😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. I hope you’re keeping that Easter spirit alive. I have a question for you. What’s the difference between a gray day and a sunny day? Answer: Which side of the clouds you’re on.
I took this sunrise picture on Monday. It was incredible to see the dramatic difference in the sky. Study it for a moment. Look at the difference between the top portions of the trees and the lower portions. This picture really captures the two sides of how we can view life, our circumstances, and those we encounter along the road. What will you focus on and how will that direct your attitude and actions? What you choose to focus on and how you react is your choice.
Take a moment to speak with God, then silently listen, before you make those choices. You’ll be glad you did.
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. Happy Easter! I’m sure I say this every year, the 3 hour Easter Vigil Mass is my favorite Mass of the year. In reality, I think it’s the combination of the Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil experiences that brings such passion to the Easter Vigil Mass. It is the joy in the celebration that shines above all else. For me, the overarching experience during this past Holy Week was by far God’s peace in my life. I’m not sure how to explain it to you, but I pray you also experience the peace I did.
Thank You Lord for your sacrifice for my salvation! My words seem so inadequate, but please know they come from my heart. I know I can never thank You enough, so I pray that my praise, prayers, and actions show you what You truly mean to me. Amen!
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. Do you believe in miracles? I do. Brian and I had the pleasure of taking a weeklong road trip to Colorado for our nephew’s wedding. We enjoyed our time with family and even got to build a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle together. We also visited with a friend that moved from Ohio to Colorado about 9 months ago.
On Friday, 04/11/2025 Brian, our friends, and I visited the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, CO. We visited the museum, in which we read about the spring. Here is the information about the spring from the website listed below.
‘The only water on this property was in a small pond next to the spring house. All of the water needed for drinking and cooking had to be brought up to the summer camp from the stream at the bottom of Mt. Vernon Canyon. In September 1912, the sisters complained to Mother Cabrini that they were dying of thirst and there was no water to be had. She answered, “Lift that rock over there and start to dig. You will find water fresh enough to drink and clean enough to wash.” The spring, which is housed in an 8,000 gallon tank, has never stopped running. Many pilgrims, through their faith, believe the water has brought healing and peace to their lives.’
There were spigots and cups for visitors to be able to drink water from the spring. The four of us took a cup and drank from the spring. Next to the spring was a rosary garden walking path. I hadn’t prayed my rosary yet that day, so I decided that, that would be the perfect time and place. It was Friday, so I began praying the Sorrowful Mysteries. I closed my eyes as I prayed each prayer. So, a little history about me closing my eyes when I pray. This doesn’t happen all of the time, but sometimes when I close my eyes to pray, I see visions of different colors, which tells me who is with me as I’m praying. As I was praying this rosary, I saw images of blue, which tells me that Mother Mary was with me. I also saw images of green, which I have learned is an indication of peace for me. Okay, a little more history about me. For some years now and as noted in my medical record, I have had an eye situation in which I see black floating dots. Okay, back to the rosary I was praying. As I stepped on the stone for the Forth Sorrowful Mystery, Jesus carries the cross, I prayed, “I adore You o Christ and I praise You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.” I then started praying, “Our Father, who art in” and that’s when it happened. I literally saw two black floating dots disappear from my vision. I paused praying, opened my eyes, closed them, and opened them again. The black floating dots were gone. I once again closed my eyes and with a smile on my face, I resumed praying the rosary. By the way, the black floating dots are still gone.
Today is Wednesday of Holy Week, which means Easter Sunday is almost here. Christ’s resurrection is the greatest miracle of all, which means your salvation and my salvation are indeed miracles. So, I ask you again, do you believe in miracles?
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. Well, we experienced some of God’s incredible power, might, and creation on 04/05/25-04/06/25. For about 20-25 minutes, beginning close to midnight, we experienced hail like I have never heard, seen, or felt before. As you can see in the pictures, it was good size hail and there was a lot. The gutters on the house were overflowing, so the hail was running off the roof in waves. I had to grab a shovel to unblock the downspouts. It was like watching a free-flowing gumball machine. There was so much, I had to shovel the sidewalks. Here’s another crazy thing. It took two days in the 40’s and 50’s, with a lot of rain, before the hail melted off. And yes, there was a lot of damage.
I know God gives us the opportunity to experience His glory in all of creation, which includes hail storms. I know God has a plan to bring good out of destruction. As we once again work with the companies that originally helped us to build our home, to now repair the hail damage, I’m watching for those moments in which God will open a door to make His presence known. If you would, please say a prayer for us and all those around us that were affected by this storm, that our property repairs go smoothly and we are willing to share the Lord with all those we come in contact with as a result of the incredible experience.
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. Although we humans, who were originally created to live in divine unity with God, chose sin, there by creating division in that divine unity with God, we are unable to develop a solution for that sin, to restore our divine unity with God. So often we look inward to find solutions, but there is no human solution for sin. Christ took the worst things we have ever done, in our darkest moments, to that bloodied cross He was crucified on. Christ’s cross is the solution for sin. If you want to see beyond your sin, to who the Father truly created you to be, then look into the face of Christ. It is by knowing the pure love of Christ that you can start to learn who you are.
Christ stepped into our life, because we stepped away from the Father. God still desires to be with us every moment, but He doesn’t want to wait on us to try to get to the point that we feel worthy of His presence, so He chooses to be with us in the mud puddles of our lives. I’m thinking He has some pretty awesome laundry soap that can handle whatever mud we stomp around in. I hear His clothes are radiantly white.
Welcome Him into your mess and be blessed.
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. Sunday’s Gospel reading was Luke 13:1-9. So, here’s the straight up truth. We all are sinners. It’s just a fact, at times we fail to do right by God. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Stay where you are or repent? Immediately fall back into the same sins or make an honest effort to say “No!” to the temptations. A “No” to sin is a “Yes” to God.
Luke 13:1-9
It was just about this time that some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this Jesus said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than any others, that this should have happened to them? They were not, I tell you. No, but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell, killing them all? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No, but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.
He told this parable, ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to his vinedresser, “For three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?”
He said to him in reply, “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.”
God, Father, Son, and Spirit really want to be in relationship with you. It is by our sins that we cut off our relationship with Them. But, God is relentless in His pursuit of us. As it is expressed in verses 8-9, God continually buys time for us, as He cultivates and fertilizes the ground we plant ourselves in. I can just hear Jesus saying, “This is going to be the year, Dad!” Then the Spirit turns to the Father, “I’ve got this! I only need one “Yes”. I will ever be at their side, giving them every opportunity to say “Yes”, ready to welcome them into Our loving presence.”
Will you say “Yes” today?
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. I thought I would share with you some of my takeaways from this past week.
Don’t anticipate. Be present in the present, so that you are better prepared for the future.
Two types of ideals/priorities, which are motivated by two sources.
Types: 1) Apparent ideals/priorities, that which we like to think motivate us. 2) Real ideals/priorities, that which actually motivates us into action.
Sources: 1) Offensive ideals/priorities are those ideals/priorities you proactively choose. 2) Defensive ideals/priorities are when life events throw you a curve ball and you are forced into action.
By addition, we multiply. When we use our God given talents, to do ordinary things, in an extraordinary manner, the light of Christ radiates through us, and the flowing of the Holy Spirit from us to others, initiates a ripple effect that will not be fully known to us in this life.
Some of the graces God bestows on us are temporary, meant for a specific situation or purpose. The best form of prayer, to receive this type of grace, is listening for and to God’s voice. If we don’t listen for God’s voice, we will never hear His words, guiding us to those specific situations and purposes.
Absolutely no one has a perfect life, due to our choices and the choices of those we experience in this life. It is through a lifestyle of piety, that we attain an ongoing and progressive relationship with Christ, that will grow and sustain us through our imperfectly, perfect life.
Metanoia is a transformative change of heart. Lord, by knowing You better, may I discover who You made me to be.
Every act of love is holy. Why? Because God is love and God is holy.
It is by preparation, vigilance, and perseverance that we will overcome the obstacles to a life in God’s grace.
Leadership in our faith can be an overwhelming thought. But when we approach leadership like eating an elephant, one bite at a time, we will grow in a deeper understanding and wisdom of that which God has given us to share, in an effort to lead His sheep to Him.
Our environment is the sum of our ideals/priorities, the people we encounter, and the circumstances that come together, in a certain time and place. That is the exact place God is calling us to, to allow His presence to flow through us and be made known to those we are with.
There are two important times in our life. 1) Now. 2) The hour of our death. What you do now, will lead to what you will do at the hour of your death. So let your actions be for God.
It’s the friends we meet along the way, that help us appreciate the journey. Choose to journey with “attached at the heart” friends.
A burning coal, separated from the fire, will quickly cool and lose its flame. The same is true for Christians. To keep your fire for Christ burning strong and growing, surround yourself with other “on fire” Christians. Journey and grow together.
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. I have to tell you, I’m pretty excited about the next few days. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to since July last year. Beginning Thursday evening, I’m going to spend 3 full days, away from the constant, penetrating influences of the world. I’ll be spending 72 hours in the divine presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, living and taking in my pilgrim Cursillo experience.
72 hours…That’s almost two full work weeks. That’s one pay check I’m looking forward to cashing in on and I’m sure it will pay out life-long dividends.
So, what is Cursillo? It’s a short course in Christianity, that allows you to dive deeper into your faith, without the distractions of the world, in a Holy Spirit filled environment, with people you may not have known before you walked in the door Thursday, but by the time you leave Sunday, you have developed the foundation for “the rest of your life” friendships.
As a result of my Cursillo weekend, I’m looking forward to what God may be prompting me to, to serve His will and mission. If you’re feeling a nudge to take your relationship to the next level with God, let me know. I’d enjoy having a discussion with you, to see what your next best steps might be.
On another note, now that things have settled down a bit after our house build, I’ve reignited the Walking with Emmaus walking share group hikes. All are welcome to join. Jump over to my Walking with Emmaus page to see the hike details for March – November 2025. I hope to see you on the trails.
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. One of the things that makes me smile in life is when you have an aha moment regarding basic life truths, such as friendships. If you’re reading this, I would guess that you have had enough interactions with people to realize not everyone is meant to be a lifelong friend. Our interactions with people span the entire spectrum. These are just things we experience, live through, and learn from…Right?
So, what is it about this that made me smile??? Well, there is so much packed into the Bible, that I can’t remember it all. I’ve read through the Bible completely twice (which is not near enough) and there are some sections that I’ve read so much that I’ve lost count. The part that makes me smile is when I realize that a basic life truth is not just that, it is also Biblical.
On Friday morning, as I was listening to the Mass readings, the first reading was Sirach 6:5-17. Realizing again that these truths of relationships/friendships are Biblical put a smile on my face and I knew I wanted to share this with you, in case it’s been a while since you’ve last seen this.
Sirach 6:5-17
A kind mouth multiplies friends and appeases enemies, and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings. Let your acquaintances be many, but one in a thousand your confidant. When you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him. For one sort is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress. Another is a friend who becomes an enemy, and tells of the quarrel to your shame. Another is a friend, a boon companion, who will not be with you when sorrow comes. When things go well, he is your other self, and lords it over your servants; But if you are brought low, he turns against you and avoids meeting you. Keep away from your enemies; be on your guard with your friends. A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; For he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.
Something else I would like to share with you this week is Matthew Kelly’s Gospel reflection from Monday, 03/03/25. The Gospel reading is Mark 10:17-27. It’s the story of the rich young man that asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” I don’t recall hearing a Gospel refection before, that touches on this subject the way Matthew does. It made me pause and think. Click the link below. It’s just a little over 6 minutes.
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. “My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity. Cling to Him, forsake Him not; thus will your future be great. Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient; for in fire gold is tested, and the chosen, in the crucible of humiliation. Trust God and He will help you; make your ways straight and hope in Him.
You that fear the Lord, wait for His mercy, turn not away lest you fall. You that fear the Lord, trust Him, and your reward will not be lost. You that fear the Lord, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy. Study the generations long past and understand; has anyone hoped in the Lord and been disappointed? Has anyone persevered in his fear and been forsaken? Has anyone called upon Him and been rebuffed? Compassionate and merciful is the Lord; He forgives sins, He saves in time of trouble.
Woe to craven hearts and drooping hands, to the sinner who treads a double path! Woe to the faint of heart who trust not, who therefore will have no shelter! Woe to you who have lost hope! What will you do at the visitation of the Lord? Those who fear the Lord disobey not His words; those who love Him keep His ways. Those who fear the Lord seek to please Him, those who love Him are filled with His law. Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts and humble themselves before him. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord and not into the hands of men, for equal to His majesty is the mercy that He shows.” – Sirach 2:1-18
In my life, I find that when I listen for the Lord’s words of wisdom, act upon His words, and trust that He is guiding me in that direction for a reason, I have peace and joy in my life.
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.
Third Day Devotions 