Hello my friends! Hope this finds you warm and cozy! Well, in spite of the harsh temps here, we have a very nice, warm house, which we love, and a heated garage which our car loves! We keep it at around 42 degrees as our gardenias are in there, they can't freeze, and our treadmill and health rider is there, and we have to use it there. Tonight Lori picked us up for a wake - my nephew's wife's Dad died - he was living alone, 87 years old, and died of a heart attack. My nephew's wife has a brother, like Terri, who no one knows where he is and he needs to be located about the death and everything. Sad indeed. May God grant you all many blessings which you wouldn't mind sharing here with us. My hand is so much better it doesn't hurt to type anymore so I'm typing too much again!!
If we look to God for guidance, we will not be weighed down by the
circumstances of our life. Lord, free me from the worries that come
to distract me and keep me focused on that which is important.
Scripture for the day:
"One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one
another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, 'Which
commandment is the first of all?' Jesus answered, 'The first is,
'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the
Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and
with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than
these." ~Mark 12:28-31
Meditation for the day:
To truly desire to do God's will , therein lies happiness for us. We
can start out wanting our own way. We want our wills to be satisfied.
We can take and not give. Gradually, we can find that we are not
happy when we are selfish, so we begin to make allowances for other
peoples' wills. But this again dos not give us full happiness, and we
begin to see that the only way to be truly happy is to try to do God's
will. In these times of meditation, we can seek to get guidance so
that we can find God's will for us.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may subordinate my will to the will of God. I pray that
I may be guided today to find God's will for me.
I CHOOSE
Author Unknown
It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The
world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day
will arrive.
It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness
of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of
the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race.
The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be
made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be
exposed to the day's demands.
It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to
choose. And so I choose.
I CHOOSE LOVE...
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.
I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I CHOOSE JOY...
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the
temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse
to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I
will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to
see God.
I CHOOSE PEACE...
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I CHOOSE PATIENCE...
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing
the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than
complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment
to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face
them with joy and courage.
I CHOOSE KINDNESS...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for
they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I CHOOSE GOODNESS...
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I will boast.
I will confess before I will accuse.
I choose goodness.
I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their
trust.
My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my
love.
And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice,
may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in
prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal.
I choose self-control.
I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS,
GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL........
To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail,
I will seek God's face. And then when this day is done, I will place
my head on my pillow and rest.
Today's readings 1/2/14
1Jn.2:22-28; Ps.98:1-4; Jn.1:19-28
In today's first reading we hear St.John repeatedly encourage us to stay
close to God's Word and "remain in Him" in all circumstances, and after
listening to the song our psalmist sings today I think it's clear as to why.
By remaining close to God we are able to enjoy the fruits of "God's
victories and triumphs" that he sings about which guarantee us that "eternal
life" that belong to those who "remain in Him". In this age of modern
communication there are thousands of people out there preaching that message
in ways men like John the Baptist never dreamed possible, and although that
can be a good thing there is also a dangerous downside to it as well. Just
as there were at the time of Christ there are people who don't always
proclaim the Truth "in Him" in the way our saint refers to, some of them
have their own agenda of exalting themselves at Christ's expense, and I
think we've seen enough of these kinds of people lately to know to be on
guard against falling into their traps. That's why St.John encourages us to
"test the spirits to see whether they belong to God" (1Jn.4:1), and the
surest way to see if they pass that test is if they not only "confess Jesus
as the Messiah" but if they "remain in Him" by living the way He did as best
they can. That's really all that God asks for from them or any of us, isn't
it?
God bless you,
In Jesus - Pat
by Patrick Carnevale
New Year Prayer
God grant us this year a wider view,
So we see others' faults through the eyes of You.
Teach us to judge not with hasty tongue,
Neither the adult ... nor the young.
Give us patience and grace to endure
And a stronger faith so we feel secure.
Instead of remembering, help us forget
The irritations that caused us to fret.
Freely forgiving for some offense
And finding each day a rich recompense.
In offering a friendly, helping hand
And trying in all ways to understand;
That all of us whoever we are ...
Are trying to reach an unreachable star.
For the great and small ... the good and bad,
The young and old ... the sad and glad
Are asking today; Is life worth living?
The answer is only in, loving and giving.
For only Love can make man kind
And Kindness of Heart brings Peace of Mind.
By giving love, we can start this year
To lift the clouds of hate and fear.
author- Helen Steiner Rice
Wishing you
12 months of HAPPINESS
52 weeks of FUN
365 days of SUCCESS
8,760 hours of GOOD HEALTH
525,600 minutes of BLESSINGS
3,153,600 seconds of JOY
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Diary Of A Bible
JANUARY:
A busy time for me.
Most of the family decided to read me through this year.
They kept me busy for the first two weeks, but they have forgotten me now.
FEBRUARY:
Cleanup time.
I was dusted yesterday and put in my place.
My owner did use me for a few minutes last week.
He had been in an argument and was looking up some references to prove he
was right.
MARCH:
Had a busy day first of the month.
My owner was elected president of the PTA and used me to prepare a speech.
APRIL:
Grandpa visited us this month.
He kept me on his lap for an hour reading Cor 1:13.
He seems to think more of me than do some people in my own household.
MAY:
I have a few green stains on my pages.
Some spring flowers were pressed in my pages.
JUNE:
I look like a scrapbook.
They have stuffed me full of newspaper clippings - one of the girls got
married.
JULY:
They put me in a suitcase today.
I guess we are off on vacation.
I wish I could stay home.
I know I'll be closed up in this thing for at least two weeks.
AUGUST:
Still in the suitcase.
SEPTEMBER:
Back home at last and in my old familiar place.
I have a lot of company.
Two women's magazines and four comic books are stacked on top of me.
I wish I could be read as much as they are.
OCTOBER:
They read me a little bit today.
One of them is very sick.
Right now I am sitting in the center of the coffee table.
I think the Pastor is coming by for a visit.
NOVEMBER:
Back in my old place.
Somebody asked today if I were a scrapbook.
DECEMBER:
The family is busy getting ready for the holidays.
I guess I'll be covered up under wrapping paper & packages again ...just as
I am every Christmas.
Author Unknown
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