Community Chat

[gloriajean]

We don't choose how or when we will die, but we do decide how we will live.
Lord, forgive my frequent drifting and help me to see clearly the best path
for me.


Scripture for the day:

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
~Matthew 18:20

Meditation for the day:

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." The
spirit of God can come upon God's followers when they are all together
at one time, in one place, and with one accord. When two or three
consecrated souls are together at a meeting place, the spirit of God is
there to help and guide them. Where any sincere group of people are
together, reverently seeking the help of God, God's power and God's
spirit are there to inspire them.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be in accord with the members of my group. I pray
that I may feel the strength of a consecrated group.

Hello my friends! Happy Labor Day! Hope you are all enjoying it - with
family and friends to your hearts desire! I'll be home - he's working from
8:30 to 5:30 - maybe people will be out buying things at Northern Tool
tomorrow, who knows? They really are full there everyday! I'm hoping to
see Lori and Ollie sometime tomorrow - at least for a little while. She has
lots of tomatoes again to can - she'll be making salsa. Today's blessings -
nice visit with Lori on the phone - got my new purse - the one from her
purse party - Miche. And I love it, it has magnet for the shells and you
put that around the purse and it's like a whole new purse. I got a deep red
one and a cream and black and it's so elegant! At other parties, I can just
add somethings to it. What's even nicer is that Lori has the same kind of
purse and we can exchange the shells and that will be fun! Another
blessing - after we got home from Mass tonight, we had frozen yogurt and our
fresh raspberries over it - Yum! I made chicken soup for supper - we ate
when he got home from work. Praying for all of you for all your desires,
and thanks for your prayers for us. God bless you!

FROGS
Author Unknown

A group of frogs was traveling through the woods, and two of them fell
into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit.

When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs
they would never get out.

The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the
pit. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good
as dead.

Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were
saying and simply gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could.

Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and
suffering and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it
out.

When he got out, the other frogs asked him, "Why did you continue
jumping Didn't you hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was
deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

------------ --------- --------

This story teaches two lessons:

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word
to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through
the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to
kill them. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross
your path.

The power of words....it is sometimes hard to understand that an
encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that
tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times.

Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.
May your words be a blessing to someone today.

Cell Phone vs. Bible. Get ready to be stepped on. Just say ouch!

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible
like we treat our cell phones.

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?


Something to make you say hmmmmmm, and where is my Bible?

A Perfect Heart

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that
he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered
and they all admired his heart, for it was perfect. There was not a mark or
a flaw in it.

Yes, they all agreed, it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever
seen. The young man was very proud, and boasted more loudly about his
beautiful heart.
Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said "Why, your
heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man
looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but was full of
scars. It had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in,
but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In
fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.


The people stared. How can he say his heart is more beautiful?, they
thought.The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and
laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine. Mine
is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears." "Yes," said the old man,
"Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every
scar represents a person to whom I have given my love. I tear out a piece of
my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart
which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't
exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of
the love we shared. Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the
other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty
gouges - giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful,
they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I
hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do
you see what true beauty is?"

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked
up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and
ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The
old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from
his old, scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart.
It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

This was written by my good friend, Mel:



" HER SWEET VOICE "


In contemplating the Mother of our Lord
Meditating upon her as Mother of the Word
I hear her sweet, soft, tender voice
And I feel my soul in gratitude rejoice.

What does she say to one such as me;
To ponder such, how the possibility?
She would say, "Child, follow my Son.
By His Blood your soul He has won."

Her voice is sweet, soft and tender
To her, reverence and love we render
We pray her Holy Rosary alone and together
And plead her graces in all kinds of weather.

Speak, Mother, your children are listening
Your holy purity and radiance are glistening;
Our souls are alit with the fire of love
As you show us the way to heav'n above
To Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Teaching us never to fear it
But to everlastingly endear it.

We hear your sweet and tender voice
And our souls within us gladly rejoice.

? Mel Patterson, 7-1-09

Healed and Whole
One day I dug a little hole
and put my hurt inside
I thought that I could just forget
I'd put it there to hide.

But that little hurt began to grow
I covered it every day
I couldn't leave it and go on
It seemed the price I had to pay.

My joy was gone, my heart was sad
Pain was all I knew.
My wounded soul enveloped me
Loving seemed too hard to do.

One day, while standing by my hole
I cried to God above
And said, "If You are really there --
They say, You're a God of love!"

And just like that -- He was right there
And just put His arms around me
He wiped my tears, His hurting child
There was no safer place to be.

I told Him all about my hurt
I opened up my heart
He listened to each and every word
To every sordid part.

I dug down deep and got my hurt
I brushed the dirt away
And placed it in the Master's hand
And healing came that day.

He took the blackness of my soul
And set my spirit FREE!
Something beautiful began to grow
Where the hurt used to be.

And when I look at what has grown
Out of my tears and pain
I remember every day to give my hurts to Him
And never bury them again.


Author Unknown

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, Lord of Light, from Your clear celestial height, Your pure
beaming radiance give. Come, O Father of the Poor, come with treasures which
endure, come O Light of all that live. Your of all Consolers best, and the
soul’s delightsome Guest, do refreshing Peace bestow. You in toil Comfort
sweet, pleasant Coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe. Light
immortal, Light Divine, visit now this heart of mine, and my inmost being
fill. If You take Your grace away, nothing pure in men will stay, all their
good is turned to ill. Heal our wounds, our strength renew, on our dryness
pour Your dew, wash the stains of guilt away. Bend the stubborn heart and
will, melt the frozen, warm the chill, guide the steps that go astray.

On all those evermore You confess and You adore, in Your Sevenfold Gifts
descend. Give them Comfort when they die. Give them Life with You on high,
five them Joys which never end. Amen.