Community Chat

[gloriajean]

When you are wrong, have the courage to admit it because it's the best way
to show that you are wiser today than yesterday. Lord, may I be humble
enough so that even my mistakes make me a stronger and better person.

S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y

"But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my
refuge, to tell of all your works." ~Psalm 73:28

M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y

"God is our refuge and underneath are God's everlasting arms."
Sheltering arms express the loving protection of God's spirit. In our
troubles and difficulties, we need nothing so much as a refuge, a place
to relax where we can lay down our burdens and get relief from our
cares. We can say to
ourselves: "God is my refuge." We can say it until its truth sinks into
our very souls. We can say it until we know it and are sure of it.
Nothing can seriously upset us or make us afraid, if God truly is our
refuge.

P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y

I pray that I may go each day to God as a refuge until fear goes and
peace and security come. I pray that I may feel deeply secure in the
haven of God's spirit.

Hello my friends! Hope you all had a great day today! Those who aren't feeling well, I hope you start to feel better! Well today Linus and his brother, Ron, installed Lori's California closet and it turned out well. I didn't see it yet, but she's happy with it, and Linus told her it was her birthday present! Two rows for shirts, One short place to hang dresses, and the box with shelves in it that he made out in our garage is for either shoes, sweaters, or whatever. A place for everything and everything in it's place. They are really expensive if you buy them, but this was very inexpensive - a great blessing that Ron was able to be here and help him again. We are eating a lot of salads since on this diet - and they are ever so good - with all the wonderful organic dressings we can find. One is a raspberry one - it's wonderful! It can also be used as a marinade. I make our salads with lettuce, some cabbage, some spinach, a little sliced carrot, some caulifower and some brocolli. And never the same, usually always something different. He put some turkey burgers on the grill too and we had them with our skinny buns. Those buns are good enough for sandwiches. I got a strange text message today - looking for people who want to eat and shop and get $50.00 an hour doing this. Wow!! Too good to be true so I deleted it! Could be a scam. I'm getting emails - lots of them for working at home, but I'm afraid they will carry viruses so I delete. There is a Publisher's Clearing House one that I get on email, and I did register for that, but didn't buy anything. We'll see how that goes.
They can be annoying - I got 3 already. Any more goes in the junk file.

Homily of the Day


March 3, 2011


Lord, I Want to See!
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Sir 42:15-25 / Mk 10:46-52

For about 1500 years, from the time of Moses down to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, Jewish worship centered on sacrifices in their temple. There was a special sacrifice for every circumstance and each one was grounded in a key insight into human nature.

For example, every morning began with the holocaust sacrifice. An unblemished lamb and a loaf of the finest bread were burned on the altar, and a cup of choice wine was poured into the ground. Symbolically, the people were giving back to God the essentials they needed to live. In effect they were saying, “We know it all comes from you, Lord, and we’re very grateful.” How wise they were!

They had other sacrifices as well. Sacrifices of praise and of thanksgiving. Sacrifices for sins and for peace. Each one had its own prescribed ritual and special meaning, but probably the most interesting of all was the sacrifice for unknown sins.

This was more than just a bit of insurance in case a person had skipped the fine print and ended up breaking some obscure rule he knew nothing about. The sacrifice for unknown sins came from something the wise old rabbis had learned about human nature, and that is, sometimes we’re all spiritually blind.

Sometimes we just don’t see ourselves clearly or accurately. Sometimes we don’t see what we’re doing to others, what effect we’re having on them. Sometimes we don’t see the big patterns in our lives, though everyone else sees them. And sometimes we don’t see the not-so-lovely ideas that are shaping our lives at the core. Sometimes our blindness lasts just a little while, and sometimes a whole lifetime. But always inner blindness is a hazard for every one of us. It can strike any one of us at a moment’s notice! Now why is that so? Why do good people like us fail to see so much?

I think there are probably two reasons: First of all, very few of us were ever taught to ask carefully at every turn of the road, “What am I really doing, and why am I doing it?” We just weren’t taught to look methodically for the truth about ourselves. And so, unseeing, we live a lot on the outside of things.

Secondly, even those who were taught discover that quite often, as we begin to see, fear intervenes, and turns out the lights. Fear of the ugliness we may see. Fear of what we may have to change if we let ourselves see. Fear that whatever is wrong will be too much for us. Fear there’s nothing of value within us. And, so out of fear, often we live unseeing on the outside of things.

Our fears would be entirely justifiable if we were walking this road alone. But we are not alone. The Lord himself is at our side with his hand outstretched to steady and encourage and strengthen us. We have no cause to fear now, and no reason to close our eyes any more, for there is nothing that we and the Lord cannot face together.

And so it is time for us to cry out with that blind man in the Gospel, “Lord, I want to see. Lord, I am ready to see whatever there is to see, because now I know for sure that I’m not alone!”

Short meditation:

Words Aside

Just being with God is good enough.
No words are really necessary.
After all, He knows what we need
before we even ask.


from Catholic Update

Yielding to the Spirit
Five Ways To Experience His Love More Deeply

Deep in our hearts, we all yearn for the Spirit’s presence. Often, however, obstacles can prevent us from knowing his grace more deeply. Below are five steps we can take to remove these obstacles and open our hearts to the Spirit’s transforming power.

Forgive those who have hurt you. What could be more like Jesus than praying with him, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)? When we forgive, we allow the Lord to replace bitterness and resentment with his love and grace.

Do not tolerate sin. Nothing keeps us from receiving the Spirit more than allowing sin to continue in our hearts and in our actions. Scripture says that those with “clean hands and a pure heart” will receive the Lord’s blessing (Psalm 24:4-5). Go to confession, and ask the Lord for the grace to sin no more. He is always ready to forgive and strengthen his people.

Renounce prejudice. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). God has freely poured out his Spirit on all people, and he calls us to love one another fully, from the heart.


Care for the poor. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). Many are the saints and heroes of the church who were able to see the face of Jesus in the needy and abandoned among them. By opening our hearts to those around us, we open our hearts to Jesus and his Spirit as well.

Accept God’s love. If we believe that we are too sinful, weak, or hard-hearted for even God to love, we will find it hard to believe that he would want to give us a gift as great as his Spirit. Every day in prayer, hold on to the words of scripture: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” (Romans 8:32).

From the Word Among Us

Mother Teresa Said...
Christ must be the light that shines through you, and the people looking at you must see only Jesus.

Practice What You Preach

You can know all the scriptures,
Have all the bibles you can reach,
But when push comes to shove
Do you practice what you preach?

Anyone can go to church
And collapse on the floor,
But when Judgment Day comes
Will you be at Heaven's door?

You can have the biggest of fits
And say the Holy ghost passed through,
But is that really reflected
In the things you do?

You can yell far and wide
Proclaiming your love for Christ,
But what have you given him
When for you He gave his life?

You can lecture others
About the wrong things they do,
But before you look at others
You need to look at you.

You can dam n all the sinners
Tell them they're headed south,
But what have you done lately
Besides run your mouth?

You can call yourself a Christian
Spend all your days at church,
But while you are praising His name,
Have you been doing the Lord's work?

You can boast of good deeds
To show us the spirit is within
But why show it to us?
You should show it to Him!

You can memorize the bible
Know it from front to back,
But you don't use it to regulate others
Regulate how you act!

Take a good look at yourself
Not at what others do,
Because when He comes to get his children...
Will He be coming for you too?

(Author Unknown)

To Whom It May Concern:

I heard you were considering a new manager in your
life. I would like to apply for the job. I believe I am the most
qualified candidate. I am the only one that has even done
this job successfully.

I was the first manager of human beings. In fact I
made them, so naturally I know how humanity
works, and what is best to get people back into proper
working condition. It will be like having the
manufacturer as your personal mechanic.
If this is your first time considering me, I would
just like to point out hat my salary has already been
paid by the blood of my son, Jesus on
the cross of Calvary. What I need from you is the
acknowledgment that the price is sufficient to pay
for all of your sin and your independence from Me.
I need you to believe this in your heart and to
tell somebody else about your decision with your
mouth.

The next thing I ask is the right to change and fix
your life so you can learn how to stay close to Me.
I will make some major changes and pevisions.
They are not for you to worry about. I need your
permission to execute these changes, My way and in My time.
I will change your desires and give you the strength to make the
changes.

Please keep your hands out of the way. Don't try to
help me and Don't resist me. I really do need your full
commitment and cooperation. If you give me those,
the process can go smoothly, without delays.

Yours Sincerely,
GOD

P.S. I created the heavens and the earth. I AM ...
BELOW IS MY RESUME...
GOD
Everywhere
All over, Every Place 00000
Phone: (123) 456-PRAY

EXPERIENCE
From the beginning of time. Before the beginning of time. From
everlasting to everlasting. I made time.


ABILITY
All Powerful


PRIOR EMPLOYMENT
*Created the universe, put the galaxies in place, formed man.
*Established heaven and earth by My spoken Word and am currently holding up
the world by My power.


EDUCATION AND TRAINING
*I AM and I have all knowledge.

CHARACTER REFERENCE
Love, light, and life (1John 4:16, 1John 1:5, John
14:6). A representative, but by no means conclusive list of
other character traits follows:

*Wisdom - James 1:5
*Comfort - 2 Corinthians 1:3
*Truth - John 8:32
*Healer - 1 Peter 2:24
*Strength - Phil. 4:13
*Forgiveness - 1John 1:9
*Provider -Phil. 4:19
*Mercy - Ephesians 2:24
*Good - Matt. 19:17
*Peace - Romans 14:17

AVAILABILITY
*Willing and ready to take over your life.
*Able to put your life together again.
*Will bring all of who I AM into your life.
*Can start now.
*Will transform your life if you let Me.

SALARY REQUIREMENT
*Work in your life has already been paid for
through the blood of My Son, Jesus.
*Your only responsibility is to commit initially and
on a daily basis.
*To trust and obey what Jesus has done and wants to
do in your life.

Other references available upon request.

Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4


Broom-Swept Skies

We were gliding through the skies somewhere south of Atlanta. I was
seated by a window, and with the morning’s clear visibilty the
patchwork farmland below was an extraordinary sight.

Moisture formed on the wing's topside. As we slid through large,
misty cloud puffs, a rainbow of colors appeared all across the silver
wing.

We emerged with broom-swept skies all about us. I thought of an old
dutch saying: if each person swept in front of his own front door the
whole world would be clean.

We can’t change the world, in fact we can’t change much at all.
Thinking we can is an illusion. The best we can do is to change
ourselves, maybe an attitude adjustment, perhaps a change of heart and/
or mindset. There’s an image on a shirt my daughter gave me, and
underneath is the word ‘nice’.
Bee nice. A good reminder; keep it simple and love and live and let
live.

Jesus didn’t say to change the world; He did say to carry the Gospel,
the Good News, beginning in Jerusalem (where we live; with our
family), to Judea (the next circle of our influence, eg workplace) and
etc etc…….concentrically. (Matthew 28:18-20).

All we can do is all we can do. But we can remember, “I am one. And
Jesus and I are an overwhelming majority.”
And those broom-swept skies are beautiful…….

Closing Prayer:

Evening Prayer to God the Father
O eternal God and Ruler of all creation, You have allowed me to reach this hour. Forgive the sins I have committed this day by word, deed or thought. Purify me, O Lord, from every spiritual and physical stain. Grant that I may rise from this sleep to glorify You by my deeds throughout my entire lifetime, and that I be victorious over every spiritual and physical enemy. Deliver me, O Lord, from all vain thoughts and from evil desires, for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen. (By Saint Macarius)

Good night everyone! May your Friday bring you many blessings and peace, love and joy!! Sweet Dreams to all!
Love you and God Bless you!