Community Chat

[gloriajean]

As you draw closer and closer to God, you won't have to tell anyone because it will show in your face. Lord, teach me Your ways as I am ready and let Your love and peace flow through me even in my difficult moments.

Scripture for the Day

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." — Philippians 4:13

Meditation for the Day

I can believe that my faith in God's power can accomplish anything. There is no limit to what these two things can do. When we believe, anything can happen. Saint Paul said: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." All walls that divide us from other human beings can fall by our faith and God's power. These are the two essentials. Everyone can be moved by these.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may try to strengthen my faith day by day. I pray that I may rely more and more on God's power.

Hello my friends! How was your day? We had a warmer day today- above zero! We went to the noon Mass - Fr. Jerry was saying it! And it was St. Blase's Feast day today and we had the blessing of throats as we do every year. St. Blase is the parton for throat diseases and other diseases. After that we did some grocery shopping - last night I cooked a chicken with carrots and a sweet potato in the slow cooker and was that ever good! I'll have to do that again!! I haven't used my slow cooker for a long time. I usually cook on top of the stove. We're eating alot more lettuce now and tomatoes to put in salads - and enjoying it!

Homily of the Day

February 3, 2011
Are You in the Right Place?
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Heb 12:18-19, 21-24 / Mk 6:7-13
The ordinariness and repetitiveness of daily life can cause us at times to question whether we are in the right place and doing something that’s worth doing. It’s a natural question, and a good one, because it can start us thinking about changes that really do need to be made. But more important, it can stimulate a process of reflection that can help us remember or see more clearly why we are where we are.
Today’s Gospel story about the Apostles being sent out to preach and teach and heal for the first time, brings to mind an interesting pattern in many of the stories about Jesus’ healing of the sick, blind, and lame. Quite often, the one who has been healed asks if he may join Jesus’ traveling band of Apostles and disciples. And almost always Jesus says “No.” Instead, He tells the person to go home and give his full attentions to what is at hand right there.
Most of us are not called to be nuns, priests, monks, or brothers. But all of us, by virtue of our baptism, have a special calling to build God’s kingdom right where we are. So when those “doubt days” come to you, don’t brush them aside, but seize them as an opportunity to ask the question: Am I really using all the gifts that God gave me to build up His kingdom right here and right now?
That’s a question whose answer can keep you busy for a whole lifetime.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Author Unknown

Emergency numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is
necessary.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
When in sorrow, ......................................... call John
14
When men fail you, ..................................... call Psalm
27
If you want to be fruitful, ............................. call John
15
When you have sinned, .................................. call Psalm
51
When you worry, ................................. call Matthew
6:19-34
When you are in danger, ................................ call Psalm
91
When God seems far away, .............................. call Psalm
139
When your faith needs stirring, ...................... call Hebrews
11
When you are lonely and fearful, ....................... call Psalm
23
When you grow bitter and critical, ............. call I Corinthians
13
For Paul's secret to happiness, .............. call Colossians
3:12-17
For understanding of Christianity, ....... call II Corinthians
5:15-19
When you feel down and out, ......................... call Romans
8:31
When you want peace and rest, .................. call Matthew
11:25-30
When the world seems bigger than God, .................. call Psalm
90
When you want Christian assurance, ................ call Romans
8:1-30
When you leave home for labor or travel, .............. call Psalm
121
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, .............. call Psalm
67
For a great invention/opportunity, .................... call Isaiah
55
When you want courage for a task, ...................... call Joshua
1
For how to get along with fellow men, ................. call Romans
12
When you think of investments and returns, .............. call Mark
10
If you are depressed, .................................. call Psalm
27
If your pocketbook is empty, ........................... call Psalm
37
If you are losing confidence in people, ........ call I Corinthians
13
If people seem unkind, .................................. call John
15
If discouraged about your work, ....................... call Psalm
126
If you find the world growing small and yourself great,..call Psalm
19
Alternate numbers:
For dealing with fear, ............................... call Psalm
34:7
For security, ....................................... call Psalm
121:3
For assurance, ........................................ call Mark
8:35
For reassurance, ................................... call Psalm
145:18
All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day! Feed your faith, and
doubt will starve to death!

NUDGE THE BALANCE
Author Unknown

A 91-year-old woman died after living a very long dignified life. When
she met God, she asked Him something that had really bothered her for
a very long time. "If Man was created in God's image, and if all men
are created equal, why do people treat each other so badly?"
God replied that each person who enters our life has a unique lesson
to teach us. It is only through these lessons that we learn about
life, people and our relationships with God. This confused the woman,
so God began to explain:
"When someone lies to you, it teaches you that things are not always
what they seem. The truth is often far beneath the surface. Look
beyond the masks people wear if you want to know what is in their
hearts. Remove your own masks to let people know who you really are.
When someone steals from you it teaches you that nothing is forever.
Always appreciate what you have. You never know when you might lose
it. Never take your friends or family for granted, because today and
sometimes only this very moment is the only guarantee you may have.
When someone inflicts injury upon you, it teaches you that the human
state is a very fragile one. Protect and take care of your body as
best as you can, it's the one thing that you are sure to have
forever.
When someone mocks you, it teaches you that no two people are alike.
When you encounter people who are different from you, do not judge
them by how they look or act, instead base it on the contents of what
is in their hearts.
When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone
does not always mean that the person will love you back. But don't
turn your back on love, because when you find the right person, the
joy that one person brings you will make up for all of your past hurts.
Times a thousand fold.
When someone holds a grudge against you, it teaches you that everyone
makes mistakes. When you are wronged, the most virtuous thing you can
do is forgive the offender without pretense. Forgiving those who have
hurt us is often the most difficult and painful of life's experiences,
but it is also the most courageous thing a person can do.
When a loved one is unfaithful to you, it teaches you that resisting
temptation is Man's greatest challenge. Be vigilant in your resistance
against all temptations. By doing so, you will be rewarded with an
enduring sense of satisfaction far greater than the temporary pleasure
by which you were tempted.
When someone cheats you, it teaches you that greed is the root of all
evil. Aspire to make your dreams come true, no matter how lofty they
may be. Do not feel guilty about your success, but never let an
obsession with achieving your goals lead you to engage in malevolent
activities.
When someone ridicules you, it teaches you that nobody is perfect.
Accept people for their merits and be tolerant of their flaws. Do not
ever reject someone for imperfections over which they have no
control."
Upon hearing the Lord's wisdom, the old woman became concerned that
there are no lessons to be learned from man's good deeds. God replied
that Man's capacity to love is the greatest gift He has. At the root
of kindness and love, and each act of love also teaches us a lesson.
The woman's curiosity deepened. God, once again began to explain:
"When someone loves us, it teaches us love, kindness, charity,
honesty, humility, forgiveness, acceptance, and all of these can
counteract all the evil in the world. For every good deed, there is
one evil deed. Man alone has the power to control the balance
between good and evil, but because the lessons of love are not
taught often enough, the power is too often abused.
When you enter someone's life, whether by plan, chance or coincidence,
consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love or a harsh
lesson of reality? When you die, will your life have resulted in more
loving or more hurting? More comfort or more pain? More joy or more
sadness? Each one of us has the power over the balance of the love
in the world. Use it wisely!"
Don't miss an opportunity to nudge the world's scale in the right
direction!

GOD CAN USE YOU!!
Author Unknown

February 3, 2011
There are many reasons why God shouldn't have called you.
But don't worry. You're in good company . . .
Moses stuttered.
David's armor didn't fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Timothy had ulcers.
Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Jesus was too poor.
Abraham was too old.
David was too young.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer.
So was Moses.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burnt out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worry-wart.
Mary was lazy.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul -- well, lots of folks did.
But God doesn't require a job interview.
He doesn't hire and fire like most bosses, because He's more our Dad
than our Boss.
He doesn't look at financial gain or loss.
He's not prejudiced or partial, not judging, grudging, sassy, or
brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need.
As much as we try, God's gifts are free.
We could do wonderful things for wonderful people and still not
be . . .
Wonderful.
Satan says, "You're not worthy." Jesus says, "So what? . . . I AM."
Satan looks back and sees our mistakes.
God looks back and sees the cross.
He doesn't calculate what you did in '98.
It's not even on the record.
Sure. There are lots of reasons why God shouldn't have called us.
But if we are magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more
than our next breath,
He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been, or what we look
like.
Pray that as Christians, we will step out of our limitations into the
illimitable nature of who God is.
Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate with Him will
make mincemeat of our limitations.

The Way Home

Have you ever had to act in a play or perform in a concert? If so, you must have spent many hours rehearsing or practicing beforehand. If you stumbled or forgot your lines you had another chance - dozens more chances. That is what rehearsals are all about. However when the curtain goes up and those rows of empty chairs are full of people, you have no more chances to practice. Now your performance is real, in full view of the public. The show must go on.
Dying is like that, our lives are rehearsed at the moment, when the curtain of our body is withdrawn and we are left face to face with GOD, there will be no more rehearsals to go back to the begining and start again.
What we have become, we now are Forever.

Tomorrow's A Brand New Day

Sometimes it's hard to accept
the many disappointment in life we face
But we have to believe there's some reason and hold onto the Lords Grace. For what seems to be so unfair and so difficult for us to understand is just a small piece of the puzzle of our life that God has planned. And as each door will close they say a window will open its eyes and life will bring about changes and with each new day -- a surprise! So believe in all of Gods love and know it surrounds you every day with courage and strength you will make it thru for tomorrow's a Brand New Day!!
by: Carrie Naturale~

Closing Prayer: copied from Juanita's post:

Dear Lord, our Almighty God, who pours out the spirit of grace and of supplication when we ask for it. Deliver me, when I draw near to You, from coldness of heart and wandering of my mind. Please keep me steadfast with my thoughts and affections. May I worship You in spirit and truth. By Your power lift Your Spirit in me. I pray, that I may be still and know that You are God. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Philippians 1:9 "This I pray, that Your love may abound still more in knowledge and all discernment."

Good night all - Sweet Dreams! May you all have a very blessed Wednesday - God's blessings be yours!!
See you then! God bless you all!