Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Hello my friends! It was so nice this morning when Lori called to see how I was. Tonight again. She will be here for supper tomorrow night. She broke off with Steve now, saying it was the right thing to do. In the year and a half since they met, their relationship hasn't moved. Time to move on. I'm praying for a good man who will have her for his top priority. Always counting my blessings, even the smallest ones are great as they come from God!

Today do what you can and expect no more of yourself. Lord, I will

feel joy in my accomplishments today and gratitude for the things

I have to do tomorrow.

Scripture for the day:

"Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication."

~Ephesians 6:18

Meditation for the day:

Spirit-power comes from communication with God in prayer and times of quiet

meditation. I can constantly seek spirit-communication with God.

This is a matter between me and God, but can be enhanced by my relationships

with other believers. From this communication can come life, joy, peace and

healing. Many people do not realize the power that can come to them from

direct spirit-communication.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may feel that God's power is mine. I pray that I may be able

to face anything through that power.

THE HOMELESS MAN

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?"

-- Author Unknown

The House of 1000 Mirrors

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place

known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little

dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he

arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway

of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears

lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To

his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other

happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as

his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000

great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the

House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place.

I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog, who was not

quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the

house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head

low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000

unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled

at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs

growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself,

"That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there

again."

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of

reflections do you see in the faces of the people you

meet? What reflection do others see when they look at you?

All through today, O God, help me,

to be quick to praise and slow to criticize;

to be quick to forgive and slow to condemn;

to be quick to share and slow to be selfish.

Grant me all through today,

complete control over my temper, that I may be slow to anger;

complete control over my tongue, that I may speak no hasty word.

Grant that all through today,

so that I may help everyone and hurt no one;

so that I may find true joy in living. Amen.

Prayer of Sorrow for Sin

Lord Jesus hanging on the Cross, I raise sorrowful and shameful eyes to you.

You have granted me untold blessings and I have repaid you by contributing

to your Passion and death. My hands took part in your scourging, my voice

was among those who denied you and called for your death, my thoughts

brought about your crowning with thorns, my sins drove the nails into your

hands and feet, the lance into your side.

Dear Lord, forgive me for all these sins. You are great, glorious, and

infinitely good; I am insignificant, selfish, and hopelessly sinful. But I

am sorry for all my sins, and by the Blood shed in your Passion, I beg for

forgiveness and for a share in your love and grace.

[lovestopaint]

Hi Gloria, I hope you have a better day today and that cough gets less and less.

I did try to answer that woman about Our Lady, but I got shot down. But who cares what she believes, those of us who believe that she helps us and have had an experience that she helped us know better. That's all that matters.

Counting my Blessings.

Harlene(lovestopaint)

[DoubleJ]

Hello everyone,

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love." Romans 12:10

Go Ahead and Say It ~ unknown

One day a teacher asked her students to list on two sheets of paper the names of the other students in the room, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each classmate and write it down. It took the remainder of the class to finish, and as the students left the room, each handed in the paper. That Saturday, the teacher wrote down on a separate sheet of paper the name of each student, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really," she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and "I didn't know others liked me so much," were some of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Afghanistan, and his teacher attended the funeral. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last in the line.

As she stood there, a soldier who was serving as a pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded. Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, and waited to speak with his teacher. "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded, and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."

Mark's former classmates started to gather aound. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."

Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."

"I have mine too," Marilyn said, "It's in my diary."

Vicki reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," she said, and without batting an eyelash, continued, "I think we all saved our lists."

That's when the teacher sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. We all forget that life will end one day, and we don't know when that one day will be.

Tell the people you love and care for that they are special and important. Tell them before it is too late.

Keeping all of you in my prayers. Love ya!

Take Care and God Bless!

[gloriajean]

Harlene - thanks for trying - we have to stick up for our Blessed Mother, given to us from Jesus Himself on the Cross "Behold thy Mother", who never had a stain of sin ever in her life! Yet she's accused of having sin. How ridiculous! She was and is Full of GRACE!

Juanita - thanks for sharing that with us. I sent that piece years ago to my list, and I never forgot it but I think I lost it somewhere in the shuffle. It is most edifying to do that to kids who usually hear all the opposite about them. Such a good thing to read! Thanks again.