Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Love people so much that you will do all that you can to lessen their

human sorrows. Lord, You have shown Your love for me. May I

now radiate Your presence to others.

Scripture for the day:

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." ~Psalm

119:105

Meditation for the day:

In all of us there is an inner consciousness that tells of God, an

inner voice that speaks to our hearts. It is a voice that speaks to us

intimately, personally, in a time of quiet mediation. It is like a

lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We can reach out into the

darkness and figuratively touch the hand of God. Deep down inside

each of us is the fundamental idea of God. We can find this great reality

deep down within us. And as we find it, it can change our whole

attitude toward life.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may follow the leading of the inner voice. I pray that

I may not turn a deaf ear to the urging of my conscience.

Hello my friends! Blessings come even though we are having trials. Went to a purse party tonight (Miche) with Lori - it was fun and seeing Lori's classmates again who used to be at our house a lot growing up, was a joy. Classmates that stayed friends forever, their 20th class reunion is coming up! Sammy quit eating, so can't get meds in him. His pain med I just read said if there's decreased in appetite to quit immediately. I pray that he'll be healed, that without that pain med, he'll be fine. Praying for all of you - thanks for your prayers for us.

The Power of Prayer

The day was long, the burden I had

borne

Seemed heavier than I could longer

bear,

And then it lifted-but I did not know

Some one had knelt in prayer.

Had taken me to God that very hour,

And asked the easing of the load, and

He,

In infinite compassion, had stooped

down

And taken it from me.

We cannot tell how often as we pray

For some bewildered one,

hurt and distressed,

The answers comes, but many times

those hearts

Find sudden peace and rest.

Some one had prayed, and Faith, a

reaching hand,

Took hold of God, and brought Him

down that day!

So many, many hearts have need of

prayer: Oh, let us pray

Unknown

PRAYER WHEN IN SUFFERING

Jesus, speak to me in these days of suffering to reveal to me, the will of

God. "You have kept count of my tossing; put my tears in your bottle."

(Psalm 56:8). "This I know, that God is for me" (Psalm 56:9). Come to my

help soon. Cut short the days of suffering. Deliver me from the present

adversities. Grant me long life and health to praise you in peace. Lift me

up to become a witness for you. Thank you Jesus. Praise you Jesus.

Hallelujah. (Praise God for 5 minutes to know the will of God in your

sufferings. Thus you will receive the strength and grace to suffer. God

willing, you will get immediate deliverance.)

Abandonment Is an Awful Poverty

A Story by Bl. Mother Teresa

One day I visited a house where our sisters shelter the aged. This is one

of the nicest houses in England, filled with beautiful and precious things,

yet there was not one smile on the faces of these people. All of them were

looking toward the door.

I asked the sister in charge, "Why are they like that? Why can't you see a

smile on their faces?" (I am accustomed to seeing smiles on people's faces.

I think a smile generates a smile, just as love generates love.)

The sister answered, "The same thing happens every day. They are always

waiting for someone to come and visit them. Loneliness eats them up, and

day after day they do not stop looking. Nobody comes."

Abandonment is an awful poverty. There are poor people everywhere, but the

deepest poverty is not being loved.

The poor we seek may live near us or far away. They can be materially or

spiritually poor. They may be hungry for bread or hungry for friendship.

They may need clothing, or they may need the sense of wealth that God's love

for them represents. They may need the shelter of a house made of bricks

and cement or the shelter of having a place in our hearts.

Dear Lord,

Our relationship with you is usually like this:

Just another day for me - plenty of things to do

Go to work, come home late, nothing really new

Sat in bed put my head to rest grabbed my mobile phone

About to call my girlfriend now to tell her I loved her so

But before I had the chance to phone I received an incoming call

I had to look twice at the Caller ID to see if I was sure

It was a friend of mine his name was John an odd call at this time

We haven´t spoken for years, busy I guess, we're all guilty of this crime

What does he want? I thought to myself, a favour he must need

So I answered the phone and said hello, the rest I'll let you read

Minutes went by, no favour so far, maybe I could be wrong

But there it was - the favour he needs - I knew it all along

That’s the reason why he called me today - I guess we all do the same

Its only when we need something that we look to find their name

That’s the relationship we have with God - sad but it is true

We have to change the way we think - a message for me and you.

THE BIBLE & THE COAL BASKET

Author Unknown

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains

of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was

up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out

Bible.

His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in

any way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the

Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do

understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does

reading the Bible do?" The

Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said,

"Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of

water." The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked

out before he could get back to the house.

The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little

faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to

try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he

returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was

"impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket

instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a

basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough,"

and he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point,

the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather

that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out

before he got far at all. The boy

scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather

the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that

the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it

was clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You

might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it

will change you from the inside out.

That is the work of God in our lives.

To change us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the

image of His son.

Take time to read a portion of God's word each day.

THE LETTER

Author Unknown

October 19, 2011

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it

up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the

envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and

address.

She read the letter:

Dear Ruth,

I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like

to stop by for a visit.

Love Always,

Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why

would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have

anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty

kitchen cabinets.

"Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to

run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for

her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.

"Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her

coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of french bread, a half-pound of

sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total of

twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as

she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her

dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the

alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than

rags.

"Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been

living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and

we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd

really appreciate it."

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and,

frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they

really wanted to.

"Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is

a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for

dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."

"Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his

arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the

alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her

heart.

"Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley

after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out

something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag.

"Thank you lady. Thank you very much!"

"Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that

she was shivering.

"You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take

this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's

shoulders.

Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her

coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you lady! Thank you

very much!"

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried

too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to

offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she

did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.

"That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She

took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

Dear Ruth,

It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And

thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.

Love Always,

Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer

noticed.

The Trial of Your Faith

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1:1-9

Riding a train in the Pacific Northwest, a pastor's wife noticed a

fellow-passenger

with an apparently sick baby. Although the baby was of an age when it should

have

been holding up his little head on his own, the mother continually supported

it. The

two women began talking and the pastor's wife received this explanation:

"We've just come from the Mayo Clinic. Gary is severely retarded from brain

damage

at birth." Next followed some unforgettable words, "I'm so glad God gave him

to us.

We will love him. He'll never feel unwanted."

The light in the mother's face made her new friend glad for the fortunate

child. She

contrasted this mother to many mothers of "normal" children who fretted and

complained all the time.

God could trust this woman with a severe, lifelong trial. He could trust to

her care one

of His little ones: a child who would never bring home a report card she

could brag

about to her neighbors; who would never excel in any sports; who would

certainly tie

her to long hours of continuous care.

Not the trial, but the attitude we have toward it, proves whether we accept

it as from the

Lord. Recognize that He has, in even such trials, purpose rooted deep in

love.

That the trail of your faith...might be found unto praise and honor and

glory at the

appearing of Jesus Christ. (V. 7).

Not now, but in the coming years we'll read the meaning of our tears.