Community Chat

[gloriajean]

It is very humbling to realize that often what burdens us the most would be
very missed if it were taken away. Lord, I will take the time to appreciate
my life.


Scripture for the day:

"'Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'"
~Matthew 11:28-30

Meditation for the day:

We can lay upon God our failures and mistakes and shortcomings.
We need not dwell upon our failures, upon the fact that in the past
we have been nearer a beast than an angel. We have a mediator
between us and God. Our growing faith can lift us up from the mire and
point us toward the heavens. We can still be reconciled with
God. We can still regain our harmony with God and God's will for
us.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may not let the beast in me hold me back from my spiritual
destiny. I pray that I may rise and walk upright.

Hello my friends, Another cool day today - but it was nice out and sunny
anyway. Linus came home late this afternoon - had a chiro appt. so now he
should be in good shape again! Angie took us out to the Café for supper
tonight - had another good visit with Jim - who treated us to some chocolate
cake for dessert. Today Angie and I listened to some inspirational CD's
from Lighthouse Catholic Media - which we get monthly. One was on Fatima -
and was that ever good! It's so interesting from beginning till the end.
The way they described how the Miracle of the Sun was - Wow! And in this
century, too! My blessings today are my many friends, whom God has given to
me to love, along with my dear family and sisters. It's always a blessing
to reminisce about our school years and the people we went to school with.
Our 55th Reunion is coming in a couple years, we hope to make that. Angie
is the youngest in her family, too, as I am. She had a brother, too, and he
died of cancer. Her sisters are ailing - one or two has Alz. What are your
blessings?
This is what this thread is all about! We are forever grateful for what God
gives us on a daily basis.

The Value of the Rosary

Father Gabriel Amorth, chief exorcist of the Vatican writes:

One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say during an exorcism:

"Every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful
the Rosary was, it would be my end." The secret that makes this prayer so
effective is that the Rosary is both prayer and meditation. It is addressed
to the Father, to the Blessed Virgin, and to the Holy Trinity, and is a
meditation centered on Christ.

I write in addition to the above: Please enunciate each word of the Rosary
clearly and distinctly. Do not trample on the heels' of the words of anyone
with your words. Do not speak over the leader, if you are following, or the
responders if you are leading the Rosary. Remember that they also are having
a conversation with Mary Our Mother and it is not polite to speak when
someone else is speaking.

In the case of the public Rosary there are only two people speaking, the
Leader and the Responders. Each are speaking to their Mother and listening
carefully to her response within their hearts as they meditate on the scene
before them in their consideration of the mystery being spoken of and
interpreted and translated into their lives. Spread this powerful prayer of
exorcism, The Rosary which contains the Our Father, the Perfect Prayer,
prayed five times in the recitation of each set of the Rosary's Mysteries,
backed up by the powerful prayers of Our Mother who prays with us as we pray
53 Hail Mary's. The Eternal Father described to a group of us, through a
Visionary Friend of mine, what happens when we pray the Rosary, saying,
"When you pray Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now....., the
Blessed Mother comes instantly to your side to pray with you. And she does
not come alone. She brings angels with her. And not just one or two for she
is the Queen of Angels, so choirs of angels come with her. And she and Jesus
are joined at the heart and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus with
her. And Jesus cannot be separated from the Trinity so He brings the Father
and the Holy Spirit with Him.

And where the Holy Trinity is all of creation is and you are surrounded by
such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in this life. Your Mother comes
as Our Lady of Grace with her hands out-stretched. Rays of light emit from
her hands piercing your body, healing you and filling you with graces.

This is your inheritance which was poured out from the heart of Jesus on the
Cross, when the centurion pierced His Heart with the spear, into the only
pure vessel ready to receive such graces at that time,Your Mother.

Now as you pray the Rosary, or even just recite one Hail Mary, you receive
your portion of these graces."He also said at this time, "Anyone who goes to
our Blessed Mother Mary and prays the Rosary cannot be touched by Satan." Is
it any wonder that anyone who prays the Rosary from the heart is so blessed
and protected and powerful in their prayers for others?" Learn the Rosary!

God's Purpose in Things

One day a woodcutter took his grandson into the forest for his first
experience in selecting and cutting oak trees. These they would later sell
to the boat builders. As they walked along, the woodcutter explained that
the purpose of each tree is contained in its natural shape: some are
straight for planks, some have the proper curves for the ribs of a boat, and
some are tall for masts. The woodcutter told his grandson that by paying
attention to the details of each tree, and with experience in recognizing
these characteristics, someday he too might become the woodcutter of the
forest.


A little way into the forest, the grandson saw an old oak tree that had
never been cut. The boy asked his grandfather if he could cut it down
because it was useless for boat building - there were no straight limbs, the
trunk was, short and gnarled, and the curves were going the wrong way. "We
could cut it down for firewood," the grandson said. "At least then it will
be of some use to us." The woodcutter replied that for now they should be
about their work cutting the proper trees for the boat builders; maybe later
they could return to the old oak tree.

After a few hours of cutting the huge trees, the grandson grew tired and
asked if they could stop for a rest in some cool shade. The woodcutter took
his grandson over to the old oak tree, where they rested against its trunk
in the cool shade beneath its twisted limbs. After they had rested a while,
the woodcutter explained to his grandson the necessity of attentive
awareness and recognition of everything in the forest and in the world. Some
things are readily apparent, like the tall, straight trees; other things are
less apparent, requiring closer attention, like recognition of the proper
curves in the limbs. And some things might initially appear to have no
purpose at all, like the gnarled old oak tree. The woodcutter stated, "You
must learn to pay careful attention every day so you can recognize and
discover the purpose God has for everything in creation. For it is this old
oak tree, which you so quickly deemed useless except for firewood, that now
allows us to rest against its trunk amidst the coolness of its shade.

"Remember, grandson, not everything is as it first appears. Be patient, pay
attention, recognize, and discover."



Believe in yourself...
in the power you have
to control your own life
day by day.
Believe in the strength
that you have deep inside
and your faith will help
show you the way.
Believe in tomorrow
and what it will bring,
let a hopeful heart
carry you through
for things will work out
if you trust and believe
there's no limit
to what you can do!


LIFE

Three things of life once gone never comes back -
Time, words & opportunity.

Three things of life that must not be lost -
Peace, hope & honesty.

Three things of life that are most valuable -
Love, self-confidence & friends.

Three things of life that are never sure -
Dreams, success & fortune.

Three things of life that destroy a man/woman -
Lust, Pride & Anger.


FAILURE

Failure doesn't mean - You are a failure,
It means - You have not succeeded.

Failure doesn't mean - You accomplished nothing,
It means - You have learned something.

Failure doesn't mean - That you have been a fool,
It means - You had a lot of faith.

Failure doesn't mean - You've been disgraced,
It means - You were willing to try.

Failure doesn't mean - You don't have it,
It means - You have to do something in a different way.

Failure doesn't mean - You are inferior,
It means -You are not perfect.

Failure doesn't mean - You've wasted your life,
It means - You have a reason to start afresh.

Failure doesn't mean - You should give up,
It means - You must try harder.

Failure doesn't mean -You'll never make it,
It means - It will take a little longer.

Failure doesn't mean - God has abandoned you,
It means - God has a better way for you.


SUN RISE

Every morning in Africa, when the Sun rises, a deer awakens,
Knowing it has to outrun the fastest Lion, OR, be hunted to death....

Every morning in Africa, when the Sun rises, a Lion awakens,
Knowing it has to outrun the slowest deer, OR, be starved to death....

It does not matter whether you are a deer or Lion,
When the Sun rises, Better be running at your best..


Give Me Strength

If Satan's way I seek to go,
Lord, give me courage to tell him, "No."
Don't let my soul be led astray.
Please, give me strength for one more day.

And if I fall along the way,
Then lift me up, Oh Lord, I pray.
For, Satan's strong and I am weak.
Your tender mercies I will seek.

Your love is strong, your grace I need
When Satan makes my spirit bleed.
Give me strength, Oh Lord, I pray -
To fight this demon, day by day.

Satan's working overtime,
Trying his best to change my mind.
But if you'll help me, Lord, I know
His evil seeds will never grow.

For, you are mightier than the sword.
I've chosen you to be my Lord.
So give me strength, Oh God, I pray;
By standing in the devils way.

Vickie Lambdin

A WALK IN THE RAIN
Author Unknown

She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckled-
faced Image of innocence. Her Mom looked like someone from the
Walton's or a moment captured by Norman Rockwell. Not that she was old-
fashioned. Her brown hair was ear length with enough curl to appear
natural. She had on a pair of tan shorts and light blue knit shirt.
Her sneakers were white with a blue trim. She looked like a Mom. It
was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the tops of
rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to
flow down the spout. Drains in the nearby parking lot were filled to
capacity and some were blocked so that huge puddles made lakes around
parked cars. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the
door of the WalMart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated
because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by
rain fall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing
away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so
carefree as a child
come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her
voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught
in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated her
statement. "Mom. Let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young
girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not
get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer,
you said, "If God can get us through this, He can get us through
anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear
anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in
the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what
she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might
even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a
young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that
it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God
lets us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then
off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they
darted past the cars and yes through the puddles. They held their
shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they
were followed by a few believers who
screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. Perhaps
inspired by their faith and trust. I want to believe that somewhere
down the road in life, Mom will find herself reflecting back on
moments they spent together, captured like pictures in the scrapbook
of her cherished memories.

Maybe when she watches proudly as her daughter graduates. Or as her
Daddy walks her down the aisle on her wedding day. She will laugh
again. Her heart will beat a little faster. Her smile will tell the
world they love each other.

But only two people will share that precious moment when they ran
through the rain believing that God would get them through. And Yes, I
did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the
heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

God isn't far away

My Friend
God isn't far away
But surrounds you with his love.
It was him who opened your eyes this morning,

It is his strength
That will carry you through this day,
And it is in his peace
That your heart will find rest tonight.

God isn't far away.
He is the light of this day,
He is the sky above you,
And the earth beneath you,
And the life of every living thing.

God isn't far away.
He is in every smile,
In every thought that gives you hope,
In every tear that waters your soul,
In every moment you can't face alone.

God isn't far away.
He is the love on a loved one's face,
He is in the friends along the way,
In strangers you've yet to meet
And blessings you've yet to receive.

My Friend,
God isn't far away.
He is in every good thing that touches you.
He is in every step you make
And every breath you take.
God isn't far away


For He is with you always.........

Enjoy your Friday - another good weekend coming up! Remember to count your
blessings!