No matter what you must confront today, know that God is with you.
Lord, today is part of Your plan for me. I do not doubt You and therefore
I will not doubt You within me.
Scripture of the day
"Jesus said to them, 'Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and
rest a while.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even
to eat." ~Mark 6:31
Meditation of the day:
It's good if I am more afraid of spirit-unrest, of soul-disturbance, of any
ruffling of the mind, than of earthquake or fire. When I feel the calm of
my spirit has been broken by emotional upset, then I can steal away alone
with God, until my heart sings and all is strong and calm again. Uncalm
times are the only times when evil finds easy entrance.
I can beware of unguarded spots of unrest. I can try to keep calm, no
matter what turmoil surrounds me.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that no emotional upsets will hinder God's power in my life. I pray
that I may keep a calm spirit and a steady heart.
Hello my friends! Today we had more snow, but it was mostly overnight, and he got the driveway plowed out before going to work at 11. Then it got windy, but not that bad that it blew the snow back in again, thanks be to God for that. Had a nice visit my sister, Sister LaDonna, on the phone tonight. Always nice to keep in touch with my 4 sisters. I treasure them - they are such a blessing to me! Lots of ordinary blessings today - which are wonderful to have! An email from a priest - Fr. Jim - I met him through the Consoling the Heart of Jesus classes - he's had a brain injury from an accident and he will be getting some treatment next week - please do say a prayer for him for healing. Such a nice person to visit with -he's on our table for discussion.
He's another blessing - all the friends that God gives us are blessings!! Praying for you all - thanks for your prayers for us.
The Break with the Past
You have surely heard the nice saying that's been around for a few years: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." But now I'd like to coin a companion saying: "Today is the last day of your past."
Those two messages don't mean the same thing. The first advises us to get our life going the way we want it to go. The second means: get rid of old failures, taboos, inhibitions that have kept us from being what we can be.
As we grow, we pick up warnings like: "That's a no-no." "Don't you dare do that!" "Know your place." We learn what people around us consider to be "customary" or "proper" or "a shame." We also hear why something is "impossible" to do. If we are brainwashed by all this and go out as an adult into a very competitive world, we are short of our initiatives. We are handcuffed by these warnings which we have dragged up from history.
What we need are the unlimited vision and the natural imagination which we had as children. Let today be the last day of your past...
Prayer is joy,
prayer is love,
prayer is peace.
You cannot explain it,
you must experience prayer.
It is not impossible.
God gives it for the asking.
"Ask and you shall receive."
The father knows what to give his children
- how much more our heavenly
Father knows.
- BL. MOTHER TERESA -
WHAT YOU WILL BE
Author Unknown
As I gazed up at the mountains, I was awed by their majesty;
I bowed my head and asked myself, "Why should He care for me?
I am not great like the mountains that tower so high above,
What is there about me that God can find to love?"
"Father, I am not strong like the wind that makes your tall trees
sway, I cannot sing sweetly like your birds; will you love me anyway?
But most of all, I am simply me, and often have cause to fear,
In spite of all my weaknesses, do you promise to be near?"
With eyes closed tight against my tears, I wished He could hear me
pray.
Then I felt His Spirit tell me, "Child, look up, I have something to
say.
"You are simply you, the spirit I love, a part of my great plan.
I put you here to learn of life and to return to me again."
"You are more beautiful to me than the loveliest mountain I made,
And your strength exceeds that of the wind's, so do not be afraid.
I love you not for what you are, but for what I know you will be.
I am always beside you watching you grow, you are very special to me."
A smile touched my lips - I knew it was true, my Father had always
been there Giving me comfort and blessings and love and my own special talents to
share.
So I do my best to make Him proud. I am not afraid, for you see,
He loves me not for what I am, but for what He knows I will be.
Making Pancakes
Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor.
He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad.
He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn't know how the stove worked! Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and
sticky.
And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in
Brandon 's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him.
Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process!
That's how God deals with us... We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend, or we can't stand our job, or our health goes sour.
Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.
But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to 'make pancakes' for God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad we tried.....
I was thinking and I wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that need rekindling or three words needing to be said, sometimes , 'I love you' can heal & bless! Remind every one of your friends that you love them. Even if you think they don't love back, you would be amazed at what those three little words, a smile, and a reminder like this can do.
Send this to everyone .. And never stop 'making pancakes.
John 3:3
" Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Tomorrow the 19th is the Feast of St. Joseph:
St. Joseph
Holy God, you chose Saint Joseph to care for Mary and Jesus because his holiness and love for You was great, his compassion for others was outstanding, and his desire to protect and provide for his family was honorable. I ask Saint Joseph to intercede for all the men in my family. May they become fully the husbands and fathers You have called them to be in family leadership. Help them to rely on the Holy Spirit for strength and wisdom and guidance, just like Saint Joseph did. Teach them the glory of serving one's family with humility, and protect them from the influences of the world. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Amen.
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