Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Today picture yourself as the happiest person that you know and watch how
contagious this enthusiasm for life is. Lord, may I bring out the best in
those
with whom I share today so they can in turn bring out more of my best.

Scripture for the day:

"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our
potter; we are all the work of your hand." ~Isaiah 64:8

Meditation for the day:

We may consider the material world as the clay which the artist works
with, to make of it something beautiful or ugly. We need not fear
material things, which are neither good nor bad in the moral sense.
As human beings we can have either evil intentions--resentments,
malevolence, hate and revenge--or good intentions--love and good will.
They can make something ugly or something beautiful out of the clay of our
lives.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may make something good out of my life. I pray that I may
be a good artisan of the materials which I have been given to use.


Hello my friends! Today Lori went to the doctor for her rash - and she was
told she's allergic to her dog, Ollie. She called the vet and got some dog
shampoo that should help with that, so she brought him over and we shampooed
him, he was a good boy, she's gone tonight and he's staying over, so far so
good, but I'm really tired of playing ball with him. He never tires out!
Always bringing me the ball to throw again!! Little stinker! He's been
going out for potty so not messing anything here. He doesn't hurt things in
the house, but he is intimating Sammy and Sam doesn't like it one bit. Just
being over friendly with him. I told Sam that's how Phoebe feels when he
does that to her. Tonight should be an interesting night. He's looking at
me with those pleading eyes again to play with him!! A beautiful card came
in the mail today from Harlene - you are such a dear, thank you so much! I
showed it to Lori, and she was touched. I'll get on with the thread - Ollie
is whining for me! When will he get tired?




SLOW ME DOWN, LORD

Slow me down, Lord.
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amidst the confusion of my day,
the calmness of everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves with the soothing music
of the singing streams that live in my memory.
Help me know the magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations of slowing down,
to look at a flower,
to chat with an old friend or make a new one,
to pat a stray dog,
to watch a spider build a web,
to smile at a child, or to read from a good book.
Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift,
that there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward at the towering oak and know that it
grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Amen.











HAVE YOU SAVED YOUR DOCUMENTS
Author Unknown

Sitting at the computer one day, I was typing a research paper.
Setting the format for the page had been simple, spell check had found
only a few errors, and I had done well in my vocabulary. I was just
about finished with the body of the paper when suddenly, the power
went off. My heart sank. I had been typing my paper but hadn't saved
it. Maybe the program was one of those programs that saves it
automatically for you. At least I hoped it was. I waited about 30
minutes and when the power came on, I ran to the computer. My heart
pounding and mind racing, I wondered if the document had been saved.
After searching the program and practically the whole computer, it was
nowhere to be found. I had lost it all. The whole thing...gone! Why
didn't I save it? It would've been so easy.

Our lives are like living documents. Everything we do, say, and think
is recorded in God's Book of Life. But there are two kinds of "living
documents," those that are saved and those that are not saved. Those
who live their lives according to the will of God and the instruction
of Jesus Christ, will have their "living documents" saved forever and
ever in heaven. Those who live their lives in defiance of the will of
God and the commandments of Jesus, will lose their them to the pit of
fire.

How do you save your "living document?" It's easy. Jesus says, "Come
unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest... my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). If
you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved (Romans 10:9).
You will never have to worry that
your "living document" will be lost. You will never have to worry
about losing it all.

Let Go Of Sorrow

I've heard it said don't go to bed while hanging on to sorrow,
you may not have the chance to laugh with those you love tomorrow.
You may not mean the words you speak when anger takes its toll,
you may regret your actions once you've lost your self-control.

When you've lost your temper and you've said some hurtful things,
think about the heartache that your actions sometime bring.

You'll never get those moments back, such precious time to waste,
and all because of things you said in anger and in haste.

So if you're loving someone and your pride has settled in,
you may not ever have the chance to say to them again...

"I love you and I miss you and although we don't agree,
I'll try to see your point of view, please do the same for me."

Author Unknown

My Hand In God´s

Each morning when I wake I say,
"I place my hand in God's today;"
I know He'll walk close by my side
My every wandering step to guide.

He leads me with the tenderest care
When paths are dark and I despair---
No need for me to understand
If I but hold fast to His hand.

My hand in His! No surer way
to walk in safety through each day.
By His great bounty I am fed;
Warmed by His love, and comforted.

When at day's end I seek my rest
And realize how much I'm blessed,
My thanks pour out to Him; and then
I place my hand in God's again.

By Florence Scripps Kellogg

WELCOMING THE HOLY SPIRIT
-
Holy Spirit, you are welcome in my mind.
Holy Spirit, please transform my mind.
Bring my every thought into alignment with God's perfect plan for my life.
-
Holy Spirit, you are welcome in my heart.
Holy Spirit, please transform my heart.
Erase every feeling, memory and experience that is not a reflection of God's
love for me.
-
Holy Spirit, you are welcome in my life.
Holy Spirit, please transform every condition, situation and circumstance of
my life.
Make my life a living reflection of the goodness and glory of God.
-
Holy Spirit, transform every part of me that is not in keeping with God's
love, God's goodness, God's purpose
and God's perfect plan for me to live a life of joy, peace, wholeness, ease,
harmony and abundance.
-
Holy Spirit, help me to be all that God created me to be. For Your Presence
I Am So Grateful!

Give a kind word

Do you know a heart that hungers
For a word of love and cheer?
There are many such about us;
It may be that one is near.
Look around you. If you find it
Speak the word that's needed so,
And your own heart may be strengthened
By the help that you bestow.
Never think kind words are wasted,
Bread on waters cast are they,
And it may be we shall find them
Coming back to us, some day.
Coming back when sorely needed,
In a time of sore distress,
So, my friend, let's give them freely;
Gift and giver God will bless.
Author Unknown

Sammy's Good Catch
Sammy was a good-looking young boy who lived in the deep south. His summer
days were filled with times
of walking through the woods, playing with friends, and fishing in the pond
down the dirt road. Fishing was
by far his favorite thing to do. Just about every day during his summer
vacation, he would dig up some worms
and head off, pole in hand, for a day of fishing.

This steamy hot day was like most others during Sammy's summer break. Waking
early, he could hear the pond calling him to come fish. Sammy quietly walked
out the front door, grabbed his pitchfork and worm pail from the porch, and
walked into the woods to search for bait. He turned over old stumps and dug
under leaves hoping to find worms. Under one old stump he hit the jackpot.
The ground was writhing. In two minutes he had all the bait he needed, and
in 15 minutes he was at the pond.

Reaching into his bait bucket, Sammy pulled out a big worm. He double hooked
it and tossed it into the water. He noticed a stinging in his hand, but
filled with the excitement of the moment, he paid no attention to it. Within
30 seconds, Sammy had a strike and pulled in a nice catfish. Wow, he
thought, a fish in the first minute. This is unbelievable!

He put the catch on his stringer, hurried to re-bait his hook, and Tried his
luck again. Once again he felt a stinging
sensation in his hand as he threw his hook into the pond. He didn't have
time to worry about it. Within just a few
seconds, he had another huge fish. He fumbled the next time he baited his
hook--his hand felt numb and stiff. But
Sammy was too excited about catching another fish to give it much thought.

At the end of only an hour of fishing, Sammy had caught eight large fish.
This was definitely his best fishing day ever.
He was so proud of his accomplishment that, even though there was plenty of
day left to fish, he threw the heavy
stringer of fish over his shoulder and dashed down the dirt road toward home
to show off his catch to his mom
and dad.

The local sheriff happened to drive up alongside Sammy and started to
congratulate him on his catch of fish. With
a smile and a victory whoop, Sammy held up the stringer. The sheriff gasped,
parked his car and strode over to
Sammy.

His eyes hadn't deceived him--Sammy's arms really were red and swollen to
about twice their normal size. Exactly
where have you been and what bait did you use to catch all those fish?" the
sheriff asked Sammy, already guessing
the answer.

I found some special bait under an old stump," Sammy boasted. "These worms
really wiggle good," he commented,
handing up the bait bucket for inspection. After a close look at the worms,
the sheriff went into fast-forward. Securing
the bucket in his truck, he then scooped Sammy and his stringer of fish into
the back seat of his patrol car. Spinning a
U-turn on the gravel road, he sped off to the hospital, but Sammy was
already dead.

What the sheriff had discovered was that Sammy had been fishing with baby
rattlesnakes. Sammy's deadly bait brought
him a good morning's fishing but cost him his life. Had Sammy stopped
fishing after that first sting, he could have been
saved. One bite from a baby rattler won't kill a person who gets treatment
in time. But Sammy was having fun and didn't
bother himself with the small voice of pain in his hand. Then, as his hand
grew numb, even that small voice was silenced.

Playing around with sin is like using baby rattlesnakes for bait. Sinning
seems harmless to young people who don't
recognize sin and are unaware of its deadly consequences. The more sin you
get into, however, the more numb you
become to its sting. In the excitement of the moment, you ignore the still
small voice of God warning you of danger
and encouraging you to choose life instead of death.

Author Unknown


Prayer for Trust in Jesus

O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things. Amen.

(St. Ignatius of Loyola)