😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  What’s your favorite season?  I imagine your mind immediately went to spring, summer, fall, or winter, right?  But what about the seasons of life and work?  Seasons of joy, pain, relationships?  Seasons of growth, journey, and rest?  Seasons of highs and lows?  Seasons of purpose, on top of the game and those seasons of feeling unnoticed and worthless.  There are a great variety of seasons that we work through in our lives and journey with the Lord.  Sometimes we just need a Spiritual shot in the arm to propel us into the next season of our journey with the Lord.  Within the Catholic church, we have a variety of seasons…Advent, Christmas, Lenten, Easter, and Ordinary Time.  Yep, you read that correctly, Ordinary Time.  Well that sound exciting, right?

Two Sundays ago kicked off the season of Ordinary Time with the Gospel of Matthew 11: 25-30.

At that time Jesus said in reply, “I give praise to You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned You have revealed them to the childlike.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.”

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

On the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time we heard from the Gospel of John 1: 29-34

The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  He is the One of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because He existed before me.’  I did not know Him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that He might be made known to Israel.”  John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon Him.  I did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, He is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’  Now I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God.”

We’re only two weeks into Ordinary Time and already the Lord has offered to reveal Himself to us if we simply come to him with childlike faith, not to be confused with childishness.  It is the Son who first desires to reveal Himself and all His gifts and grace to us before we even know of Him.  If we choose to evenly yoke ourselves with the Lord in meek and humble service, we will find work with Him isn’t such a burden and He will give rest that no other can provide.  I have to tell you, Baptism is my favorite sacrament to witness.  For me, it brings with it an overwhelming joy of knowing that the Holy Spirit has been gifted upon and into the life of a person.  Although we are not always ready to accept or even realize that when we receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism, that is our ordination into discipleship.  To paraphrase John, “I did not know Him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that He might be made know.”  For being in a season of Ordinary Time, it sure feels extraordinary.  Let the living, true word of God be the extraordinary in your ordinary seasons of life.  Bless others and be blessed.

#JeremyCamp – Living Word     

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. What will it cost you to spend time with Christ?
Luke 9:57-62 tells us:
As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” He said to another man, “Follow Me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

This week I’ve been faced with a situation that took me out of my normal routine and placed me in unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. When faced with situations like this, it’s so easy to want to run to the familiar and comfortable. The three men that Luke mentioned were faced with similar situations. Keep with what you know or embrace the unfamiliar and leave what you know and love behind. What’s behind door number 1? Oh if we would only be willing to open that door and step through. Think about the incredible gifts and experiences of walking with Jesus that those men denied themselves, because they were maybe afraid of the unknown and wanted to keep with familiar and comfortable. I’m very thankful that the Lord “nudges” me when I’m frozen with fear and unwilling to move on my own. We only have so much time to choose to join and experience a real relationship with our Lord and we should not let anything stand in the way. Don’t put off unto tomorrow what should be shared and said today. Bless others and be blessed.

#Unspoken – Light That Never Fades

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  Day 2 – 6 of 2020 I spent working through an intestinal virus.  No fun, right?  Thursday was no doubt the worst of it.  Every 15-20 minutes something was coming out.  I remember thinking…”I’ve got to make sure I keep liquids in me so I don’t end up dehydrated and in the hospital.”  So, every time it came out one end, I was pouring more into the other end and ate a saltine cracker.  My body was achy.  I had the worst headache I ever remember experiencing.  I could barely move…until I had to make the mad dash. 

An intestinal virus doesn’t sound like a great way to start a new year, but God was speaking through this and took the time to share with me.  First and very important, stay hydrated!  As work, chores, projects, commitments, family, and friends draw from you and drain your live, you need to keep hydrated.  Every time you turn on the spigot and allow your life to flow, you need to return to Me, The Well of Living Water and be replenished.  I need to preface this next part with…”Hi, my name is Shelly.”  (Hi Shelly)  “If I weren’t married, I would be a workaholic.”  Three of my five sick days, I didn’t think one bit about missing work and how it would be piling up.  Talk about a freeing three days.  My body may have been taking a beating, but God was freeing my mind from worry, stress, and pressures I put upon myself.  I felt so relaxed.  Oh, I can’t forget the weight loss.  Heck with dieting and exercise.  One good intestinal bug every now and then will put you a month ahead of your weight loss plan.  Returning to the office Tuesday, I felt good physically and mentally.  I felt relaxed, refreshed, and refilled.  Who would have thought?

John 4: 1-26 (NIV)  Jesus Talks to a Woman at the Well

The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.  When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.  Now he had to go through Samaria.  So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.

 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.  How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.”  “Sir,” the woman said, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can You get this living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”  “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus declared, “Believe Me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”  Then Jesus declared, “I, who speak to you am He.”

Bless others and be bless.

#CastingCrowns – The Well

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. Happy 2020 and welcome to the official launch of our blog and website.

Looking back at 2019…it’s been a year filled with growth and challenges like I haven’t experienced in quite awhile. I’m really not one to set new year resolutions, so when a friend asked me at the beginning of 2019 what my resolutions were, I said…I have one goal, to design a calendar and have it ready by the end of September. I missed the September deadline, but the 2020 Moments Matter calendar was completed. Truth be told, I don’t make new year resolutions because I don’t want to speak them out loud, have someone hold me accountable, and then feel like a total failure when I don’t follow through. But it was different this time. I found myself telling multiple people throughout the year about this goal. The more people I told about it, the more I believed it would happen.

Although my goal was rather small and in all reality not a very big challenge, He moved my life in mighty ways throughout 2019, one step at a time to accomplish this goal. But that wasn’t the end. He was just getting started. He used that one goal I chose for myself as a spring board to multiple projects that He had planned for me, that I wouldn’t have fathomed last January. If I would have known what was in store, I imagine I would have felt overwhelmed, maybe frozen in my tracks, or defeated before I even began.

Earlier this week I read 1 Kings 8, Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple they build for the Lord to reside in. 5 of the 12 paragraphs in Solomon’s prayer were asking the Lord to forgive the people for their future faults and sins. We will all face faults and sins in 2020. If you’re really good, you might even get through one day without sinning. There are just so many ways to turn our backs on the Lord and our neighbor. Maybe a goal for 2020 would be to purposefully, once a day, catch yourself before you get to far down that dark road of sin and turn your steps back toward The Light. Think about that…365 less sins this year. 365 times you choose to hug the Lord instead of hurting Him. 365 more smiles on your face. 365 steps further into your journey with the Lord. Every moment you choose to turn from your sin, He is right there to wrap you in His loving embrace. Our God is such an incredibly loving friend. How could He use a goal like this springboard you into some incredible adventures in 2020? Bless others and be blessed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq0wRhdxpPA

#HawkNelson – Just Getting Started

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. Today our Savior is born! Alleluia Alleluia!

Saturday morning I was sitting in the woods on a hunting trip with my husband and stepson. I was sitting on a small camp seat facing south and up hill along a deer path. Brian was on my right, sometimes sitting on the ground and other times standing while facing north toward the creek. Chris was on my left 20’ in the air on a tree stand, also facing south and up hill near the deer path. We were all in a straight line with only about 200 yards between Brian and Chris. After being in the woods about four hours, we decided to call it a day. Chris had seen 5 deer. Brian saw 10-12. But I didn’t see any. At one point Chris said “You didn’t see that doe standing about 50 yards right in front of you in the field?” Nope, not at all. Chris also pointed out that, “You can see so much more when you’re higher up, looking down.” Brian reinforced that thought when he said he only saw the deer when he stood up.

Our line of sight and perspective play a big part in how we see and view life around us. Like this sign, life may sometimes seem upside down and a bit out of order.

Now, allow yourself to refocus your gaze into the water. Do you see it? The sign can be read perfectly. When we allow ourselves the grace to take a moment and refocus our gaze upon Christ, our Living Water, He will allow us to see more clearly the truth this world tries so desperately to disguise. Where will you allow your focus and gaze to take you this Christmas? Bless others and be blessed.

#CastingCrowns – While You Were Sleeping

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. I was taking a three day class at work last week, that’s building up to a weeklong class in January. At one point in this class I said to myself something that I’m sure we’ve all heard at some point…”Knowledge is power.”  But then I quickly backed that up with…”Actually knowledge is freedom.”  To which God replied…”Yes, knowledge of Me is freedom.”  Knowing Him, we don’t have to rely on our own flawed interpretation of power. He is the source of perfect power.  Not a let Me lord this over you kind of power, but one of peace and comfort knowing that you are secure and protected in His presence. 

We are just one week away from once again celebrating the birth of our Savior.  It’s not a pleasant thought to consider the bloodied Calvary cross at Christmas, but that’s where His power shone the brightest. This Babe was gifted to us to journey and walk with us for the purpose of shedding His blood to redeem our souls. Thank you Lord for such a beautiful and powerful gift. Bless others and be blessed. 

#RendCollective – Your Name is Power

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. 11:02 am Sunday morning as I was at Mass singing the entrance hymn, unbeknownst to me, I received a text that simply said “God is in the details.”  I didn’t see the message until almost 1 o’clock. This intrigued me, so I had to call my friend to find out what it was all about. She too was at church at the time she texted me and said when she heard those words, she had to share them with me.  Monday evening we watched an episode of Forged in Fire. There were two competitors remaining as they started to test the knives they made. Both knives had a good look about them and appeared to be very sharp. They tested the first knife, but that’s where the testing ended. While examining the second knife before testing it, it was noted that a recurve, although specifically listed in the instructions, was not built into the second blade. Missing this detail caused the testing to end and immediate elimination. Regarding this situation, the host of the show said “The devil is in the details.”  So, what is it?  Is it God or the devil in the details? Pondering these statements, I came to the conclusion that God is the detail. He is the design, the action, and the result.  It’s by our own human condition that we try to control the details, thereby try to control the situation. Satan will certainly play off of our control issues to guide us in the belief that it all depends on us. If I don’t do it, this thing will never get done.  Despite our hardheadedness and lack of trust, the Holy Spirit is still able to work in, through, and around us. God is the detail that no matter how much or how many times we put a roadblock in the way, He is always three steps ahead to counteract and build in that recurve to make the path straight once again. But, we could certainly help ourselves by simply allowing Him do what He does best…be the detail.  Bless others and be blessed. 

#Unspoken – Human Condition

# ForgedInFire

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. Something I realized walking through the woods this fall is that I actually prefer the fall look of the woods. You might be thinking I’m a little weird. I mean, who doesn’t prefer the lush fullness of the trees and plants in bloom?  Something I really took notice of is the depth of the woods when it’s not hidden by the foliage. It was like I was looking straight into its heart. It had nothing to hide. That got me to thinking about how we cover ourselves to keep others from seeing into our depth and not allowing our heart and faults to be exposed. We’re much less vulnerable if we keep those masks up and don’t allow others in.  Exposing ourselves and being vulnerable can certainly get messy.  It may feel kind of like getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist. Someone is all up in your face, poking around, picking at you, and sometimes injuring you and drawing blood. But God is all about the heart.  Fully exposing Himself to us, allowing us to dive into and get lost in His wonder and awe.  Put down the mask, open your heart, and give the Lord full access to all that you are and all that you are to be.  As you become more comfortable and confident with allowing God full access in your life, you will find your mask will start coming down around others as well. Bless others and be blessed.   

#SanctusReal – These Things Take Time

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. Last Wednesday I was feeling very drained and needed a refill of God’s presence. It had been months since I last walked at Charleston Falls and I knew that was where He was calling me to meet Him. I took a bit of a slower pace, just so I could breath in His presence and really look at and experience His beautiful creation around me. He gave me one lap around to clear my head and be open to what He had to show me.   As I started my reverse lap His words started to flow.

Think about one relationship you have that you experience 90% or more of your communication only through the written word, text messages, emails, and letters. Now wait a minute, did you really think about a relationship or did you just keep reading? (Imagine the Jeopardy theme playing in the background) Some things that came to mind for me were that I can have more contact, at random times, without having to truly commit to a response if I don’t feel like it, and that type of relationship is less personal. You may find some of these to be true for you as well.  What God was telling me was that I had stayed away from visiting with Him personally at the Falls for too long.  I have been reading His Word, which is a good thing, but by just being in His Word, there is so much that is missed. Think about it, when God create man, did He put a book in his right hand and say “Everything you need to know about Me is in there.”?  No, they walked together and talked together. I imagine they had some Father and son type discussion and laughed together over some of those strange looking animals He created. All throughout the Bible we read how the Lord kept coming back time and again to interact and have a relationship with His people. God created us to be in a personal, interactive relationship with Him.  He calls us to come play with Him, talk with Him, and even just sit quietly soaking up His presence. You know, it’s not just about you going to Him, He wants to play, talk, and sit with you also.  So much of your relationship will be missed if you don’t get personal and in His presence. As I was passing by the stream the thought came to mind, and I imagine you’ve heard this before, “You can never step into the same river twice.” That’s because it is constantly flowing and changing. Then He shared with me that I will never meet the same person twice. As I thought about that, I thought hmmm that’s very true. Our lives are constantly flowing and changing. Even with close friends, my husband, my children. From the time you part ways until you return together, both your lives have changed by the conversations you’ve had with others and things you’ve seen and experienced.  You could be apart for only two minutes and come back changed.  Yes, the written word can be a very convenient method of relationship, but I encourage you to seek and pursue some face time and personal interaction with the Lord. He never stops amazing me with what He tells me and shows me when we’re together.  I never want to leave our time together like that, but at some point I have to return to the reality of life as we know it here on earth.  But one thing is for sure, He loves you so much and can’t wait to be with you again. So much so, that He’s counting the minutes and seconds until you return to Him.

Bless others and be blessed.

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. Something that I receive a lot of pleasure from is serving others, not only to help make their day seem a little lighter, but to show them they are important, have value, and are loved. I especially receive joy filled pleasure when serving others during Emmaus team formation and the Emmaus Walk weekends. I’m part of the February 2020, Women’s Walk 107 team as the Board Rep. When I accepted this position back in August, I knew it was more of a quality control, fly on the wall team member position and I thought…”I’m okay with that.”  Monday night we had our first team meeting and as I was scanning the assignment sheet, set up, clean up, food, devotionals, Communion…my name wasn’t anywhere on the sheet.  I had a sinking kind of feeling as I thought to myself…”What, I don’t even get to bring food in?  Oh boy, this being on the team, but not really on the team is going to be harder than I thought.”  But then, a wiser voice entered my head…”Pray”.  My role is to be a silent presence. Those of you in my Emmaus family that I’ve served with will understand how much of a challenge this will be for me. During my conversations with the Lord Tuesday, He was telling me to be “a quiet presence.”  His quiet presence.  Don’t be bold, but make myself available for those that need encouragement, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, a prayer said, and to feel His presence.  This will be a challenge, but thank You Lord for choosing to grow and stretch me in Your service as you prepare me for what lies ahead and the joy this blessing carries with it.  Bless others and be blessed. 

#JonnyDiaz – Joy

#GreaterDaytonWalkToEmmaus