Remember that God always does what He promises. Lord, where others
bargain, You freely give, when others are too busy, You listen and when
others let me down, You never fail me. Thank You for all of my blessings.
Scripture for the day:
"Through Christ you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the
dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God."
~1 Peter 1:21
Meditation of the day:
God's miracle-working power is as manifest today as it was in the past.
It still works miracles of change in lives and miracles of healing in
troubled minds. When a person trusts wholly in God and leaves to God the
choosing of the day and hour, there is God's miracle-working power becoming
manifest in that person's life. We can trust in God and have boundless
faith in
God's power to make us whole again.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may feel sure that there is nothing that God cannot
accomplish in changing my life. I pray that I may have faith in God's
miracle-working power.
Hello my friends! Today was a nice, visitable day for Sister LaDonna and
me. We played piano and sang again, we always used to harmonize together so
this was fun doing it again. Tonight we were invited to Lori's for a bon
fire, and for LaDonna to see her place, she was very impressed at all the
work she's done to her house and yard! And Ollie, he's a joy and so much
energy! She played ball with him a lot tonight. The weather was really
nice, not too hot out and we had all our meals in the patio. She made
omelets for breakfast, very yummy!
Tomorrow night she goes back. Linus has been working many days in a row and
he's getting quite tired. Good thing that Lori can take her back tomorrow
night. Praying for all your needs and thanks for all your prayers for us.
SANDBOX ROCK
Author Unknown
July 31, 2012
A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He
had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red
plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft
sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug
around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit
of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his
feet. (He was a very small boy and the rock was very huge.)
When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that
he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy
shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some
progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little
boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved -- but his only reward was to have
the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears
of frustration.
All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the
drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the
boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said,
"Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"
Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the
strength that I had!"
"No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you
had. You didn't ask me."
With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from
the sandbox.
Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you
discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There is One who
is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need. When
the apostle Paul faced times of a broken spirit and sapped strength, he
proclaimed to the Corinthian church, "My grace is enough for you. When you
are weak, then my power is made perfect in you" (2 Corinthians 12:9b NCV).
When we are broken in spirit and our strength is spent, we can turn to our
Savior Jesus.
DON'T WE ALL
Author Unknown
I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from
the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way
from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the
looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There
are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just
don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered
times."
"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought.
He didn't.
He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like
he could have enough money to even ride the bus.
After a few minutes he spoke.
"That's a very pretty car," he said.
He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond
beard keep more than his face warm.
I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.
He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came.
As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he
needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the
inner voice.
"Do you need any help?" I asked.
He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We
often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of
higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched
grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.
"Don't we all?" he said.
I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the
street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun.
Don't we all?
I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed
help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but
enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words
still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have
accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter
how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep,
you can give help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.
You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They
are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different
perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily
chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.
Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he
was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to
minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.
Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said,
"go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."
Don't we all?
Make a Difference
A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked
along he began to see another man in the distance.
As he grew nearer he noticed that the local native kept leaning down,
picking something up, and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he
kept hurling things out into the ocean.
As our friend approached even closer he noticed that the man was picking up
starfish that had washed up onto the beach, and one at a time, he was
throwing them back into the ocean.
The first man was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good Evening
Friend, I was wondering what are you doing?" And he replied, "I'm throwing
these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all
these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them
back into the sea, they will die from the lack of oxygen."
"I understand," my friend replied "but there must be thousands of starfish
on this beach and you couldn't possibly get to all of them. There are simply
too many and don't you realize that this is happening on hundreds of beaches
up and down this coast ... can't you see that that you can't possibly make a
difference?
The local native smiled, bent down, picked up yet another starfish ... and
as he threw it back out into the sea, he replied, "It made a difference to
that one!"
You may feel like you cannot make a difference in the world today, but you
CAN make a difference in one life at a time.
THE JARS
Author Unknown
The preacher placed two identical jars on the table next to the pulpit. He
quoted 1 Samuel 16:7 'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man
looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"
These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and
can hold the same amount. But they are different, he explained.
Then he upset one and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other, and
vinegar spilled out. "When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out.
Until the jars were upset, they looked alike. The difference was within, and
could not be seen. When they were upset, their contents were revealed.
Until we are upset we put on a good front. But when we are upset, we reveal
our innermost thoughts and attitudes, for "out of the abundance of the heart
his mouth speaks ( Luke 6:45)
What if someone tipped you over today ??
What would flow out ??
Would you reveal the "honey" of grace and patience, or the "vinegar" of
anger and sarcasm ??
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of
sins" (1Peter 4:8)
Have a terrific day knowing that the one who upsets you may be just looking
for some honey
Morning Prayer Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and suffering of this day
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.
I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart:
the salvation of souls, reparation for sins, the reunion of all Christians;
I offer them for the intentions of our Bishops and of all Apostles
of Prayer and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father
this month.
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