Community Chat

[gloriajean]

God will give you strength because He will give of Himself.
Lord, thank You for the many gifts of which You always bless me.


Scripture for the day:

"Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all
may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your
teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save
both yourself and your hearers." ~1 Timothy 4:15-16

Meditation for the day:

Our true measure of success in life is the measure of spiritual
progress that we have revealed in our lives. Others should be able to
see a demonstration of God's will in our lives. The measure of God's
will that those around us have seen worked out in our daily living is
the measure of our true success. We can do our best to be a
demonstration each day of the power of God in human lives, and example
of the working out of the grace of God in our hearts.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may so live that others will see in me something of the
working out of the will of God. I pray that my life may be a
demonstration of what the grace of God can do.

Hello my friends! Hope your weekend is going great!! It's good to be home again - we got back this afternoon and went straight to Lori's for her barbecue and bonfire, it was fun - Lori's friends from her growing up years were there with their husbands and kids. One girl we hadn't seen since her wedding and she's married 10 years! Lori always had many friends. There were a lot of people around her bon fire! Sammy was really good there - Lori had him overnight. We went to Mass this morning at our old parish and then on to our friend's place again for brunch and then a game of Mexican Train (Dominoes) it was fun. I sure got tired as we've been outside a lot!! It was chilly too! So now we're having Fr. Matthew over for breakfast after Mass tomorrow and he's bringing a new Seminarian - haven't met him yet - he will be staying in our parish for the summer. Making apple pancakes and turkey sausage!

The Rose Within


A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.

He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom... it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.

We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose within them.

This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life... all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.

The Stolen Biscuits [Cookies]
A small boy at summer camp received a large package of cookies in the mail from his mother. He ate a few, then placed the remainder under his bed. The next day, after lunch, he went to his tent to get a cookie. The box was gone.

That afternoon a camp counselor, who had been told of the theft, saw another boy sitting behind a tree eating the stolen cookies. "That young man," he said to himself, "must be taught not to steal."

He returned to the group and sought out the boy whose cookies had been stolen. "Billy," he said, "I know who stole your cookies. Will you help me teach him a lesson?"

"Well, yes--but aren't you going to punish him?" asked the puzzled boy.
"No, that would only make him resent and hate you," the counsellor explained. "I want you to call your mother and ask her to send you another box of cookies."

The boy did as the counsellor asked and a few days later received another box of cookies in the mail.

"Now," said the counsellor, "the boy who stole your cookies is down by the lake. Go down there and share your cookies with him."
"But," protested the boy, "he's the thief."
"I know . But try it--see what happens."

Half an hour later the camp counsellor saw the two come up the hill, arm in arm. The boy who had stolen the cookies was earnestly trying to get the other to accept his jack-knife in payment for the stolen cookies, and the victim was just as earnestly refusing the gift from his new friend, saying that a few old cookies weren't that important anyway.

Do Not Doubt It

You are beautiful
God made you and you are beautiful
Do not doubt it
You are loved
God loves you
HIS love is unfailing and never ending
Do not doubt it
You are not alone
God is always with you
through the good times and the bad
HE will never forsake you
Do not doubt it
HE is waiting for you
When your time on this earth has ended
HE will be waiting for you at Heaven's Gate
with open arms
HE is ready to welcome you home
when the time is right
Do not doubt it


by LJ Rogers


Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitation for our sins.
I John 4:10

Greed

One summer afternoon on the Mississippi River in
America a steamer crowded with passengers
suddenly struck a submerged rock. In a moment the
deck was a wild confusion. The lifeboats were
able to take off only one-fourth of all the
passengers. The rest tore off their clothes, and
swam ashore.

After everyone had deserted the overturned ship,
a man suddenly appeared on the leaning deck. He
grabbed a loose piece of wood and then jumped
into the river. But he sank like a stone.

When his body was recovered, it was found that
while the other passengers were busy escaping, he
was busy breaking open and robbing their trunks
and baggage. Many of them were miners returning
home with their treasure. This thief gathered
their gold, tied little bags of it around his
waist and within a quarter of an hour he had won
more gold than most men do in a lifetime.

But it dragged him to the bottom of the river in
an instant.







Golden Rules for Living
by Miriam Hamilton Keare

1. If you open it, close it.
2. If you turn it on, turn it off.
3. If you unlock it, lock it up.
4. If you break it, admit it.
5. If you can't fix it, call in someone who can.
6. If you borrow it, return it.
7. If you value it, take care of it.
8. If you make a mess, clean it up.
9. If you move it, put it back.
10. If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.
11. If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
12. If it's none of your business, don't ask questions.

THE BUZZARD, THE BAT & THE BUMMBLEBEE
Author Unknown
October 28, 2009


The Buzzard:

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely
open
at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an
absolute
prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the
ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its
habit,
it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life
in a
small jail with no top.

The Bat:

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble
creature in
the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the
floor
or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no
doubt,
painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can
throw
itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

The Bumblebee:

A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it
dies,
unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top,
but
persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the
bottom.
It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys
itself.

People:

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We
struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing
that
all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and
the
solution to any problem! Just look up!

Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, but faith looks up!

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and trust in
our
Creator who loves us.

Good night everyone - Sweet Dreams and God bless your day tomorrow! Let us honor those who've served in the war. My Dad was in WW1.