Hello my friends! Hope your Sunday was blessed! Ours was. After Mass we stayed and had coffee and doughnuts and visited with people. We don't stay after every Sunday but we did today. Then Lori came over this afternoon and said her tomatoes need something done with them fast, so we canned a few pints of barbecue sauce, that didn't take long at all. Then Linus made some ribs on the grill, and used some of that barbecue sauce on them - and it was good!! Another great blessing was we got some rain showers, badly needed. Can you name at least 3 things you are grateful for?
The moment you include God in your thoughts you prepare yourself
for positive results. Lord, I invite You into my heart to free me from
all negativity and worry and to clear my path to success in my undertakings.
Scripture for the day:
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;
for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on
the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love
you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the
same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are
you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." ~Matthew
5:43-48
Meditation for the day:
I can practice love, because lack of love will block the way. I can try
to see good in all people, those I like and those who fret me and go
against the grain. They are all children of God. I can try to give
love; otherwise, how can I dwell in God's spirit from which nothing
unloving can come? I can try to get along with all people, because the
more love I give away, the more I will have.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may do all I can to love others, in spite of their many
faults. I pray that as I love, so will I be loved.
Dear Lord,
Another hectic week has started
and I feel I need your strength and love
even more than the day before.
May I hear Your tender voice guiding
me through this day and in some way,
may I show an act of love and kindness
to people that I meet today,
be it a helpful hand or a smile,
patience instead of anger,
understanding instead of frustration.
Help me Lord to see you in others that I meet.
Amen
Bless me, heavenly Father -
forgive my erring ways.
Grant me strength to serve Thee,
put purpose in my days.
Give me understanding,
enough to make me kind.
So I may judge all people
with my heart not my mind.
Teach me to be patient
in everything I do,
Content to trust Your wisdom
and to follow after You.
Help me when I falter
and hear me when I pray,
And receive me in Thy kingdom
to dwell with Thee someday.
Amen.
Helen Steiner Rice
"Love In The Home"
If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but
have not love, I am a housekeeper - not a homemaker.
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have
not love, my children learn cleanliness - not godliness.
Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.
Love is present through the trials.
Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.
Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child, then
stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.
Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart.
Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God's perfection of my child. As a mother, there is much I
must teach my child, but the greatest of all is love.
--Author Unknown
Warning Signals
By Marion Smith
Proverbs 14:14
They are everywhere - the warning signals. A red light
flashes and the arm goes down before the train comes by. The fire
engine’s blaring sound as it roars down the road is warning us to get
our cars out of its way. The flashing lights of a police car or an
ambulance warn us to move over.. get out of the way. A fever warns us
of infection, and a sometimes the words of a friend are offered as a
warning to us.
God has warning signals for His children. If we become
lethargic about spiritual things, He tells us in Hebrews 10:25 not to
neglect our church meetings, and to encourage each other in the faith.
He wants us to believe in miracles, for He is the God of miracles. He
warns us about unbelief in Hebrews 3:12. He warns us a bout
backsliding in our Christian walk(Proverbs 14:14), and that we should
not take His grace for granted(II Cor. 6:1)
Signals are a good thing- man’s as well as God’s. They are
effective tools to get our attentions so that we can avoid harm and
possible death. Let’s pay attention to God’s signals as attentively
as we would man’s.
There are many people in the world that have a problem with forgiving
themselves of their past mistakes. God is a God of love and compassion who
wishes to forgive and restore all who come to Him. Never feel as if you are
beyond redemption. God is able to turn your mess into a miracle.
I hope the following story will minister to you if you are having trouble
forgiving yourself, or feel as if God will never forgive you of your past
mistakes.
A woman is dying of Aids. A minister is summoned. He attempts to comfort
her, but to no avail.
"I am lost," she said. "I have ruined my life and every life around me. Now
I'm going painfully to h ell. There is no hope for me."
The minister saw a framed picture of a pretty girl on the dresser. "Who is
this?" he asked.
The woman brightened. "She is my daughter, the one beautiful thing in my
life."
"And would you help her if she was in trouble, or made a mistake? Would you
forgive her? Would you still love her?" the minister asked.
"Of course I would!" cried the woman, "I would do anything for her! Why do
you ask such a question?"
"Because I want you to know," said the minister, "that God has a picture of
you on His dresser."
author unknown
10 Suggestions to Help Develop a Healthy Self-Image
Here are 10 suggestions to help you develop and maintain a healthy
self-image. Read them slowly. Meditate on them regularly.
1. Hate your sin, but never hate yourself.
2. Be quick to repent.
3. When God gives you light, walk in it.
4. Stop saying negative things about yourself. God loves you and it's wrong
to hate what He loves. He has great plans for you, so you're in conflict
with Him when you speak negatively concerning your future.
5. Never be afraid to admit that you've made a mistake and don't always
assume that when things go wrong, it must be 'my fault'.
6. Don't meditate excessively on what you've done, right or wrong; both of
these activities keep your mind on you! Center your thoughts on Christ.
7. Take good care of yourself physically. Make the best of what God gave you
to work with, but don't be obsessed with your appearance.
8. Never stop learning but don't allow your education to become a point of
pride. God doesn't use you because of what's in your head: He uses you
because of what's in your heart.
9. Realize that your talents are a gift, not something you have manufactured
yourself; never look down on people who can't do what you do.
10. Don't despise your weaknesses they keep you dependent on God.
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