😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  The treadmill has become my friend this winter.  Although I find myself missing my nature walks and yearning for hiking weather. Exploring new places is great, but there is a comfort and depth in return to the same place time and again. When you visit a new hiking trail you typically focus on things at the surface and easy to see. You can call me a creature of habit, but what I like so much about returning to the same place is that each time you go, you look a little deeper. You see and experience the changes that are happening; deer prints in a new location; the flow of the stream; the subtleties in a decomposing log.  You can see and experience this same kind of change, growth and depth in relationships as well.  It’s like reading the Bible. The more you allow yourself time and again to return to God’s Word, the deeper you can focus and the greater the treasures you’ll find.  The greater the growth. The greater the depth of your wisdom and vision.  Allow yourself to be overwhelmed by Him. Bless others and be blessed. 

#BigDaddyWeave – Overwhelmed

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. Reading Hebrews chapter 13 on Monday evening made me think of a grand finale at the end of a fireworks display. That final chapter of Hebrews was an explosion of wisdom nuggets. I wanted to share a few verses that really stuck out for me, but I would also encourage you to read the book of Hebrews for yourself. 

3″Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoner…”  We are all prisoners to our thoughts and actions. They hold us captive, can draw us away from where Christ is calling us, and can plunge you into a pit that feels impossible to escape from. But through it all, the Lord, Father, Son, and Spirit will never leave you.  He makes His love and grace available to us unconditionally.  Make Them the source of your thoughts and actions. God tells us 5…”never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  And I believe that with all my heart.  6″So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  In those moments when life starts slinging mud in your direction, let it fall where it may. Pause for a moment, then breath in the Words and wisdom of the Lord. Allow His Spirit to guide you and move forward in confidence. Bless others and be blessed. 

#TobyMac – The Elements

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you.  I would bet that Joshua wasn’t looking for a flight the day Moses told him to choose some men and go fight the Amalekites. Exodus 17: 8-16  Reading a little more into this scripture we find that Moses didn’t send Joshua and his chosen few out on their own. Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of a hill where they could see all the action and as long as Moses had his arms stretched towards the heavens and praying, they were winning. When his hands dropped, the enemy got the better of the fight. So Aaron and Hur gave Moses a rock to sit on and held his hands up, one on each side. This is what God has shown me to be true in my life lately. I’ve been placed in a fight that I didn’t choose. But God didn’t ask me to fight this battle alone.  He has placed a community of prayer warriors around me, with their arms stretched high. The power prayer has is overwhelming the enemy and helps to keep peace and focus as the battle rages on. 

I would guess you probably don’t go looking for fights either. But when you are asked to fight, how will you respond? Will you reach out to your community of prayer warriors?  Will you allow the Holy Spirit a front row seat and look to Him for guidance? Or, will you retreat and try to do it alone?  We’ve all heard “Choose your battles wisely.” It’s not just about choosing your battles, it’s more about whom you choose to have with you when battles come your way.  Bless others and be blessed. 

#Group1Crew – He Said

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. “It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You.” and Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.”  These are a couple lines that could describe my past week. It has felt as if the spiritual forces of evil have been testing my trust in the Lord; just waiting for the slightest bit of doubt to bust open a crack that they could make a home in.  I really don’t recall ever repeating a scripture so much to myself as I have this past week with Jeremiah 17:7. More specially the last part of that “…whose trust IS THE LORD.”  From time to time we all find ourselves in situations that we don’t want to be in and wonder; How in the world did I get here?  As challenging as the moment may seem, take a deep breath and look for God’s undeniable fingerprints. Because of a human error, I find myself in a place “I should have never been”, if it hadn’t been for God’s hand in it.  Just as the Angel Gabriel encouraged Mary in Luke 1:37 when he presented her with God’s will for her to be the mother of Christ, we should also be encouraged, “For nothing is impossible with God.”  Looking back, there is no denying God’s presence all along the way.  So then, why should I start doubting His presence now?  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.”  Bless others and be blessed. 

#MichaelWSmith – Surrounded

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. We all know that new year resolutions are filled with good intentions. Are you working on 1 or 2 character building/life changing resolutions that you will commit to, or 5 or 6 wishful thinking resolutions that you will never follow through with?

Something I’ve experienced, so maybe you have also, is that the first time you hear something it plants a seed. A little down the road, you hear a similar idea, which gets you to thinking. Maybe a month or so later, someone else brings that same idea to light again, but now it’s really caught your attention. That happened to me recently. 

Me consistently reading the Bible could be compared with riding the rails of a roller coaster; highs and lows with very few level straightaways.  Along with that is my desire to journal, but again consistency is a challenge. Not having a solid, achievable plan was my downfall. I’ve been meeting and walking with a good friend for about 6 months and quite often she would mention reading a chapter a night in her Bible. (The seed was planted.)  At the end of November, one of my daughters tagged me in a post with the challenge to read a chapter a day from the Gospel of Luke beginning on December 1st in order to finish his Gospel on December 24th. (Hmmm)  I accepted that challenge and found myself wanting to continue after I finished reading Luke.  With the help of my friend to walk this Bible journey with, in manageable daily readings, I’m finding that I’m also able to do my journaling. 

Is God calling you to join me in this life changing, life giving Chapter Challenge?  If He is, send me back an AMEN!  

No matter what your new year resolutions may be, make sure you:

1) Clearly define your goal.

2) Have a passion for it. 

3) Break it down into achievable chunks. 

4) Dive in!

Bless others and be blessed. 

#StevenCurtisChapman – Dive

😎🐫🎤 Typically at some point during the Christmas season, we get the opportunity to spend time with family.  This can be very enjoyable, but it can also bring up scars from our past.  It was interesting how God used some of those scars to bring unexpected healing this Christmas. Healing between individuals as well as healing of self.

For many years I’ve been trying to work through the hurt and frustration of a past relationship.  The thing with forgiveness is that, for me anyway, it takes time and multiple points of forgiveness. But why haven’t I been able to completely let go of this one?  God showed me the answer last Saturday when this subject was unexpectedly brought up. I’ve done some forgiving, but I hadn’t forgiven myself. I realized that the frustration and unforgiveness I was still dealing with was toward myself and how I allowed myself to act and change my moral values to try to please another person and cope with the situation at hand at that time. I have to say, it’s pretty freeing to accept that self forgiveness and allow Christ’s light to shine where darkness once lingered.

I enjoy starting a new year by going to Mass on New Year’s Day.  I would like to share with you a blessing from the Old Testament first reading, Numbers 6: 24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.

Happy 2019!  Bless others and be blessed.

#TobyMac – Scars

😎🐫🎤 Not all of God’s gifts for us come wrapped neatly like a Christmas gift with a bow on top.  Sometimes that initial look at a gift is just a glance into uncertainty and growth that must happen before the gift is fully available for the receiving.  The cool, yet challenging thing about gifts from God is that they usually have many aspects to them. They really aren’t just simply a gift, but an opportunity to grow in Him.  I know a gift has been placed before me, but I’ve been struggling with how to approach it.  Meeting with a friend Friday morning, she guided me with three Bible verses, which were all from Proverbs. She then challenged me to read through the entire book of Proverbs over the next few days, before formulating my next steps. As an added measure of support, she said she would read through Proverbs along with me.

Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there too am I.

There is so much truth and wisdom to be found in His Word and it starts with the basics of seeking Him first in all we do. I know He’s walking this road with me.  I also know that even with Him right here at my side, I still try to do things on my own.  Reading through Proverbs opened my eyes a little wider to how God would have me approach this gift He’s giving me.  If you’re currently faced with a challenging gift, don’t be like me and try to work it on your own. Seek God’s truth in His Word and the wise counsel and prayers of true friends.  He is The Way.  Bless others and be blessed.

#PatBarrett – The Way

😎🐫🎤 “Serve in love, not out of obligation.”  Those are the words God used to wake me up Saturday morning.  Reading through the Gospel of Luke this Christmas season, I find time and again where Christ heals someone from their crippling situation. But heaven forbid it happen on the Sabbath.  Those that were so focused on the law could not see beyond the law to the person.  But Christ sees the person and shows us where true service comes from, love…Christ’s love.

It doesn’t matter if the task at hand is something that is expected of you or something you freely do, your attitude…your loving attitude, makes all the difference. People take notice and feed off of your lead. What kind of leader are you within your family, friends, co-workers?  The choice to serve in love is only an attitude away.

Start your day by sharing a loving touch with your spouse, child, or furry friend. Open a door for someone and share a smile with them.  Answer the phone with a smile on your face. They may not see it, but they will certainly hear it. Add a heaping cup of love to your dinner recipe. They’re all very small attitude choices that can change the world around you in big ways. Serving with an attitude of Christ’s love will change their life, as well as yours.  Bless others and be blessed. 

#Blanca – Echo

😎🐫🎤 Those that know me know how much joy I get from singing and dancing.  I was at an Emmaus gathering Monday night, but in the midst of all the Christmas joy and singing, I found myself just wanting to listen and soak in the voices of the angels around me. At one point I heard God say “Just receive Me.” 

In this season of gift giving, make the time to receive. Receive Him.

Luke 10: 41-42 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  Bless others and be blessed.

#KimWalker-Smith – Love Came Down

😎🐫🎤 This week will close a chapter in my work career. Yes, I will be starting a new chapter, but it’s tough to let go of something you’ve worked so hard at building. The past couple of days I’ve been having this internal struggle. It feels like there’s so much noise in my head…like I’m constantly arguing with myself without ever saying a word.  What does He have planned for me?  Where do I go from here?  What’s my next step?

Within the Catholic faith, the first Sunday of Advent begins our new year, so WOOT WOOT HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Our new year starts with a season of preparation for the greatest gift we will ever be given. In this moment, we truly can’t comprehend the extent of this gift of Christ. We can’t fathom how He will WOW and AMAZE us along our walk with Him. I know He has some awesome plans for me and I have faith that He will be ever at my side. So, here’s to fresh starts and new beginnings.  May God’s wisdom and discernment be your guide.  Bless others and be blessed.

#MercyMe – Welcome to the New