😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Brian and I came across this tree last Friday and I knew I had to share it with you. What do you notice?  Holes?  Rot?  About a third of the way up the trunk there is barely any wood left.  It looks like some woodpeckers had a few good meals out of this tree.  Now, take a second look, more closely.  Start and the bottom of the tree and slowly work your way up.  Do you see the live branches?  There is one coming right out of the top of this tree.  I think I’ll make a point to visit this tree next spring when its leaves are green, and take another picture. 

Have you ever felt the way this tree looks?  Pecked at.  Beat down.  Broken.  Barely hanging on.  Until you take your final breath, you are still alive and are able to grow and thrive in Christ.  As verse 16 above stated, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”  We must not lose heart.  It doesn’t matter what your life looks like on the outside, His life is still within you and able to grow where it would seem impossible.  Remember this when you look in the mirror.  But also remember this when you look into the eyes of others you encounter.  Even if you “know” someone, you don’t truly know their journey.  Be willing to grant grace where it’s needed.  For others, as well as yourself. 

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.

#JordanFeliz – Never Too Far Gone

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  This past weekend Brian and I met up with folks that I knew from back in my Air Force days.  It was kind of appropriate that we spent the day at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  It is an incredible experience.  Near the end of our time at the museum, a very sobering and humbling feeling came over me.  It is amazing how many lives have been affected because of those planes and other equipment and items we had the pleasure to explore that day.  I’m sure when the Wright brothers were tinkering around in their bicycle shop all those years ago, they didn’t know it would lead to the future development of supersonic aircrafts and space shuttles.  Along the way, there were MANY random, unrelated events that brought about the perfect coordination of future events. 

Each and every one of our lives is one random coordination of action after another.  John was some crazy guy in the desert eating locust and wild honey, but yet he baptized Jesus and set into motion our own baptism.  Mary “forced” Jesus into performing His first public miracle before He thought it was His time, which put into motion more healings and miracles than Jesus would have accomplished if left to His own timing.  What’s the deal with a virgin becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit; her fiancé wanting to divorce her, but after being visited by an angel, committed to marrying her; heading on a cross country donkey journey to be counted, while unbeknownst to them shepherds and wisemen were being drawn to their destination; at the same time a jealous king plots the slaughter of many innocent lives, to try to prevent losing his thrown; and all of this to leads to the crucifixion of a spotless lamb, to save my soul and your soul.  If that’s not random coordination, then I don’t know what is. 

Now, it’s easy to spot these random coordinations in a book and stories we’ve heard so many times, but what about your life?  Are you connecting the dots and acknowledging the random coordination in your life?  The cool thing is, just like in Jesus’ journey all those years ago, the random coordinations in your life today are all about leading you to Christ and the salvation He died for you to have.  Take some time to review just a small segment of your life, maybe 6-12 months and be amazed at the random coordination He has going on.  Then, take a moment to talk with God and thank Him for all those many disguised blessings in your life and His willingness to die to offer you such incredible grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. 

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.

#TashaLayton – Look What You’ve Done

#NationalMuseumOfTheUnitedStatesAirForce

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Welcome to December.  It’s hard to believe we are almost at the end of 2021.  I’m sitting here trying to think about all the journeys and changes, growth and learning this year has offered me, but…there is just too much to recollect it all.  Life really does amaze me, but so often I take it for granted, not giving the proper recognition and thanks I should. 

I was talking with my parents yesterday evening about a surgery I had on my right hand two weeks ago, that caused my index finger to be numb.  That seems like a bad thing, right?  Well, in reality not being able to feel anything in that finger has actually helped me work through the healing processes.  How so, you may ask.  Well, if I can’t feel the pain, then I don’t have a need for pain medication.  By not taking pain medication, I don’t have to deal with any of the side effects.  Don’t worry, the feeling is gradually coming back in my finger.  I’m two thirds of the way there. 

But was there gratitude and thankfulness 100% of the way?  No.  The day after my surgery I was rather concerned and ended up going back to my doctor’s office to have my hand evaluated.  About a week and a half later when I got some feeling back and started to feel some pain, I was thankful it had been numb. 

In Luke 17:11-19 we hear about Jesus healing the 10 Lepers and their reactions.  ‘¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy^[a] met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”’

The reason I bring this example to you is because you and I, in any given situation, can react just like those 10 lepers did.  With my surgery and healing process I’ve had multiple opportunities to react to different elements for this process.  Like the Samaritan Leper, some healing moments I recognized right away and paused to thank God.  For example, when I realized I needed a hand specialist, I was thankful that when Brian broke his finger a few years back, he had a wonderful hand specialist that I would be able to go to.  Another example is I was thankful right away that my doctor’s surgical nurse was someone that I knew from high school.  Although we haven’t spoken in 36 years or so, it gave me great peace to know she was there beside me.  Another example is how thankful I was to have Brian with me and caring for me.  So many times, we take those closest to us for granted and forget to thank God for them and all they do.  Now, on the other hand, pun intended, I certainly have my share of moments in which I act like the other nine lepers.  The first day I realized my hand was numb, was I thankful?  No.  Did I thank God right away that I now had a less stressful job, which allowed me to take time off to heal and not worry about all the work that was piling up?  No.  Did I thank God right away for everyone that was and still are praying for me and my healing?  No. 

I may not have thanked God right away, but eventually I got to the point of thanking God.  I share this all to say, sooner is better than later, but it is never too late to thank our Lord for every single blessing He has bestowed upon you and you have experienced.  Just like my numb finger, some things may not seem like blessings in moments of pain or sorrow, but wait for it to develop, when you’re able to step back and look at the full picture.  You may be surprised at all the brilliant colors and crisp clear lines that God developed from seemingly unrelated smudges and smears.

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.

#Verses – Thankful

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  There are two things I want to share with you today that caused me to pause and reflect on my life.  I was introduced to a poem by Portia Nelson titled “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters” by Matthew Kelly in his book “life is messy”.  As I mentioned last week, you should check out his book.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson

Chapter One

I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in. I am lost . . . I am helpless.

It isn’t my fault . . .

It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don’t see it.

I fall in again.

I can’t believe I am in this same place.

But it isn’t my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it there. I still fall . . . it’s a habit . . . but,

My eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

Chapter Four

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

Chapter Five

I walk down another street.

I’ll just let you ponder that awhile.  Go ahead…Take your time…I’ll wait right here.

This past weekend, within the Catholic church, we celebrate the end of our liturgical year with the Feast of Christ the King.  In hearing Bishop Barron’s sermon about this feast, as mentioned earlier, it made me pause and reflect on my life and I knew I wanted to share it with you.  This will be a bit longer than the usual song, but I believe you will get more out of it as well.

As we are on the eve of Thanksgiving, maybe leave a comment or send me a message with something you are thankful for this year.  I truly have so many people and things I’m thankful for.  At the top of my list is that God has never given up on me.  In all my selfishness and trying to do things on my own, He has never thought twice about being there for me every time I decided it was time to go back to Him.

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 – life is messy

#PortiaNelson -Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

#BishopRobertBarron – Is Jesus the King of Your Life?

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I’m currently reading Matthew Kelly’s book “life is messy”, which I would recommend everyone checkout.  Today I would like to share with you a section he titled “Slow down”.

‘This was the next thing I wrote in my journal, “You are way over the speed limit of life, “You need to slow down.” 

 Life isn’t a race.  This is one of those quintessential lessons that we all hear at different times in our lives.  We say to ourselves, “Got it.”  But we don’t.  Enjoy the journey.  Another one of those lessons.  We tell ourselves, “Got it.”  But we don’t.  We continue to rush around like maniacs.

But here’s the real problem with racing though life.  If you think of life as a race, every step sidewards and backwards, every pause, will seem like it doesn’t belong, like a waste of time.

Every step is part of life, and there is life in very step.  Life isn’t a race, it’s a dance.  Every step forward and every step back, stepping sideward and twirling in circles, are all part of the dance we call life.

Great dancers are never in a hurry.  They relax into the rhythm, become one with their partners, and experience the exhilaration of the dance.  When was the last time your life felt like that?

Simply slowing down improves almost everything in our lives.’

Can I get an Amen!?  As much as I think we would all like to be steadily moving forward, for our own good, sometimes we need some pauses, side and back steps.  You need to be able to take in the moments, instead of passing them by like trees on a highway…tree…tree…tree…tree…tree…tree…tree.  It will make you dizzy. 

Within a dance, when steps are taken with intention and purpose, they enhance the dance.  The same is true with your life steps.  When you make them with intention and purpose, they enhance your life, bringing a certain flow and grace with them. 

Okay, so how many of you have some type of step tracker you use, whether on your watch, phone, etc.?  If you take a step forward, that counts as 1 step.  If you take a step sideways, that counts as 1 step.  Even if you take a step backwards, it still counts as 1 step.  All of your steps count and they all matter.  Make them with intention and purpose.

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.

If you would like to checkout Matthew Kelly’s book, go to www.lifeismessybook.org.

#MatthewKelly – life is messy

#JohnMichaelMontgomery – Life’s a Dance

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  How fresh is your water? Ezekiel 47:1-12 speaks to us about water that entered one side of the temple and exiting on the other side of the temple, under the threshold.  From that point, a man measured off 1,000 cubits, to which they found themselves ankle-deep in the water.  He measured another 1,000 cubits and they found themselves knee-deep in the water.  Again, he measured off another 1,000 cubits, to which they were now waist-deep.  One final time he measured 1,000 cubits.  At this point the water was now a river that could not be crossed.  It was fresh water that fed and abundantly nourished all the life it passed through, both plant and animal.  The river, upon entering the sea, made the salty sea water fresh.

You are a temple in which God dwells.  As God dwells within you, you have two choices. 

1) Keep Him safe and secure within you. 

2) Allow He who has flowed into you, to flow through and out of you. 

Once we realize God is within us and how incredible that experience is, we never want to be without Him, which can cause us to hold on too tightly to Him.  You may be thinking…”Is that a bad thing?”  Actually, yes. Water is meant to flow.  Christ is our living water.  If you allow His living water to become stagnant within you, you’ll start to see a layer of scum appear and emit an odor.  On the other hand, one benefit of flowing water is that it’s a cleansing agent.  God’s intention in entering and consuming you is to fill you to overflow and flow forth into ALL those whom enter your life.  Not just some…ALL.  As His fresh living water flows through your living temple, you are nourished and used as a vessel to nourish others.  It may start as a drip, that turns into a trickle.  The trickle turns into a stream, that will continue to flow and become a river.  For every life you flow and pour into, in turn will flow and pour into others.  For one person, you may be the starting point for the drip in their life.  For others, you may find that His living water you bring adds to their trickle, stream, or river.

Our God is not meant to be bottled up.  Allow His living presence to flow in every nook and cranny of your life, washing you clean and draining away all the muck.  Don’t be afraid to share His living water.  As you pour into others, each one has a choice to make.  They can either wipe it off or allow it to penetrate into the depths of their being.  But we must allow them to make the choice.  Don’t make the choice for them by not sharing His living water with them.

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.

#MicahTyler – Amen

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  There is just something special to me about the Feast of All Saints.  It’s not something that I really proactively think about, but for some reason it puts joy in my heart.  Actually, I came to this realization on Monday evening during Mass, as I caught myself smiling and feeling happy about being there in that moment.  There are so many saints.  “A great cloud of witnesses” as they are called in Hebrews 12:1, who are purposefully placed all over this world.  Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Philippines, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the list goes on.

So, what’s the difference between God’s chosen and the saints?  Every single person, born and unborn, has been chosen by God to be His own.  Every visible and invisible feature, made in His likeness, including free will.  By giving us the gift of free will, He is allowing us the great pleasure of making the decision to choose Him.  He never wants to force us, but offer us that option of being in relationship with Him.  Which leads us to the saints. 

Who are they and how did they become the saints?  First, let’s take a moment to recognize the fact that the vast majority of saints don’t have the official title of Saint.  More times than not, they are called Mom, Dad, sister, brother, friend…you get the picture.  Saints are God’s chosen (which we recognized earlier is every single one of us), who have chosen God in return and acted upon His invitation to be His representative in this life.  As Msgr. James Vlaun, President/CEO of Catholic Faith Network asked in his homily on Monday, “What do the saints look like?  They look like us.”  To paraphrase, he also said that Holy people allow the radiance and being a child of God, to shine through them. 

Take a few moments today, as they come to your mind, to think about the saints in your life.  Those that have gone before you and those that are still present and you continue to experience.  With the saints, it’s not just about knowing them.  It’s about experiencing them and the radiance they shine forth, as an extension of our Lord and Savior.  Drink them in so that you can then pour forth and fill another’s cup.   

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.

#Msgr.JamesVlaun – President/CEO, Catholic Faith Network

#AudioAdrenaline – Sound of the Saints

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  This week I had two big events in my life.  I started my new job on my birthday and it very much felt like doors were opening before me.  Seemingly like the weather flipping overnight from the warmth of summer to the grey and chill of fall, my life flipped from stress filled days and nights to my mind has been freed up and feeling like there is so much more I can do now.  I feel like there is so much more out there for me to do and now I can actually focus on it.  Have you had a life moment like that, where God opened the path and He stood there reaching out His hand to you, saying “Come join Me.”?  So many times, He calls to us, and like me, you don’t always hear Him through the noise and distractions that consume your mind.  Today’s song, “The Summons” is one we sang in church Sunday, but is also one of my absolute favorite songs and one that I want played at my memorial Mass. 

Seriously, I just listened to this song five times.  It’s so peaceful and calming to my spirit.  I want to let His summons speak for itself.  Listen to this song a time or two…or five.  Close your eyes and feel Him speaking with you.  Allow your mind and body to move and grow where He is summoning you. 

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.

#JohnLBell&GrahamMaule – The Summons

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  There’s a sign in the yard of a property that we drive by on our way to the park to walk.  The sign simply states…”What if?”  The sign is definitely working because it certainly makes me think and it brought me to this point of sharing it with you.  What if what?  That sign is meant for every one of us.  Those two simple words, six letters, will mean something different to each of us that read this. 

What if I didn’t go to work the day after my divorce hearing?  I wouldn’t have met my husband of 20 years. 

What if I wasn’t in such a hurry to get home with a new board game that Christmas Eve?  I wouldn’t have gotten a speeding ticket.

What if I wasn’t erroneously hired for a job?  I would not have been offered an even better job to try to correct the error.

What if I didn’t allow God to be a part of my life?  When I put distance between us, I was more anxious, fearful, insecure, angry…

What if I decided I didn’t want to take the time to write to you today?  (Actually, the thought crossed my mind.)  Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that, but maybe you wouldn’t have taken the time to talk with God today about your What Ifs. 

What if the only reason for me writing today is so that you take a moment and acknowledge God in your life.  If that’s the only reason, then I’m pleased to have been His instrument.

As the song goes:

“No regrets in the end.

I wanna know I got no what ifs”

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.

#MatthewWest – What If

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  Tuesday evening I sat down, opened my computer to write today’s message, and started to search for the music video I wanted to share, when I heard a distress call from the kitchen.  I quickly went downstairs to find Brian holding his hand wrapped in bloody paper towels and blood all over the sink.  Brian broke a glass coffee pot while doing the dishes and accidentally cut himself.  So off to the emergency room we went.  Thank God it turned out to be more blood than cut. 

I had planned on sharing with you how this past week I had really come to recognize how many different hands are actually involved in our home planning/building project. We haven’t even broken ground yet and we’re working with the general contractor to coordinate the timing of the material purchases, all the subcontractors, building design company, interior architect, county zoning, county engineer, and so on. I’ve really gained a new appreciation for the multitude of decisions, coordination, and people that have to come together for a common goal.

I saw this same type of teamwork in action at the ER. There were at least seven medical staff members that I saw helping us and I know there were others I didn’t see. It truly is amazing the network of people God has put into motion to help and serve one another. He has been doing this from the creation of man. God recognize man wasn’t meant to be alone, so He created all the living creators and let man name each one. He then created woman, who was a much more suitable partner for man. Throughout history, God has given us prominent members of His Family to speak His wisdom to us. And He has also given us every day Family members to impart His wisdom. Have you ever suggested something to your spouse, only to have your suggestion ignored? But then one of your spouse’s friends makes the same suggestion and all of the sudden it’s a brilliant idea. I used to take it personally when that would happen to me, thinking he did want to do it just because I suggested it. It took years to realize it’s really not about me. Sometimes we just need to hear the same thought multiple times from different people, before it really sinks in. That same thought process plays a big role in developing our faith life and relationship with the Lord. He has placed a multitude of priests, prophets, and angels in your life to bringing you the message of His love, grace, and salvation. He will continue to bring many hands and voices into your life to show you at every turn, how much He cares for you. He loves you beyond words and doesn’t want you to go a minute in your life not knowing His love. He didn’t just willy nilly create you. He put great thought into every aspect of you and your life and how your life will cross paths with every single person you interact with from the moment of your conception to your death and eternal life with Him. You are important and have a place in His heavenly choir. May you be the song that lifts a life today.

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.

#CelticThunder – A Place in the Choir