Community Chat

[gloriajean]

No gift is so precious as love. Gratefully trust God and give Him your love.

Lord, I give You my heart.

Scripture for the day:

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has

to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in

love." 1 John 4:18

Meditation for the day:

Love and fear cannot dwell together. By their very natures, they cannot

exist side by side. Fear is a very strong force. And therefore a weak

and vacillating love can soon be routed by fear. But a strong love, a

love that trusts in God, is sure eventually to conquer fear. The only

sure way to dispel fear is to have the love of God more and more in our

hearts and souls.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that love will drive out the fear in my life. I pray that my

fear will flee before the power of the love of God.

Hello my friends! What a day! It snowed overnight again - got some more inches, but what a nice neighbor we have, he plowed us out!!! That was a great blessing Number 1. Then I went to get X-Rays of my arm, and there was no break! Blessing No. 2! Called Lori to help me with my hair tomorrow for Church - and she said "Yes!" Blessing No. 3 along with all our ordinary ones, and 4 would be we ate at Perkins so didn't have to make supper after the X-Rays, which is close to the clinic. It's good to know for sure that the arm is not broken. Also my head - the NP checked for that and I am fine there too!! When David fell (Linus' brother) he had memory loss right away, then he got severe headaches, and sharp pains going through his head, which had him do the MRI and the surgery on the brain for the blood around the brain to get out. That was a five hour surgery but now everything is ok. Praise God.

We are due for some more snow - please pray it away! Ok? Praying for you all - thanks for your prayers for us.

START OVER

When you've trusted God and walked his way

When you've felt his hand lead you day by day

But your steps now take you another way ...

Start over.

When you've made your plans and they've gone awry

When you've tried your best and there's no more to try

When you've failed yourself and you don't know why ...

Start over.

When you've told your friends what you plan to do

When you've trusted them and they didn't come through

And you're all alone and it's up to you ...

Start over.

When you've failed your kids and they're grown and gone

When you've done your best but it's turned out wrong

And now your grandchildren come along ...

Start over.

When you've prayed to God so you'll know his will

When you've prayed and prayed and you don't know still ...

When you want to stop cause you've had your fill ...

Start over.

When you think you're finished and want to quit

When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit

When you've tried and tried to get out of it ...

Start over.

When the year has been long and successes few

When December comes and you're feeling blue

God gives a January just for you ...

Start over.

Starting over means "Victories Won"

Starting over means "A Race Well Run"

Starting over means "God's Will Done"

Don't just sit there ..............

Cross Bearers

Once a man complained loud and long to the Lord about the heavy cross he had to carry. So the Lord said to him: "Come along with me to the factory where they make crosses. And you can choose one for yourself."

So off they went and got to the factory. They went inside the door and the Lord said: "You just shop around in here and take any one you want." So the man too off his cross and set it alongside the door, and started to shop around.

He tried this cross and that one but none of the really fit him. Some were too long or too short, some were too heavy, and others too light... Just as he was about to give up, he noticed one cross leaning against the wall... He tried it on for size and weight and it just fit... He walked around with it and it felt just fine. So he turned to the Lord and said: "I'll take this one."

And just as they got past the door, the Lord turned to the cross bearer and said with a smile, "I'm glad you like that one... It's the one you brought in."

The Lord knows what is best for us! As St. Paul says in 2 Cor. 12:9 "My grace is all you need. My power is greatest when you are weak."

Sweet Life

Life is so sweet

How can I repay?

For all the joys

I reap day by day.

The beauty of nature

I steal by the hours

The aura of God

The soul holds and devours

There are sweet moments

That live in my heart

And all thru a lifetime

We're never apart

We have but to note them

This beautiful place

Full of God's blessings

And filled with His grace.

I thank you so, Father

For all the gifts you bestow

So that in my heart

Love continues to grow

author unknown

The Power of Peace

It's been said that faith is not so much a noun as it is a verb; in other words, faith is not something that we have -- it is something that we do. Looking at faith in this way calls us to be more active, more participatory, in living our lives of faith -- instead of noting passively when we have it, or when we don't have it, we can hold it as an expression of who we are, and who we want to be. We can embrace it as something we fold, through action, into every day.

I think it's important to hold the concept of peace in the same way -- to not passively note whether we have it internally or externally in our environment; but to embrace peace as a concept to live out, daily, through our actions.

How might we "do" peace in order to "have" peace? We can start small -- with things as simple as allowing enough time to get where we need to be so we're not speeding, frustrated and breathless, to our destination. We can choose to pause, even if it's just for a few seconds, before responding to something that might irritate or anger us. We can ingest foods that calm and nourish us, rather than stimulate or fatigue us. We can take five minutes to stop, be still, and pray.

May we hold to our hearts the wisdom in these words of Peace. "Humanity can only improve as people improve. When you have improved your life, you can inspire those around you to want to improve their lives. Remember that a few in harmony with God's will are more powerful than multitudes out of harmony..." May we embrace the truth in the words of our Peace Song: "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me." May we use each day as an opportunity to do peace.

Quotes from the Saints on Mercy

If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him look at a Crucifix, and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but even prayed His Heavenly Father to forgive them also. Let him remember that when he says the ‘Our Father’, every day, instead of asking pardon for his sins, he is calling down vengeance on himself - Saint Philip Neri

He who knows how to forgive prepares for himself many graces from God. As often as I look upon the cross, so often will I forgive with all my heart - St. Faustina

To the extent that you pray with all your soul for the person who slanders you, God will make the truth known to those who have been scandalized by the slander - St. Maximos the Confessor

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave - St. John Chrysostom

Do not try to excuse your faults; try to correct them - St. Don Bosco

Men may deprive me of property and honour; sickness may take away my strength and other means of serving You; I may even lose Your grace by sin; but never, never will I lose my hope in You. I will cherish it unto that dreadful moment when all h ell will be unchained to snatch my soul away. "No one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded - St. Claude de la Colombiere

You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy; the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud - St. Vincent de Paul

Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times, for the Church alone can give you true peace, since she alone possesses Jesus, the true Prince of Peace, in the Blessed Sacrament - St. Padre Pio

Pray with great confidence, with confidence based upon the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray - St. Louis de Montfort

Whether, therefore, we receive what we ask for, or do not receive it, let us still continue steadfast in prayer. For to fail in obtaining the desires of our heart, when God so wills it, is not worse than to receive it; for we know not as He does, what is profitable to us - St. John Chrysostom