Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Do not be upset by events of the past, rather be upset by the time
and energy you are devoting to them. Lord, help me to enjoy each
moment by completely letting go of the past.


Scripture for the day:

"Lord, send out your spirit, and renew the face of the earth!" Psalm
response for Pentecost

Meditation for the day:

It is good for me to help others all I can. Every troubled soul that
God puts in my path is the one for me to help. As I sincerely try to
help, a supply of strength will flow into me from God. My circle of
helpfulness can widen more and more. God hands out the spiritual food
to me and I pass it on to others. I need never say that I have only
enough strength for my own need. The more I give away, the more I
will keep. That which I keep to myself, I will lose in the end.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may have a sincere willingness to give. I pray that I
may not hold back the strength I have received for myself alone.

Greetings my friends! How was your day? For me - busy - but I did get a
good nap in as I was so tired this afternoon after shopping with Lori
earlier. She had a day with not many massages so she could take time out to
take me shopping. Tomorrow I work all day - I think until 6. We had the
wine tasting at the café tonight - that Jim wanted us to experience. It was
nice, lots of good food and lots of wines that go with those foods with a
man talking about the wines etc. It was expensive, but Jim had promised he'd
give us a good deal which is why we went. Well the bill came, and no
discounts were on, and we were about to pay it all, when the waiter said
that the whole bill was on Jim! So all we had to pay was the tip! Wow! We
gave Jim a big hug! Isn't he something else? What a big blessing that
was!! Got home and Sister LaDonna called - we talked about close to an
hour. Always a blessing to talk to my sisters. Keep her in prayer, please?
I need to get to bed as tomorrow's a long day - so here's hoping you all
have a wonderful day tomorrow! Just heard that Darla is staying there yet
tonight - it was raining there, and she'll start out tomorrow. May she have
safe travels homeward.


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Who Is Jesus’ Elijah?

John the Baptist was the “Elijah” who was to be the Messiah’s herald.
We can fulfill the role of Elijah today by showing Jesus to those around us.
We are the “salt” that makes people thirsty for Jesus.
We show God’s light to those in darkness.
Ask God to show you some concrete ways you can “be Elijah.”

from Catholic Update: Rest Stops for a Rushed People

Santa Lucia
A thousand years ago in Sweden, King Canute declared that Christmas would
last a month, from December 13, the feast of St. Lucia until January 13, or
Tjugondag Knut (St. Canute's Day). No one is quite sure why Lucia, a 4th
century Sicilian saint, came to be so revered in Sweden. Some say she once
visited the country, and others believe that Christian missionary stories of
her life entranced the Swedish people. Whatever the origin, these new
Christians who converted to Christianity around 1000 acquired a special
fondness for the saint whose feast day marked the return of the sun and
whose name itself means "light."
Santa Lucia is celebrated all over Sweden and in Norway on December 13th.
The custom--a young girl dressed in white with candles on her head--has a
complicated background, more fiction than fact. Its origin is from 16th
century Germany, but it is combined with the Middle Ages custom of
celebrating before a fast.

The Italian Santa Lucia (d. 304, Syracuse, Sicily; feast day December 13)
was a virgin and martyr who was one of the earliest Christian saints to
achieve popularity, having a widespread following before the 5th century.
She lived in Syracuse, a town on the Italian island of Sicily. She is the
patron saint of the city of Syracuse. Because of various traditions
associating her name with light, she came to be thought of as the patron of
sight and of the blind and was depicted by medieval artists carrying a dish
containing her eyes.

According to apocryphal texts, the beautiful Lucia came from a wealthy
Sicilian family. In the days of early Christian persecution, Lucia is said
to have carried food to Christians hiding in dark underground tunnels. To
light the way she wore a wreath of candles on her head. Spurning marriage
and worldly goods, she vowed to remain a virgin in the tradition of St.
Agatha. An angry suitor reported her to the local Roman authorities, who
sentenced her to be removed to a brothel and forced into prostitution. This
order was thwarted, according to legend, by divine intervention and Lucia
became immovable and could not be carried away. She was next condemned to
death by fire, but she proved impervious to the flames. Finally, her neck
was pierced by a sword and she died. In actuality, Lucia was probably a
victim of the wave of persecution of Christians that occurred late in the
reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. References to her are found in early
Roman sacramentary and at Syracuse in an inscription dating from AD 400. As
evidence of her early fame, 2 churches are known to have been dedicated to
her in Britain before the 8th century, at a time when the land was largely
pagan.

One of the patron saints of virgins, St. Lucia is venerated on her feast
day, December 13, by a variety of ceremonies. At one time, December 13th was
the shortest day of the year--St. Lucia, the queen of light, was believed to
lead the way for the sun to bring longer days. People lit "St. Lucy's fires"
on the evening of her feast day, throwing incense into the flames. They then
bathed in the smoke, believing it would protect them from witchcraft,
disease, and other dangers. Music was played to accompany the sun's changing
course.

In Sweden, St. Lucy's Day marks the beginning of the Christmas celebration.
The night before, children leave their shoes outside in order to collect her
offerings. Then in the morning, the eldest daughter in each family dresses
in a white dress with a red sash, and wears an evergreen wreath with 7
lighted candles on her head. She carries coffee and buns to each family
member in his or her room. A traditional song is sung:


Santa Lucia, thy light is glowing
Through darkest winter night, comfort bestowing.
Dreams float on dreams tonight,
Comes then the morning light,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.
St. Lucia bread may be shaped in many traditional ways, including a crown, a
cross, simple "S" figures (representing the eyes of St. Lucy) or a wreath.
The lighted crown and saffron color dough is also said to symbolize that the
sun will soon return.

Often even hotel guests are awakened and served coffee cakes on this day by
a white-robed girl. Many schools, offices, and communities sponsor
candlelight parades in the evenings in which carols are sung and everyone
thanks the Queen of Light for bringing hope during the darkest time of the
year.

THE FIRST CRIB

St.Francis of Assisi assembled the first crib in a cave on an Italian
hillside in 1223. His aim was to make the Christmas story come alive for the
shepherds and farmers of the locality.

On Christmas eve the friars and the people assembled with candles and
torches to illuminate the night. Then Francis arrived and was very happy
when he saw the preparations they had made.

The crib was put in place.
The hay was brought in.
The ox and donkey were led forward.
The woods rang with their prayers.
The rocks echoed with their hymns.


Francis spoke to them about God's Son coming among us to help us to realize
our splendid dignity as sons and daughters of the same Father.

At the end of the vigil they all returned to their homes, full of peace and
joy, feeling very close to GOD and to ONE ANOTHER.

Blessed Christmas!
(Author Unknown)

Finding God Within and Without

How do I find You God?

God is Love.
If you have ever loved,
If you have ever been loved,
You have experienced God
from Within and Without

God is Truth.
If you have ever told the truth,
If you have ever discovered Truth,
You have experienced God
from Within and Without

God is Beauty.
If you have ever helped to create something beautiful,
If you have ever witnessed beauty in any of it's myriad forms,
You have experienced God
from Within and Without

God is Good.
If you have ever done or thought something good,
If you have ever recognized goodness in or through another,
You have experienced God
from Within and Without

All of those experiences, those gifts,
of Love, Truth, Beauty and Goodness
were directly from God through you... or to you.

Glad to Meet You God.

Author Unknown

The "W" in Christmas
Author Unknown


Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful
experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing,
endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious
family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting
season for a six year old.

For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter
Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the
production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his
teacher. She assured me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning
of the presentation.

All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.

Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early,
found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I
saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.

As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class,
accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then,
each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the
holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,
commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes
and good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly
taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy
mittens, red sweaters, and bright snow-caps upon their heads.

Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by
one, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up
the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child
holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas
Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a
small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down
- totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's
mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood
tall, proudly holding her "W".

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter
continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it
together.

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.

In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we
celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos,
there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and
clear:



"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is.

Amazed in His presence.... humbled by His love.


Dear Lord Jesus

As I go about my housework
Let me see each job I do,
As a service for my King
And a way of loving You.

Let me wash away my judgments
Of others right or wrong,
As I wash up the dishes
Place within my heart a song.

As I clean up little fingerprints
And lots of muddy shoes,
May I remember how you cleaned the feet
Of the loved ones you did choose.

As I mend up torn pajamas
And sew a button on,
Show me where I need to mend a breech
That's gone on far too long.

Let me tidy up my thoughts
As I tidy up the toys,
Let me sweep away my fears
Like the dirt from little boys.

May I be just as quick with my forgiveness
As I am with mop and broom,
Sweeping up the clutter
In my heart and living room.

May I rinse out pride and ego
As I rinse the bathtub out,
And while we are at it Lord
Let's take care of anger, hate and doubt.

Please remind me often Lord
That the way I'm called to serve,
Is an honor given me
And not below what I deserve.

You know Lord, as I look
At all the work we need to do,
I think we'd better house clean
At least each day or two.

THE BEST GIFTS ARE TIED WITH "HEARTSTRINGS!"

What is the thought of Christmas? GIVING
What is the hope of Christmas? LIVING
What is the joy of Christmas? LOVE

No silver or gold is needed for giving
If the heart is filled with Christmas love,
For the hope of the world is kindly living,
Learned from the joy of God above.

- Laura Hooker


The Candy Cane

A candy cane is more meaningful than just a sweet at Christmas....
It can remind us of Jesus.
Its shape is like a shepherd's staff.
Its wide red stripes remind us that Jesus shed his blood for our sins.
Its narrow red stripes reminds us that "by Hi stripe we are
healed"(Isaiah 53:5).
Its white stripes stands for purity - by his death we were made pure.
The peppermint flavor is similar to hyssop, which was used in Biblical
times for purification. (Psalms 51:7)
Its taste is sweet, as it is sweet to walk with Jesus.
Turn the candy cane upside down -- it becomes "J" for Jesus.

Christmas Poem
This poem was written by a Marine
December 13, 2011


TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
'SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.'

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,!
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'

Good night all - Sweet Dreams - God bless you!! Enjoy your Wednesday to the
fullest!! Remember His blessings to you!