😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Happy Easter!  Something that I’ve been thinking quite a bit about lately is the Sacrament of Confession.  I’ve never been comfortable with this sacrament, but maybe that’s the point.  Yes, I get uncomfortable thinking about my sins, but that doesn’t even come close to how uncomfortable Jesus felt when He was being whipped, beaten, and nailed to the cross for me.  Confession is not a punishment, it’s a gift, an opportunity to examine my actions, lack of action, and thoughts, to see where I can do better in my life, to fully become all He made me for and to fully choose to return to God, our Father.  It’s a gift to intentionally verbalize my sin and ask for His pardon and absolution. 

As I was reading through an examination of conscience two things occurred to me.  1) I’m as guilty as the next person in the fact that we as a society have rationalized sin and watered it down to the point that our eyes and conscience become blind to all that sin is.  Those “little” sins just get tucked away and forgotten.  They don’t really matter, right?  Wrong!  They do matter, which brings me to my next point.  2) When I sat down to think about all my sins, there were a lot more than I want to admit. 

Yes, the Sacrament of Confession is humbling.  It is freeing.  It is God’s love once again reaching out to us to say, “Come and be with Me.  I want to be with you and hold you close.”

Sin just sucks.  I wish I had the will power and strength to choose good over sin every time.  When those moments strike, maybe it’s time I quit wishing and started praying.    

I’m not sure if you’ve experience this or not, but the Sacrament of Confession makes me think of an oil change in my car.  The contaminates in the oil slowly build up, changing it from a golden honey color to black.  It goes unnoticed because you rarely raise the hood to check its condition.  Left unchecked, it can cause permanent damage.  But, as soon as you purge that nasty oil from the car and fill it anew with fresh oil, yes you can see the difference, but you can also feel the difference in how the car runs. 

Lift the hood, check the oil, and purge the nasty.  Refill and refresh with God’s love.  Your days will run smoother.  Guaranteed!

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#MatthewWest – Mended

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Happy Easter!  I sat on my back porch last night to write to you, but very quickly I closed my laptop so that I could take in the evening.  It was a perfect 73 degrees, slight breeze from the south, the smell of fresh tilled dirt from the farm field behind us, and the sounds of chirping birds, before the last of the sunlight disappeared, taking their song with it.  What a beautiful gift it was, to live in and experience that moment.  Thank You, God.

That time on the porch was actually a great segway to what I wanted to share with you today from Matthew Kelly’s book, The Rocking Chair Prophet.  I know I’ve mentioned this book to you before and again, I recommend you take the time to read it.  It’s filled with so many nuggets of wisdom. 

Dreams are an important part of our lives.  From the time we are youngsters, we dream.  One of my dreams was to be the first female to play for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.  That was a great dream when I was a kid and I very much enjoyed playing baseball.  But that was as far as I took it.  I enjoyed the game, but I wasn’t that serious about my dream, to put everything I had into it, to better myself to even come close to being able to play at that level.  Some of our dreams are there to help get us through a day or season, whereas others are meant to really draw our attention and help us become who God intended us to be. 

In his book, Matthew Kelly had this to say about dreams and dreaming.

“Our ability to dream is an astounding gift.”

“It’s the third of the great universal gifts the Creator has endowed us with.  The first is life itself, the second is free will, and the third is the ability to dream.”

“To dream is the ability to look into the future, imagine something better, and then return to the present moment and take action to bring about that richly imagined future.”

“Dreaming unlocks our unrealized potential.  Everything that is dormant within you gets released in that moment, and you experience your pure potential.  Sometimes the dream state only lasts for the briefest moment, but that is all it takes for you to see what is possible.”

What is possible in your life?  Have you thought about that lately?  What dream is God using to draw you closer to Him?  Dreams come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors, which is a good thing, because we humans also come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors.  Dreams don’t have to be some big elaborate thing, to be worthy of your time and effort.  But they do need your time and attention to move from dreams to reality.  Take some time this week to be in silence with God.  Allow Him time to open your mind to great possibilities.  He will provide the detail, when you take the time to listen. 

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#MatthewKelly – The Rocking Chair Prophet

#CastingCrowns – Dream for You

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Happy Easter!  There has been a few big events in my life this past week.  1) Sold our home.  2) Celebrated my 38 year anniversary of my first day at U. S. Air Force basic training.  3) The solar eclipse.  It was about 98% where we were.  It’s definitely been an interesting week.

The Monday before our Friday house closing date, as I was waking up, God told me that I needed to give my favorite crucifix to Kyle, the investor that was buying our home.  The crucifix is called the Gift of the Spirit crucifix.  He also told me that I couldn’t just buy a new one to give to Kyle, I had to give him the one that was in our home, that used to be on the table by our front door.  Okay, I can do that, but I had four days to figure out what box I had packed it in.  As Brian, Kyle, and I sat in the lobby of the title company waiting for our closing, I brought out a box and said to Kyle, “Don’t think I’m weird because of what I’m going to say to you.“  Then I proceeded to tell him what God told me I needed to do. 

You know, questions crossed my mind.  “Why do I have to give him this one?   Can’t I just by him a new one?” 

I argued with myself:

I bought that crucifix about 17 years ago.  I feel attached to it.  Wouldn’t a new one be better?  Kyle is an investor.  He’s not going to live in that house anyway. 

But then I answered myself:

You don’t know what God is planning to do with that crucifix.  Trust and believe in His plan. 

There are many things that I like about out new home.  One of which is not actually a part of the home, but what fills the home…quiet and peacefulness.  There is hardly any outside noise.  I’ve told myself that there will probably come a day in which that silence will be defining, but for now I’m enjoying it.  It gives me time to think and hear God more clearly.

The more time I spend with God, the more I realize the importance of spending time in silence with Him.  He has so much to share with you and I, but we first have to close our mouths and get away from the distractions, if we ever want to hear his voice.  Something that I did about 20 years ago and have started doing again is going to Eucharistic Adoration.  I feel very fortunate that our family of parishes offers multiple days and times for Adoration.  If you’ve never gone to Adoration or it’s been awhile since you last visited with Christ in this way, I would highly suggest that you find where you can visit Christ in Adoration.  I pray that He fills your life with peace and light.  Amen.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#NovumCollective – Even In the Silence

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Happy Easter!  Jesus Christ is risen!  Alleluia Alleluia!  The Easter Triduum truly is my favorite time in the Catholic calendar.  Being in a new family of parishes this year, I did some traveling between some of our parish churches in order to experience Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter morning services and Masses. 

After being locked up for 40 days, it fills my heart with joy when we get to boldly sing the Alleluia again.  Typically, Holy Thursday doesn’t carry for me the most memorable moments of the Triduum, but it did this year.  For the conclusion of the Holy Thursday service, Christ Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist is processed through every aisle of the church, accompanied by multiple priests, deacons, and servers, as the air is filled with the smoke and sweet smell of incense.  We kneel as the body of Christ is carried though out the church.  The person that caught my eye during this holy procession was an older man, short in stature, standing in the second row from the front of the alter.  I would say he was in his late 70’s, maybe early 80’s and his face showed the wear of those years.  It was interesting to me that he stood instead of kneeling, but maybe that was because he intently followed Christ’s body along every aisle.  He would not look long, just maybe 5 seconds, before he would hang his head.  About 20-25 seconds later, he would repeat the same glance at Christ, then once again hang his head.  As I watched him, it was as if he had a look about him, as if he felt he was unworthy to look upon Christ.  I sensed sadness and humility as I watched his weathered face.  At one point I thought, I should be watching Christ, but then I thought, maybe I am.  I was seeing Christ in this man.  That is an image that will linger with me for some time. 

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#Bryan&KatieTorwalt – Miracle In The Works

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  We are half way through Holy Week and are knocking on the door of the Easter Triduum.  It wasn’t too many years ago that I found Lent to be a very depressing, dreary kind of time.  It wasn’t anything that I really looked forward to.  I’m not exactly sure when I had a change of perspective, but a switch flipped in me, that allowed me to see the light of the Lenten season, instead of just the darkness. 

It’s so easy to allow yourself to be trapped in the darkness, but you were created as a person of light.  In the depths of your core, you are drawn to the light and your body and spirit are always working to keep you in the light.  It is your mind and free will that pulls you away from the light.  We convince ourselves that we can do things (large and small) on our own.  Yes, God gave us knowledge, but that knowledge is incomplete if we don’t use it in the way it was designed, which is to use in harmony and conjunction with God.  He picks up where we leave off, to complete a master piece. 

So many of us at some point have thought or said that we are broken.  I don’t think broken is the best description.  I believe we are incomplete on our own and only through our free will choice to live with the Lord, do we become complete.  Do you hear Him.  No.  Turn your radio, TV, phone, and any other distracting device off.  Sit in silence with the Lord.  You’re going to need some time, because it will take a bit to clear those voices in your head, before you will start to hear the Lord.  But trust me…He is calling out for you. 

I encourage you to make these days of the Easter Triduum meaningful and full of life.  Be a sponge and soak in all that God is offering you in this moment.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#PhilWickham – House of the Lord

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I had the opportunity to spend the last three evenings at our parish’s Lenten Mission.  Each night consisted of Exposition and Adoration of the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, dinner, Vespers, and a presentation by Father Nathan Cromly.  It was a fabulous series of events, communing with God and members of our parish family. 

Fr. Cromly, who is currently assigned in the Denver, CO area, is not like your typical priest.  He is the founder of the Saint John Leadership Network, Eagle Eye Ministries, and the Dare Great Things podcast.  All three nights of the mission, Fr. Cromly was very engaging, lead by the Spirit, and spoke from the heart.  He wasn’t working from a typed speech or notes.  He looked at you as he spoke and you could feel the depth of his conviction in Christ’s real and true presence in the Holy Eucharist, his conviction in the Catholic faith, and the presence of God in his many incredible experiences. 

I thought I might share with you a few points that I wrote down during his talks.  Granted, these aren’t word for word and I’ve added some of my thoughts as well.

Jesus loves you and he wants you alive, NOT DEAD.  Let go of the cinder block that’s dragging you down and come back to the surface, where you can breathe.

If I can prove it, then I don’t need faith.

I decided to live for God.  I don’t know how, but I know who. 

– I thought that was a great challenge.

Love is the bridge truth walks across.

Claim the space you are in for Christ.

– Seriously, claim it!

Every Christian is called to be a saint.  Every saint is called to be a leader.

Faith and grace ought to make us explode!

The one who follows Christ leads the world.

Do not be afraid of the holiness and greatness you are called to.

You can’t lead if you don’t know where you’re going.

– Set your sights on Christ.  You will always be in the light and have a clear path by which to travel.

Use your blessings in a dynamic way.

How can I let God in and how can I let God out?

I’ve provided links below, so that you can check out Fr. Cromly’s ministries and podcast.  I spoke with someone that has experienced a couple of his retreats, and after hearing him speak these past three nights, I can’t imagine they are anything less than inspiring. 

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#BenjaminWilliamHastings – That’s The Thing About Praise

#FrNathanCromly

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😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  On Saturday I signed a document that will draw to a close one of the five longest chapters in my life so far.  After 27 ½ years, I signed a contract to sell our home.  At the time I purchased our home, I never imagined I would be there that long.  It was a first-time homebuyer house.  I figured maybe 5-7 years tops.  But God had greater plans.  This home sheltered us through my divorce.  It became a kid hangout.  You would think I was a Kool-Aid mom.  (Not everyone is old enough to understand that reference.)  Me, the girls, and their friends spent so many hours in the kitchen.  The kitchen was carpeted almost the whole time I owned the house.  We would sit on the floor, with our backs against the cabinet doors and talk, sing, play games, cry, count a jug full of change (Becca)…we did so much living in the kitchen, other than just cooking.  When we renovated the kitchen 4 years ago, I had to laugh when I saw the lower cabinet doors.  We had sat up against them so much, that they had a slight bow to them.  Our living room is where Brian’s dad married us, standing in front of our fireplace.  There were many good times, some challenging times, and a few moments I would like to forget. 

We’ve been slowly clearing out our home and I’m now at the point where I’m taking the last items out of a room and vacuuming the floor for the last time.  Oh, the memories that fill my mind as I do the final sweep.  I tell myself that I’m okay…I’ve had 3 years to prepare for this.  There is one thing that I’m leaving in each room until we do the final walkthrough the day of the closing, a crucifix.  Yes, the rooms are becoming bare, but when I took one of the crucifixes off the wall, the room felt very empty.  I put Jesus back on the wall and decided He will fill and protect our home as long as possible. 

It truly is amazing how the presence of Christ can fill a room.  Better yet, how He can fill our hearts and lives.  Kind of like feeling the emptiness of the room when I took the crucifix down, I don’t want to feel or even imagine my life without the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in it.  The depth of His love is match by none other.  The breadth of His mercy and grace is beyond compare.

Lord, thank you for this chapter in my life, the blessings beyond measure, your never-failing love, and the opportunity to share you with others.  May they feel Your presence and experience Your blessings in a lifechanging way.  May the Lord of all lords, bless you and hold you ever near, in the warmth and safety of His embrace.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#MichaelW.Smith – Draw Me Close

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  On February 26^th I started reading, working, and praying my way through Matthew Kelly’s book 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory.  In my opinion, this book is a challenge and invitation to draw yourself closer to God, in and through the Holy Eucharist.  This book, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, has got me fired up and excited about what I get to read each morning.  It’s pretty cool, in the back of the book it lists different start dates to choose from and then tells you which feast day of Jesus you will end your 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory.  I chose to start on February 26^th, so that I could end on Good Friday.  I have gotten into the habit of taking Good Friday off from work, to help make that day more focused and deliberate for Christ, so I feel Good Friday will be a beautiful day to conclude this journey. 

I understand, it can be VERY challenging to believe that the Eucharist is the real and true presence of Christ, but I like how Matthew puts it.  “Those who believe don’t leave.”  That is 100% the truth.  Are you committed and sold out to Christ?  If not, do you want to be?  Even if you aren’t sure if you want to be sold out to Christ or not, I highly recommend that you engage with Christ through Matthew Kelly’s 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory. 

On Day 6, Matthew presents six seismic shifts in the spiritual life.  I’m not going to give them away, because I feel every word that Matthew put in this book builds and leads you to a fuller understanding and desire for the most Holy Eucharist.  Even though we are constantly changing emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually, God is the rock of our lives who is ever consistent and unchanging.  As Matthew put it, “What is unchanging allows us to make sense of change.” 

Lord, I boldly pray that all who read your words, which you have chosen to speak through mere humans, will penetrate beyond human understanding, to a faith, wisdom, and belief that will, in the hardest and easiest of times, draw us even closer to you, that others may see and experience You through us.  Amen

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#MatthewKelly – 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory

#PhilWickham – I Believe

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Brian and I are planning a pilgrimage to Spain to walk the 75 mile El Camino de Santiago, The Way of St. James.  We definitely have some preparation to do to get our bodies, particularly feet and legs ready for this journey.  We will need to prepare our minds and hearts for the spiritual journey.  And being that took French in high school, I’m also needing to spend this time of preparation learning Spanish.  Between Rosetta Stone and a Spanish friend of mine, who is also a Spanish teacher, I think I’ll be in good hands.  Needless to say, with all this preparation going on, there is an amazing, but challenging opportunity for great growth in my future. 

Will the pilgrimage be worth the many hours and days of preparation…100% it will.

Will the effects of this preparation go beyond this pilgrimage…100% it will.

Until now, I’m not sure if I’ve thought of my pilgrimage with God this way, but I have to ask myself…Am I willing to be deliberate in all of these areas in preparation for my 9 day El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage?  I also need to ask…Why am I/have I not been as committed to my life long pilgrimage with God? 

Why do I not physically prepare myself for doing His work?

Why do I not spend more time clearing my mind of distractions, so that I can focus on Him?

Why do I not spend more time in meditative, spiritual prayer?

Why do I not spend the time to learn God’s language?  Which by the way is Love.  Love can be a challenging language to learn.

To all of these, I would have to say my answer is distractions.  Some distractions can be okay, because it may lead us to a path God is guiding us to, but all too often I allow the distraction to consume my prayer time, which leaves me without prayer. 

How can I ever expect to learn the language of love if I don’t listen, practice, and put it into action?  Thanks be to God, that He doesn’t give up on us as easily as we give up on Him. 

The choice for today is in your hands.  The choice for tomorrow is in your hands.  When you fail, don’t start over from the beginning, because you will never make it to the end.  When you fail, the only way you will complete the journey is to pick up where you left off and keep moving forward. 

If you’re interested in information about an El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, reach out to me and I can pass along some information.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#ConsumedByFire – Walk with Jesus

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  On my way home from exercise class yesterday evening, I found myself thinking about those in my family that I’m praying will choose to return to Christ.  My thoughts then turned to friends that also have family members they are praying will return to Christ.  My thoughts then drifted to the snow we recently experienced.

The snow all fell all at the same time, yet some melted, while others remained.  On the south side of our home, the snow melted within a day, yet the north side porch still has wind drifted snow on it.  What makes the difference…the light and warmth from the sun. 

When we leave our home, we have the choice to walk out the North door or the South door.  Will we choose the warmth and sunlit back porch or the shadowed and chilled front porch?  No matter which way we choose to walk out into the world, once we step outside, the world and those within it influence us, our thinking, and our actions. 

If you find yourself where you don’t want to be, you have a choice of two paths 1) Work your way around to the sunny side.  2) Backtrack, cutting through the house, to the sunny side.

Sure, the choices seem simple enough, but Satan is in the soul trapping business and he has traps set all over, just waiting for you to stumble into them.  No one consciencely chooses to step right into his traps, but yet we find ourselves falling into them like potholes in early spring.

My advice, NEVER STOP PRAYING FOR YOUR FAMILY.  You may never experience the fruits of your labor, but the reward is not in you seeing them return to Christ.  The reward is them returning to Christ.

By the way, when you come to visit us, make sure you come to the back door, the South, sunny side of our home.  I even have a sign over the door that states “Back Door Guests Are Best”.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay it forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.  Click subscribe to receive your message every Wednesday via email.

#ElevationWorship – Praise