Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Forget what you have done for others and remember what they have done for
you.
Lord, a gift is given freely with no expectation. May I become a truly
giving person.
Scripture for the day:

"But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my
refuge, to tell of all your works." ~Psalm 73:28

Meditation for the day:

"God is our refuge and underneath are God's everlasting arms."
Sheltering arms express the loving protection of God's spirit. In our
troubles and difficulties, we need nothing so much as a refuge, a place
to relax where we can lay down our burdens and get relief from our
cares. We can say to
ourselves: "God is my refuge." We can say it until its truth sinks into
our very souls. We can say it until we know it and are sure of it.
Nothing can seriously upset us or make us afraid, if God truly is our
refuge.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may go each day to God as a refuge until fear goes and
peace and security come. I pray that I may feel deeply secure in the
haven of God's spirit.

Hello my friends! Just got home from a night of canning pickles - it's late
so this is going to be short. My blessings were spending time with family
tonight and Friday we'll see Darla and Greg - the bride and groom! Praying
for all of you and thanks for your prayers for us.

Thank you for the values of life you taught me



Many years ago when I was about 10, I remember coming home from school and
heading straight to the cookie jar. When I lifted the lid I found a little
scrap of paper taped to the inside of the jar lid. In my mom's handwriting
it said, "Myself Third".

I didn't think anything about it but when I went to the cupboard to get a
glass for my milk, there was another note that said, "Myself Third". It
still didn't make much of an impression on me until I went to the bathroom
and when I lifted the lid, there was the same message taped on the underside
of the toilet lid. Now my curiosity was beginning to get to me and the hunt
was on to see where else I could find that strange message. It was
everywhere. In the closet, in my sock drawer, on the stove top, under
plates, just about everywhere I looked. I finally found my mother and asked
about this strange note.

She said she was thinking about life and decided that she should always
consider herself last. God first, others second and myself third. What a
great way to put things in to proper order. Thank you Mom for that fantastic
message. Mom lived to be 95 and never changed her outlook on life and God.
She was the most religious person I know and if she is not in Heaven now
then there is no Heaven.

I am now 66 years old and when I turned 50, and was given the big "50"
birthday party, I was asked to say something, I had only one thing to say
and it was to my mother, I said, "Mom, 50 years and nine months ago, thank
you for not saying no."

She said, "You're welcome, son". Now I say to you, mom, "Thank you for the
values of life you taught me and I will always try to think of myself as
Myself Third."

Charles "Chuck" Dishno

Once upon a time a little candle stood in a room filled with other candles,
most of them much larger and much more beautiful than she was. Some were
ornate and some were rather simple, like herself Some were white, some were
blue, some were pink, some were green. She had no idea why she was there,
and the
other candles made her feel rather small and insignificant.


When the sun went down and the room began to get dark, she noticed a large
man walking toward her with a ball of fire on a stick. She suddenly realized
that the man was going to set her on fire.


"No, no!!" she cried, "Aaaaagghhh! Don't burn me, please!" But she knew that
she could not be heard and prepared for the pain that would surely follow.
To her surprise, the room filled with light. She wondered where it came from
since the man had extinguished his fire stick, To her delight, she realized
that the light came from herself.


Then the man struck another fire stick and, one by one, lit the other
candles in the room. Each one gave out the same light that she did.


During the next few hours, she noticed that, slowly, her wax began to flow.
She became aware that she would soon die. With this realization came a sense
of why she had been created. "Perhaps my purpose on earth is to give out
light until I die," she mused. And that's exactly what she did.


God created you and I to produce light in a dark world. Like that little
candle, we all can produce the same amount of light, no matter how small we
are or what color we might be. But we can't produce light until we receive
it from an outside source. That source is Jesus Christ, the light of the
world. Also like the little candle, we have to die in order to produce
light. If we try to preserve ourselves, our lives will be meaningless. But
if we are willing to lose our lives for Christ's sake (Matthew 10:39), we
will find our true purpose and meaning.

Is It Any Wonder

Is it any wonder that the world is filled with pain
when we set aside the beauty for our own material gain?

Is it any wonder that lovers' hearts grow dim
when we do not hold in honor the love we find within?

Is it any wonder that the homeless are weak and frail
when we put them out of house and home to seek another trail?

Is it any wonder that nature falls to ruin and rubble
because we take with no return allowing it to crumble?

Is it any wonder that children are lead astray
because we did not take the time to show the proper way?

Is it any wonder that evil is strong and bold
when we do not see goodness and let our hearts grow cold?

Is it any wonder racism flourishes, my friend,
when we do not see PEOPLE, but just the color of skin?

Is it any wonder that friendships die and fade
when we forget the reasons in which they were first made?

Is it any wonder our world is scarred and polluted
when we allow our industries to strip it as they're suited?

Is it any wonder there is such depression and sorrow
when we do not seem to care what will happen tomorrow?

Is it any wonder we do not see the values of our brothers
when we hold our own selves above the needs of others?

Is it any wonder our world is like it is
when we sit and grumble with actions we don't give?

Is it any wonder we wait in fear of Judgment Day
when we do the things we do, then forget to pray?

Author Unknown

Mother Teresa Said...

"Cheerfulness should be one of the main points of our religious life.
A cheerful giver is a great giver.
Cheerfulness is a sign of a generous and mortified person,
who, forgetting all things, even herself, tries to please God in all she
does for souls.
Cheerfulness is often a cloak which hides a life of sacrifice,
continual union with God, fervor and generosity."


Mr. Smith was walking through a valley when he suddenly noticed that his
feet were getting wet. It then dawned upon him that this little valley of
his was actually an arm of the sea and that high tide was coming in.

He stood still and looked around to find someone with a boat. So long as he
kept waiting for a boat to come and rescue him, he kept right on standing
where he was. But no boat came.

So he gave up on that idea and then began to wish that the tide would not
rise any higher. But when the water reached his chin, he also gave up that
idea and began to swim.

Only then did he realize that he himself was a boat.