Hello my friends, We had a chilly but nice day today ending up with going to our favorite restaurant for supper with Lori, and she invited us over for a bon fire - and it was just perfect weather for the bon fire. It was a good night and another one of God's richest blessings!! Monday we'll know for sure about Darla's job. They have to meet with more people. Please keep the prayers going!!
If you are stressed, you are probably making things more important
than they really are. Lord, I pray for clarity of thought and calmness
of spirit because I know that when my heart grows weary, You send
me peace.
Scripture for the day:
"One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and
seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, 'Which commandment is the
first of all?' Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our
God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no
other commandment greater than these.'" ~Mark 12:28-31
Meditation for the day:
I can try to make the world better and happier by my presence in it.
I can try to help other people find the way God wants them to live. I can
try to be on the side of good, in the stream of righteousness, where all
things work for good. I can do my duty persistently and faithfully, not
sparing myself. I can be gentle with all people. I can try to see other
people's difficulty and help them. I can always pray to God to act as
interpreter between me and the other person.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may live in the spirit of prayer. I pray that I may depend on
God for the strength I need to help me to do my part in making the world a
better place.
THE ONION
Author Unknown
I was an onion before Christ set me free.
Layers upon layers of iniquity.
An ugly old onion whose fragrance was strong;
That my Jesus bought and loved all along.
Unknown to me what He was going to do.
Of what He was planning, I had not a clue.
Pulling each layer off one by one.
In order to make me more like Jesus the Son.
The first layer wasn't so bad.
I saw all the sins that I knew I had.
They were easy to fix, just change the way I talk.
And learn more of how He wanted me to walk.
Reading His Word, and learning again;
How to put aside my life of sin.
But the next layer was pulled which hurt more.
He was getting closer to the core.
Unknown what He would find there.
I simply gave it to Him in prayer.
As another layer was removed, He started to cry;
Pulling this layer brought pain to my Father on High.
And I was crying over the sadness I felt;
The brokenness and all of the guilt.
Past memories that I thought were gone;
They were buried under layers disguised in a fragrance so strong.
As onions peel more and more;
And they put tears in our eyes as we get close to the core;
So my Father wept over my pain;
Giving me a balm of comfort and strength to sustain.
"No More Layers." I would scream.
As He continued to peel them off of me.
"I'll have nothing left my Lord, what will I do?
I'll be nothing but a worthless core to you. "
But He just said "Trust me," and continued to peel
I was sure He was blinded to my pain that was so real.
Year after year I shrunk more and more;
Until all that was left of this onion was a core.
It was then that I began to understand;
As the Lord embraced me in His loving hand.
He said, now and only now can you be;
The creation that will minister before me.
Clothed with the righteousness only from above;
Gone are your layers of self so you can be filled with my love.
He took my layers of sin, hurt and pain;
And clothed me with love, truth and mercy in His name.
Yes, we are all onions, learning with each day;
How to overcome as each layer is taken away.
Some layers tear and pull at our heart;
While others grieve us to our innermost part.
But we are nothing but an ugly onion without Christ.
Layers upon layers of pride, sin and strife.
Only God can take those layers away.
And clothe us with His righteousness in that final day.
Here's some food for thought:
LOCKED DOORS
By Sally I. Kennedy
Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them (again)
and said, "Peace be with you!" John 20:26
We were having dinner, and even with the animated chatter I could hear
the door bang closed.
When we have family get-togethers, it’s a fun time for the kids to
turn the workshop room into a clubhouse. Handwritten signs soon
decorate the door: ‘KeepOut!!’, ‘No grils allowed’, ‘boys only’.
Although we have a ‘management rule’ about locking doors, that
sometimes seems to get ignored, so I headed back to check the goings-
on. They were having a great time. The cookie stash was in one corner,
and were making all spy and stakeout plans; very busy indeed.
In our lives don’t we, too, have locked doors? Places we have unknown
secret desires, hopes, hurts? Locked away. Kept at bay, unspoken. I
realize that is true for myself.
God is the God of the breakthrough. He can step into closed off,
locked doors and areas in our hearts, and in our minds, and when He
does, He says, “Peace be with you”. Peace be with YOU.
Come, Lord Jesus. Come today through locked doors, even those we may
not realize we have. Thank You for coming with a breaker anointing,
love, and healing. Amen.
SHELL SEEKERS
By Marion Smith
Hebrews 4:12 For the Word of God is living and active.
The tide rolled back early that morning. As the waves receded
into the deep, they left a fresh array of shells on the newly exposed
beach. The display was plentiful, and the "shell seekers" were out in
force. These are the people who collect shells;and they were ready to
“check out” this new array of shells. They searched the sand...heads
bent... looking for new shells to add to their collection.They were
intent on the task at hand, and did not let other surrounding events
distract them. They would gather their finds in a baggie or pail, and
return to their homes after they were satisfied with their finds.
Getting into God’s Word should be just like that for the
Christian. We should wake up after a refreshing nights’ sleep and be
willing to search the beaches of Gods Word, looking for something new
or reinforcement of some previous truths we have gleaned.We should be
intent on our quest and not be distracted by phone calls, daily duties
or wandering of the mind. We can gather the insights from God and
store them in our mind and heart, ready to use them when needed. No,
they will not be on display as some shells are on coffee tables or nic
nak shelves, but they will be readily seen through the actions of our
lives.
It is not always possible for us to go “gathering” early
in the morning, but when we are, God’s prizes are there for the
taking.
We Rejoice and Are Glad
Christ is risen, alleluia! This is the ancient Christian greeting on this
day of great joy and happiness for all. "Easter is not simply one feast
among others, but the 'Feast of feasts'. The mystery of the Resurrection, in
which Christ crushed death, permeates with its powerful energy our old time,
until all is subjected to him"
PRAYER
This is the day the Lord has made, let me rejoice and be glad.
I bow in worship before your cross, O Lord Jesus Christ, and I praise and
glorify your holy resurrection, for through the cross has joy come into the
world.
Fill me with the joy and happiness of your resurrection. Through your death
you have conquered all death, and by your rising you have given me new life.
Grant me the grace to enter with you and join the host of saints in heaven.
You are our Light and our Resurrection, O Christ our God, to you be glory
with the Father and Holy Spirit for ever. Alleluia.
In my weakest moments, God reveals His Love
Father Craig Butler, diocesan priest
I meet God through the people I encounter every day. One of the most
enjoyable and humbling aspects of my life as a priest is simply being with
people, spending time just talking - "hanging around" and sharing in their
lives. At the same time I am privileged to meet people and talk with them at
more than just a superficial level.
During these encounters I'm often overwhelmed by their goodness, their
kindness and their holiness. By holiness I don't mean that they are nice or
insipid or weak but rather that somehow they are in touch with God. They
"know" Christ, not just about him. They are close to God, and more
importantly, God is close to them. It gives me great joy to remind them of
this and at the same time I feel as though I am sharing in their experience
of God.
Ironically these people are often unaware of just how close to God they are
and how much God loves them!
Of all my encounters with God, through the lives of people, the most
profound are at those times and in those situations when I am at my most
vulnerable. To sit with someone who has experienced a great tragedy is, I
find, a real challenge. At those times I'm most deeply aware of my own
inability to "do" anything, other than simply sit with the person and be
there. My strongest inclination is to get up, excuse myself, and walk away -
to some- where else where I can be more useful - and feel more comfortable!
It is in my weakest moments that God reveals his love for me most powerfully
and I then find myself able to deal with just about anything.
Finally, the situation where I meet God on a "regular" basis is when I pray
and most especially when I'm celebrating Eucharist. It is at these times
that I experience my greatest need to know that the work I do is not mine
but rather that it is God's, and that I can't do it on my own. I often feel
inadequate when I look out at a sea of expectant faces.
It is my experience that it's at the most difficult and challenging times,
and when I am aware of my dependence on God, that God reminds me of his love
and his very real presence with me.
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