😎🐫🎤 Merry Christmas and Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Wow, this past week just flew by and just like that, it’s 2024.  New year, new possibilities.  It seems like we hear that at the beginning of every year.  But have you heard this lately…New year, same God.  Yep, He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  He is also the provider of new possibilities.  Every day He provides you 24 hours worth of possibilities and each possibility is a call and opportunity for you to draw a little closer to Him.  You want to know what possibilities you have in store today, ask Him.  He’ll tell you.  Talk with Him, but also listen.  You can’t learn something new if you are the one constantly talking.  Quiet your mind and the noise and distractions around you.  Be at peace and soak in the possibilities.  Greatness in Christ awaits you.

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.

#NorthPointWorship – This is My Song

😎🐫🎤 Merry Christmas and Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Driving between family visits on Christmas Eve, I spotted this license plate, JVS 5451.  My immediate thought was…Jesus vs Satan 54 – 51.  Christ wins by 3…Father Spirit Jesus!  What a great affirmation that was on Christmas Eve.

Yes, Christ chose to physically come into our world and experience all that we experience.  He chose to share in our joy, laughter, and love.  He CHOSE to feel the crushing blows of our sin, that brought Him to His knees, under its weight.  He CHOSE the striking blows of metal spikes being driven through His flesh, the thorns digging into his head, and the sword piercing His side.  HE CHOSE THEM ALL because He loves, which is a love beyond our comprehension. 

This time of year, we celebrate the birth of Christ, but what we are really celebrating is the salvation from our sins through His life and sacrificial death.  As people ask you what you received for Christmas, offer them the following answer.  In Christ’s birth I received an example to live by.  In His sacrificial death and resurrection, I received forgiveness and life eternal.  There is NO BETTER a gift than that.  Thank You Jesus!

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.

#PhillipsCraig&Dean – Great I Am

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Have you ever stopped to think about how noise affects you?  I had an experience Sunday morning, that brought that thought to the forefront of my mind.  20 minutes prior to the start of Mass, our parish prays the Rosary.  We typically start with only a handful of us.  We are all in sync, in a low voice.  As more arrive for Mass, our voice gets stronger.  As even more arrive, the chatter picks up and our prayers are not as in sync and begin to blend into the chatter.  By the time we are praying the final decade of the Rosary, the chatter was so loud, I could hardly hear the parishioner that was leading the Rosary. 

It was during the fourth decade that I started thinking about how much noise affects use.  We used to live on a street that was a main cut through between neighborhoods and highly traveled by cars, as well as the police and fire vehicles, which is why we called it Fire Engine Alley.  I have said multiple times, how much better I sleep in our new house, because it’s so quiet.  It’s so easy to get lost in the noise of the day, get caught up in the hype, and not allow yourself, your brain, desperately needed downtime. 

Multiple times in the Bible we hear about Jesus going off to a quiet place to pray.  It was important for the Son of God to have that quiet time with the Lord.  He wasn’t always alone.  His disciples were nearby.  This is a very easy opportunity to become more like Christ.  Either by yourself or with family and friends close by, commit to allowing yourself the quiet time you need with the Lord.  Quiet time in a dimly lit church or chapel is probably my favorite time with God.  Being in the quiet of nature is a very close second. 

Christmas day is only 5 days away.  I imagine this time may be very busy days for most.  I strongly encourage you to proactively carve out needed quiet time for yourself and God.  Speak to Him and show Him that His sacrifice has not gone unnoticed.  Show Him your gratitude and appreciation for ALL that He does for you daily.    

I also encourage you to be bold in your faith and greet others with a confident “Merry Christmas”.

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 – Quiet

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Last week Brian and I were given a gift of time away from our normal routines and the opportunity to relax and reset.  We spent a week in Colorado.  What a beautiful place to experience God’s magnificence and beauty.  The Rocky Mountains are incredible.  For me, it really was a journey back to the type of relationship with God that I’d been missing this past year.  Yes, life pulls us in…Let me rephrase that…Yes, we allow life to pull us in directions away from a true, deep, meaningful, daily, and devoted relationship with God.  It’s very easy to say…”I’m too busy right now for that.” 

We arrived in Colorado on Friday evening.  Saturday morning, my sister, Elaine and I got to go to a women’s Advent retreat.  What a fabulous way to start my reset.  We all went to Mass on Sunday and then again on Thursday for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Three opportunities in one week to literally step out of the house and be with God at His house.  Actually, we made a fourth stop in God’s house last week.  When Brian and I were walking around the historic gold mining town of Leadville, we made a stop at Annunciation Catholic Church.  Mass was first celebrated at this church on 01/01/1880.  It was a beautiful moment to step back into history, but there is just such a peace, being able to spend time in a silent church with God.  I needed this reset and refresh with God more than I realized. 

When we made the reservation for this trip, I had no idea what God had in the works.  He showed up big time.  He is always a constant presence in mine and your lives, but this past week, I took my mind off of work and working on our home, which allowed so much more time to focus on my relationship with God.  That really felt good and was what I needed more than anything.  Elaine and Pete, thank you very much for listening to God’s call and inviting us to share this time in Colorado with you.

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.

#MercyMe – Spoken For

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Here’s the scene.  Yesterday was the first day I worked from our new home.  It was 18 degrees with snow flurries, so Brian got a fire going in the wood stove.  What a great and comfortable way to work.   Saturday night we were blessed to be surrounded by family and friends, as Fr. Patrick Blenman blessed our home and lead the Enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus ceremony.  Thursday we were able to have our Thanksgiving celebration with my parents and all of our children and grandchildren sitting around one table.  And my oldest daughter Crystal, her husband John and their two children spent four days with us.  What an incredible week and so much to be thankful for. 

Again, thank You Lord for all of Your gifts and blessings!

I pray that you too feel the love and warmth of God’s blessings upon your life,

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.

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  It’s Thanksgiving Eve!!!  Can I get a “Gobble Gobble”?  Seriously though, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday to spend with family and this year will be special for a few reasons.  First, Brian and I have been married for 22 years and between us we have five children, with spouses, and four grandchildren.  We had planned to have all five of our children, their spouses, and our grandchild at our home on 11/26/2020, Thanksgiving Day.  Well, COVID wrecked our plans, so after Mass, instead of going home to be with family and cook, Brian and I took a drive to checkout three pieces of land.  That was the day we found the land our new home rests on.  Thank You Lord!

Fast forward three years, although our new home doesn’t have all the finishing touches completed, we did pass our final inspection and started moving some furniture in last weekend. Thank You Lord!

We don’t even have any food or our bed in the house, but our first over night guests, my daughter Crystal and her family from North Carolina will be arriving this day.  Thank You Lord!

This Thanksgiving, we won’t even have a couch in our home, but it will be filled with something more important…my parents, all of our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren.  This is the first time ever that they will all be together.  Thank You Lord! 

Finally, Saturday, we will have our home blessing and enthronement ceremony to the Sacred Heart of Jesus…Thank You Lord!

I can begin to count all the blessings that I have received over this past year, but I quickly lose count, because there are way too many to count. THANK YOU, LORD!

I pray that your blessings are too numerous to count and your heart be overflowing with a love that only the Father can offer you.

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.

#Mikeschare – All I Can Do (Thank You)

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I like to read, well, I don’t know if it actually has a name, but the blurb, thoughts to ponder in front of the Sunday Mass readings.  This past Sunday, that blurb kept me thinking during Mass.  Actually, it still has me thinking.  The Gospel reading was a parable from Matthew 25: 1-13 that started out, “The kingdom of heaven will be like…” and goes on to paint a picture of five of the ten ladies not properly estimating the amount of lamp oil needed to keep their lamps lit for the coming of the bridegroom.  Upon receiving notification that the bridegroom was on his way, the five short on oil run to try to locate more oil.  Yes, that parable is to teach us that we do not know the time or place of the Lord’s arrival, which is why we should always be prepared.  But, the lesson from this parable that has been running through my head is slightly different. 

First, there are times in our lives that we feel prepared.  Second, there are times in our lives that our preparedness is very lacking.  We have lived and know the joys, pains, and emotions of both sides of that situation.  During Mass, the logical side of me, driven by the emotional side of me said…”They’ve got someone scouting the situation, so they didn’t need all the lamps burning all night.  As a means to conserving their supplies as a whole, during their time of waiting, they could have alternated lamp usage, which would have cut their oil usage in half and allowed them to burn all lamps to the fullest for the actual arrival of the bridegroom. 

There have been many times in my life that someone has provided me a helping hand in one way or another.  There have also been times that I have been able to help others when then didn’t quite have all they needed.  I feel this parable that Matthew shares with us is not just about the physical preparedness, but also being prepared to see the opportunities that God places before us to stand in the gap and help others, as we await Christ’s return.  After all, at the end of the day, Christ wants all of us with Him.

May you never be blind to that which the Lord has placed before you to see.

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.

#RendCollective – Counting Every Blessing

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Lord, what are we going to do today?  Not, Lord, what are You going to do today?  It’s also a matter of how you ask it.  Are you asking with an excitement, energy, and a desire to share your day with the Lord?  Are you asking sheepishly with lackluster?  Or, maybe you aren’t asking at all. 

I 100% know in my heart that our Lord created this world that we call home.  I also 100% know that Satan and his evil works have taken up a permanent residency here.  Seriously, God must be crying over all that He is seeing.  The family unit is the core of what we bring forth into this world.  You don’t have to look too hard to find that families are being destroyed.  Children are lacking the love, security, and guidance of a core family and are being thrown into this world way too early in life, to figure out things on their own and find their way.  In this world we see so much selfishness, unrest, upheaval, and lack of peace, which stems from what we are seeing within families.  I’m not talking about all families, but Satan is certainly hitting us hard in that area. 

We need to ask this question boldly, with excitement, energy, confidence, and a desire to work with and along side God.  “Lord, what are WE going to do today?!”  Every day the answer can be…”Change the world to be a better place.”  True, God’s definition of a better place looks different than our definition, so we need to get back to the basics and follow the Lord’s guidance.

Pray that your strength is in the Lord.

Pray that you hear His word and guidance.

Pray that you have the courage to act upon His word and guidance.

Pray that when your family sees you, they see Christ.

Pray that your family sees Christ in you and choose to shine Christ to others.

Pray that your actions bring Christ’s peace, presence, love, forgiveness, and security to your family.

Pray that your family will NOT be destroyed by Satan.

To bring Christ and peace to this world, it must start within our families.  Be bold in Christ and willing to fight for your family. 

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.

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  We are only one inspection away from being able to claim our new house as our home.  Can I get a WOOT WOOT!  Better yet, can I get an AMEN!  THANK YOU, LORD!  This home building journey certainly has had its moments and trials, but it has certainly had more holy moments than challenging ones.  In an effort to thank and honor God for his blessings upon us, we are having a Thank You God house party, instead of a house warming party.  For our Thank You God party, I asked one of our priests from our new parish, if he could do a home Mass.  I thought that would be a great way to honor God in our home.

Well, it turns out that we aren’t able to have Mass in our home, but we are able to do a home and family blessing ritual.  Father also suggested enthroning us and our home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Okay, what does that mean?  Thank goodness Father provided a link, so I could check it out.  I also put the link below, so that you too can check it out.   One of the needed items mentioned was a picture or statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Yes, I could go buy something new, but I really wanted something that was already part of my family.  Something that felt like home, not new, polished, and sterile.  Granted, quite a bit of our nick nack items have been packed up for a couple years now, just waiting to move, so I wasn’t quite sure what I would find, but I wasn’t planning on digging in boxes.  As I walked into our dinning room, I have a framed picture of Jesus on top of our china hutch that belonged to my grandparents.  The picture has a matte around it, so I wasn’t able to see the entire picture, so I took it out of the frame.  Sure enough, it is the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  But here’s the thing that gave me God bumps.  Check out the back of the picture. 

Seriously, this gave me God bumps.  I’ve had this image of Jesus watching over our family, I don’t know how many years.  It’s one of those images that His eyes follow you.  God ahead, try it.  As you walk around, His eyes follow you.  Pretty cool!  I knew this picture came from one of my grandparents, but I couldn’t remember for sure, which one.  I think we’ve narrowed it down to my dad’s side of the family, possibly from my grandma’s cousin, who was a priest.

So, before finding this image, I new I wanted to set up our alter area for the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our dinning room area, so that we would see Him as soon as we entered our home.  So, it was just so perfect that I found Him in the dining room.  When I looked closer at the image and realized it is the Sacred Heart of Jesus and then seeing the back, I got a bit choked up and said to Him…”You were right there all along.” 

In sooooo many ways, He has always been right there with me.  That moment was just such a solid reminder for me.  I hope it is for your as well.

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.

#SacredHeartOf Jesus

https://www.catholiccompany.com/content/sacred-heart-jesus-enthronement-ceremony

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  The Bible is filled with signs, wonders, and most importantly Jesus.  It is our foundation, the Rock upon which I hope and pray your life has been built upon.  But the Bible is just one way in which we can experience Christ.  Christ commissioned us and the Holy Spirit empowers us to be Christ’s advocate and share Him in this world, where He is needed and for whom He is reaching out to.    

Scott Lawson lives halfway across the U.S. from me.  I can count on my hands how many times we have actually spoken.  But every morning he posts a picture of the sunrise on Facebook, he is sending me an image of God.  Christ, through Scott, is sending me reminders of God’s beauty, colors, imagination, and magnitude. 

Although the sky is never the same from one minute to the next, our God never changes.  His love can never be less.  He loves you 100% all the time.  Yes, even when you are sinning, He still loves you and wants you to come back to Him.  Don’t get me wrong, He loves you, but not sinful actions and thoughts.   

Until this moment, I’m sure Scott had no idea the impact he is making in my life, for Christ.  When we allow Him, Christ will move in small, subtle, impactful ways, mostly unbeknownst to us.  That God Guy, He’s a pretty awesome guy.   

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.

#ChrisTomlin – Nobody Loves Me Like You