Community Chat

[gloriajean]

When we give in to fears and worries they will take charge of our lives.
Lord, I place my trust in You so that I may experience every opportunity
and not miss in life that which is meant for me.


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

"Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things
of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their
minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is
death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." ~Romans
8:5-6

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

All of us have our own battle to win, the battle between the material
view of life and the spiritual view. Something must guide our lives.
Will it be wealth, pride, selfishness, greed or will it be faith,
honesty, purity, unselfishness, love and service? Each of us has a
choice. We can choose good or evil. We cannot choose both. We can
keep striving until we win the battle. When we win the victory, we
can believe that God will rejoice with us!

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

I pray that I may choose the good and resist the evil. I pray that I
will not be a loser in the battle for righteousness.

Peace of Jesus to you all!! Hope you all had a great day today - weather good, too! Here it was very nice out!! We both went to the Clinic this morning for our blood work - and we both are doing well, and Linus lost 16 pounds, our Nurse Practitioner looked thinner too, and when asked if she lost weight since Jan. yes, she lost 30 pounds on the Low Glycemic Diet too! She said she thought she should also be on it. We were both pleased with the results and we come back again in three months for another follow-up. I got some questions answered - one thing I found out for sure was that he shouldn't have 3 slices of bread a day - and if he has some pasta, then no bread. So we'll get more strict on that.
But we're doing fine. Fr. Jerry was over this morning after we got back and stayed for lunch - we could visit in the porch - he was sad to hear we have to sell - and will help us pray for a miracle! But to always look for God's will in everything. It was comforting having him with us as it always is. So there are my blessings for today. Tonight we went to see Lori and they (Linus and Lori were looking around her yard to see what all there is, she has 7 trees, I think, most in the back yard. Her neighbor will be tilling her garden soon.
She got a lawnmower now with the bag so she can save the clippings etc. Linus will help her with doing some landscaping.

Homily of the Day


April 12, 2011


A Heart that Remembers Blessings Never Turns Sour
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Nm 21:4-9 / Jn 8:21-30

One of the hardest things in life is waiting, but it’s something we have to do all the time. It starts when we’re very small, waiting for Christmas, for our birthday, for the end of the long car ride, or for mom to get off the phone. And it continues all our lives, in the doctor’s office, on the freeway, in a pregnancy, in a fledgling business. It never stops and there’s no avoiding it.

As we see in today’s Old Testament reading, the Israelites also had to wait — out there in the desert — and they didn’t do it very well. Instead, they got angry at God, and cursed God for leading them into that boring place and making them eat boring food! What ingrates! They forgot that it was God himself who had set them free from miserable slavery, and had saved their lives. They forgot how to be thankful, and the sourness of their hearts brought death to many of them.

Waits are inevitable, but don’t let them sour you and make you feel like a victim. Take command of them, use them as centering time, remembering time. Remember how blessed you are, how lucky you are to be alive, how fortunate you are to be loved by a good Lord who never abandons or turns away.

A heart that remembers blessings never turns sour.

Our Hearts

Only Jesus can give us the wisdom and courage of mind and heart
to be the pathway by which others can come back to God.
His heart, in oneness with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
is abundant in meekness and gentleness.
May our hearts be one with his.

from God’s Mercy Revealed: Healing for a Broken World

AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?
Author Unknown


...THE HAND YOU PULL UP, MAY BE THE HAND THAT SAVES YOU!

A SIMPLE LESSON:

A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his
wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast to
discover that it was a rat trap. Retreating to the farmyard the rat
proclaimed the warning; "There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap
in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Excuse
me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of
no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The rat turned to the pig and told him, "There is a rat trap in the
house, a rat trap in the house!"

"I am so very sorry Mr. Rat," sympathized the pig, "but there is
nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my
prayers."

The rat turned to the cow. She said, "Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap. I
am in grave danger. Duh?"

So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the
farmer's rat trap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound
of a rat trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what
was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous
snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's
wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever.
Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the
farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main
ingredient.

His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to
sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the
pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well. She died, and so many people came
for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide
meat for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think
that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat trap
in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.

"Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9d)

GOOD WAY TO START THE DAY
Author Unknown

Dear God,

I'm writing to say I'm sorry
For being angry yesterday
When you seemed to ignore my prayer
And things didn't go my way


First, my car broke down
I was very late for work
But I missed that awful accident
Was that your handiwork?


I found a house I loved
But others got there first
I was angry, then relieved
When I heard the pipes had burst!


Yesterday, I found the perfect dress
But the color was too pale
Today, I found the dress in red
Would you believe, it was on sale!


I know you're watching over me
And I'm feeling truly blest
For no matter what I pray for
You always know what's best!


I have this circle of E-mail friends,
Who mean the world to me;
Some days I "send" and "send",
At other times, I let them be.


When I see each name download,
And view the message they've sent;
I know they've thought of me that day,
And "well wishes" were their intent.


I am so blessed to have these friends,
With whom I've grown so close;
So this little poem I dedicate to them,
Because to me they are the "Most"!


So to you, my friends, I would like to say,
Thank you for being a part;
Of all my daily contacts,
This comes right from my heart.


God bless you all is my prayer today,
I'm honored to call you "friend";
I pray the Lord will keep you safe,
Until we write again.


God Bless You.

Ears Wide Open

Over the years my grandfather taught me many lessons, none more important than this: A closed mouth and open ears insure a great opportunity.

While running his gasoline station, I saw him listen to farmers when they stopped in for coffee. He gave an attentive ear as he filled gas tanks. I noticed that people would tell my grandpa anything. They would bear their souls and open their hearts whenever they saw him. I always thought it would be easy to solve their problems with some good advice, but Grandpa would simply listen. He would not speak unless and until they asked. When he did speak, they listened because he knew their story and they trusted him.

Scripture talks repeatedly about the importance of being prudent with our words. No wonder my grandfather's example made such an impression. An ear quick to listen is far more powerful than a tongue that is quick to wag. My grandpa taught me that an open ear can be the key to significantly helping someone experience God's love in their life.

— Doug Baker

Lord, open my ears and help me hold my tongue so that I can be your ear to a hurting world.

ANSWERED PRAYER
Author Unknown


A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the
men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two
survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other
recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was
more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and
stay on opposite sides of the island.


The first thing they prayed for was food. - The next morning, the
first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was
able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.


After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a
wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor
was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the
island, there was nothing.


Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. - The next
day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second
man still had nothing.


Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife
could leave the island. - In the morning, he found a ship docked at
his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife
and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the
other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his
prayers had been answered.


As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from
heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for
them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so
he does not deserve anything."


"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer,
which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of
my blessings."


"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I
should owe him anything?"


"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."


For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers
alone, but those of another praying for us.

Closing prayer:

Prayer to Know Jesus Christ
O Lord Jesus, like Saint Paul, may I count everything as loss in comparison with the supreme advantage of knowing you. I want to know you and what your passion and resurrection can do. I also want to share in your sufferings in the hope that if I resemble you in death I may somehow attain to the resurrection from the dead. Give me grace to make every effort to supplement faith with moral courage, knowledge with self-control, self-control with patience, patience with piety, piety with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. May these virtues keep me both active and fruitful and bring me to the deep knowledge of you, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Good night my friends! Sweet Dreams and hope you all have a good night's sleep - May you find lots of wonderful blessings that God has in store for you for Wednesday!
Enjoy the Gift of God's Day!!