😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  What do your conversations with the devil sound like?  First of all, I should say that recently I had a bit of an awakening regarding what my conversations with the devil really are.  How many times did I think they were just simple conversations in my head?  Too many to count.  Have you ever binge watched a show?  Those conversations in my head sound a bit like…”I’ll just watch one show and then I’ll work on…”  “I can watch another one, it will be okay.  No, I really do need to work on…”  “It’s okay, you’ll have time to do that later, watch another show.”  “Well, I don’t have enough time now to work on…  I might as well watch another show and work on… tomorrow.”  Three shows later and I’m feeling guilty that I didn’t get done what I wanted to, although I did enjoy the shows.  

Okay, so maybe your discussions with the devil aren’t about shows, but maybe they’re about food or some other addiction.  No matter what it is, the more the devil pursues you and can keep you talking and distracted, the more he can manipulate you way from God.  Satan doesn’t necessarily need to win you to his side, he just needs to keep you away from God.

The best thing we can do is cut those conversations with Satan short and start a new conversation through prayer, with God.  Satan is not pleased when we call Jesus into the conversation and Satan will leave the conversation in a hurry…but only temporarily.  Know for sure that when Satan can get you alone again, he is going to trying those same old tactics and occasionally throw in a curve ball every now and then, to keep pursuing your soul and trying to pull you away from Christ.

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” – Matthew 18:20

Your faithful friends, your cloud of witnesses, are a hedge of protection around your soul.  If you choose wisely, your friends will help protect and defend you against the attacks from Satan and his band of demons.  Choose the people you want in your life wisely.

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.

#JeremyCamp – No Survivors

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  New relationships can be very exciting and intense as you initially learn about someone.  The more your interest grows in that person, the more you pursue and woo them.  This isn’t just with potential romantic relationships, it’s true for regular friendships, and even that new baby in the family.  We desire to know more about these people, so we tend to try to spend more time with them, get to know them, and start creating memories with them. 

This week Brian and I celebrate our 24^th wedding anniversary.  Our relationship has had some intense growth moments and we were married 10 ½ months after our first date.  By the way, on our first date Brian said he didn’t want to get married again.  God had other plans.

Think about relationships you’ve had.  For the most part, I would guess that the relationships that have lasted through the years are the ones that have had more moments of consistent growth, than intense growth.  Intensity may create the spark, but consistency keeps the fire burning, when it comes to long term, day-to-day relationships.  

God definitely works through intense moments to draw us to Him.  Saul is a perfect example of God using an intense moment to get his attention (see Act of the Apostles Chapter 9), but it was in the consistent movement and growth that Paul’s deep relationship was forged with the Lord. 

Looking back, I can see those intense sparks that ignited my relationship with the Lord thoughout my life, but it is the consistent daily interaction with the Lord, that sustains and continues to grow my relationship with Him. 

Meditate a moment on this…What would it look like to fully trust God with your future?

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.

#REOSpeedwagon – Keep the Fire Burnin’

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Monday’s Gospel reading was Matthew 13:31-35. 

‘Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.”

He spoke to them another parable.
“The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened.”

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:

I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.‘

Ah yes, the mustard seed parable.  It’s very familiar to many.  Because of that fact, we may tend to skim over it and not give it adequate attention.  Sit with it for a moment. 

Now, I would like to share with you Msgr. James Vlaun’s reflection for this Gospel reading.  Click the link below. You may be surprised how it starts. 

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.

#Msgr.JamesVlaun – Homily for 07/28/2025

https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video/2025-07-28-reflection-401

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  “The Forgotten Way The Saint James Master Plan” by Matthew Kelly is a book you could very easily breeze through in a couple evenings.  I’ve chosen to read one chapter at a time and let what it’s telling me, actually more like convicting me of, to sink in and give me a chance to work on these needed adjustments in my daily actions.  It’s crazy and scary how quick we are to let destructive and devastating words fly from our mouths, without a second thought as to how they could ruin someone’s day, career, and possibly their entire life.

As I’m trying to be more conscience about and purposeful in choosing my words, I’ve noticed that the words I speak, without thinking first, are certainly more hurtful.  On the flip side, I’ve also started paying more attention to the words that are being said to me. 

Have you committed murder?  I imagine the majority of people would say “no”.  Until recently, I would have also said “no”, but after evaluating words I have spoken, I know that I have seriously wounded some people.  Some were unintentional, but unfortunately, I have spoken some of my words with purposeful intention to hurt others. 

With conviction comes knowledge, the opportunity for repentance, and the opportunity to grow and improve upon my chosen words. 

I imagine this may not seem like a very uplifting message, but sometimes we just need to take a look at ourselves and realize we still have a lot of growing to do.  The awesome news is, that God is for us.  He is helping us work though all of our issues and things that keep us from Him, so that we can take one more step closer to Him and grow our relationship with Him.  In conviction, there is hope for a better life and relationship with Christ.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

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

#MatthewKelly – The Forgotten Way The Saint James Master Plan

#CoryAsbury – Egypt

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  “…God is love.”, so we are told in 1 John 4:8.  I imagine you’ve heard “God is love.” multiple times before, but do you believe it?  Do you believe God is love?  What about those folks that say they don’t believe in or know God?  Do they know and feel love?  I imagine that sounds like a silly question.  Yes, of course, they can know and feel love.  But how is that so, if they don’t believe in or know God?

God is not chosen.  God’s presence in our lives and His love are all gifts.  We can’t hide from His love.  We can’t run from His love either.  God is in the very fiber of our beings. 

With that being said, we all should probably check our thoughts, speech, and actions towards others.  1 John 4:8 “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.”  So then, whoever is with love knows God, for God is love. 

With this in mind, I would suggest we all pause a moment before acting toward anyone or opening our mouth, allowing our tongue to become double-edged swords, and simply ask yourself, “Does this person know love?”  If you answer yes, then know that whatever you are about to do or are about to say, will be done/said to God Himself.  Make wise choices.

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.  Last weekend we had the opportunity to travel to Michigan to visit our youngest daughter Lori and her husband, Cody.  It was a record-breaking weekend.  Brian is not crazy about playing games, but he was a good sport.  We learned six new games, shared some laughs, enjoyed listening to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, enjoyed some home cooking and new restaurants, and watched the 4^th of July fireworks.  We also had the opportunity to watch some of the wildlife around their home and pray the Mass at Church of the Transfiguration.  Church of the Transfiguration is a simple, yet beautiful church, and it feels like home. 

As we were leaving Mass, walking toward the doors, an older gentleman held the door, waiting for us to walk through.  We spoke with him briefly outside the church.  As we were getting ready to part ways, Brian told this gentleman, “Have a good week.”  His response kind of caught us off guard.

“Don’t have a good week.  Make it a good week and share it.  Don’t leave your week up to someone else to determine.”

That was a great piece of advice.  I do enjoy those unexpected momentary encounters that leave an impression on you.

Below are some pictures from the Church of the Transfiguration.  I really like the area behind the alter, how it’s kind of set off and welcomes you into a separate experience.  It has a feel of calm and peace.  I also want to draw your attention to the statue of Mary.  What caught my attention is how tired her eyes appear to be, as if she was weighted down by a heavy burden.  It made me think, this image of Mary depicts Luke 2:19, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” 

By her willing consent and with the strength of angels and the Holy Spirit, Mary accepted the weight and burden of being the Mother of Christ, so that salvation from our evil doings could be freely given to us, thanks to the price of Christ’s broken and abused body.

It is only by His hard-fought salvation, that we will ever have true peace in our lives.  “Make it a good week and share it.  Don’t leave your week up to someone else to determine.”

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.  When my girls were young, I told them to make good choices.  When they were in high school, I told them to make wise choices.  Actually, every morning I still send them a text message that says, “Make wise choices and have a blessed day.”  Do they actually think about the depth of what I’m telling them each morning?  I imagine not, but I pray that at least some days they do.  Wise choices go beyond what is good for yourself.

I started reading Matthew Kelly’s book “The Forgotten Way The Saint James Master Plan”.  I made it all the way to page 2, before I started underlining. 

“We make ourselves sick in every way imaginable when we ignore the wisdom God reveals to us.  A life rooted in wisdom is peaceful and orderly.  When we reject wisdom, we invited chaos, calamity, and confusion to reign in our lives.

Our culture is gluttonous from knowledge, but it only takes one great spiritual truth to forge a lasting union with God.  The Scribes and Pharisees knew everything there was to know about the coming Christ, yet when Jesus stood before them, they failed to recognize Him. 

The Magi possessed one great spiritual truth: Follow the star and it will lead you to the Christ.

There is a vast difference between possessing knowledge and being wise.  Wisdom is truth lived.  That’s why we call the Magi the “Three Wise Men.”  They were in possession of only one piece of knowledge about the coming Christ, but they wholeheartedly applied that one truth to their lives.”

Applying the wisdom you gain, to your daily decisions, will draw you closer to God and His desires for your life.  Your decisions lead to moments and it’s those moments that shape your life.  There are multiple moments I can think of off the top of my head, that have dramatically changed the direction and outcome of my life.  Do you every really think of decisions in that way?  Not every decision will be life changing, but you never truly know which ones will be.  Make wise choices and have a blessed day.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

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

#MatthewKelly – The Forgotten Way The Saint James Master Plan

#MattMaher – Lord, I Need You

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  At this point in my life, something that I haven’t done and honestly have no real desire to do, is run or even walk a marathon.  I realize people do marathons for different reasons and they can even be therapeutic, but it seems like a whole lot of hours, very early mornings, pain, and a good possibly of injury, for an event that is really just a blink compared to all the time you spend training.  I can only imagine someone crossing the FINISH line of their first marathon, in pain and tired, yet invigorated and on an adrenaline high, with their arms in the air victoriously…”It is finished!”  Can you feel the relief?

This past week, I read a booklet titled The Mockery & Majesty of the Cross, which is excerpted from Bill Crowder’s book, For This He Came.  I would highly suggest that you read this booklet also.  Here are a couple points that really struck me. 

‘Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”  And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit (John 19:30).

“IT IS FINISHED!”  In the Greek, it is “tetelestai”: “It is completed”; “I have done it!”  Matthew 27:50 says that Jesus’ last words were cried with a loud voice – it’s a victory shout!’

I have never thought of those words, “IT IS FINISHED!”, as a victory shout coming from Christ’s broken body, hanging at the point of lifelessness on the cross.

‘Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.”  Having said this, He breathed His last (Luke 23:46).

Christ retains regal composure here.  He had become the ransom for suffering and death – all “for the joy set before Him” (HEB. 12:2).  All that remained was for Him to finalize it all by dying.  Yet even here, He was in control.

At the outset of the crucifixion, Jesus turned to His Father in seeking pardon for sinful people.  At the instant the sins of the world were placed on Him, he cried, “My God!” with the derelict cry of abandonment.  Once the deed was done, He again cried, “Father!”  Mission accomplished.  Relationship restored!’

Like preparing for a marathon, Jesus put in a whole lot of hours, suffering pain and injuries, to cross our threshold between a sinful life and eternal salvation.  Your salvation journey is a marathon.  Oh, look at that…I am running/walking a marathon after all.  But sometime I feel I’m crawling or not even moving at all.  I’m so thankful and blessed that God is patient with me and never stops working on me.

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.

#BillCrower – The Mockery & Majesty of the Cross

#Crowder – Still

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Are you choosing to live a life of silence?  Our entire day is a living prayer to God.  Are you choosing to pray well and consistently?  Are you choosing to pray out loud or silently?  Other than during Mass, the majority of my years have been ruled by fear of what others would think of me, if I prayed or spoke of the Lord or my faith in public.  That fear can be very crippling.  What I have learned is that the more belief and confidence I have in the Lord and my faith, the more it’s at the forefront of my mind and the more I’m willing to vocalize it.  “I believed, therefore I spoke.”  Your deep-seated faith conviction is a catalyst to spoken prayer and praise for our Lord, which radiates the Lord in reflective ways. 

2 Corinthians 4:13-18

‘Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we too believe and therefore speak, knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in His presence.  Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.’

Fight!  Fight!  Fight Satan’s lies.  Through Christ, there is no fear. 

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.

#JonReddick&WeTheKingdom – No Fear

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Two of the many things that I appreciate about the Catholic faith are stated in the Nicene Creed, “I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” 

1) Apostolic.  Through the succession of each Pope, the Catholic faith and catholic church has a direct apostolic line through Peter to Christ.  Which brings me to my second point.

2) Catholic.  Lower case “c”, catholic means universal.  Yes, I believe in a catholic/universal church. 

So, what does that mean to me?  That means whether I’m in my hometown,  at work, visiting family in North Carolina or Michigan, or on vacation in Australia, any given day of the week, I can walk into a Catholic Church for Mass and I will experience the same Old and New Testament readings, the same Psalm, the same Gospel reading, and the same true Christ (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) available for me to adore and receive.  Mass is prayed 364 days of the year (365 during a leap year) within the Catholic Church.  The one day a year that Mass is not prayed, is Good Friday. 

So, why is this important to me?  It’s important to me that no matter where I am, I can physically be in Christ’s presence and I can physically receive Christ’s presence in me.  When we receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist, you and I become Christ’s living tabernacles.  When I go on vacation, I don’t have to be on vacation from the true presence of Christ. 

When you head out for vacation this summer, don’t be on vacation from Christ.  Make sure to visit masstimes.org to find a church and Mass times.    

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 – He Sees You