😎🐫🎤 Merry Christmas!  Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  During Christmas and as we embark on 2026 it’s a perfect time to focus on family.  In the celebration of Christ’s birth, we get a glimpse of the importance of family.  The Holy family didn’t have a perfect life, but they did love and protect each other with the help and guidance of our Heavenly Father.  God sent His angels to deliver messages and allowed Mary and Joseph to choose the paths they wanted to take.  They were called to leave home for a census.  Had a baby in the process.  Were warned not to return to their home…for years…because someone wanted to kill their new born son.  And that was just the beginning.

Just like the Holy Family, God is in the midst of our daily family lives.  He gives us options, and by the grace of free will, He allows us to make our own choices.  We’ve all made some questionable turns in our lives, that have led us to roads we really didn’t want to be on.  The choices and guidance God’s giving us is not an attempt to control us, but to show us a path back to Him.  The real question is, will I listen to Him?  Will you listen to Him?  Whether we want Him there or not, God is the source of and at the center of our lives and family is important to Him.  He shows us the importance of the family in and through the Holy Trinity. 

God loves us so much and desires for us to love Him in return.  I believe it really hurts our Lord seeing how the family unit is struggling and being torn apart.  Satan is the source of the attack on families.  If we want to have peace in the world, I truly believe it has to start with the rebuilding of solid families.  Without Christ centered families, there will never be peace.  When He knocks on the door to your home, will you invite Him into 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.

#TheBelongingCo feat. Hope Darst – Mighty Name of Jesus

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Happy Christmas Eve!!!  As I’ve journeyed through Advent, one of the ideas I’ve found myself meditating on is the pure innocence, peace, and love that is brought forth from the infant Jesus to our world at His birth and still today.  Right next to my nativity scene, I have a crucifix.  Looking at Christ’s beaten body on the cross, I still see the innocence, peace, and love that He was at the moment of His birth.  Christ is unchanging, yet by taking the weight of my sin and your sin, He is offering us salvation and the opportunity to change. 

God the Father created us in perfection, but the weight of our sin has beaten us down and deformed us to the point that we are unable to freely and confidently stand as his originally created perfection.  Every time you and I choose to shed the weight of our sin through the sacrament of Reconciliation and more importantly by choosing not to sin, when being tempted by Satan and his demons, we are choosing the innocent, peaceful, unconditional love that God created us for. 

This Christmas season, rejoice in the innocence, peace, love, and sacrifice Christ literally died for, to offer you.  To Christ, you are worth all the suffering He accepted on your behalf.  Praise, rejoice, and glorify our Lord.  You are His child and He is offering you many gifts…although you probably won’t find them under a tree.  You must fully unwrap His gifts, if you ever want to fully receive them.  His gifts can not be fully given, until you fully receive them.

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 – Indescribable

😎🐫🎤 Hi All. Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  This week I finished reading The True Meaning of Christmas by Michael Patrick Barber.  This book breaks down familiar Christmas carols, giving them new meaning, by presenting Biblical history and language of the time.  I want to share with you a portion of “Away In A Manger”, regarding

Luke 2:1-6

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.  This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.  And Joseph too

went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  While they were there, the time came for her to have her child…”

Michael Patrick Barber shares with us, “What Luke’s presentation highlights is this: the powers that be think they are calling the shots, but God’s plan will ultimately be accomplished.  Jesus is born in the king’s hometown, as is fitting.  The pagan emperor issues his decrees for his purposes.  Unbeknownst to him, however, God uses them to make sure the Messiah is born in the right place.  In other words, even if the world does not know it, the Lord is the real King.”

We don’t have to look very far or hard to find things that we don’t understand or agree with why they are being done.  These things may not make sense to me or you, but nevertheless, they still happen.  I, as I’m sure you have also, experienced this a time or two, or more in 2025.  We may have found ourselves asking, “Why?”  Sometimes we see God’s work shining through faster than others, but it’s all about perspective.  What I think God should be doing is different than what you think God should be doing, and God could have a very different take on it than both of us.

God has a masterful way of turning our doings into His glory.  It would certainly be a lot easier if I would just listen to Him and do as He guides me, but sometimes our best lessons learned are the ones in which we failed to some degree.  But then again, if we learn from our failures, is it truly a failure?  I experienced that last week at work.  I actually thanked my supervisor for not jumping in to correct me, but letting me fall a bit, so that I could gain better perspective. 

Where/How are you seeing and experiencing God working His glory in the midst of our human control?  Praise God and thank Him that your heart and eyes are open to Him.  Keep seeking Him and He will continue to open your eyes.

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.

#MichaelPatrickBarber – The True Meaning of Christmas

#NatKingCole – Away In A Manger

😎🐫🎤 Hi All. Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Prepare…Prepare!!!  Wait…What?!  It’s December!  You bet your sweet Advent it is.  It’s time to even more so prepare.  Not the shopping.  Not the food or decorations.  Make moments of peace for yourself in this busy time, to prepare your mind, heart, and spirit for the nativity of Christ.  I find a dark room, with just the Christmas lights on, the perfect silent and peaceful setting to contemplate and prepare.   

Above all, this Advent season, I pray that you truly experience Christ’s presence and peace.  May His abundance overflow through you, bringing His peace and joy to others.  Amen!  Happy Advent!

This week’s music selection is 1 hour and 22 minutes of instrumental music to help provide you moments of peace for contemplation and preparation.

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.

#DanMusselman – Christmas & Hymns Instrumental Worship

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  We are on the eve of Thanksgiving, my favorite time to gather with family.  Yes, it’s also my favorite time of year to really reflect on all that I am thankful for.  Thanksgiving morning, Brian and I like to start reflecting on our blessings by praying the Mass.  I truly am in awe of the details that God puts into every single moment of our lives.  He cares so much for you and me.  He loves us beyond measure, which is why there is no way we will every be able to realize and count every blessing He bestows upon us.  Every detail He puts into every blessing, is in and of itself a blessing.  Why, why does He take that much time to work through all the details for me, for you?  It comes down to one thing…LOVE!  I know, we can’t even come close to fathoming His love, which is why we so easily disregard it or maybe it’s that we don’t even recognize it.

I encourage you to take some time, really look at the details of your life, your year, your week, your day, this moment.  How can you see God’s love, where you didn’t see it before?  Keep looking…He wants to reveal even more of His love for you, to 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.

#SephSchlueter – Counting My Blessings

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  What’s in a name?  My parents chose my names and then I got to add to that when I chose my Confirmation saint.  I was 13 years old when I chose my Confirmation saint.  I can say with 100% confidence that, when I chose my saint, I didn’t know the full weight of my choice.  As I recall, I wanted a saint that sounded kind of cool and the name flowed nicely with the rest of my name.  Although I prefer being called Shelly, my given name is Michelle Ann and my Confirmation name is Helen.  Part of my morning prayers is praying for the assistance of my patron saints, to guide me through what life has in store for me that day.

St. Michael, he is the warrior part of me.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.  Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.  May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls.  Amen.

St. Anne, she is the mature, wise, protector part of me.

Oh God, You bestowed on St. Anne such grace that she was found worthy to become the mother of Mary, who brought forth Your only begotten Son.  Grant that we may be helped by her intercession.  Amen.

St. Helen, she is the part of me that is searching for what God wants to offer me and how to best use what He is offering me, to serve Him and His salvation plan for all His children.

Holy and blessed St. Helen, with the anguish and devotion with which you sought the Cross of Christ, I plead that you give me God’s grace to suffer in patience the labors of this life, so that through them and through your intercession and protection, I will be able to see and carry the cross, which God has placed upon me, so that I can serve Him in this life and enjoy His Glory ever after.  Amen.

I thank God for the many saints He has placed in my life to guide, assist, and protect me, as I journey back to Him.  Amen!

Have you thought about your name?  Do you pray for guidance and assistance from your patron saints?

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.

#NatalieLayne – All Joy

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  After Mass Friday morning, I visited with Christ for an hour in Adoration.  I caught myself a few times focusing on the Tabernacle, instead of Christ’s presence in the Monstrance.  “Come on Shell, focus.”  I thought, “How true is this.  So often we look right past Christ, while seeking for what we think we desire.”  But that void we seem to be constantly trying to fill, is just our desire to truly know Christ and be filled to overflowing with Him. 

By the way, that’s great news!  “Why is that great news?”, you ask.  Because knowing that the only One we truly desire is Christ, makes life easier to actually see Him in all things and all people.  Easier to experience Him in action.  Easier to carry Him forth and offer Him to others.  This is great news!  Thank You Lord!!!

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 – So So Good

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I see bits of me in both the Pharisee and the tax collector mentioned in Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke 18:9-14. 

‘He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.

“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.  The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’  But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’  I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”’

We live in a world, in which it’s common practice to be formulating a “one up” response to a conversation, instead of actually listening to what is being said.  We seem to be constantly trying to look better than or out do what the other person has done.  We get caught in the comparison game.  What we should be asking ourselves is, “Is this person or that person the standard by which I should be living my life or comparing myself to?”

It’s a real challenge to be humble, while boasting about yourself.  In humility, we place God as our standard to live by, not our neighbor, coworker, friends, or family.  As Matthew Kelly put it in his book Holy Moments, “You were made in the image of God.  Act Accordingly.”  When we stop the comparison game, we are free to live as and be exactly the person God intended us to be.  The door is open for you to humbly take a step closer to God. 

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.

#MeganWoods – The Truth

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Brian and I are taking part in a program call The Rescue Project.  Fr. John Riccardo, Executive Director of Acts XXIX hosts this video series, which focuses on four aspects, Created, Captured, Rescued, and Response.  We’ve made it through the Created and Captured portions and are working our way through the Rescue.  Fr. Riccardo presents some things in ways I had never really thought of before and they make you stop to think.  I would say, the most interesting take away I had from episode 5 was the concept of the crucified Christ as an ambush predator.  I know, it sounds kind of strange. 

Something else mentioned in episode 5 is kind of a no brainer, but I never really thought about it.  Christ was born of Mary, as true flesh and blood, fully human and fully God.  Christ had to die in order to defeat death, so that we could have the opportunity to have eternal life with them in heaven.  But the thing is, God can’t die.  He had to become one like us, flesh, in the image of God, so that He could die for us.

We still have four more episodes to work through the Rescue and Response aspects of this program.  I’m looking forward to more take aways and aha moments, to help me better understand all that God has really done for me and you.  I’ve included a link to The Rescue Project below.  I would suggest not binge watching this program.  Give yourself some days between the episodes, to allow yourself to soak it up and ponder what your taking in. 

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.

#ForKingAndCountry – For God Is With Us

#TheRescueProject – https://watch.actsxxix.org/therescueproject

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Sunday’s Gospel was Luke 17:11-19, Christ’s encounter with healing 10 lepers.  From a distance, the 10 unclean, in a loud voice asked Christ to have pity on them, to heal them.  He didn’t say, “Let me think about that.”  Or, “Why should I have pity on you?”  Or, “What have you done for Me lately?”  Christ’s response was, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”  The 10 then began their journey to see the priest, so the priests could see that they were healed and proclaim them as clean.

On Saturday, as I was working through my examination of conscience, that was like me calling to Christ in a loud voice, “Have pity on me!”  He guided me to show myself to the priest.  Sunday morning before Mass, I participated in the sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation.  By humbly presenting myself and my sins, Father, through the power and authority of Christ, prayed an absolution of my sins over me.  I was declared CLEAN!  That truly is a moment of joy and thanksgiving.  Jesus didn’t ask me, “Why should I have pity on you?”  Or, “What have you done for Me lately?”  He didn’t say, “Let me think about that.”  He welcomed me into His loving embrace.  Yes, He already knows that I will in fact sin again, but that doesn’t stop Him from loving me and offering all He has to me.  And YOU!

The leper that was healed and returned to thank Christ, was a Samaritan.  There is no mention of where the other nine where from.  We read multiple places in the Bible, that God wasn’t there just for the Jews.  The woman at the well.   Saul/Paul.  Healing the Roman soldier’s son.  God created every single one of us and He wants to continue that relationship with each and every one of us.  God’s story is embedded in you and you are His living testimony.  Don’t hide your story.  Your story is meant to be lived, shared, and told.

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.

#Terrian – Testimony