Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Many people need you in many different ways. No one else can take
your place. Lord, You blessed me with special abilities and need me
to use them in this world. Thank you.

Scripture for the day:

"He has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' So we can say
with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What
can anyone do to me?'" ~Hebrews 13:5-6

Meditation for the day:

"I will never leave you or forsake you." Down through the centuries,
thousands have believed in God's constancy, tirelessness, and
unfailing love. God has love. Then forever we can be sure of God's
love. God has power. Then forever we can be sure;, in every
difficulty and temptation, of God's strength. God has patience. Then
always there is one who can never tire. God has understanding. Then
always we can understand and be understood. Unless we want God to go,
God will never leave us. God is always ready with the strength and
power we need.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may feel that God's love will never fail. I pray that I
may have confidence in God's unfailing power.

Peace of the Lord be with you all! Hope your day went well and you had a
very blessed Sunday!! It was very relaxing here. First a beautiful Mass -
always a great blessing to be there, and the rest of the day relaxing.
Linus watched football, I took a nap and was on the phone to my sisters -
always a blessing too. Sister LaDonna called me - she did have chest pains
and was on a heart monitor yesterday - all is well - Praise the Lord! she
can go home as soon as she can sit up - she can't yet. At the Motherhouse,
they have an Infirmary which is like a Nursing Home and that's where she
will go to recuperate. They have occupational and physical therapy right
there and a hospital bed that raises up. They have a chapel right in there
too. Sunday Lori plans on taking my sisters and me to see her. Linus
doesn't drive long distances anymore, he knows that his reflexes aren't what
they used to be and he'd rather not do the driving, also he hates night
driving. From here it will be an hour and a half to pick up Ethel - Deil
will drive over there to Ethel's. Then it's another hour and a half to get
there to Rochester. And back again the same day. However, he said he would
take me if I wanted him to, anyway, but as long as Lori is willing and
offered, that's fine. Thanks for your prayers for Sister LaDonna's
healing, and for Katie - Linus' cousin who had a stroke. She is going to
live in a Nursing Home now starting tomorrow. Her left side of the face and
arm was affected and she can't use her arm from what I hear. She will hate
that she can't go home anymore.

"I Have These Holes"


Last night my sadness woke me up,
And I sobbed uncontrollably.
The world was sleeping,
So I turned to the Lord for conversation.

I feel like I'm getting my life together, Lord,
Except for these holes.
The losses I have had have left these holes in me,
And now my life keeps seeping out the holes.

I've tried filling the holes with all kinds of things:
Busyness, food, sympathy from others,
But nothing works.
I still have these holes.

And the grief from memories past enveloped me again.
And I sat rocking myself, holding myself,
Trying to give comfort to my pain.
Wanting to gain understanding.

This pain sure hurts, Lord.

And then as early morning came,
I heard Him softly call my name.
With nail-scared hands out stretched to me,
He said so very tenderly,
"I have holes too."

And then I knew,
He understood as no one could!

By Anne Peterson in 1994

No time to pray?

Prayers are the food of the soul, they open the door to Heaven and they
lead us to God.
Prayers are like phone calls to God, they surely get the message across.
Prayers are like arrows that pierce through the clouds, they go straight
to Heaven with our petitions and desires.
Prayers are the expression of the soul, they are a private conversation
between man and God.
Prayers are not only petitions, they are also adoration, praise and
thanksgiving.
Pray without ceasing [1Thess 5:17], pray in the Spirit [Eph 6:18] says
St. Paul.
Pray with your mind, but also pray in the Spirit [1 Cor 14:15]
Pray that our God will give you a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation as you
come to know Him [Eph. 1:17]
Pray for the sick , pray for one another [James 5:14-16]

Luke 22:46 Pray that you don't fall into temptation

"Brighten" The Corner Where You Are

We cannot all be famous, or be listed in "Who's Who",
But every person, great or small, has important work to do,
For seldom do we realize the importance of small deeds
Or to what degree of greatness unnoticed kindness leads.

For it's not the big celebrity in a world of fame and praise,
But it's doing unpretentiously in an undistinguished way,
The work that God assigned to us, unimportant as it seems,
That makes our task outstanding and brings reality to dreams.

So do not sit and idly wish for wider, new dimensions
where you can put in practice your many good intentions.
But at the spot God placed you begin at once to do
Little things to brighten up the lives surrounding you.

If everybody brightened up the spot where they're standing
By being more considerate and a little less demanding,
This dark old world would very soon eclipse the evening star
If everybody brightened up the corner where they are!

- Author unknown

Mother Teresa Said...

"Let the praise of people not destroy the peace
in our hearts and make us restless.
It has been given to us;
let us give it back to Him with great love.
They cannot give praise to all.
It has been given to One --
but it has been given to the lepers, the children,
dying patients -- all.
All that work is only a drop in the ocean,
but if we neglect to put in that drop, the ocean will be less."

Live A Life That Matters

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to
someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally
disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you
lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you
got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a
lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those
who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of
circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Author Unknown

"Who is Walking in Our Steps?"

My three year-old was on my heels no matter where I went. Whenever I
stopped to do something and turned back around, I would trip over him.

I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. But he simply
smiled an innocent smile and said, "Oh that's all right, Mommy. I'd
rather be in here with you." Then he continued to bounce happily along
behind me.

After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I began to lose
patience. When I asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at me
with sweet green eyes and said:

"Well Mommy, my teacher told me to walk in Jesus' footsteps! I can't
see Him, so I'm walking in yours!"


THE PERFECT MISTAKE
Author Unknown
August 31, 2009


My Mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he
was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to
orphanages in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket
to find his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his
earlier actions, he realized what had happened; the glasses had
slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates,
which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for
China!

The Great Depression was at it's height and Grandpa had six children.
He had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning. He was upset by
the thought of having to buy another pair. "It's not fair," he told
God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in
giving of my time and money to your work, and now this."

Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the
United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him
in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather' s small
church in Chicago. The missionary began by thanking the people for
their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he
said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see,
the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying
everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the
money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with
not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my
coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your crates
arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of
glasses lying on top.

The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then,
still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued: "Folks, when I
tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just
for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that."

The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the
missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they
thought. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent
overseas. But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down
his face, an ordinary
carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an
extraordinary way.

There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking him! Perhaps
it is something we ought to try more often, "Thank you God for not
allowing my car to start this morning." He may have been saving your
life from a car accident. "Lord Jesus, thank you for letting me lose
my glasses; I'm sure they'll be put to good use or there is a lesson
to be learned."

Good night everyone! Sweet Dreams to all! May you all have a very positive
Monday and God bless you all!