Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Back in December 2021 one of Diana’s friends, who was having difficulty with a coworker, approached Diana requesting that she consider doing a blog/podcast about dealing with difficult people. Without further ado, let’s move forward.
Friday, February 11, 2022
Keep Moving Forward – Diana Marie Keller
Episode 13: How to Effectively Deal with Difficult People
Hello, and welcome to another Keep Moving Forward Friday! Today’s post comes to you as a request from a friend who needed advice on how to deal with people that are difficult.
And because this request is a little difficult to speak to, I needed to approach the topic with two lenses:
If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay if forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.
😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. For multiple reasons, one of my absolute favorite things to witness and experience is a baptism. At Mass Saturday, I had the privilege of witnessing Austin’s baptism. No, I don’t know Austin or her family, but nonetheless, experiencing this moment with them brought me great joy. I also thought it was very fitting that our Gospel reading this weekend was about being called to be followers of Christ.
Luke 5:1-11 “While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, He asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then He sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.”
A couple items I would like to make mention of, that happen at the introduction to a baptism, are:
1) Everyone is given the opportunity to publicly renew their baptismal promises, which I am very thankful for. There is something special about speaking those promises aloud. It seems to bring them alive and make them more real.
2) We, as a community of faith and believers, are asked if we will help bring this child up in the faith we just professed. I responded, “I will.”
I couldn’t tell you how many baptisms I’ve experienced over the years, but this one brought with it a little more meaning and understanding for me. Again, I don’t know Austin or her family, so how can I keep my promise to help Austin grow in her faith? I pondered this off and on for a few days. The answer is, no, I won’t physically guide her in her faith, but by mine and everyone else’s prayers, she will be bathed in prayer and blessings, and surrounded by a community of saints. In the past, the joy of witnessing a baptism was fleeting and honestly, the prayers ended even more quickly. As I was talking with God about the events of this past weekend, He told me to start a Baptismal Prayer List, so I did. I put the date, location, and name of the person on my prayer list and that way I can pray for them and their faith journey for the rest of my life.
Will Austin and everyone else that will eventually be added to this prayer list even know that they are on a prayer list? I doubt it. Will they know that I’m praying for them? I’m guessing no. Will I ever know the outcomes of my prayers for them? Probably not. In some way, will they feel these prayers and experience God’s loving presence because of them? Yes, I believe they will. As followers of Christ, we are called to “…fearlessly make known the mysteries of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.” Ephesians 6:19-20. That is actually a portion of a prayer I pray every morning as I brush my teeth, Ephesians 6:10-20. It’s worth reading and taking it to heart.
I’m going to close out today’s message with Jack Beers’ reflection on last Sunday’s Gospel and his touching story about when a young boy was given the opportunity to meet Mr. Rodgers. Or maybe I should say, when Mr. Rodgers had the opportunity to meet this young boy. The video is only about 6 minutes and well worth the listen.
Bless others and be blessed.
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 subscript to receive your message every Wednesday.
#JackBeers – Jesus’ Solution to the Curse of Our Age – Feed Your Soul: Gospel Reflections
Christ’s peace and presence be with you. I would like to introduce you to a blog/podcast that I enjoy and have found to be interesting, thought provoking, educational, and motivating. Diana Marie Keller started her Keep Moving Forward blog May 29, 2020. During 2021 Diana decided to expand her platform. While still maintaining her blog, on November 19, 2021 Diana released her Keep Moving Forward Introduction podcast. As of today, she has released 12 episodes. To quote Diana, “This podcast is a conversation between me and you! It’s happy hour with your best friend! We share stories, talk about our struggles, break down those thoughts in our brain that cause us to become stuck, and identify ways to incorporate change and action into our world! This podcast is all about what it means to face our challenges head on and KEEP MOVING FORWARD!”
Diana and I cover some similar topics, but we each have our own spin on how we approach them. Both you and I travel our own path and learn in different ways, which is exactly why God places specific people and experiences in our lives, and why God has guided me to the decision to introduce you to Diana and Keep Moving Forward.
As I mention on my “How did this all begin?” page, “My prayer for this website is that ultimately it is the Lord, Father, Spirit, and Jesus that you see, hear, and experience. May your heart, mind, ears, and spirit be open to whatever it is that He is speaking specifically to you.” With that in mind and Diana’s permission, I’m going to start sharing Diana’s Keep Moving Forward blog/podcasts with you. Watch for them on Fridays. Although I’m starting with podcast episode 12, which is Diana’s most recent episode, I encourage you to check out her previous podcasts and blogs. So, without further ado, let’s move forward.
Friday, February 4, 2022
Keep Moving Forward – Diana Marie Keller
Episode 12: PIVOT! PIVOT!
I am FINALLY doing a podcast on what is probably my favorite personal development topic – PIVOTING YOUR LIFE!
1) I talk about the real reason why I left teaching.
2) I give you three pieces of advice to consider if you are in a pivot season.
3) I provide questions for you to ponder, to help you to change the narrative in your own life.
Today’s topic is so important to me, and I really hope it helps you during this season of your life!
If the Lord has touched you in some way with His message today, I ask that you pay if forward by sharing this message, so that you and He may also bless others.
😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. First of all, I want to say how joyful and energetic it makes me feel to have the sun out longer in the evenings. Mark 5: 1-8 shares with us an experience of being kept in the shadows and bound by an unclean spirit.
‘They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when He had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit and met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him anymore, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For He had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”’
This past season was the first year that the shorter days of sunlight really made me feel like hibernating. More times than not, I found myself doing nothing but sitting on the couch watching TV after work. Just about every evening when I finally went to bed, I would beat myself up about being so lazy and tell myself, “I need to do better tomorrow.” It can be very easy to let the demons in our lives take over and cast a dark shadow over us. Our demons hold us back from moving into the light of the Son. We must push through the darkness toward the Son, to be re-energized and find the peace and joy that only a life with Christ provides.
To quote Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “There are two ways of knowing how good and loving God is. One is by never losing Him, through the preservation of innocence, and the other is by finding Him after one has lost Him.” We must never give up our search for God! In those dark days, seek even the slightest ray of light to draw you back to The Light.
Bless others and be blessed.
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 subscript to receive your message every Wednesday.
😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. I’m part of a group of ladies that keep in contact on a daily basis and generally meet in person once a month. I named our group GAL for short, but it stands for God’s Amazing Ladies. It started off with three of us, who ironically all have the name Michele/Michelle, although I go by Shelly. Over these past couple years, our GAL group has grown to six. I typically like to start our daily conversation with a quote and the thoughts that quote invokes in me. Here are two quotes, from this past week, that Matthew Kelly sent out via his Dynamic Catholic Daily Reflection and the thoughts they invoked.
I find it interest that a comfy chair is in this picture. Isn’t that so true, we want to fulfill our purpose, but we want to do it in comfort. No one wants life to be challenging, hard, or uncomfortable. But sometimes our purpose cannot be completed in comfort. Comfort can at times close our eyes and ears, causing us to not act.
One way I like to get a new perspective is to lay on my bed with my head at the foot end. Try it. Lay down, close your eyes, be quiet for a moment, and be amazed at how your mind starts playing different scenarios.
Something else that stuck with me this week is Cara Whitney’s daily devotional called Growing in Trust, from her book unbridled faith DEVOTIONS for YOUNG READERS. “…God faithfully keeps every one of His promises. And He never changes the way He loves us. But some people still don’t believe they can trust Him. Maybe they feel He hasn’t answered their prayers. Or they’ve had some problems they think God should have saved them from. Or maybe, someone gave them a wrong idea of who God is – that He is angry or out to get them. Whatever the reason, the Bible tells us again and again that God is completely trustworthy. He is faithful. The Bible shows us a picture of a loving, patient, and radically forgiving God who will stop at nothing to have a relationship with the people He created.
The truth is, you cannot trust someone you don’t know. So, getting to know God is the key to learning how to trust Him. Also, as we walk through each day with Him, we learn He wants only what’s best for us. If he doesn’t answer our prayers on our schedule or says no to a prayer, He has a reason.
If you are having trouble trusting God and His goodness, tell Him so. He already knows how you feel, so don’t be afraid to talk honestly with Him. Treat Him like the friend He is, and He will show Himself to you.”
By allowing The Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit into your daily thoughts and activities, you are allowing yourself constant learning, steady growth, and continual moments of conversion, which enlighten you and allow you to believe the truth of who The Father created you to be.
How will you recognize this enlightenment? You will start recognizing God’s being and presence more and more in your daily activities. And if you really want to put a smile on His face, acknowledge Him in those moments. Either silently or aloud, you can tell Him something like… “Nice one God!” “Oh, I see what You did there.” “Thank You, I needed to feel/see You in this moment.”
Bless others and be blessed.
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 subscript to receive your message every Wednesday.
#MatthewKelly – Dynamic Catholic Daily Reflection
#CaraWhitney – unbridled faith DEVOTIONS for YOUNG READERS
😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. In last Wednesday’s message we discussed your baptism and commission in Christ.
I shared with you that, we are empowered and called upon to prepare the way, so that every single person has the opportunity to experience the sacrifice, forgiveness, peace, and love that Christ wants each of us to know, understand, and accept in the depths of our spirit.
On our own, that’s a pretty tall order, but by our baptism, we are no longer alone and the Holy Spirit equips us for success, His success. And His success, more times than not, will look very differently than what we may consider success.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as He wishes.”
As you can see and I’m sure probably already realize, we received the proper portion and variety of spiritual gifts that we need to successfully fulfill our commission. With that being said, it’s very important that you talk with the Lord to confirm and validate what He has commissioned you for and be mindful not to try to take on what has been commissioned for someone else. Just because you may have the spiritual gift, doesn’t always mean a particular commission is for you. Spiritual gifts are incredible tools, but if you don’t pay attention to the guidance that come with them, you may end up misusing your gifts. Communication with the Lord about your gifts is key to successfully completing your portion of the commission.
John 2: 1-11 describes to us Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding at Cana, in which Jesus turns water into wine. You may remember that Jesus didn’t want to do this miracle and told His mother, “My hour has not yet come.” So, if it was up to Him, He would have put off His commission. But Mary was using her spiritual gifts and did as the Lord commissioned her to do in that moment. Sometimes our commission is to initiate the conversation. Other times it’s to receive the conversation and act accordingly. Other times, we are likened to servers at the wedding who drew the water in order for Christ to change it to wine. And still other times, we are like the headwaiter and wedding guess that receive the benefits of the miracle, even though we are blind to the source or even the knowledge that it was the product of a miracle.
Each of us have received specific spiritual gifts, which equip us for a successful commission. Your commission is a part of the whole, and you will need to communicate with the Lord to ensure you know your hour.
Bless others and be blessed.
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 subscript to receive your message every Wednesday.
😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. In your baptism you are filled with the Holy Spirit. The “Big H.S.” as I like to call Him. He is our helper, guide, and constant companion. For some, you chose this at your baptism. For others, like me, I was too young to make that choice, but it’s by far been the greatest gift my parents could have given me. Upon receiving this gift, we are empowered and called upon to prepare the way, so that every single person has the opportunity to experience the sacrifice, forgiveness, peace, and love that Christ wants each of us to know, understand, and accept in the depths of our spirit. He trusts your “Yes” and commissions you to be His assistant. To speak and act with confidence, power, and authority.
Your commission in Christ is really mind blowing. You are given this awesome opportunity to allow Him to live within you and be a part of your every thought, action, and inaction. That’s huge and can be scarry at times. Have you ever heard of the concept of six degrees of separation? If not, essentially, it’s the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. I think of it slightly differently. God is our Creator, you, me, everyone. Christ is our Savior for you, me, everyone. The Holy Spirit is our earthly guide for you, me, everyone. First of all, if I know one of them, I know them all. Second, if I know them, then through them I know everyone else. Seek the Godly qualities in others and you will never fail to see your friend and the light of Christ shine through them.
I imagine some of you may be thinking this is a pie in the sky kind of thought process, but it’s us humans, with Satan’s promptings and trickery that create division, not God. God created us with the ability to live in harmony, but we choose to see differently. Allow your commission to open every aspect of your being to the clarity He can provide.
To quote Joe Black in the movie Meet Joe Black, “Now, multiply that by infinity, take that to the depths of forever, and you still barely have a glimpse of what I’m talking about.” With God, you will do amazing things. Will you say “Yes” to Him?
😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Welcome to our first Wednesday Message of 2022. The older I get, the less I hear people talking about new year resolutions. I’m guessing it’s just an age thing, but I could be wrong. Although, I do still hear people talking about setting goals for themselves. If you think about it, a resolution is more focused on a decision and a goal is more focused on the end result. So, you really kind of need the resolution to make the goal a reality.
Yesterday morning I read this quote by Jane Trufant Harvey, from the book Ask Him. “Ask Him to instill perseverance when you are tired.” Pondering that thought, it took me down a trail to patience. Upon looking up the definitions of these two, I found:
Patience – the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Persevere – continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.
In yesterday’s Gospel readings, Mark 6:34-44 we are reminded of the five loaves and two fish. But what lead to this unorganized gathering of so many? They were souls longing for more. Knowing deep within that there was more and He was the more that their hearts desired. I imagine there were some that left the gathering early trying to beat the crowd, knowing that it would be getting late and there really wasn’t much around to secure a meal. But an overwhelming number of others were patient and persevered knowing that the spiritual food and learning they were taking in was more valuable than the physical food they were missing. Even His disciples were getting a little antsy and suggested that Jesus dismiss the crowds.
God had other plans.
At times it can seem as if what we have to offer is so small and immeasurable. The disciples were feeling the same way. Instead of staying the course, we talk ourselves down, causing us to jump off course. The disciples wanted to end Jesus’ teaching moment, but instead He provided them with an incredible teaching moment that not only fed their souls, but also their bellies.
Even when your patience and perseverance are running on empty, all He asks is that you gather up what little you have left, look to your Heavenly Father, bless what you have, and share it with all those around you. Do you think the person next in line for the fish and bread basket was looking for big heaping piles of food or just enough to feed their family? Do you think in the moment, the crowd was even considering the fact that the baskets never went empty? Are you focusing on your blessing basket being emptied because others are constantly pulling from your basket? Spoiler Alert…As long as you offer your gifts to God, your basket will NEVER be empty. You may feel it’s a little low, but it will NEVER be empty. Heck, the disciples started out with five loaves and two fish, then after everyone ate their fill, they gathered up 12 baskets full of leftovers. It’s awesome how blessings grow and multiply when you share them.
We have many days, hours, and minutes left in 2022. Be patient, persevere, and focus on God’s plans for your minutes, hours and days. Offer what you have and watch it multiply.
Bless others and be blessed.
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 subscript to receive your message every Wednesday.
😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. MERRY CHRISTMAS! You may be over this Christmas season, but in reality, we are only on day 5 of 12. So….that means it’s 5 Gold Rings day. The 12 days of Christmas starts on Christmas day and runs through January 6th, which is the Epiphany aka the day the three wise men arrive to honor the Lord. The 12 days of Christmas really are a special time in the Christian community and within the Catholic community we celebrate multiple feast and holy days. Today we are going to dive into the Christian meaning of the 12 Christmas gifts on the 12 days of Christmas. Let’s see if you know them all.
A Partridge in a Pear Tree.
The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge, the only bird that will die to protect its young.
Two Turtledoves.
These twin birds represent the Old and New Testaments. So in this gift, the singer finds the complete story of the Christian faith and God’s plan for the world. The doves are the biblical roadmap that is available to everyone.
Three French Hens.
These birds represent faith, hope, and love. This gift hearkens back to 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter written by the Apostle Paul.
Four Calling Birds.
One of the easiest facets of the song’s code to figure out, these fowl are the four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Five Gold Rings.
The gift of the rings represents the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch.
Six Geese a-Laying.
These lyrics can be traced back to the first story found in the Bible. Each egg is a day in creation, a time when the world was “hatched” or formed by God.
Seven Swans a-Swimming.
It would take someone quite familiar with the Bible to identify this gift. Hidden in the code are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and compassion. As swans are one of the most beautiful and graceful creatures on earth, they would seem to be a perfect symbol for the spiritual gifts.
Eight Maids-a-Milking.
As Christ came to save even the lowest of the low, this gift represents the ones who would receive his word and accept his grace. Being a milkmaid was about the worst job one could have in England during this period; this code conveyed that Jesus cared as much about servants as he did those of royal blood. The eight who were blessed included the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The beatitudes.
Nine Ladies Dancing.
These nine dancers were really the gifts known as the fruit of the Spirit. The fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Ten Lords a-leaping.
This is probably the easiest gift to understand. As lords were judges and in charge of the law, this code for the Ten Commandments was fairly straightforward to Catholics.
Eleven Pipers Piping.
This is almost a trick question, as most think of the disciples in terms of the dozen. But when Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide, there were only eleven men who carried out the gospel message.
Twelve Drummers Drumming.
The final gift is tied directly to the Catholic Church. The drummers are the 12 points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed. “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.”
If you already knew this, I hope it was a good reminder. If this is new to you, I hope every time you hear this song it will prompt you to pause and remember. Today’s video isn’t the best quality, but I do enjoy the Muppets. I hope you enjoy this as well.
Bless others and be blessed.
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 subscript to receive your message every Wednesday.
😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Is it the most wonderful time of the year or will hurt and unforgiveness cloud your family gatherings or possibly completely prevent them from happening?
Forgiveness can be so hard, but it is absolutely necessary for YOUR peace and health. Can you truly accept the peace that Christ has to offer, when your heart is hardened by unforgiveness? Search for where you need forgiveness and discuss with God, the Master of Forgiveness, what steps you need to take to achieve this level of peace.
You’ll struggle to move forward into the light while unforgiveness continues to cloud your days. There are moments and some times days that we allow ourselves to be consumed by bitterness and the hurt we feel others have inflicted upon us. More often than not, we inflict even more bitterness and hurt upon ourselves simply because we refuse to forgive. Just because you forgive someone doesn’t mean you have to be best buds. You don’t have to hangout with them, see them, or even talk with them, but you do have to release them from the control YOU are allowing them to have over you. The funny thing is, they probably don’t even have a clue they have this power over you.
It may take a long time for you to forgive someone. Then out of the depths of your subconscious, that bitterness and hurt rears its ugly head again and you have to start working through the forgiveness process all over. It’s kind of like that old shampoo commercial…Wash, Rinse, and Repeat. We have to continually wash out the bitterness and hurt. Rinse it down the drain. And repeat this process every time you feel the filth of unforgiveness attaching itself to you. I do want to share some good news with you though. The more willing you are to forgive, the sooner you will be free. At first it may take years. The next time, just months, then days, hours, minutes, until you finally let it go for good and it no longer has a controlling grip on your life.
1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
What is that temptation? To fester in our bitterness and hurt.
What is the way out that God provides? Unlimited opportunities to forgive.
Don’t give up on yourself. Allow yourself to forgive and heal. I pray you and God have a great conversation that leads to lasting healing, health, and peace.
Bless others and be blessed.
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 subscript to receive your message every Wednesday.
Third Day Devotions 