apostle Paul himself wrote his epistles &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;joyfully while under arrest.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Hold on to your dreams.  Tell God about them and if He approves them, lift &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;them up in prayer and they will come to pass.  Without God, it is not worth &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;dreaming about them.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;The Cross (Today we celebrated the Exultation of the Holy Cross)&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;The power of the cross...an incredible story&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;In 1967 while I was taking a class in photography at the University of &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Cincinnati, I became acquainted with a young man named Charles Murray, who &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;was also a student at the school and training for the summer Olympics of &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;1968 as a high diver. Charles was very patient with me as I would speak to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;him for hours about Jesus Christ and how He had saved me. Charles was not &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;raised in a home that attended any kind of church, so all that I had to tell &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;him was a fascination to him. He even began to ask questions about &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;forgiveness of sin. Finally the day came that I put a question to him. I &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;asked if he had realized his own need of a redeemer and if he was ready to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;trust Christ as his own Saviour. I saw his countenance fall and the guilt in &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;his face. But his reply was a strong 'no'. In the days that followed he was &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;quiet and often I felt that he was avoiding me, until I got a phone call &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;from him. He wanted to know where to look in the New Testament for some &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;verses that I had given him about salvation. I gave him the references to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;several passages and asked if I could meet with him. He declined my offer &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;and thanked me for the scripture. I could tell that he was greatly troubled, &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;but I did not know where he was or how to help him.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Because he was training for the Olympic Games, Charles had special &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;privileges at the University pool facilities. Sometime between 10:30 and &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;11:00 that evening he decided to go swim and practice a few dives. It was a &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;clear night in October and the moon was big and bright. The University pool &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;was housed under a ceiling of glass panes so the moon shone brightly across &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;the top of the wall in the pool area. Charles climbed to the highest &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;platform to take his first dive. At that moment the Spirit of God began to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;convict him of his sins. All the scripture he had read, all the occasions of &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;witnessing to him about Christ flooded his mind. He stood on the platform &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;backwards to make his dive, spread his arms to gather his balance, looked up &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;to the wall and saw his own shadow caused by the light of the moon. His &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;shadow was in the shape of a cross. He could bear the burden of sin no &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;longer. His heart broke and he sat down on the platform and asked God to &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;forgive him and save him. He trusted Jesus Christ twenty some feet in the &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;air. Suddenly, the lights in the pool area came on. The attendant had come &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;in to check the pool. As Charles looked down from his platform he saw an &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;EMPTY pool which had been drained for repairs.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;He had almost plummeted to his death, but the cross had stopped him from &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;disaster.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Galatians 6:14&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Invocation to the Cross&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Oh Almighty God who has suffered death on the Cross for all my sins...  Be &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;with me.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Have pity on me.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Be my hope.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Ward off from me all cunning weapons.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Pour unto me all good.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Turn away from me all evil.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Make me reach the road of Salvation.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Ward off from me all murderous attempts.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Holy Cross of Jesus Christ...    Preserve me from all corporal and temporal &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;accidents.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;May I adore the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ forever.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Jesus of Nazareth crucified...    Have mercy on me.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Grant that the evil and harmful spirit fly away forever.  Amen&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;In honor of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;In honor of the Incarnation by which He can lead us to Eternal Life...&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Have Mercy on us.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Note: While these invocations are apparently addressed to the Holy Cross, in &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;fact, we are praying to Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. Just as on Good &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Friday we have the ceremony which we call the Veneration, or even Adoration &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;of the Cross, but, in fact, we are venerating or adoring the: One hanging on &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;the cross. The Cross itself is simply a piece of wood, used as an instrument &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;of our salvation. When we come to kiss the cross, it is the Body of Christ &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;that we kiss, and not the wood of the cross itself.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;TURN YOUR SECURITY SYSTEM ON!&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Author Unknown&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;A horrible thing happened to me today.....a thief broke into my house. It&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;happened shortly after I awoke this morning. I got up and began rushing&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;about. I had a thousand things on my list and was already running behind.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Quickly, I gulped down breakfast, took a shower and got ready for work.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;In my rush, I forgot to turn the security system on at my house. It was just&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;about a half an hour later that the thief broke in. Of course, he didn't&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;make a sound. Just kind of snuck inside, not drawing any attention to&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;himself. In fact, none of the neighbors ever saw him.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;But, I did.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;You see, I WAS HOME when the thief broke in.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;He naturally startled me, as I was unprepared for his visit. He, of course,&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;didn't announce that he was coming and I certainly had not invited him over.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;And yet, I found myself face to face with danger and I felt so powerless. I&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;also felt so very stupid, because this whole incident could have been&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;avoided if I had just taken the time to turn the security system on.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;You better believe I'll be turning it on tomorrow morning! I thought I'd&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;warn you about this guy, because he's still on the loose. Chances are, he's&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;in your area. Possibly even headed for your house.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;His name? His name is Satan. You see, this morning when I jumped up in my&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;haste to get started on my busy day, I skipped my prayer time - opting to&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;"pray later today." In other words, I DIDN'T TURN ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM. My&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;defense wasn't on, my guard was dropped ..... and when the thief came into&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;my home to attack me, I was unprepared to do battle. He tempted me and I&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;felt powerless. Like I said, I also felt so very stupid, because I could&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;have avoided the incident if I had just taken the time to pray.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;My friend, the thief has come to "steal, kill and destroy." And, as a Child&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;of God, you are on his "hit list." He'll probably pop over to your house&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;today. He may be lurking outside your door right now, just waiting to catch&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;you off guard.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Take time to pray this morning. Ask God to bind Satan from your very&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;presence, to protect you and empower you to do battle. In short ..... don't&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;forget to turn your security system on.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt; &lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2014 02:24:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://community.qvc.com/t5/Community-Chat/Daily-Positive-Thread-for-Monday/m-p/1251502#M450708</guid>
      <dc:creator>gloriajean</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2014-09-15T02:24:23Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Daily Positive Thread for Monday</title>
      <link>https://community.qvc.com/t5/Community-Chat/Daily-Positive-Thread-for-Monday/m-p/1251507#M450710</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Hello friends....My blessing is that I feel fine.  Lost some weight too.  I was wearing a X large jean, now I'm down to a large.&lt;/P&gt; &lt;P&gt;Blessings to all here who post and read.  Have a good day today.&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2014 18:01:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://community.qvc.com/t5/Community-Chat/Daily-Positive-Thread-for-Monday/m-p/1251507#M450710</guid>
      <dc:creator>Bobbi sue</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2014-09-15T18:01:22Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Daily Positive Thread for Monday</title>
      <link>https://community.qvc.com/t5/Community-Chat/Daily-Positive-Thread-for-Monday/m-p/1251512#M450712</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Bobbiesue - I'm so happy you feel fine and losing some weight does make one feel good! So glad for you to get down a size!  That is a great blessing!&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2014 01:52:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://community.qvc.com/t5/Community-Chat/Daily-Positive-Thread-for-Monday/m-p/1251512#M450712</guid>
      <dc:creator>gloriajean</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2014-09-16T01:52:03Z</dc:date>
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