Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Nothing is ever quite as bad as it seems. Call on God and then practice expectancy
and optimism and things will turn out better than you expect. Lord, thank You for
tomorrow.

S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called in the one body. And be thankful." ~Colossians 3:15

M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y
We can be at home and comfortable in the world. Yet some of us live
lives of quiet desperation. This is the opposite of being at home and
at peace in the world. We can let our peace of mind be evident to those
around us. We can let others see that we are comfortable, and seeing
it, know that it springs from our trust in God. The dull, hard way of
resignation is not God's way. Faith can take the sting out of the winds
of adversity and can bring peace even in the midst of struggle.

P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y
I pray that I may be more comfortable in my way of living. I pray that
I may feel more at home and at peace within myself.

Greetings to you, my friends! Hope your day went well. Mine was great being the weather cooperated with our AC not working - and thank and praise God for that great blessing. However, it seems we will have to wait until the middle of next week to get it fixed and hope we don't have to pay! That's what insurance is for. I see that 90's in in store again, so I just hope and pray we can tolerate it. I know we are so spoiled with AC. This all makes me more appreciative of it - and not take it for granted. Our electric bill should be a bit less, so that's another blessing. God gave me many blessings - my family, my friends, my every breath! May I not take these for granted.

Special Diet
Our daughter's boyfriend, Trey had been diagnosed with diabetes when he was just 25
years old. After having eaten any way he wanted for his entire life, conforming to a special
diet for diabetics was a difficult transition.
His carbohydrate and sugar intakes had to be measured and monitored, and food needed
to be eaten every so many hours. What he put into his body would make the difference
between living healthy and possibly not living at all!
I believe our thoughts are our soul's food. The things we think about are the things we feed
upon. Are our thoughts self centered, self promoting, self gratifying, self righteous, self-indulgent
and self-absorbed? If so, we will live a very shallow and obviously self centered life.
God calls us to feed our souls with thoughts of Him. How? By taking the words in the Bible
and reading them not only silently, but out loud. We can internalize them much more efficiently
when we use both methods of reading. His call to love others and His marvelous promises are
in the Word for us to eat and internalize into the depths of our beings so let's hurry to the feast
table, and dine on His Special Diet waiting for us.
By Marion Smith

Sammy's Great Catch

Sammy was a good-looking young boy who lived in the deep south. His summer days were filled with times
of walking through the woods, playing with friends, and fishing in the pond down the dirt road. Fishing was
by far his favorite thing to do. Just about every day during his summer vacation, he would dig up some worms
and head off, pole in hand, for a day of fishing.
This steamy hot day was like most others during Sammy's summer break. Waking early, he could hear the pond calling him to come fish. Sammy quietly walked out the front door, grabbed his pitchfork and worm pail from the porch, and walked into the woods to search for bait. He turned over old stumps and dug under leaves hoping to find worms. Under one old stump he hit the jackpot. The ground was writhing. In two minutes he had all the bait he needed, and in 15 minutes he was at the pond.
Reaching into his bait bucket, Sammy pulled out a big worm. He double hooked it and tossed it into the water. He noticed a stinging in his hand, but filled with the excitement of the moment, he paid no attention to it. Within 30 seconds, Sammy had a strike and pulled in a nice catfish. Wow, he thought, a fish in the first minute. This is unbelievable!
He put the catch on his stringer, hurried to re-bait his hook, and Tried his luck again. Once again he felt a stinging
sensation in his hand as he threw his hook into the pond. He didn't have time to worry about it. Within just a few
seconds, he had another huge fish. He fumbled the next time he baited his hook--his hand felt numb and stiff. But
Sammy was too excited about catching another fish to give it much thought.
At the end of only an hour of fishing, Sammy had caught eight large fish. This was definitely his best fishing day ever.
He was so proud of his accomplishment that, even though there was plenty of day left to fish, he threw the heavy
stringer of fish over his shoulder and dashed down the dirt road toward home to show off his catch to his mom
and dad.
The local sheriff happened to drive up alongside Sammy and started to congratulate him on his catch of fish. With
a smile and a victory whoop, Sammy held up the stringer. The sheriff gasped, parked his car and strode over to
Sammy.
His eyes hadn't deceived him--Sammy's arms really were red and swollen to about twice their normal size. Exactly
where have you been and what bait did you use to catch all those fish?" the sheriff asked Sammy, already guessing
the answer.
I found some special bait under an old stump," Sammy boasted. "These worms really wiggle good," he commented,
handing up the bait bucket for inspection. After a close look at the worms, the sheriff went into fast-forward. Securing
the bucket in his truck, he then scooped Sammy and his stringer of fish into the back seat of his patrol car. Spinning a
U-turn on the gravel road, he sped off to the hospital, but Sammy was already dead.
What the sheriff had discovered was that Sammy had been fishing with baby rattlesnakes. Sammy's deadly bait brought
him a good morning's fishing but cost him his life. Had Sammy stopped fishing after that first sting, he could have been
saved. One bite from a baby rattler won't kill a person who gets treatment in time. But Sammy was having fun and didn't
bother himself with the small voice of pain in his hand. Then, as his hand grew numb, even that small voice was silenced.
Playing around with sin is like using baby rattlesnakes for bait. Sinning seems harmless to young people who don't
recognize sin and are unaware of its deadly consequences. The more sin you get into, however, the more numb you
become to its sting. In the excitement of the moment, you ignore the still small voice of God warning you of danger
and encouraging you to choose life instead of death.
Author Unknown

A Strong Man
The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.
It's seen in the width of his arms that encircle and protect you.
The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.
It is in the gentle words he whispers.
The strength of a man isn't in the words he speaks.
It's in how he keeps his word.
The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.
It's how good a buddy he is with his or "your" children.
The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.
It's in how he is respected at home.
The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.
It's in how tender he touches.
The strength of a man isn't in how many women he's loved.
It's in whether he can be true to the ONE woman he's trying to love.
The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.
It's in the burdens he can carry.
The strength of a man isn't in how much food he eats from your table.
It's in the effort he puts forth when you are unable.
A strong man puts God first,
. . . family second
. . . and his work third.
- Author Unknown

Prayer for Accepting Our Humanity

I am a person like no one else in the world.
I am the people I have met.
I am the experiences I have had.
I am the mistakes I have made and
the wisdom I have gained from them.
I am the lessons I have learned and
the ones I have given.
I am the good times in my life
and the bad ones too.
I am the emotions I have felt and
the thoughts I have thought.
God, I am the life I have lived.
Although it's not a perfect one, understand that I'm
doing the best I can with what You have given me.
Because all that I have to work with..... it's me.
Tom Moore, in Dreams Alive

Prayer for Trust in Jesus
O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things. Amen.
(St. Ignatius of Loyola)

Good night everyone - Sweet Dreams to all and God bless your day tomorrow with lots of blessings!