Community Chat

[gloriajean]

God is always at work in your life. Notice His light on the events of your
day.
Lord, I sometimes look without really seeing. Help me to pause and notice.

Scripture for the day:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,
and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us."
~Hebrews 12:1

Meditation for the day:

Spiritual development can be achieved by daily persistence in living
the way we believe God wants us to live. Like the wearing away of a
stone by steady drops of water, so can our daily persistence wear away
all the difficulties and gain spiritual success for us. We need never
falter in our daily, steady persistence. We can go forward boldly and
unafraid. God can help and strengthen us, as long as we are trying to
do God's will.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may persist day by day in gaining spiritual experience.
I pray that I may make this a lifetime work.

Hello my friends! A long day for Linus today - starting at 11:30 until 9:00
PM. He first went to buy knee braces, because his knee is starting to bother
him again. They serve pizza there for the hard workers on Black Fridays so
I'm sure he won't be coming home hungry, but tired and exhausted, that's for
sure, and of course sore. Today I'm thankful for hot water! Our hot water
heater wasn't working and it got fixed today so got the dishwasher running,
and appreciating it all very much. We have a Bunn Maker which has hot water
always in it, so I used that for some warm water to wash my face with this
morning and that worked fine. But it would have had to be a lot to do the
dishes with. Our thread is always giving thanks and posting our blessings
and what we are grateful for, not just one day! I'm grateful for all of
you, my friends, who have always stuck by me through the years and it has
been over five years!! Lots of posters here have come and go, but I
appreciate every one. Praying for all of you for your needs and thanks for
your prayers for us. By the way Sammy is doing well on his second round of
steroids. Still limping but more active. I'm thinking of starting him on
that GLUCOSAMINE when he's on his third week of steroids - when he's getting
weaned off them again, every other day one. I hear that it's a chewy and
dogs love it - hope so.

I always like to read this one:

THE FORK
Author Unknown
November 23, 2012


There was a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and had been given 3
months to live. Her doctor told her to start making preparations to die
(something we all should be doing all of the time.) So she contacted her
pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final
wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what
scriptures she would like read, and what she wanted to be wearing.

The woman also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her
favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to
leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.
"There's one more thing." She said excitedly. "What's that?" came the
pastor's reply.

"This is very important." The woman continued. "I want to be buried with a
fork in my right hand." The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing
quite what to say. "That shocks you doesn't it?" The woman asked. "Well to
be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The woman
explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and functions where
food was involved and let's be honest, food is an important part of any
church event; spiritual or otherwise); my favorite part was when whoever was
clearing away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say 'you can
keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something
better was coming. When they told me to keep my fork, I knew that something
great was about to be given to me. It wasn't Jell-O or pudding. It was cake
or pie. Something with substance. So I just want people to see me there in
that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with
the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Something better is coming so keep
your fork too.'" The pastor's eyes were welled up with tears of joy as he
hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he
would see her before her death. But he also knew that that woman had a
better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was
coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the
pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite bible and the fork placed in
her right hand. Over and over the pastor heard the question "What's with the
fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the
people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He
also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The
pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and
told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it
either. He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it
remind you oh so gently that there is something better coming.

-- John Ortberg's Book "If You Want to Walk on Water You've Got to Get Out
of The Boat", Chapter 8, Focusing on Jesus, page 169

P.S. Dad was buried with a fork in his hands because the best is yet to
come.

The Ups And Downs Of Daily Life

How do you handle the ups and downs that life throws at you? Are you able to
rise to the occasion at a moments notice? What types of circumstances do you
have trouble coping with at times?

We all have ups and downs. Sometimes it seems that there are more downs than
there are ups. How I deal with it has changed a lot over the years. When I
was younger, I'd panic when life threw me a downer. I would mentally scurry
around my mind trying to figure out a way to fix it. That's not a bad idea
but the down side of that is generating all this negative activity alongside
it: why is this happening to me? Why does it always happen to me?

The bad stuff recedes eventually, it always does. Something nice happens,
something very positive and wonderful. It was hard for to enjoy those times,
because I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Good stuff never
lasts, something bad is going to happen soon.

Of course more bad stuff is going to happen. That's just the way life is!

I've changed the way I handle ups and downs after years of that roller
coaster ride. I pray, not only going down but coming back up as well. On the
plummet down, I think This Too Shall Pass and when we're going up, I'm
determined to enjoy it to the fullest and not worry about the next plunge,
because whatever my fate I know God is there to catch me when I fall. He
picks me up and dust me off and we get back on the roller coaster to ride
again.

Let Go .....
To "LET GO" Does not mean to stop caring, it means I can't do it for someone
else.
To "LET GO" Is not to cut myself off, it's the realization that I can't
control another human being.
To "LET GO" Is not to enable, but to allow someone to learn from their
natural consequences.
To "LET GO" Is to admit powerlessness , which means the outcome is not in my
hands.
To "LET GO" Is not to try to change or blame another, but to make the most
of myself.
To "LET GO" Is not to care for, but to care about.
To "LET GO" Is not to fix, but to be supportive, and not violate my values.
To "LET GO" Is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
To "LET GO" Is not to be in the middle, arranging all the outcomes , but to
allow God to work in the lives of others.
To "LET GO" Is not to be protective, it's to permit another to face reality.
To "LET GO" Is not to deny, but to accept .
To "LET GO" Is not to nag, scold or argue with another person, but instead
to search out my own shortcomings and allow God to correct them.
To "LET GO" Does not mean to deny the shortcomings in others, but to accept
others unconditionally in love.
To "LET GO" Is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to accept each
day as it comes; knowing God offers it to me for growth.
To "LET GO" Is not to criticize or regulate anybody, but to try to become
the person I understand God wants me to be.
To "LET GO" Does not mean to compete against another human being, but
rather, to compete within myself to learn "self- control" through
circumstances God brings into my life.
To "LET GO" Does mean to fear less and love more.
To "LET GO" Means I don't demand my own way, but that I hold firm to my
values and beliefs-- while allowing others the same privilege.
To "LET GO" Doesn't mean that I expect God to do everything for me, but that
I let God show me how to do His will for my life.

Who wants the Son?

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had
everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often
sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very
courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was
notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A
young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said,
"Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his
life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a
bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about
you, and your love for art."

The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really
a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the
young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the
personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes
that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the youngman and offered
to pay him for the picture. " Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son
did for me. It's a gift". The father hung the portrait over his mantle.
Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his
son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his
paintings.

Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings
and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the
platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. We
will start the bidding with this picture of the son.

Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back
of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will
start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily, "we didn't come to see this painting. We
came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. The son! The son! Who'll take the son?

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime
gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a
poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They
didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments
for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the
collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel.

"I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the Paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a
secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation
until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever
bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the
paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the
auctioneer, His message today is: "The son, the son, who'll take the son?"
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

B E T H A N K F U L

We can be thankful that we don't already have everything we desire.
If we did, what would there be to look forward to?
We can be thankful when we don't know something,
for it gives us the opportunity to learn.

We can be thankful for the difficult times. During those times we can grow.
We can be thankful for our limitations,
because they give us opportunities for improvement.
We can be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build our strength and character.

We can be thankful for our mistakes. They can teach us valuable lessons.
We can be thankful when we're tired and weary,
because it means we may have made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
We can find a way to be thankful for our troubles,
and they can become our blessings.

Early Celtic Prayer
God to enfold me
God to surround me God in my speaking
God in my thinking God in my sleeping
God in my waking God in my watching
God in my hoping.
God in my life
God on my lips God in my soul
God in my heart.
God in my sufficing
God in my slumber
God in mine ever-lasting soul
God in mine eternity. Amen.

Dialogue with Christ: Lord Jesus, through your death and resurrection and my
baptism, you have made me a child of God. Help me to appreciate more fully
this day and what it means to be a child of God. Grant me the grace to live
in accord with this gift of gifts.


Resolution: Today I will look on all things as if God were speaking to me in
every moment.