Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Our body is the temple of God and our soul is His image. It is the devil's
work to make us forget that and feel useless, incapable and worthless.
Lord, I will not deny Your existence in me. I am strong and capable
because You live and work through me.


Scripture for the day:

"In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not
so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take
you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also." ~John
14:2-3

Meditation for the day:

We can look at the world as our Father's house. We can think of all
people we meet as guests in our Fathers house, to be treated with love
and consideration. We can look at ourselves as servants in our
Father's house, as servants of all. We can think of no work as
beneath us. We can be ready to do all we can for others who need our
help. There is gladness in God's service. There is much satisfaction
in serving the highest that we know. We can express our love for God
in service to all
who are living with us in our Father's house.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may serve others out of gratitude to God. I pray that
my work may be a small repayment for God's grace so freely given me.

Hello my friends! What a day! Lori invited us to go to a Wild Western day -
it was held in someone's property - lots and lots of people, and there were
vendors, and skits, and lots of singing and guitar playing old country
songs. We had a good day there - and later Lori spend time with us playing
Dominoes - it was so nice having her here with us again, playing games. I
played the accordion for her, the straps hurt - need some adjusting, so
didn't play long. She volunteered me to play accordion and piano at the
family re-union. Got out my old song books, and will make copies - my
sisters know all these songs. My is that accordion old - I bet it's close
to 100 years old already. But it plays well, and not out of tune. The
case looks like 100 years old! Not only were we with Lori all day, but also
Linus' sister, brother and wife and cousin, so it was a nice day being with
them, too.
I'm very tired and going to bed soon - prayers were said for you all - may
you all have a wonderfully blessed Sunday!!

LIFE

Three things of life once gone never comes back -
Time, words & opportunity.

Three things of life that must not be lost -
Peace, hope & honesty.

Three things of life that are most valuable -
Love, self-confidence & friends.

Three things of life that are never sure -
Dreams, success & fortune.

Three things of life that destroy a man/woman -
Lust, Pride & Anger.


FAILURE

Failure doesn't mean - You are a failure,
It means - You have not succeeded.

Failure doesn't mean - You accomplished nothing,
It means - You have learned something.

Failure doesn't mean - That you have been a fool,
It means - You had a lot of faith.

Failure doesn't mean - You've been disgraced,
It means - You were willing to try.

Failure doesn't mean - You don't have it,
It means - You have to do something in a different way.

Failure doesn't mean - You are inferior,
It means -You are not perfect.

Failure doesn't mean - You've wasted your life,
It means - You have a reason to start afresh.

Failure doesn't mean - You should give up,
It means - You must try harder.

Failure doesn't mean -You'll never make it,
It means - It will take a little longer.

Failure doesn't mean - God has abandoned you,
It means - God has a better way for you.


SUN RISE

Every morning in Africa, when the Sun rises, a deer awakens,
Knowing it has to outrun the fastest Lion, OR, be hunted to death....

Every morning in Africa, when the Sun rises, a Lion awakens,
Knowing it has to outrun the slowest deer, OR, be starved to death....

It does not matter whether you are a deer or Lion,
When the Sun rises, Better be running at your best..

While I was living in a world of sin

While I was living in a world of sin,
Distraught with pain and strife;
No where to go, no place to rest;
I had nothing in my life
But Jesus sent His mercy down,
To take my sins away
My heart He filled with gladness,
My strife was gone that day.

With Jesus in my heart,
His salvation in my soul:
My life is all complete,
For Jesus made me whole,
I have a blessed assurance,
A peace that´s deep within,
His promise to me I am assured,
He will return again.

And when He comes on a cloud in the sky,
The trumpet then will sound,
All the dead in Christ shall rise,
They'll come up out of the ground
And the saved will gather in the air,
We'll see His blessed face
He'll take us safely to our home,
That grand and glorious place.

When we meet in Heaven's Kingdom
And I kneel before God's feet
I'll praise Him and I'll thank Him,
For the mercy He had on me.

(by Judy Turney, 2005)

YOU SHALL
Author Unknown


You shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human
activities.

You shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to
pass.

You shall not carry grudges, for they are the heaviest of all life's
burdens.

You shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a
time anyway.

You shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor
bedfellows.

You shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care for
them than you.

You shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever
gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now!

You shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear
ideas different from your own.

You shall not become "bogged down" by frustration, for 90% of it is
rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.

You shall count your blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for
a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

MOTHER TERESA´S ROSARY

- Author Unknown

Jim Castle was tired when he boarded his plane in Cincinnati, Ohio, that
night in 1981. The 45-year-old management consultant had put on a week-long
series of business meetings and seminars, and now he sank gratefully into
his seat ready for the flight home to Kansas City,Kansas.

As more passengers entered, the place hummed with conversation, mixed with
the sound of bags being stowed. Then, suddenly, people fell silent.

The quiet moved slowly up the aisle like an invisible wake behind a boat.

Jim craned his head to see what was happening, and his mouth dropped open.
Walking up the aisle were two nuns clad in simple white habits bordered in
blue. He recognized the familiar face of one at once, the wrinkled skin, the
eyes warmly intent. This was a face he'd seen in newscasts and on the cover
of TIME. The two nuns halted, and Jim realized that his seat companion was
going to be Mother Teresa!

As the last few passengers settled in, Mother Teresa and her companion
pulled out rosaries. Each decade of the beads was a different color, Jim
noticed. The decades represented various areas of the world, Mother Teresa
told him later, and added, "I pray for the poor and dying on each
continent."

The airplane taxied to the runway and the two women began to pray, their
voices a low murmur. Though Jim considered himself not a very religious
Catholic who went to church mostly out of habit, inexplicably he found
himself joining in.

By the time they murmured the final prayer, the plane had reached cruising
altitude. Mother Teresa turned toward him. For the first time in his life,
Jim understood what people meant when they spoke of a person possessing an
"aura". As she gazed at him, a sense of peace filled him; he could no more
see it than he could see the wind, but he felt it, just as surely as he felt
a warm summer breeze.

"Young man," she inquired, "do you say the rosary often?" "No, not really,"
he admitted. She took his hand, while her eyes probed his. Then she smiled.
"Well, you will now." And she dropped her rosary into his palm.

An hour later Jim entered the Kansas City airport, where he was met by his
wife, Ruth. "What in the world?" Ruth asked when she noticed the rosary in
his hand. They kissed and Jim described his encounter.

Driving home, he said. "I feel as if I met a true sister of God."

Nine months later Jim and Ruth visited Connie, a friend o f theirs for
several years. Connie confessed that she'd been told she had ovarian cancer.
"The doctor says it's a tough case," said Connie, "but I'm going to fight
it. I won't give up." Jim clasped her hand. Then, after reaching into his
pocket, he gently twined Mother Teresa's rosary around her fingers. He told
her the story and said, "Keep it with you Connie. It may help."

Although Connie wasn't Catholic, her hand closed willingly around the small
plastic beads. "Thank you," she whispered. "I hope I can return it."

More than a year passed before Jim saw Connie again. This time, face
glowing, she hurried toward him and handed him the rosary "I carried it with
me all year," she said. "I've had surgery and have been on chemotherapy,
too. Last month, the doctors did second-look surgery, and the tumor's gone.
completely!" Her eyes met Jim's. "I knew it was time to give the rosary
back."

In the fall of 1987, Ruth's sister, Liz, fell into a deep depression after
her divorce. She asked Jim if she could borrow the rosary, and when he sent
it, she hung it over her bedpost in a small velvet bag.

"At night I held on to it, just physically held on. I was so lonely and
afraid," she says, "yet when I gripped that rosary, I felt as if I held a
loving hand." Gradually, Liz pulled her life together, and she mailed the
rosary back. "Someone else may need it," she said.

Then one night in 1988, a stranger telephoned Ruth. She'd heard about the
rosary from a neighbor and asked if she could borrow it to take to the
hospital where her mother lay in a coma. The family hoped the rosary might
help their mother die peacefully. A few days later, the woman returned the
beads. "The nurses told me a coma patient can still hear," she said, " so I
explained to my mother that I had Mother Teresa's rosary and that when I
gave it to her she could let go; it would be all rosary in her hand.

Right away, we saw her face relax. The lines smoothed out until she looked
so peaceful, so young." The woman's voice caught. "A few minutes later she
was gone." Fervently, she gripped Ruth's hands. "Thank you."

Is there special power in those humble beads? Or is the power of the human
spirit simply renewed in each person who borrows the rosary? Jim only knows
that requests continue to come often unexpectedly. He always responds though
whenever he lends the rosary. He says, "When you're through needing it, send
it back. Someone else may need it."

Jim's own life has changed, too, since his unexpected meeting on the
airplane. When he realized Mother Teresa carries everything she owns in a
small bag, he made an effort to simplify his own life. "I try to remember
what really counts - not money or titles or possessions, but the way we love
others," he says.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY, MOTHER MARY ASK HER SON JESUS TO SHOWER YOU
WITH GRACES.

Please feel free to pass this on especially to all those in despair so that
they might know that they are not alone in their hour of need. The reason I
sent you this is because I know the power of these simple beads, and I
wanted to share it with you.

Sent by Amelita Villon


PRAYER

Show us the way to follow you, by a change of heart and mind. The Kingdom of
God will soon prevail. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.


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.)


G U I D A N C E

When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE, I kept seeing "dance" at the end
of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow
with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to
flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become
one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and
attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word GUIDANCE. When I saw "G," I thought of
God, followed by "u" and "i." "God, "u" and "i" dance." God, you, and I
dance. This statement is what guidance means to me. As I lowered my head,
I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once
again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon you
and your family on this day and everyday. May you abide in Him as He abides
in you. Dance together with God, trusting Him to lead and to guide you
through each season of your life.

--Author Unknown


Motivation

A story has it that, late one night, a party-goer decided it would be best
to walk home. He found a short cut through a poorly-lit cemetery and, in the
darkness, stumbled into an open grave. He tried to climb out but the walls
were too slippery. Again and again he fell back into the grave. Finally, in
exhaustion, he settled in a corner to wait for sunlight -- to be rescued.

A few minutes later another man cutting through the cemetery fell victim to
the same grave. He, too, tried desperately to climb and claw his way out,
and he was equally unsuccessful. As he was about to give up in hopeless
resignation, he heard a voice from the darkness of his pit: "You'll never
get out of here."

He did!!!

He just needed the proper motivation! And in this case, a shot of fear did
the trick! But when it comes to finding the motivation to do most worthwhile
things, his example is the exception.

I am learning that the best motivation, whether I want to accomplish a task,
go back to school, start something new or kick a habit, usually comes from
the inside. To be successful, I must WANT to do it. Others may certainly
help in their encouragement or in "pumping me up," but, in the end, I will
usually be successful only if I have enough desire.

Author Unknown