Community Chat

[gloriajean]

God gives us power, love and self-discipline, not fear and timidness.
Lord, I will not be afraid to proclaim that You are my God. All will see
it in my actions.

Scripture for the day:

"And the one who was seated on the throne said, 'See, I am making all
things new.' Also he said, 'Write this, for these words are
trustworthy and true.'" ~Revelation 21:5

Meditation for the day:

We can breathe in the inspiration of goodness and truth. It is the
spirit of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love. It is readily
available if we are willing to accept it wholeheartedly. God has
given us two things--God's spirit and the power of choice--to accept
or not, as we will. We have the gift of free will. When we choose
the path of selfishness and greed and pride, we can refuse to accept
God's spirit. When we choose the path of love and service, we can
accept God's spirit
and it can flow into us and makes all things new.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may choose the right way. I pray that I may try to
follow it to the end.

Hello my friends! Well today was with an unexpected blessing when Lori
called me to take me along to Petsmart to get Ollie registered for Puppy
school. Fun! Brought back memories of when Sammy went there! That was 8
years ago already! Puppy school was fun! First of all, we at first planned
on going to see him again at the Humane Society and this time with Linus
too, but shortly after we made plans to go, she got a call from them, saying
that as of today the dog is officially hers, the wait is over with for the
owners to claim him, and he was already on the way to get neutered, so we
won't see him until she picks him up Saturday. I told her that having a dog
will make a life change, and she said she knows it, but she's always loved
dogs. So I'm almost as excited as she is! The lady at Petsmart said that
rat terriers are very smart and quick learning ones. So she was home for
supper again tonight, and right after that we went to get the dog registered
and get some treats he'll need for training. July 27, Friday at 5 - first
session. There are six. She's taking me with her, that should be fun! She
told me today that at first she wanted to surprise us in just coming over
with the dog, but then she thought I'd like all this planning stage with her
and she was so right.
I am so grateful for my husband and daughters, which makes a great loving
family - thanks be to God! I will never be ungrateful for all He does for
me. Praying for all of you, who are my blessings, too, may God grant you
your hearts desires. Oh - I heard from Pinky Ann - she is really going thru
a hard time since her Mom died, She wrote "
Just a quick note of thanks for letting the gals on the thread know what
happened. Also for the prayers and positive thoughts. They mean alot to me.
It's a loss like I never could have imagined. Some days are better than
others, and it will be that way for a long time. Each day is different, and
I never have an idea how I'll feel one day to the next.
Hope all is well with you and your family. I've not spent much time online,
so don't have a clue what anyone's been up to. I plan to post again, but not
sure when that will be. One day at a time is all I can manage for now. It's
such a mix of feelings, anxiety sometimes, grief daily, and just hurting.
They say time heals all wounds, but somehow in this case I have my doubts.
I'm so blessed to have great family and friends, and have to remember to
turn to them when things seem overwhelming. Things have really been put in
perspective, and I realize how often I've let things bother me that I never
should have thought twice about. I hope I'll never forget what I've learned
with the loss of my mom. Some very valuable lessons to be sure............."
So friends, let us keep Pinky Ann in our prayers - let us cover her in
prayer! May God comfort her in this great time of sorrow.

Standing For What You Believe In

Standing for what you believe in,
Regardless of the odds against you,
And the pressure that tears at your resistance,
...means courage
Keeping a smile on your face,
When inside you feel like dying,
For the sake of supporting others,
...means strength
Stopping at nothing,
And doing what's in your heart,
You know is right,
...means determination
Doing more than is expected,
To make another's life a little more bearable,
Without uttering a single complaint,
...means compassion
Helping a friend in need,
No matter the time or effort,
To the best of your ability,
...means loyalty
Giving more than you have,
And expecting nothing
But nothing in return,
...means selflessness
Holding your head high,
And being the best you know you can be
When life seems to fall apart at your feet,
Facing each difficulty with the confidence
That time will bring you better tomorrow's,
And never giving up,
...means confidence.
- Author Unknown



Wisdom
of the Saints


"Is there anything better on earth than gentleness?

If there were, Jesus Christ would have taught it to us.

But Jesus has given us only

two lessons.

'Learn from me,'

he said, 'for I am meek and

humble of heart."

Saint Francis de Sales



"It is better not to allow anger,

however just and reasonable,

to enter at all, than to admit it

in ever so slight a degree; once admitted, it will not be easily expelled,
for, though at

first but a small plant, it will immediately grow

into a large tree"

St. Augustine



"From contemplation of

the Passion the soul will receive a new compassion,

a new love, new consolations,

and consequently, as it were,

a new state of soul,

which seems to be a foreshadow

and share of eternal glory"

Saint Bonaventure



"When we have to reply to anyone

who has insulted us, we should be

careful to do it always with meekness.

A soft answer extinguishes the

fire of wrath.

If we feel ourselves angry, it is better for us to be silent,

because we should speak amiss;

when we become tranquil, we shall see that all our

words were culpable"

St. Liguori

"To change your mind from good to bad is the

height of absurdity.

True goodness changes from evil to righteousness"

Saint Polycarp

"He who has repented

has travelled towards the Lord"

Saint Theopan





God Qualifies


There are many reasons why God would not want
you--but don't worry. You're in good company.

Moses stuttered.
David's armor didn't fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Abraham was too old.
David was too young.
Timothy had ulcers.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer. So was Moses.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worrywart.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul--well, lots of folks did.

But God doesn't require a job interview. He doesn't hire and fire like
most bosses, because He's more our dad than our boss. He doesn't look at
financial gain or loss. He's not prejudiced nor partial, not judging,
grudging, sassy, nor brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need.
As much as we try, God's gifts are free.

We could do wonderful things for wonderful people and still not be ...
wonderful.

Satan says, "You're not worthy."

Jesus says, "So what? I AM."

Satan looks back and sees our mistakes. God looks back and sees the
Cross. He doesn't calculate what you did in '98. It's not even on the
record.

Sure. There are lots of reasons why God shouldn't want us. But if we are
magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next
breath, He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been or what we
look like.

Step out of your limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is.

Author unknown

Remember God knows who you are and He loves you in spite of your short
comings.



What Satan Fears Most


What Satan fears most
Is a man on his knees;
Not vast marching armies
With great weaponry.

He knows he can stand
Against the power of men;
To engage us in battle
Is mere sport to him.

But a man on his knees
With his head bowed in prayer
Is something quite different
To the prince of the air.

For when he sees us in prayer
To our God most high,
He knows we have seen
Through his devilish lies.

That's why Satan fears most
A man on his knees;
And we'll keep him trembling
If our prayers never cease.

Author Unknown

A Father's Eyes

A teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very
special relationship. The father believed in encouragement. Even though
the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands
cheering. He never missed a game.

This young man was the smallest of the class when he entered high
school. His father continued to encourage him but also made it very
clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to.

But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was
determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to
play when he became a senior.

All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game, but
remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father was always
in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the
football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make the
cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster
because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and at the
same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they
badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much
that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father
shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college
games.

This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four
years at college, but he never got to play in the game. It was the end
of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field
shortly before the big play off game, the coach met him with a telegram.
The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent.

Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning.
Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm
gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off,
son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter,
when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped
into the empty locker room and put on his football gear.

As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded
to see their faithful team-mate back so soon.

"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young
man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his
worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted,
and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right,"
he said. "You can go in."

Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not
believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before,
was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He
ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to
triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game,
this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning
touchdown. The fans broke loose. His team-mates hoisted him onto their
shoulders. Such cheering you've never heard!

Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left
the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting
quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I
can't believe it. You were fantastic!

Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?" He looked at the coach,
with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did
you know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and
forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time
he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"



Husband and Wife Healing Prayer


Merciful Jesus, grant that I and my
Wife/ Husband may have
a true and understanding love
for each other.

Grand that we may both be filled with
faith and trust in You, and in each other.

Give us the grace to live together
in peace and harmony.

May we always be patient
with each others weaknesses and
grow together from each other´s
strengths.

Help us to forgive one another´s failings,
grant us patience, kindness,
and cheerfulness,

grant us the spirit of placing each others
well-being, ahead of our own.

May the love that brought us together
grow and mature with each passing year.

Bring us both ever closer to You
through our love for each other.

Let our love grow ever closer to
perfection through Your Divine Mercy.

Amen.