Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Hello my friends! What a cold and windy day we're having today here. Fortunately I don't need to be out in it, but lots of kids and others are! My blessings today besides being inside today, are trying out my meatloaf with putting quinoa in it instead of oatmeal, I cooked it first, of course, and I hope it'll all turn out well, lots of nutrition with quinoa. Lori mentioned it when she was here for lunch, about putting that in, so I thought, I'll sure give it a try! I like trying new things. Today's blessings are more of the ordinary, but that's great, too! What would we do without our ordinary blessings? Have a good night with God's blessings and know that you all are covered with prayer.

Jesus loved us to death. How much do we love Him in return? Lord, may

my words and actions show my love for You.

S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." ~Psalm 119:105

M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y

Only a few more steps and then God's power may be seen and know in my life.
I sometimes walk in darkness, surrounded by the limitations of space and
time. But even in this darkness, I can have faith and can be a light to
guide feet that are afraid. I can believe that God's power can break
through the darkness and my prayers can reach the ears of God.
A cry from the heart, a trusting cry pierces that darkness and reaches to
the divine ear of God.

P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y

I pray that the divine power of God might help my human weakness. I pray
that my prayer may reach through the darkness to the ear of God.

No Matter Where I Go!

No matter how far away I go,
My Lord is always there.
No matter what the world may do to me,
My Lord will always care.

In the darkest corner of the earth,
God's light cannot be hid.
He stands beside me through the night,
And I know that I am His.

What can this world do to me,
Why do I no longer care,
It is because my Lord stands beside me,
All my sorrows and grieves to bear.

Be glad my brothers and sisters,
Can't you feel it in the air,
He stands before us waiting,
Give Him your every care.

Lord God in heaven how I thank thee,
For loving this simple little man,
It is amazing that the King in all His glory,
Would come down to hold this sinners hand.

I have seen so many wonders,
And the beauty in this earthly land,
But nothing can compare,
With seeing Jesus hold your hand.

When Christ lifts us up to glory,
We are no longer a part of this earthly land,
Oh come with me sinner, come with me now,
Come take hold of the Masters hand.

- Author Unknown

When Trouble Comes What Will You Do

The truth is, no matter how strong of a Christian you are, no matter how solid your prayer life, how deep your love runs for Christ, you will indeed face troubles. Psalm 34:19 says "many are the afflictions of the righteous..."

The strength of your Christian walk doesn't come in your living life problem-free, it comes in you perfecting your response to those problems when they come. When trouble comes a-knocking, there are three ways for you to respond: fight, flee or fence-straddle.

1. Fight- This is by far the best and most effective response. In fighting, you choose to face that problem head-on. You instinctively pull out your spiritual weapons: prayer, fasting, praise and worship. You respond by faith, knowing that Christ has already given you the victory over every problem you will ever face. When you fight, you know that the battle is already won, but there's much for you to gain by going through the process - your faith will become stronger, your trust deeper, your relationship with Him will be closer, your ability to overcome by His blood will become more evident. When you choose to fight, you show the One who Died for you that you believe in Him and trust Him to care for you, to protect you. This response allows the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct you through the trouble because your spiritual weapons put you in direct contact with God. Yes, "many are the afflictions of the righteous," but the good news is that "the Lord delivers him out of them all." Ps 34:19. When you fight, you stand firm on the promises of God. This is the response that leads to your victory - guaranteed.

2. Flee - This is the response the enemy prefers. When you flee, you cower and denounce the power of God that lives on the inside of you. This response allows the enemy to succeed in his mission to steal, kill and destroy your life. (John 10:10). In this instance, your life will become full of "issues" that eventually overwhelm you-consume your thoughts, your conversations, your life. Your troubles will overcome you because you have given them all the power. In fleeing, you never address trouble full-on. Instead of exercising the power of God, consulting with the Holy Spirit for direction, putting on the whole armor of God, you shrink and allow the enemy, the world, or even your self to reign in your life. You become the victim and flee from the truth of who you really are in Christ. This response is the most detrimental to your survival.

3. Fence-straddle - This response is most common. When you choose this response you operate in a combination of the other two. You may initially pray and stand on the Word of God, but when you don't see an immediate solution to the problem, you flee. When God doesn't "show up" in time, or when the results aren't what you expect them to be, you surrender to the enemy and shrink. So in other words, you have one foot on the Solid Rock and the other foot in the enemy's camp. You pray, but in your heart you doubt. You may praise and worship, but in the back of your mind, you're trying to figure out what you need to do to rectify the situation. The Lord spoke harshly against those who were lukewarm in Revelations 3:16 saying, "...because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my Mouth." Fence-straddling connotes distrust. You're afraid to trust that God's got you covered, but you know better than to trust anything that comes out of enemy camp, so then you straddle. This is a very futile situation in which to put yourself; it leaves you on very shaky ground.

God has commanded on numerous occasion "fear not." He has consistently affirmed His dedication and commitment to providing for and protecting you. When trouble comes your way, trust Him. He's proven Himself time and time again! You already have the victory through Christ Jesus - no matter what the circumstances look like. When your next "situation" arises, what will you do? Will you fight, flee or fence-straddle?

Have a wonderful day and remember when trouble comes He's there right beside you to help see you through it all. Have a blessed day.

THE HOMELESS MAN
Author Unknown


It was a cold winter's day that Sunday. The parking lot to the church
was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow
church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the
church. As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside
the church. He was almost laying down as if he was asleep. He had on a
long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head,
pulled down so you could not see his face.


He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with
holes all over them, his toes stuck out. I assumed this man was
homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the
church. We all fellowshipped for a few minutes, and someone brought up
the man laying outside. People snickered and gossiped but no one
bothered to ask him to come in, including me.


A few moments later church began. We all waited for the Preacher to
take his place and to give us the Word, when the doors to the church
opened. In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his head
down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down
the aisle and up onto the pulpit he took off his hat and coat.


My heart sank.


There stood our preacher...he was the "homeless man." No one said a
word. The preacher took his Bible and laid it on the stand. "Folks, I
don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today." Then
he started singing the words to this song. "If I can help somebody as
I pass along. If I can cheer somebody with a word or song. If I can
show somebody that he's traveling wrong. Then my living shall not be
in vain."

"IS YOUR LIVING IN VAIN?"

A Prayer For Spiritual Strength

O Lord Jesus Christ, out of love You died and rose for me and gave me the
Holy Spirit. In His light and through the prayers of your Holy Mother, I
ask You to proclaim the Gospel of Your love in my heart and in my life
today. I renounce an attachment to sin, and I rebuke in Your Name every
spirit of evil and disorder. Let Your risen glory shine all through me
that I may love and adore You with my whole being. Shine in my body, my
brain and nervous system, my chemistry, every tissue and organ. Shine in
my mind and will and all their powers; in my psyche, my unconscious, my
sexuality and all my energies, so that I may love and work, pray, play and
sleep in Your holiness. Shine in my heart and spirit. Put to death my
egotism. Cast out my fear and every sinful habit. Enlighten me wholly and
transform all my relationships. Fully restore Your image in me so that I
no longer live, but You live in me. Root me and center me in the Father's
love. Consecrate me to His praise and to the wholehearted love of all my
brothers and sisters; and order all my days and deeds in your peace. For
You are my Life, my Hope, my Joy and my Healing. And I send up glory to
You, and to Your Eternal Father, together with Your All-Holy, Good and
Life-Giving Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

---from Fr. Robert Pelton of Madonna House

February 11

My Peace is like a shaft of golden Light shining on you continuously. During days of bright sunshine, it may blend in with your surroundings. On darker days, My Peace stands out in sharp contrast to your circumstances. See times of darkness as opportunities for My Light to shine in transcendent splendor. I am training you to practice Peace that overpowers darkness. Collaborate with Me in this training. Do not grow weary and lose heart.

In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].
—John 1:4–5 amp

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
—Hebrews 12:3 - From Jesus Calling

[lovestopaint]

Gloria, Meatloaf with the quinoa sounds good. I hope it turned out well. Blessings to all and stay safe and warm. Harlene(lovestopaint)

[lovestopaint]

Gloria, Meatloaf with the quinoa sounds good. I hope it turned out well. Blessings to all and stay safe and warm. Harlene(lovestopaint)

[gloriajean]

Harlene - it was a hit!!! Lori loved it, said I should remember how I did it to make it exactly like it. I used ground turkey - cooked the quinoa, and put it in the mixture. I wrote this all on the Food and Kitchen forum, and gave the recipe.

[pinky ann]

Good morning, It's already started to snow, but I don't know how much is supposed to come. I hope I can make a quick trip to town before it gets too bad outside. We have our taxes ready to drop off, and I'd like to stop at the bank while I'm out. If DH thinks it's too bad to go today, maybe I'll try tomorrow.

I didn't go anywhere yesterday, even though it was a beautiful sunny day. Just didn't feel up to it, so I shopped online instead. A very rare thing for me. I ordered a portable dvd player so I can do walking tapes when it's not good outside, or the roads are too icy or muddy. It won't come until next week, but it will be something to look forward to.

Gloria, I love how you experiment with food to improve the nutrition value! I'd love a meatloaf like that, but DH wouldn't ever try it. I tried to convince him one time, that the stuffed cabbage I made was light in color because of extra rice. He didn't buy it. LOL It was ground turkey breast, he knew it, and it was probably the last time I tried to serve it to him.

Hope everyone has better weather than we are having today, and won't need to go anywhere if you're in the storm area like. Hugs, pinky