topic Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday in Community Chat

Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 08:22:38 GMT

Hello my friends! Finally got signed in! The Q was temporarily unavailable. I'm tired so this will be short. Blessings today - a call from Darla in Texas. Nice visit with Lori at supper, always a blessing to be in touch with my girls. Praying for you all.

Our words are powerful tools and can influence even when we are not aware.

Lord, help me to speak with kindness and sensitivity and to be a positive

source of encouragement and support to others.

Scripture for the day:

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in

you?" ~1 Corinthians 3:16

Meditation for the day:

God is all around us. God's spirit pervades the universe. And yet we often

do not let God's spirit in. We sometimes try to get along without God's

help and we make a mess of our lives. We can do nothing of any value

without God's help. All our human relationships depend on this. When we

let God's spirit rule our lives, we can learn how to get along with others

and how to help them.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may let God run my life. I pray that I will never again make

a mess of my life through trying to run it myself.

+ + +

So much for love! We all want to do it, but so often we get lost in the

details. Sometimes we fool ourselves with cheap imitations, like good

wishes: I wish you well, and I think I’m loving you. Not so. As the saying

goes, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” Wishing is nice, but it

isn’t love.

Neither are those warm, mushy feelings that come upon as at times. Those

sentimental feelings are nice, and very pleasant too, but they’re not love

either. Five minutes can cool off any bowl of warm mush!

Real love wants the best for the other, and then works at making it happen.

Real love acts, but not like a tank. Real love is circumspect. It thinks

and prays long and hard in search of what the best really IS for the other.

And sometimes it has to say in truth, “I don’t know what the best is in this

case. So I’ll just be quiet for awhile, and be open and attentive to the

Holy Spirit till I do know.”

Real love for another has at its root the experience of BEING loved, which

enables us to see, through the eyes of another, all the goodness God has

planted in us. Now if we don’t see the good God has put in us, we won’t be

ABLE to love ourselves, and in turn we’ll never be able to see and trust the

goodness in others: we’ll never have the heart to love.

Instead, knowing for sure that we’re not lovable, we’ll be equally certain

that nobody else is lovable either, and we’ll waste our lives alternately

holding each other at a distance and trying to steal love we’re sure we don’t

deserve: Buying it or tricking folks into it one way or another. What a

waste!

We’ve gathered here in this church because we don’t want to waste our lives.

We know Jesus is right when he says the only path to life is loving God and

our neighbor as ourselves. We want to do and not just talk about it. So what

comes next is clear: We have to let God’s love enfold us and wrap us round.

In the embrace of him who sees everything and yet loves us nonetheless, we’ll

find the power to act, the power to give ourselves to one another. And in

doing that, we’ll find the joy we long for.

Trust his love for you. Trust the full extent of it. Let him enfold you

completely. The power to love with all your heart will follow!

This story should remind us all to take time and care.

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. Your son

is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several

times before the patient's eyes opened. Heavily sedated because of the

pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young man in the Marine Corps

uniform

standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine

wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a

message of love and encouragement. The nurse brought a chair so that the

Marine

could sit alongside the bed. Nights are long in hospitals but all through

the

night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the

old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally,

the

nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused.

Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and

the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the

laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and

moans

of the other patients. Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words.

The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the

night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine placed the lifeless

hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she

had to do, he waited. Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of

sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her. "Who was that man?" he

asked. The nurse was startled, "He was your father" she answered. "No, he

wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life." "Then why

didn't you say something when I took you to him?" "I knew right away, there

had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just

wasn't

here.

When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was

his son, I knew how much he needed me so I stayed."

The next time someone needs you...be there. Stay

RECIPE FOR KINDNESS

Author Unknown

Fold two hands together

And express a dash of sorrow

Marinate it overnight

And work on it tomorrow.

Chop one grudge in tiny pieces

Add several cups of love

Dredge with a large sized smile

Mix with the ingredients above.

Dissolve the hate within you,

By doing a good deed

Cut in and help your friend

If he should be in need.

Stir in laughter, love an kindness

>From the heart it has to come,

Toss with genuine forgiveness

And give your neighbor some.

The amount of people served

Will depend on you,

It can serve the whole wide world,

If you really want it to.

The Lord's Prayer

Leader: When we feel that we are not succeeding and begin to doubt our sense

of worth, Lord, teach us to pray:

All: Our Father, who art in Heaven

Leader: When we become too closely involved in our own affairs, Lord, teach

us to pray:

All: Hallowed be thy name

Leader: When we think of the future as fixed and impossible to change, Lord,

teach us to pray:

All: Thy Kingdom come

Leader: When we begin to dodge our commitments and evade our obligations,

Lord, teach us to pray:

All: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Leader: When we are smug, comfortable and satisfied and forget the needs of

others, Lord, teach us to pray:

All: Give us this day our daily bread

Leader: When we hold grudges and allow bitterness and resentment into our

hearts, Lord, teach us to pray:

All: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us

Leader: When we find it hard to say 'No' and the pressure to give in mounts,

Lord, teach us to pray:

All: Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

Leader: When we become self-centred and seek only our own gratification,

Lord, teach us to pray:

All: The Kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Adversity Can Distress Us, Or Bless Us

By: Helen Steiner Rice

The way we use adversity is strictly our own choice,

for in God's hands, adversity can make the heart

rejoice. For everything God sends us, no matter in

what form, is sent with plan and purpose, for by the

fierceness of a storm, the atmosphere is changed and

cleared, and the earth is washed and clean, and the high

winds of adversity can make restless souls serene

And while it's very difficult for mankind to understand

God's intentions and His hand, if we observe the Miracles

that happen every day, we cannot help but be convinced

that in His wondrous way God makes what seemed unbearable

and painful and distressing easily acceptable when we

view it as a blessing received from God.

Know that God is present in all situations and with every situation there's

a blessing for you! Have a blessed weekend and know God loves you and so do

This Prayer to St. Joseph is over 1900 years old, from the "Pieta Prayer

Booklet".

O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the

Throne of God,

I place in you all my interest and desires. O St. Joseph do assist me by

your powerful

intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings

through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below

your Heavenly power I may offer my Thanksgiving and Homage

to the Loving of Fathers.

O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep

in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes

near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss

His fine Head for me, and ask Him to return

the Kiss when I draw my dying breath.

St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.

Say for nine consecutive mornings for anything you may desire.

It has seldom been known to fail.

SCARS

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to

go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.

In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving

behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not

realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was

swimming toward the shore.

His mother, in the house was looking out the window, saw the two as they got

closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling

to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became

alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother.

It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From

the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the

alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the

two.

The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too

passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took

aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.

His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on

his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his

flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he

would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with

obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great

scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not

from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, the scars of a

painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep

regret.

But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The

Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have Christ in your life, you

have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in

every way.

But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole

of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to

attack. That's when the tug-o-war begins, and if you have the scars of His

love on your arms be very, very grateful.

He did not - and will not - let you go. Time is a very precious gift of

God; so precious that it's only given to us moment by moment.

THE 7 UPS!

Author Unknown

1. Wake Up !!

Decide to have a good day.

"This is the day the Lord hath made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up !!

The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.

A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.

Man looks at outward appearance,

But the Lord looks at the heart."

I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up!!

Say nice things and learn to listen.

God gave us two ears and one mouth,

So He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as

talking.

"He who guards his lips guards his soul."

Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up!!

. . . For what you believe in.

Stand for something or you will fall for anything.

"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time,

We will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."

Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up !!

. . . To the Lord.

"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me".

Philippians 4:13

6. Reach Up !!

. . . For something higher.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not unto your own understanding.

In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."

Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up !!

. . . Your Prayers.

"Do not worry about anything; instead

PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."

Philippians 4:6

Gifts

Each of us brings to the world unique talents, gifts and abilities.

Even if you don't know what it is, or value what you do, someone, somewhere,

will benefit from your presence.

No one can do what you do exactly the way you do it.

It is this uniqueness that makes you valuable to the world.

We are each as unique and valuable as the other.

It was designed that way. A gift from God.

Gifts are not given on the basis of race or gender.

As a matter of truth, gifts come in many shapes, sizes and colors.

When you do what you do, exactly the way you do it,

You are sharing God's gifts, bestowed for the good of the world.

Mother Teresa Said...

We need to work for Christ with a humble heart, with the humility of Christ.

He comes and uses us to be His love and compassion in the world in spite of

our weaknesses and frailties.

Meditations by Padre Pio

Jesus and your soul must cultivate the vineyard together. It is for you to

pick up and carry away the stones, to pull out the thorn bushes. It is the

task of Jesus to sow, plant, cultivate, to water.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 08:23:48 GMT

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

lovestopaint — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:36:26 GMT

Gloria, I'm keeping Linus in my prayers today. I hope everything turns out well.

Counting my blessings, and blessings to all.

Harlene(lovestopaint)

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:01:21 GMT

Harlene - Thanks much for praying! He's there right now!

Blue - what a nice thing to say!! Thank you for your kind words which mean alot to me. The message is from God, that's for sure! I just relay what I first got for my list (The Glory of God LIst) in the mornings. My list I do for the last 12 years has almost 200 members, in 15 different categories, and it is from this list that I use for the threads. I pick and choose different ones. God gets all the credit - I can be just a little instrument to show everyone how much He loves you all and cares. God bless you and again Thank you!!! Thanks for the nice quote from Mother Teresa. Her words live on forever!

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

HeresLucy — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:20:33 GMT

Good morning!

It is doggone cold here, 18 degrees. It is warmer in Montana and Boston than it is in Alabama. What is wrong here???? lol 70's are expected by the weekend. Looking forward to that.

Gloria, keeping Linus in prayer and waiting to hear good news.

Hey, Harlene, thank you for the card. You are a talented lady and blessed with the wonderful eye of an artist.

BGB, may you also receive showers of blessings. I love that song, humming it now.

I have housework to do but no will to do it. My excuse today will be the cold weather.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

WaJa61 — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:23:07 GMT

Hello, all and may your day be blessed of Jesus.

Continued prayers for the Cakers family.

Gloria, in reply to your comments on Tues' thread... Yes, any authorized dealer would be best in matching up your smart phone with the correct charger. I know, right? Most everything comes from China. What I was warning of are those super cheap knock-off chargers one can find at Dollar stores or on eBay, etc., that are not just MIC, but inferior in quality. Look almost identical on the outside, but not INSIDE, where it really counts. Good luck with it, and best wishes to Linus today. Praying for your strength in Him!

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

HeresLucy — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:23:26 GMT

Uh-Oh

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

WaJa61 — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:26:58 GMT

LOL at Lucy! Only 30° here, too... But at least we don't live in Buffalo. Heard they're expecting upwards of 90" of snow!!

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

HeresLucy — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:27:02 GMT

OK...last one

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

HeresLucy — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:29:11 GMT

Hey, Joy

Yep, at least not in Buffalo. Goodness gracious.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:54:05 GMT

Lucy - we have 21 degrees here now - warmer than we've had it for days, it's been down to 1 and 2 degrees. Snowing very lightly now. Your graphics make me laugh!!! So true! Just got a call from Linus - his appointment was at nine and he called that he still hasn't seen the doctor and it's 9:45 and he works at 11 so if he doesn't come soon, he's leaving and going right to work. He was told to get there 15 min. prior to his appointment which he did and then wait that long?

Joy - I was thinking of going to Sprint for a couple new chargers. They would have the good ones. Thanks for your valuable information. I didn't know they wear out, Lori didn't know that either and she's been having smart phones for years now. Her new one is nicer, it has a better battery life and doesn't need charging so much as her old one, which is what I have. I cannot even imagine 90 inches of snow! That never happens here, thank goodness!!

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

Puzzle Piece — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 18:38:55 GMT

Hello To All!

Warm and highest thoughts go out to many in this nation. I enjoy the graphics so I vote to keep em coming. I keep all in my meditative prayers who post here and other places.

Today is a new day for me to 'look at life'. I will have my husband home with me soon as he let me know this morning his is retiring from his job next month. I was of the opinion he had two more years but he wants to let go now. Okay, I support his decision. I will need to make adjustments in my life now.

I certainly am grateful for this nation. She is so very blessed. I give thanks daily for her troops, her allies, her citizens, her strength, her resilience, her generosity and all her bounty and beauty. It is always a wonder to me to see how she pulls together to overcome. I know when the Spring arrives, this nation will put behind her, the harshness of winter and move on to greater glory. Be at peace and know you are loved.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 21:34:29 GMT

Love Roses - great that your husband is coming home soon to stay! That's a blessing! I'm sure the adjustments will be happy ones.

Linus never got to see the neurologist - after waiting more than an hour, he left and had to grab a sub and get to work. So no news there.