Daily Positive Thread for Sunday

gloriajean — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 04:37:20 GMT

We are judged by our actions, not by our intentions. Lord, may I show
my love for You through charity and goodness toward others.

Scripture for the day:

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
~Matthew 18:20

Meditation for the day:

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
When God finds two or three of us in union, who only want God's will to
be done, who want only to serve God, God has a plan that can be revealed
to them. The grace of God can come to people who are together in one
place with one accord. A union like this is miracle-working. God is
able to use such people. Only good can come through such consecrated
people, brought together in unified groups for a single purpose and of a
single mind.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be part of a unified group. I pray that I may
contribute my share to its consecrated purpose.

Greetings my friends! Hope your day went well.. We got it cooled down a bit
today with morning thunder showers and a nice cool breeze. It was nice out
all day, including the rain.
Between showers I managed to pick more raspberries and cherries, and I froze
3 quarts of cherries so far. I froze a cup at a time in zip lock bags and
put 4 in a gallon sized baggie, and so it's 3 quarts frozen now - which I
really am thankful to God for providing us with all of them. It's the first
year since we moved here 8 years ago that the cherries were that many!
Never had enough to freeze before. Our raspberries aren't that many yet to
freeze, we're just using them as they come. Blueberries is coming, but not
much either. We only have two plants.
My blessing today besides my family and friends is the cooler temps. I'm
thankful for Jesus, for gave His life for us and we can always count on Him.

Homily of the Day

July 23, 2011

Do You Have a Listening Heart?
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

I Kings 3:5, 7-12 / Rom 8:26-27 / Mt 13:44-52 or Mt 13:44-46

A man and his wife pulled into a gas station. As their tank was being
filled, the attendant washed their windshield. But when he finished, the
driver said, “It’s still dirty. Wash it again.”

“Yes, sir,” said the boy, searching for any bugs he might have missed.

“It’s still dirty!” barked the driver when he was done. “Don’t you know how
to wash a windshield?” So the poor kid went about it a third time, very,
very carefully.

When he finished, the driver screamed: “It’s still dirty. You’re the
lousiest windshield washer I’ve ever seen. Where’s your boss?” With that,
the driver’s wife, leaned over, removed his glasses and cleaned them. And,
miraculously, the windshield was spotless!

+ + +

How much of reality do we see? Probably only fragments! And why do we see so
little of what’s there? Our own agenda and our expectations of what reality
is or ought to be get in the way and blind us. And so we project our own
motives and our own reality onto others. For example:

— I’m a greedy cut-throat, so I presume everybody else is too, and thus I
live in a scary world … which I created in my own image.

— I never thought much of Uncle George, so I laughed at him when he offered
me Microsoft at $2 a share. What could he know?

— I was a basketball star in high school, so my kids are all going to do the
same, even though they’re all midgets.

— I like privacy, so I moved to the Gobi desert, never seeing that the
isolation would drive my wife over the edge.

Projection and false expectations are master blinders, and so is fear. My
life is too awful to look at, so I don’t look, and the abuse and misery go
on. A new venture involves risks, so I get far too busy to look at it
either.

Not seeing/not hearing impoverishes our lives and does serious damage as
well. Nowhere is it more destructive than at the very center of our lives.
The Spirit whispers to us constantly from within, but what do we hear? Just
fragments. The Spirit speaks to us every day through the whole of creation,
offering us reassurance that we’re not alone, comforting us, showing us
where we’re needed. How much of that do we hear? Bits and pieces. No wonder
so many of us feel alone, sad, unsure, and un-needed so often.

Solomon got it just right when God offered him anything he wanted: He asked
for a listening heart. Somehow he understood that if only he could see and
hear the Spirit within him and God’s good world around him, without his
fears and his own expectations getting in the way, he’d know for sure who he
was and where God was calling him. He’d know.

And so will we know — who we are and where we’re meant to be. We’ll know, if
only we trust God enough to let our hearts listen and see … with all the
filters down. Listen and see: God’s world is and our place in it are
wonderful beyond all imagining, a thousand times better than the best of our
illusions.

Listen and see! But remember, you have to clean your glasses first!

Mother Teresa said...
The password of the early Christians was "joy," so let us still serve the
Lord with joy. Joy is love, joy is prayer, joy is strength. God loves a
person who gives joyfully, and if you give joyfully you always give more. A
joyful heart is the result of a heart burning with love.

Wisdom of the Saints

"The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great
things.

But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist"

Pope St. Gregory

"What does love look like?

It has the hands to help others.

It has the feet to hasten to the

poor and needy.

It has eyes to

see misery and want.

It has the ears to hear the sighs

and sorrows

of men.

That is what love looks like"

St. Augustine of Hippo

"My director, Jesus, does not teach me to count my acts, but to do
everything for love,

to refuse Him nothing, to be pleased when He gives me a chance to prove to
Him

that I love Him but all this in peace, in abandonment"

St. Therese of Lisieux

"Our Lord loves you and loves you tenderly;

and if He does not let you feel the sweetness of His love, it is to make you
more humble

and abject in your own eyes"

St. Pio of Pietrelcino

"What is the mark of love for your neighbour? Not to

seek what is for your own benefit, but what is for the

benefit of the one loved, both in body and in soul"

St. Basil the Great

"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying,

to run by running,

to work by working,

and just so,

you learn to love by loving.

All those who think to learn

in any other way

deceive
themselves."

St. Francis de Sales

The Ultimate Breadmaker

The ingredients used in bread baking all play an important part in the
quality of bread produced.

1. Start with an empty bread pan, ready to be filled with ingredients.
(Just as God takes us - ready ... and needing to be filled.)

2. YEAST - a form of plant life - it will grow and multiply when the
conditions are favourable.
(Yeast represents the WORD of GOD - a necessary ingredient. When we make the
conditions favourable in our lives then the Word of God can grow and
multiply.)

3. FLOUR - the main ingredient. Use white, wholemeal, gluten or any other
type of flour.
(This is us - our personalities - what makes us unique.)

4. SUGAR - provides food for the yeast and helps the yeast to ferment and
promotes continued yeast action. It also provides "sweetness".
(We all need sweetness - God's favour and blessings in our life to promote
continued action of the Word of God in us.)

5. SALT - gives the bread a more even texture. It controls the action of the
yeast by inhibiting enzyme activity. Reducing the salt will mean the bread
will have a weak gluten structure.
(The salt here represents the attacks from the enemy - under the controlled
supervision of our heavenly father - these will keep us on the alert. If we
try and minimise these by running away we will be weak in character.)

6. FATS - this is to soften the bread and enhance the flavour and richness.
Although the addtion of fat is not essential, bread made without fat will
have less flavour and will not keep as well.
(This is God's anointing. Some christians try and leave it out but they will
have less flavour and not keep as well. With it we will be enhancing the
flavour and richness in our lives).

7. LIQUID - this is important to breadmaking - a small change in quantity
may cause the bread not to rise and may affect the texture.
(Refreshing water - we must have it and if we don't take time out to be
refreshed it will affect us spiritually, physically and emotionally.)

8. Once all the ingredients are in the pan, it is then placed in the
breadmaker and the lid is closed. Switch it on, the process now begins.
(Isn't that so like God. He wants us to draw deep into Him out of the sight
of others so He can begin the process of making us Christ-like - "Hidden in
Christ".)

9. The blade starts into action - mixing and kneading. All the ingredients
are being tossed and blended. They are beginning to react and respond.
(Just as it is with us in our everyday life - mixing our personalities with
the Word of God, the anointing, refreshing times, the attacks of the enemy
and God's favour and blessings.)

10. The process seems to take forever but eventually the blade stops ... but
only for a few moments .... then starts again with its relentless turning
and twisting and when all the ingredients are well blended together into one
mass, the temperature begins to rise ... and so does the bread.
(When we face challenges that gets us hot and stirred up, we begin to rise -
if we have the right ingredients, we will rise to face them God's way -
resting inbetween.)

11. It seems like an eternity, then all of a sudden there is a gas release
and the bread falls back to its original size again.
(God assist us when we get too puffed up - we need to be humbled.)

12. The temperature begins to rise again, even hotter than before and the
bread rises to its fullest height. The molecular structure of the initial
ingredients have changed. The buzzer goes off and the bread is ready to come
out.
(When we are ready - changes have taken place.)

13. With padded gloves, we handle with care, and gently remove the bread
from the breadmaker, shake vigorously so the bread will come away from the
pan and then place it on a wire rack to cool off. The aroma entices people
to come and marvel at this wonderful creation.
Once cooled completely, it then takes the prominent place at the table. Some
will love it, some will not - but still it takes the centre place. Then
slowly and deliberately, hands reach out and tenderly breaks the bread to
give out to those who are hungry.
(So it is with us - when we have allowed God to change us, mould and make
us, mix and blend us and we have reached our fullest potential - we are
ready to be used. We will be handled gently, shaken vigorously, put aside to
cool off, people will be draw to us, some may even marvel. We will take a
prominent place and some will love us, some will not, but in the centre we
will stay. When we think our purpose has been fulfilled, God will slowly and
deliberately reach out with tender loving hands and break us ... and then,
maybe, we are ready to feed those about us who hunger... )

ANGEL TALK
Author Unknown

Just inside the Pearly Gates
Underneath a gorgeous sky
Two angels hovered near a cloud
(They don't sit like you and I!)

"I just don't understand it,"
Said angel number one,
"I've watched and studied everything
Those foolish souls have done."

The second angel gave a shrug,
"Why do you even care?
It's no concern of ours at all
What they choose to do down there."

"Maybe not," the first one said,
"But still I'd like to know
With all the blessings they've received
What makes them quarrel so?"

The second angel stretched his wings
Then smoothed a ruffled feather,
"It's just about a hopeless cause
For men to live together."

"The Master's working very hard
Has been for generations. ....
And still they fight among themselves
causing death and devastation. "

The older angel softly sighed,
"You can't change things, little one,
The Master's tried everything
He even sacrificed His Son!!"

The young angel nodded slowly,
"That's what seems so bad!
He suffered, bled and died for them!
He gave them all he had!"

"Oh, He still has more to give,"
The other looked both sad and wise,
"For I've seen Jesus when souls are lost,
And I've held Him while He cries."

"For to Him each one is precious
With a value beyond measure.....
He wants them all up here with Him
To share in Heaven's treasure."

"And sometimes, someone down on Earth
Will kneel in fervent prayer
Crying out, 'Please help me, God!
Show me that You're there!'"

"And when that happens you will hear
All the bells of Heaven ring!
As the Master's love pours down like rain

And the Heart of Jesus sings!"

ONE GUY DIDN'T
Author Unknown
July 23, 2011

Three guys were tried for crimes against humanity.
Two guys committed crimes.
One guy didn't.

Three guys were given government trials.
Two guys had fair trials.
One guy didn't.

Three guys were whipped and beaten.
Two guys had it coming.
One guy didn't.

Three guys were given crosses to carry.
Two guys earned their crosses.
One guy didn't.

Three guys were mocked and spit at along the way.
Two guys cursed and spit back.
One guy didn't.

Three guys were nailed to crosses.
Two guys deserved it.
One guy didn't.

Three guys agonized over their abandonment.
Two guys had reason to be abandoned.
One guy didn't.

Three guys talked while hanging on their crosses.
Two guys argued.
One guy didn't.

Three guys knew death was coming.
Two guys resisted.
One guy didn't.

One.
Two.
Three guys died on three crosses.

Three days later.
Two guys remained in their graves.
One guy didn't.

God Be With YOU
May God's peace and joy be yours
and stay with you throughout each day;
May you walk in faith believing that
all good things He sends your way.

May you never cease to thank Him
for the blessings you've received;
May your faith keep on increasing
more than when you first believed.

May you find some time each and
every day to study His word and
pray;
Faithfulness is necessary to follow
closely in His pathway.

The rewards He gives are plentiful
when we give to Him our all;
And we know the answers to our
prayers will come when on His name
we call!

We have His blessed assurance when
we put in Him our trust;
And we know when God is with us,
no one can stand against us!
~Helen Johnson~

Good night now and God bless you! Sweet Dreams!! Have a very Blessed Sunday
now

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Daily Positive Thread for Sunday