Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Many more things go right in a day than go wrong, but you will never
notice if that one trying moment becomes your focus. Lord, help me
make a conscious effort to see the richness of my life and live with
gratitude for all of its wonders.


Scripture for the day:

"When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the
face of the ground." ~Psalm 104:30

Meditation for the day:

We need not yield to weariness of the spirit. At times, the world's
cares and distractions can intrude and the spirit can become weak. At
times like this, we can carry on and soon the spirit will become
strong again. God's spirit is always with us, to replenish and renew.
None of us has ever sincerely sought God's help in vain. Physical
weariness and exhaustion make a time of rest and communion with God
more necessary. When we are overcome by temporary conditions which we
cannot control, we can keep quiet and wait for the power of the spirit
to flow back.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional upheaval.
I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past.

Peace of Our Lord, Jesus, be with you all! Today was a patio day - helping
my husband staining the window frames inside - they haven't been stained
yet, so now tomorrow it will all be finished and look beautiful. My, does
he ever have energy! Wish I had more of that, I tire out so much faster, I
don't have arthritis that I know of, but I am limited to what I can do that
has bending etc. maybe because I broke my back twice? My upper legs are
really weak, so getting down on my hands and knees are out. But I have lots
of blessings, I can do what I can do to help him, he never expects too much
of me, but happy what I can do and am willing to do, what a blessing He is
to me. Tomorrow I get to see Lori's dog again - maybe. She'll call the
Humaine Society to find out if he's back from his surgery yet and if so
we'll come to see him, and Saturday she takes him home. I'm sure he'll be
sore though, poor dog. I remember when Sammy was neutered and how sore he
was. Sunday is Linus' first cousin's 50th Anniversary as a Benedictine Nun
and we're going to that celebration - so much to look forward to - many
blessings given by our God Who never ever forgets to shed His blessings upon
us - and there are many blessings that we take for granted, the air we
breathe, the bed we sleep on, our sleep, the food we receive from our
gardens, or the stores and money to pay for it, pets, and many, many more
blessings. Can you think of some more?



Mother Teresa Said...

"One day at a meeting, I was asked to give a message.
So I told to people, "Husbands smile at your wives smile at your husbands
and children."
They could not understand how I was able to tell them this sort of thing.
"Are you married?" one of them asked.
"Yes", I replied "and sometimes I find it difficult to smile at Jesus
because He can be so demanding."
And it is true. By our vow of chasitity we are married to Jesus."

Jesus, you have given everything, life, blood, all. Now it is my turn. I put
everything into the field also. The common soldier fights in the ordinary
lines, but the devoted one tries to be near the captain to share his fate.
This is the spirit of Christ.

We have a right to be happy and peaceful. We have been created for this - we
are born to be happy - and we can only find true happiness and peace when we
are in love with God; there is joy in loving God, great happiness in loving
Him.

To make sure that we do not forget, Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a
memorial of his love ... When you look at the Crucifix, you understand how
much Jesus loved you then, when you look at the Sacred Host you understand
how much Jesus loves you now."

Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.
Be happy now and if you show through your actions that you love others,
including those who are poorer than you, you'll give them happiness, too. It
doesn't take much - it can be just giving a smile. The world would be a much
better place if everyone smiled more. So smile, be cheerful, be joyous that
God loves you.

Daily Prayer:

My dear Jesus,
too much have you done to oblige me to love you;
too great is the price you have paid to win my love.
Altogether too ungrateful would I be now,
if I loved you only a little,
or if I divided my heart between you and created things.
You have given me your blood and your life.
I want to detach myself from everything and to fix my affections on you
alone.
Of myself I am too weak to put this desire into act.
You have given me the desire; now give me the strength to fulfil it.

O Mary, my Mother, grant that from this day forward I may want nothing else
but God alone.


The Water
It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in
almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The
creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season
that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through. Every day, my
husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get
water to the fields.

Lately this process had involved taking a truck to the local water rendering
plant and filling it up with water. But severe rationing had cut everyone
off. If we didn't see some rain soon...we would lose everything.

It was on this day that I learned the only miracle I have seen with my own
eyes: I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when
I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn't
walking with the usual carefree abandon of a youth but with a serious
purpose. I could only see his back. He was obviously walking with a great
task in mind...trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he
disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.

I went back to making sandwiches; thinking that whatever task he had been
doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in
that slow purposeful stride toward the woods. This activity went on for an
hour: He would walk carefully to the woods, run back to the house.

Finally I couldn't take it any longer and I crept out of the house and
followed him on his journey (being very careful not to be seen...as he was
obviously doing important work and didn't need his Mommy checking up on
him). He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very
careful not to spill the water he held in them...maybe two or three
tablespoons were held in his tiny hands.

I sneaked close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his
little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose.
As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site. Several large
deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost
screamed for him to get away. A huge buck with elaborate antlers was
dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him...he didn't even move
as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn laying on the ground, obviously
suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great
effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand. When the water
was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and I hid behind a tree.

I followed him back to the house; to a spigot that we had shut off the water
to. Billy opened it all the way up and a small trickle began to creep out.
He knelt there, letting the drip drip slowly fill up his makeshift "cup", as
the sun beat down on his little back.

And it came clear to me. The trouble he had gotten into for playing with the
hose the week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of
not wasting water. The reason he didn't ask me to help him. It took almost
twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began
the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with
tears. "I'm not wasting", was all he said. As he began his walk, I joined
him...with a small pot of water from the kitchen.

I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood on the
edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known
working so hard to save another life. As the tears that rolled down my face
began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more
drops...and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, himself, was
weeping with pride. Some will probably say that this was all just a huge
coincidence. That miracles don't really exist. That it was bound to rain
sometime. And I can't argue with that...I'm not going to try. All I can say
is that the rain that came that day saved our farm...just like that actions
of one little boy saved another.

I don't know if anyone will read this...but I had to send it out. To honor
the memory of my beautiful Billy, who was taken from me much too soon....
But not before showing me the true face of God, in a little sunburned body.

---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 WATERING HOLE
By Sally I. Kennedy
August 24, 2009

“.... how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him!" Luke 11:13

Here in sunny south Florida we had the most beautiful winter we have
had in years. It was cool, clear, and purely delightful. However it
was majorly dry. This morning I saw one of the squirrels, who nests
high up in one of the coconut palms, coming towards the wood deck.

On the decking, there’s a defunct jacuzzi under an old canvas cover,
which is so stretched it has pockets that hold water. The doves
around dusk, and the squirrels, apparently regard this as their
watering hole. As this little squirrel approached, he peered into
what was a pitiful tiny bit of a pool. He bent over and drank what he
could. Could be my imagination, but it seemed to me he acted
disappointed as he went off in search of water some other place.

In our country we are usually able to access water through our
faucets. Occasions such as hurricanes, water mains bursting and
bacteria entering, have all brought to my attention how precious
drinking water becomes when it can’t be taken for granted.

We can live without food, but not without water. Jesus said we can
have ‘living water’ (John 4). Spiritually speaking, we can’t live
without that kind of water, either. How fortunate we are to have free
access to that ‘water’, the gift of the Holy Spirit through Jesus
Christ.

I am so very grateful I can keep on drinking at this wonderful
watering hole of living water, that our loving heavenly father has
provided for all of us, anytime, anywhere.

Though we cannot actually see God, our source, If we know Jesus then
we have seen Him. (Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can
you say, 'Show us the Father'? John 14:9)

Mail Waiting -
Author Unknown

Perhaps two of the most pleasant words in Computer Lingo are the words:
"Mail Waiting." Come on, admit it. When you log on to your system at work or
your internet connection at home, the first thing you look for is whether or
not you have mail, isn't it? And aren't you just a little bit disappointed
when you log on and there is no mail in your In-Basket?

Congratulations, you're normal. Each of us enjoys receiving notes across the
net. Receiving a note shows that someone else is thinking about you; or they
need and value your input on an issue; or they want to update you on what is
happening with them; or they just want to say 'Hi.'

When "Mail is Waiting," you know the sender desires to communicate
specifically with you.


"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalms 119:105

Over the years, God has communicated in many different ways to many
different people. On one occasion, God communicated in a "still small
voice." On another, He spoke to Moses from a "burning bush." Then there was
a "voice from heaven" at Jesus' Baptism, and even an incident when Balaam's
donkey spoke to him. The list goes on and on - God using His infinitely
creative energy to communicate with His beloved creation.

But of all the ways that He has communicated with us, it is interesting that
one of the most effective, was also one of the simplest: He sent us a
letter. A note, if you will. Written by God, through men and sent across
centuries under the watchful eye of the Holy Spirit. (Note: this watchful
eye far exceeds any double-bit error protection system that we might ever
dream up!)

A note from God. A note that says He is thinking about us: always. A note
that says he desires our input back to Him: our worship, our praise, our
prayers. A note to update us on issues: issues that never change, like love
and life and trusting in Him. A note to just
say "Hello." Because, sometimes we forget that He is there, and we wander
off to struggle with life on our own.

Have you ever logged on to your system, saw the "Mail Waiting" indicator
turned on, then just logged back off without bothering to
check the mail:

"It's probably not important, I'll check it later, when I have more time."
"It's probably not meant for me. It was sent to the wrong ID and has no
meaning or relevance to me."
"I already have too much going on, the last thing I need is another note
making demands on my time."

God used thousands of people over thousands of years to send you a message
like none you have ever read before, or will ever read after. It is
important. It is relevant. It is demanding.

There is an old Book from a heavenly Father about the things you are dealing
with in your life even today. It's called the Bible. It has a "Mail Waiting"
light on it.

Check your Mail.

The Ten Most Wanted People

The one who tries to be the right example to every child, rather than talk
about it.
The one who has a passion to help, rather than a passion to be helped.
The one who is willing to say, "I was wrong, I'm sorry."
The one who will look at temptation squarely and say, "No."
The one who puts God's business above any other.
The one who throws oneself totally into a project, then give the credit for
its success to his helpers.
The one who has a ready smile and a pat on the back for others.
The one who brings his children to church rather than sending them.
The one who can see his own faults before he sees the faults of others.
The one who gives his money, time and talent without thought of return.