Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all have a great day tomorrow - safe travels and good family times etc. etc. One blessing I'll share with you now is that our friends, Ray and Ann, best friends, called me today and wanted to know if we could be free on December 15th to go to a play with them, they want to pay our way and drive us there! Wow! What friends! They are so thoughtful and what a blessing God gave us when He brought us together with them! I thank and praise Him forever!

It is very humbling to realize that often what burdens us the most would be

very missed if it were taken away. Lord, I will take the time to appreciate

my life.

Scripture for the day:

"'Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy

burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn

from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest

for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'"

~Matthew 11:28-30

Meditation for the day:

We can lay upon God our failures and mistakes and shortcomings.

We need not dwell upon our failures, upon the fact that in the past

we have been nearer a beast than an angel. We have a mediator

between us and God. Our growing faith can lift us up from the mire and

point us toward the heavens. We can still be reconciled with

God. We can still regain our harmony with God and God's will for

us.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may not let the beast in me hold me back from my spiritual

destiny. I pray that I may rise and walk upright.

My Vocation is Love:

source: The Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux (excerpt from Chapter

11)

Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I realized that if the Church was a

body made up of different members, she would not be without the greatest and

most essential of them all. I realized that love includes all vocations,

that love is all things, and that, because it is eternal, it embraces every

time and place.

Swept by an ecstatic joy, I cried: "Jesus, my love! At last I have found my

vocation. My vocation is love! I have found my place in the bosom of the

Church and it is You, Lord, who has given it to me. In the heart of the

Church, who is my Mother, I will be love. So I shall be everything and so

my dreams will be fulfilled!" Why do I speak of "ecstatic joy"? It's the

wrong phrase to use. Instead, I should speak of peace, that calm, tranquil

peace which the helmsman feels as he sees the beacon which guides him into

harbour. How brightly this beacon of love burns! And I know how to reach

it and how to make its flames my own.

The Value of the Rosary

Father Gabriel Amorth, chief exorcist of the Vatican writes:

One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say during an exorcism:

"Every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful

the Rosary was, it would be my end." The secret that makes this prayer so

effective is that the Rosary is both prayer and meditation. It is addressed

to the Father, to the Blessed Virgin, and to the Holy Trinity, and is a

meditation centered on Christ.

I write in addition to the above: Please enunciate each word of the Rosary

clearly and distinctly. Do not trample on the heels' of the words of anyone

with your words. Do not speak over the leader, if you are following, or the

responders if you are leading the Rosary. Remember that they also are having

a conversation with Mary Our Mother and it is not polite to speak when

someone else is speaking.

In the case of the public Rosary there are only two people speaking, the

Leader and the Responders. Each are speaking to their Mother and listening

carefully to her response within their hearts as they meditate on the scene

before them in their consideration of the mystery being spoken of and

interpreted and translated into their lives. Spread this powerful prayer of

exorcism, The Rosary which contains the Our Father, the Perfect Prayer,

prayed five times in the recitation of each set of the Rosary's Mysteries,

backed up by the powerful prayers of Our Mother who prays with us as we pray

53 Hail Mary's. The Eternal Father described to a group of us, through a

Visionary Friend of mine, what happens when we pray the Rosary, saying,

"When you pray Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now....., the

Blessed Mother comes instantly to your side to pray with you. And she does

not come alone. She brings angels with her. And not just one or two for she

is the Queen of Angels, so choirs of angels come with her. And she and Jesus

are joined at the heart and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus with

her. And Jesus cannot be separated from the Trinity so He brings the Father

and the Holy Spirit with Him.

And where the Holy Trinity is all of creation is and you are surrounded by

such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in this life. Your Mother comes

as Our Lady of Grace with her hands out-stretched. Rays of light emit from

her hands piercing your body, healing you and filling you with graces.

This is your inheritance which was poured out from the heart of Jesus on the

Cross, when the centurion pierced His Heart with the spear, into the only

pure vessel ready to receive such graces at that time,Your Mother.

Now as you pray the Rosary, or even just recite one Hail Mary, you receive

your portion of these graces."He also said at this time, "Anyone who goes to

our Blessed Mother Mary and prays the Rosary cannot be touched by Satan." Is

it any wonder that anyone who prays the Rosary from the heart is so blessed

and protected and powerful in their prayers for others?" Learn the Rosary!

God's Purpose in Things

One day a woodcutter took his grandson into the forest for his first

experience in selecting and cutting oak trees. These they would later sell

to the boat builders. As they walked along, the woodcutter explained that

the purpose of each tree is contained in its natural shape: some are

straight for planks, some have the proper curves for the ribs of a boat, and

some are tall for masts. The woodcutter told his grandson that by paying

attention to the details of each tree, and with experience in recognizing

these characteristics, someday he too might become the woodcutter of the

forest.

A little way into the forest, the grandson saw an old oak tree that had

never been cut. The boy asked his grandfather if he could cut it down

because it was useless for boat building - there were no straight limbs, the

trunk was, short and gnarled, and the curves were going the wrong way. "We

could cut it down for firewood," the grandson said. "At least then it will

be of some use to us." The woodcutter replied that for now they should be

about their work cutting the proper trees for the boat builders; maybe later

they could return to the old oak tree.

After a few hours of cutting the huge trees, the grandson grew tired and

asked if they could stop for a rest in some cool shade. The woodcutter took

his grandson over to the old oak tree, where they rested against its trunk

in the cool shade beneath its twisted limbs. After they had rested a while,

the woodcutter explained to his grandson the necessity of attentive

awareness and recognition of everything in the forest and in the world. Some

things are readily apparent, like the tall, straight trees; other things are

less apparent, requiring closer attention, like recognition of the proper

curves in the limbs. And some things might initially appear to have no

purpose at all, like the gnarled old oak tree. The woodcutter stated, "You

must learn to pay careful attention every day so you can recognize and

discover the purpose God has for everything in creation. For it is this old

oak tree, which you so quickly deemed useless except for firewood, that now

allows us to rest against its trunk amidst the coolness of its shade.

"Remember, grandson, not everything is as it first appears. Be patient, pay

attention, recognize, and discover."

Believe in yourself...

in the power you have

to control your own life

day by day.

Believe in the strength

that you have deep inside

and your faith will help

show you the way.

Believe in tomorrow

and what it will bring,

let a hopeful heart

carry you through

for things will work out

if you trust and believe

there's no limit

to what you can do!

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..

Give Me Strength

If Satan's way I seek to go,

Lord, give me courage to tell him, "No."

Don't let my soul be led astray.

Please, give me strength for one more day.

And if I fall along the way,

Then lift me up, Oh Lord, I pray.

For, Satan's strong and I am weak.

Your tender mercies I will seek.

Your love is strong, your grace I need

When Satan makes my spirit bleed.

Give me strength, Oh Lord, I pray -

To fight this demon, day by day.

Satan's working overtime,

Trying his best to change my mind.

But if you'll help me, Lord, I know

His evil seeds will never grow.

For, you are mightier than the sword.

I've chosen you to be my Lord.

So give me strength, Oh God, I pray;

By standing in the devils way.

Vickie Lambdin

A WALK IN THE RAIN

Author Unknown

She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckled-

faced Image of innocence. Her Mom looked like someone from the

Walton's or a moment captured by Norman Rockwell. Not that she was old-

fashioned. Her brown hair was ear length with enough curl to appear

natural. She had on a pair of tan shorts and light blue knit shirt.

Her sneakers were white with a blue trim. She looked like a Mom. It

was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the tops of

rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to

flow down the spout. Drains in the nearby parking lot were filled to

capacity and some were blocked so that huge puddles made lakes around

parked cars. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the

door of the WalMart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated

because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by

rain fall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing

away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so

carefree as a child

come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her

voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught

in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated her

statement. "Mom. Let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young

girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not

get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer,

you said, "If God can get us through this, He can get us through

anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear

anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in

the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what

she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might

even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a

young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that

it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God

lets us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then

off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they

darted past the cars and yes through the puddles. They held their

shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they

were followed by a few believers who

screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. Perhaps

inspired by their faith and trust. I want to believe that somewhere

down the road in life, Mom will find herself reflecting back on

moments they spent together, captured like pictures in the scrapbook

of her cherished memories.

Maybe when she watches proudly as her daughter graduates. Or as her

Daddy walks her down the aisle on her wedding day. She will laugh

again. Her heart will beat a little faster. Her smile will tell the

world they love each other.

But only two people will share that precious moment when they ran

through the rain believing that God would get them through. And Yes, I

did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the

heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1