Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Hello my friends! I suppose a lot of you will be out shopping early in the morning - right? Not I! I'll be home making turkey soup! Tomorrow afternoon my husband and daughter, Lori, plan on picking out a real Christmas tree, chop it down, two trees, and that's their tradition for every year - the dogs get to go along too and enjoy it so much!! I'd just as soon stay home and make the soup! They will come home cold and chilled. Lori's first turkey turned out very good and tasty! Everything she made was wonderful! While there got to talk to Darla - and wishing she was with us. So got to spend time with both daughters - very grateful for them, and love them both very much!
Hoping you all had a nice time with family today.

Each day there are lessons to learn and lives to touch. Lord, You

have done so much for me. Help me to repay You.

Scripture for the day:

"And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all

peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up

death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all

faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the

earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is

our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the

LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his

salvation." ~Isaiah 25:7-9

Meditation for the day:

We can live today in the consciousness of God's contact, upholding us in

all good thoughts, words and deeds. If sometimes there seems to be a

shadow on our lives and we feel out of sorts, we can remember that this

is not the withdrawal of God's presence, but only our own temporary

unwillingness to realize it. The quiet gray days are the days for doing

what we must do, but we can know that the consciousness of God's

nearness will return and be with us again, when the gray days are past.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may face the dull days with courage. I pray that I may

have faith that the bright days will return.

THE KING'S GIFT

By Marion Smith

Ephesians 6:11

In the Old Testament we read about a well known

Biblical character, David. He was just a young shepherd boy when he

volunteered to fight an enemy, the giant Goliath. The King at that

time was Saul, and he graciously offered David his armor for the

fight. As David donned this heavy equipment, he realized he could not

fight with the additional weight and bulk of Saul’s armor on his body.

In the New Testament, Ephesians 6:11,God has given all

His children a special set of armor to combat an enemy much more

formidable than Goliath . The enemy is Satan, and the gift from God is

a full set of armor- covering us from head to foot. We have his helmet

of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shoes of

peace ,the sword of the spirit(our offence) and the shield of faith

(our defense). This perfect set of armor is neither too heavy nor a

hindrance as we engage in a spiritual battle with Satan each and every

day of our lives. As a matter of fact, it is our shield and

protection ; a perfect way to combat Satan . I am thankful for this

gift from God, and so glad it is lightweight enough that I can put it

on when first awakening , wearing and utilizing it all day long.

Each set of armor was given by a king. King Saul, in

the Old Testament, and King Jesus, in the New.The difference in the

old and new armor is clear. King Sauls’ was unsuitable for David. The

new is well suited for the believer, and given to us by the King of

Kings and Lord of Lords – Jesus Christ. Praise God!

Words of Encouragement

Live in Hope!

Romans 5:5

Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our

hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

We hope, not because we are not certain, but because we have a faith that

transcends mere certainty. We hope, not because heaven is far away and we

are stuck on earth, but because in the Incarnation, heaven was born in the

form of a baby in Bethlehem, was crucified, died, and rose again. We hope

because the very worst thing that can possibly happen has already happened

and, so far from it leading to Cosmic Despair, has lead to life from the

dead and the gift of the Holy Spirit. If God is for us, who can be against

us? If God can bring eternal life for a race of murderers out of the death

of his own murdered Son, what possible limits can there be to his mercy?

None, except for our refusal to receive that mercy. Today, receive the mercy

of God and walk in newness of life in the Holy Spirit.

God's Message for you today:

THRouGH loVE AloNE

“You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” – Luke

11:52

I finished giving one of my very first provincial talks and felt so happy!

Let me tell you a speaker’s secret: all of us, consciously or unconsciously,

want to hear an affirmation regarding how we did.

I went down the stage still intoxicated with joy. Then, I saw a team of

known preachers during my time gathered in one table at the back of the

hall. My heart pumped quickly as I wondered what they thought about my talk.

Shyly, I approached them and divulged that I’ve looked up to them as my role

models. All of them merely cast a quick glance at me and went back to their

highly “spiritual” discussion as if just momentarily disturbed by a shadow

that happened to be me. I couldn’t believe it! I was so disappointed that my

role models had no time to even know my name and what I do.

I wept in God’s presence. I took refuge in His embrace. I received His love.

From that point on, I had a conviction that I would never give a talk if

there were a tinge of callousness in me. I resolved to preach the Gospel

through love and love alone. And if necessary, I’ll speak. Obet Cabrillas

REFLECTION:

Love cannot be mimicked; for from the fullness of the heart, the mouth

speaks.

From sour-faced saints deliver us, Lord. (St. Teresa of Avila)

If I Could Only Do It All Over Again..

Anyone celebrating any birthday beyond seventy is repeatedly pestered with

the usual question, "What was the secret of your long life?"

An elderly nun, Sister Ruth, was asked, "What would you do if you had a

chance to do it all over again?"

She said, "As you see, I'm a nun. As such, I belong to a group of orderly,

organized people who live a regular and healthy life. So that's what I did,

too. But there were times when I had my silly moments. And if I could do it

all over again, I would like to have more of those silly moments. In other

words, the next time around, I would not do so much planning. I would leave

more to chance. You know, I'm one of those people who carry around a

thermometer, hot water bottle and raincoat - just in case. The next time

around, I would leave all that gear at home. I would get up before dawn and

walk barefoot in the dewy grass. I would take a ride or two on a

merry-to-round. And I would not trouble my head about what anyone else

thought about it."

What this gray-haired Sister was saying was: "I'd trust in God more... and

leave most of the running of my life to him."

Prayers in Times of Weakness, Trial, Tribulation

O Heart of Love, I place all my trust in Thee, for I fear all things from my

own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.

St. Margaret Mary

I live through the mercy of Jesus, to whom I owe everything and from whom I

expect everything.

Pope John the 23rd

Yet, O Lord, though I have no feeling of confidence in You, nevertheless, I

know that You are my God, that I am all Yours, and that I have no hope but

in your goodness; so, I abandon myself entirely into Your hands.

St. Francis de Sales

You make a root below the soil flourish and you can make fruitful the

darkness in which you keep me.

Jean-Pierre de Caussade

I adore all Thy purposes without knowing them; I am silent; I offer myself

in sacrifice; I yield myself to Thee; I would have no other desire than to

accomplish Thy will. Teach me to pray; pray Thyself in me.

Fenelon

May I be patient! It is so difficult to realize what one believes, and to

make these trials, as they are intended, real blessings.

John Henry Cardinal Newman

My own heart let me more have pity on.

Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

Unceasing Prayer

Dear Father, who answers our prayers,

Help me to be steadfast in my praying to you, even to stay awake that I may

pray!

Fill my life with thanksgiving to you.

O God, I pray for all your servants everywhere that you may open a door for

us to proclaim your Word, to declare the now-public secret - Christ

crucified, glorified, and coming - and to make the message clear, as we

ought to speak.

In the name of Jesus I ask you to fill our lives with your holy life and to

claim all our motives and deeds as your own. Amen.