Community Chat

[gloriajean]

It is you, not where you are or what you have, that makes the difference.
Lord, may I always blossom where I am planted.


Scripture for the day:

"I will look to the LORD, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God
will hear me." ~Micah 7:7

Meditation for the day:

We can admit our own helplessness. God will hear our prayer. Our own need
can be recognized, then we can ask God for the strength to meet that need.
But once that need is recognized, our prayer is heard above all the music of
heaven. It is not theological arguments that solve the problems of the
questing soul, but the sincere cry of that soul to God for strength and the
certainty of that soul that the cry can be heard and answered.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be humble enough to realize my need and ask for help. I
pray that I may feel certain that God will hear and answer my prayer.

Greetings my friends! Hope your day is going well. We just came home from going out to eat - we had a gift cert. and that's always nice to have! We both had a nice salad. Linus worked at Lori's garage sale all day - it was fun and relaxing for him. He enjoyed it. Tomorrow her friend, Darci will work at it, she has off, stuff I had here that I hadn't used for along time sold quickly! We'll bring some more over tomorrow. It was such a nice day for a garage sale - tomorrow it's supposed to rain. My blessings today - sitting in the porch and seeing Mr and Mrs. Cardinal come to visit! Beautiful! A phone call from a friend - former neighbor - always a blessing and not having to cook supper, another one.
Putting God in charge of the house situation and trying not to dwell upon it is another one.

Homily of the Day


May 19, 2011


What Is Your Personal History Telling You?
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Acts 13:13-25 / Jn 13:16-20

It’s interesting sometimes to watch people projecting their own foul motives onto other people. In doing so, they not only miss the truth, but they also reveal more than they intend to about themselves. And that probably contains the answer to a question that occurs to priests very often: Where do we get so many strange and unhappy ideas about God? The answer is that it probably comes about by our projecting some of our more miserable qualities onto him, most especially our desires for revenge and getting even.

St. Paul knew that about us human beings, and throughout his career he repeatedly reminded his listeners of what their own history made so clear: how consistent God was in loving them, guiding them, forgiving them, and giving them life.

If we are paying attention, our own personal history is telling us the same thing. The perfect counterpoint to our endless ups and down, God is eternally constant, eternally committed to all of us without exception. Take into your heart the comfort and joy that God’s unshakable commitment is offering. It will give you the strength and courage to finish your journey well.

"Excuse me, Sir."
"Is that you again, Moses?"
"I'm afraid it is, Sir."
"What is it this time, Moses. More computer problems?"
"How did you guess?"
"I don't have to guess, Moses. Remember?"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot."
"Tell me what you want, Moses."
"But you already know. Remember?"
"Moses!"
"Sorry, Sir."
"Well, go ahead, Moses. Spit it out."
"Well, I have a question, Sir. You know those 'ten things' you sent me?"
"You mean the Commandments, Moses?"
"That's it. I was wondering if they were important."
"What do you mean 'were important,' Moses? Of course, they're important. Otherwise I wouldn't have sent them to you."
"Well, sorry, but I lost them. I could say the dog ate them, but of course you would see right through that."
"What do you mean 'you lost them'? Are you trying to tell me you didn't save them, Moses?"
"No, sir. I forgot."
"You should always save, Moses."
"Yeah, I know. You told me that before. I was going to, but I forgot. I did send them to some people before I lost them though."
"And did you hear back from any of them?"
"You already know I did. What about the one guy who said he never uses 'shalt not'? Can he change the words a little bit?"
"Yes, Moses. As long as he doesn't change the meaning."
"And what about the guy who thought your stance was a little harsh, and recommended calling them the 'Ten Suggestions,' or letting people pick one or two to try for a while?"
"Moses, I'll act like I didn't hear that."
"I think that means 'no.' Well, what about the guy who said I was scamming him?"
"I think the term is 'spamming,' Moses."
"Oh, yeah. I E-mailed him back and told him I don't even eat that stuff, and I have no idea how you can send it to someone through a computer."
"And what he did say?"
"You know what he said. He used Your name in vain. You don't think he might have sent me one of those -- er -- plagues, and that's the reason I lost those ten things, do you?"
"They're called 'viruses,' Moses."
"Whatever! This computer stuff is just too much for me. Can we just go back to those stone tablets? It was hard on my back taking them out and reading them each day, but at least I never lost them."
"We'll do it the new way, Moses."
"I was afraid you would say that, Sir."
"Moses, what did I tell you to do if you messed up?"
"You told me to hold up this rat and stretch it out toward the computer."
"It's a mouse, Moses. Mouse! Mouse! And did you do that?"
"No, I decided to try the technical support first. After all, who knows more about this stuff than you, and I really like your hours. By the way, Sir, did Noah have two of these mice on the ark?"
"No, Moses."
"One other thing. Why didn't you name them 'frogs' instead of 'mice,' because didn't you tell me the thing they sit on is a pad?"
"I didn't name them, Moses. Man did, and you can call yours a frog if you want to."
"Oh, that explains it. Kind of like Adam, huh, sir? I bet some woman told him to call it a mouse. After all, wasn't it a woman who named one of the computers Apple?"
"Say good night, Moses."
"Wait a minute, sir. I am stretching out the mouse, and it seems to be working. Yes, a couple of the 'ten things' have come back."
"Which ones are they, Moses?"
"Let's see. 'Thou shalt not steal from any grave an image' and 'Thou shalt not uncover thy neighbor's wife.'"
"Turn the computer off, Moses. I'm sending you another set of stone tablets."

A SOLDIER'S PLAYING CARDS


"Friends, this is Tex Ritter with a strange story about a soldier boy and a
deck of cards.

During the North African Campaign, a bunch of soldier boys had been on a
long hike and they arrived in a little town called "Casino." The next
morning being Sunday, several of the boys went to church. A sergeant
commanded the boys in church, and after the Chaplain had read the prayer,
the text was taken up next. Those of the boys who had a prayerbook took them
out; but this one boy only had a deck of cards and so he spread them out.
The Sergeant saw those cards and said, "Soldier, put away those cards!"

After the services were over, the soldier was taken prisoner and taken
before the Provost Marshal. The Marshal asked, "Sergeant, why have you
brought this man here?" "For playing cards in church, sir." "And what have
you to say for yourself, son?" "Much, sir," replied the soldier. The
Marshall said, "I hope so, for if not, I shall punish you more than if any
man was ever punished."

The soldier said, "Sir, I have been on a march for about six days and had
neither bible nor prayer book, but I hope to satisfy you sir, with the
purity of my intentions". With that, the boy started his story:

You see, sir, when I look at the Ace, it reminds me that there is but one
God. And the duce reminds me that the Bible is divided into two parts, the
Old and the New Testament. And when I see the trey, I think of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

When I see the four, I think of the four evangelists who preached the four
gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And when I see the five it reminds
me of the five wise virgins who trimmed their lamps; there was ten of them:
five were wise and were saved; five were foolish and were shut out.

And when I see the six, it reminds me that in six days God created this
great Heaven and earth, and when I see the seven it reminds me that on the
seventh day God rested from his great work. When I see the eight, I think of
the eight righteous persons God saved when He destroyed the earth: there was
Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.

And when I see the nine, I think of the lepers our Savior cleansed, and nine
of the ten didn't even thank Him. When I see the ten, I think of the ten
commandments God handed down to Moses on a table of stone. When I see the
king, it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven.God Almighty. And
when I see the queen, I think of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is Queen of
Heaven. And the Jack, or nave, is the Devil.

When I count the numbers of spots on a deck of cards I find three-hundred
sixty five, the number of days in a year. There are fifty two cards, the
number of weeks in a year. There are four suits, the number of weeks in a
month, there are twelve picture cards, the number of months in a year.
There's thirteen tricks, the number of weeks in a quarter.

So you see, sir, my pack of cards serves me as a Bible, almanac, and prayer
book. And friends, I know this story is true, because I was that soldier.

~Tex Ritter

20 Truths
1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still, so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day; it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the People.

12. Growing old is inevitable; growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise its just hearsay.

18. It is all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully require courage.The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle; it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Dad's Helper
Dear Friend,

There are many people in the world today that feel alone and wish there was
someone they can talk to and who understands them. The good news is I know
of such a person. His name is Jesus Christ and He wishes to spend time
with everyone who calls upon His name. God knows you so well, the Bible
says in Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before
you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.
Never think you are alone or that nobody cares about you for the Bible
declares that Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Simply
call upon His name and He will be there to answer. (Rev. 3:20) (Prov. 18:24)

I hope you will be encouraged by this message that shows when we get
frustrated with life's problems and don't know what else to do, we can
call upon our Heavenly Father and ask Him to hold and comfort us. Allow
this message to speak to your heart if you are going through some tough
situations and remember that God is only a prayer and call away from where
you are right now. (Psalm 55:16-18) (Psalm 91:14-16)


DAD'S HELPER

A little boy was helping his father move some books out of an attic into
more spacious quarters downstairs. It was important to this little boy
that he was helping his dad, even though he was probably getting in the way
and slowing things down more than he was actually assisting. But that boy
had a wise and patient father who knew it was more important to work at a
task with his young son than it was to move a pile of books efficiently.

Among this man's books, however, were some rather large study books, and it
was a chore for the boy to get them down the stairs. As a matter of fact,
on one particular load, the boy dropped his pile of books several times.
Finally, he sat down on the stairs and wept in frustration. He wasn't
doing any good at all. He wasn't strong enough to carry the big books down
a narrow stairway. It hurt him to think he couldn't do this for his daddy.

Without a word, the father picked up the dropped load of books, put them
into the boy's arms, and scooped up both the boy and the books into his
arms and carried them down the stairs. And so they continued load after
load, both very much enjoying each other's company. The boy carrying the
books, and the dad carrying the boy.

By Ron Mehl


ITEMIZED GRACE

The Lord knows who belong to him.

2 TIMOTHY 2:19

Imagine the event. You are before the judgment seat of Christ. The book is opened and the reading begins -- each sin, each deceit, each occasion of destruction and greed. But as soon as the infraction is read, grace is proclaimed....

The result? God's merciful verdict will echo through the universe. For the first time in history, we will understand the depth of his goodness. Itemized grace. Catalogued kindness. Registered forgiveness. We will stand in awe as one sit after another is proclaimed, and then pardoned....

The devil will shrink back in defeat. The angels will step forward in awe. And we saints will stand tall in God's grace. As we see how much he has forgiven us, we will see how much he loves us. And we will worship him.

The result will be the first genuine community of forgiven people. Only one is worthy of the applause of heaven, and he's the one with the pierced hands and feet.

Closing prayer:
Morning Prayer
I lift my heart to you, O Lord,
to be strengthened for this day.
Be with me in all I do, my God;
guide me in all my ways.


I will carry some burdens today;
some trials will be mine.
So I wait for your help, Lord,
lest I stumble and fall.


I will do my work, Father,
the work begun by your Son.
He lives in me and I in him;
may his work today be done.

Good night - Sweet Dreams - God bless you - enjoy your blessings of tomorrow!