Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean · ‎03-10-2010

We are the only ones who can change how we think or how we act.
Lord, help me make positive decisions so that life doesn't just happen
to me.

S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y
"When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and
cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he
spoke to them and said, 'Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.'"
~Mark 6:49-50

M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y
I can take the most crowded day without fear. I believe that God is
with me and controlling all. I can let confidence be the motif running
through all the crowded day. I need not be worried, because I know that God
is my helper. Underneath are the everlasting arms of God. I can rest in
them, even though the day be full of things crowding in upon me.

P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y
I pray that I may be calm and let nothing upset me. I pray that I may
not let material things control me and choke out spiritual things.

Greetings to you all!! Hope you all had a wonderful day today! We sure did! With Father Jerry coming in the morning and staying until 1:30 - it was great!! So nice visiting with him again. I gave him some chicken soup to take home with him. After that I had a good nap! Linus came home after an eight hour shift and his knee is fine, his feet only started hurting him towards the end and tomorrow he should be getting his new orthodics. He talked to his boss about the shorter hours and that can be arranged - trying for five hour days.
Some Saturdays will be longer though. One good thing when he comes home at 8:30 PM I don't have to cook!! We just had popcorn! He goes out to lunch so he wasn't that hungry anyway. Below zero weather is on the way here again! No snow now but cold. Praise God we have a nice, warm house to live in!

Homily of the Day
January 18, 2011
Is Time Passing Too Fast or Too Slowly?
by Monsignor Dennis Clark
Heb 6:10-20 / Mk 2:23-28
With each passing year, the inclination to say that life is short becomes ever more irresistible. One year seems hardly begun when we find ourselves facing the countdown for Christmas and then the beginning of another new year. “How did I get this old this fast?” we ask. “Where did the time go? How did our kids get so big, and where did they learn that?”
That’s one side of our experience. But there is another side. The years, which supposedly pass us by so quickly, have so many parts and pieces, so many minutes, hours and days in which duty summons us again and again to rise to the challenges of our many vocations as human beings and followers of Jesus. In the face of the full weight of those challenges, the clock can seem to move very slowly at times, and we can grow weary and even despair.
St. Paul knew this experience well in his own life. He knew what it meant to grow tired and to experience sadness at his own lack of progress. So, lest we despair, he reminds us in today’s epistle that we have in Jesus a sure and certain hope, an anchor amidst the winds that might blow us off course and cause us to lose our way. While Jesus is no longer visible to earthly eyes, He is with us always, and we can do all things in Him Who is our strength.

Minute meditation:
Be Still
Acknowledge the emptiness you feel within.
Be very still and slowly l
et God’s loving presence fill you.
from Coping With Loss: Praying Your Way to Acceptance

Mother Teresa Said...

Faith is a gift from God. When God comes to you or you go to God, then you will have the chance to accept Him or reject Him.
Accepting Him is the gift of faith.

A wife and mother in the eyes of God

When God comes to you or you go to God, then you will have the chance to accept Him or reject Him.
Accepting Him is the gift of faith.
A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life. She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother.
She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband, and children would make a difference.
At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated.
"Is it worth it?" she often wondered. Is there something better I could be doing with my time? It was during these moments of questioning that she heard the still small voice of the Father speak to her heart:
"You are a wife and mother because that is what I called you to be. Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye. But I notice.
Much of what you do is without remuneration. But I am your reward. Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without your support. Your influence upon him is greater than you will ever know. I bless him through your service and honor him through your love,
Your children are precious to me. Even more precious than they are to you. I have entrusted them into your care to raise for me.
What you invest in them is an offering to me true, You may never be in the public spotlight. But your obedience shines as a bright light before me. Continue on. Remember, you are my servant.

It is hard
To forget
To apologize
To save money
To be unselfish
To avoid mistakes
To keep out of a rut
To begin all over again
To make the best of all things
To keep your temper at all times
To think first and act afterwards
To maintain a high standard
To keep on keeping on
To shoulder blame
To be charitable
To admit error
To take advice
To forgive
But it pays!
****
God not over forgives you but He forgets:
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.
Getting a little discouraged, he headed back to dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.
Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."
Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help. She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed the he had killed the duck.
Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
Thought for the day and everyday there after: Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, debt, fear, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.) whatever it is, you need to know that Jesus Christ was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing, He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.
The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets.

WHEN I FORGET TO PRAY
Sometimes when things are going great I forget to Pray
Then in darkness I stumble and lose my way.
I open a closet where I have tucked Jesus in
I have to ask for Guidance to find my way Again
Once More a light begins to shine
I find Peace and Contentment in this troubled Life of Mine
He says My Child did you forget I am always here for you
To help with the bad times you go through
I am The Alpha and Omega The Beginning and The End
Child, I will not Forsake You, I am Your Best Friend.
Remember when you feel forsaken and you lose your way.
Just Bow Your Head and Open Up Your Heart
Don't Forget To Pray!
written by Rose Ballard

DO NOT DISAPPOINT GOD
Author Unknown

GOD: Angels, do you know what I was just thinking about?
ANGELS: What were you thinking about?
GOD: Christians seem to have forgotten what kind of power they have
available and the devil keeps on deceiving them!
ANGELS: God, exactly what are you driving at?
GOD: I have made my children in such a way that when the people of the
world are sitting, they would be standing, when the world is standing,
they will stand out, when the world stands out, my children must be
outstanding and when the devil dares the world to be outstanding, my
people will be the
standards to be used!
JESUS CHRIST: They (Christians) are also forgetting the words in
Ephesians 1:3.
GOD: Please read it out!
ANGEL: PRAISE BE TO THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO
HAS
BLESSED US IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN
CHRIST.
ANGEL: So what do we do now since the end is almost near?
HOLY SPIRIT: My Presence is still among men and I will teach and
remind the Christians of all that we have discussed. I will also make
sure that they pass this message on!
JESUS CHRIST: I will also keep on interceding for them & stand in for
them even in their weaknesses.
GOD: I will also make sure that I give to all those who ask of me,
seek me and try to find me. The blessings I have promised them through
My Son, Jesus Christ will be delivered to all those who discover that
I, Jehovah, am ready to bless them! Not because of any special things
they have done, but just because I LOVE THEM!
JESUS CHRIST: I will also give all My followers who are willing to
pass this conversation on, enough strength to carry on!
ANGELS: We are all backing THE TRINITY and even the devil cannot stop
us! How funny! Christians are finally taking over and.......
DEVIL (eavesdropping behind the gates): I hope you all heard! I will
deploy more troops (demons) and make sure the Christians pray less,
read their Bibles less, preach less and make sure this mail does not
move anywhere! Also.....
YOU SURE YOU HEARD THAT! THE DEVIL WILL MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT PASS THIS
ON.
BUT PROVE HIM WRONG AND SHOW HIM THE POWER YOU HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS AS
A
CHRISTIAN. PRAY MORE, STUDY THE WORD MORE AND PREACH THE WORD!! DO NOT
DISAPPOINT GOD!

Closing Prayer:
MY DAILY OFFERING
(As each day begins,
please try to lift your mind and heart
to your heavenly Father,
and offer to Him the new day He has given you.)
Most loving Father,
I thank You for the gift of this new day.
Please help me to use it for your honor and glory.
By Your grace,
may all my thoughts, words, and actions
be pleasing today in Your sight.
In Your great kindness,
Lord Almighty,
preserve me this day without sin,
and protect all people from every evil.
May the ever-blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of our Savior,
keep us under her protection and by her prayers,
and the aid of all your Saints,
keep us ever intent on doing good today for your sake.
We ask these blessings through Your Son,
Jesus Christ,
our Redeemer.
Amen.
(At times throughout the day,
it is well to pause briefly in the midst of your work
to renew your daily offering.
This can be done without words,
but simply by lifting the mind and heart
to your Father in heaven.
A simple external gesture of touching the heart
will confirm and strengthen your interior intentions.
As opportunity permits,
you may wish to pray verbally in this way.)
Again I thank You,
Father in heaven,
for the blessings and graces you have given me this day.
Once more I entreat Your continuing protection.
Conscious of my own weaknesses and frailty,
of my many faults,
I entrust myself and all dear to me to Your care.
(This prayer has been taken from a pamphlet written by the Good
Franciscan Mission Associates, PO Box 598, Mount Vernon, NY 10551-0598)