😎🐫🎤 Merry Christmas and Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  At Mass this morning, Fr. Mike shared with us a story of the origin of the Christmas tree.  I don’t remember ever hearing the origin of the Christmas tree, so I thought I would share it with you.   

The following is from Catholic Straight Answers and the link is provided below.

‘What is the origin of the Christmas tree?

The story of the Christmas tree is part of the story of the life of St. Boniface, whose name was originally Winfrid.  St. Boniface was born about the year 680 in Devonshire, England.  At the age of five, he wanted to become a monk, and entered the monastery school near Exeter two years later.  When he was fourteen, he entered the abbey of Nursling, in the Diocese of Winchester.  Very studious himself, St. Boniface was the pupil of the learned abbot, Winbert.  Later Boniface became the director of the school.

At this time, much of northern and central Europe still had not been evangelized.  St. Boniface decided he wanted to be a missionary to these people.  After one brief attempt, he sought the official approval of Pope St. Gregory II.  The Pope charged him with preaching the gospel to the German people.  (Also at this time, St. Boniface changed his name from Winfrid to Boniface.)  St. Boniface travelled to Germany through the Alps into Bavaria and then into Hesse and Thuringia.  In 722, the Pope consecrated St. Boniface as a bishop with jurisdiction over all of Germany.  He knew that his greatest challenge was to eradicate pagan superstitions which hindered the acceptance of the gospel and the conversion of the people.  Known as “the Apostle to Germany,” he would continue to preach the gospel until he was martyred in 754.  At this point we can begin our story about the Christmas tree.

With his band of faithful followers, St. Boniface was traveling through the woods along an old Roman road one Christmas Eve.  Snow covered the ground, muffling their footsteps.  Their breath could be seen in the crisp, cold air.  Although several suggested that they camp for the night, St. Boniface encouraged them to push forward, saying, “Courage, brothers, and forward yet a little.  God’s moon will light us presently, and the path is plain.  Well know I that you are weary; and my own heart wearies also for the home in England, where those I love so dearly are keeping feast this Christmas Eve.  Oh, that I might escape from this wild, storm-tossed sea of Germany into the peaceful haven of my fatherland!  But we have work to do before we feast tonight.  For this is the Yule-tide, and the heathen people of the forest have gathered at the Oak of Geismar to worship their god, Thor; and strange things will be seen there, and deeds which make the soul black.  But we are sent to lighten their darkness; and we will teach our kinsmen to keep a Christmas with us such as the woodland has never known.  Forward, then, in God’s name!”

They pushed ahead, reinvigorated by St. Boniface’s plea.  After a while, the road opened to a clearing.  They could see houses, but dark and seemingly vacant.  No human was in sight.  Only the noise of hounds and horses broke the quiet.  Continuing on, they came to a glade in the forest, and there appeared the sacred Thunder Oak of Geismar.  “Here,” St. Boniface proclaimed as he held is bishop’s crozier high with its cross on top, “here is the Thunder-oak; and here the cross of Christ shall break the hammer of the false god Thor.”

In front of the tree was a huge bonfire.  Sparks danced in the air.  The townspeople surrounded the fire facing the sacred oak.  St. Boniface interrupted their meeting, “Hail, sons of the forest!  A stranger claims the warmth of your fire in the winter night.”  As St. Boniface and his companions approached the fire, the eyes of the townspeople were on these strangers.  St. Boniface continued, “Your kinsman am I, of the German brotherhood and from Wessex, beyond the sea, have I come to bring you a greeting from that land, and a message from the All-Father, whose servant I am.”

Hunrad, the old priest of Thor, welcomed St. Boniface and his companions.  Hunrad then said to them, “Stand still, common man, and behold what the gods have called us hither to do!  This night is the death-night of the sun-god, Baldur the Beautiful, beloved of gods and men.  This night is the hour of darkness and the power of winter, of sacrifice and mighty fear.  This night the great Thor, the god of thunder and war, to whom this oak is sacred, is grieved for the death of Baldur, and angry with this people because they have forsaken his worship.  Long is it since an offering has been laid upon his altar, long since the roots of his holy tree have been fed with blood.  Therefore its leaves have withered before the time, and its boughs are heavy with death.  Therefore, the Slavs and the Saxons have beaten us in battle.  Therefore, the harvests have failed, and the wolf-hordes have ravaged the folds, and the strength has departed from the bow, and the wood of the spear has broken, and the wild boar has slain the huntsman.  Therefore, the plague has fallen on your dwellings, and the dead are more than the living in all your villages.  Answer me, you people, are not these things true?”  The people sounded their approval and then began a chant of praise to Thor.

When the last sounds faded, Hunrad pronounced, “None of these things will please the god.  More costly is the offering that shall cleanse your sin, more precious the crimson dew that shall send new life into this holy tree of blood.  Thor claims your dearest and your noblest gift.”

With that, Hunrad approached the children, group together around the fire.  He selected the fairest boy, Asulf, the son of Duke Alvold and his wife, Thekla, and declared that he would be sacrificed to travel to Valhalla and bear the people’s message to Thor.  Asulf’s parents were deeply shaken.  Yet, no one spoke.

Hunrad led the boy to a large stone altar between the oak and the fire.  He blindfolded the child, and had him kneel down placing his head on the stone altar.  The people moved closer, and St. Boniface positioned himself near the priest.  Hunrad then lifted his sacred black-stone hammer of the god Thor high into the air, ready to have it crush little Asulf’s skull.  As the hammer fell, St. Boniface thrust his crozier against the hammer, and it fell from Hunrad’s hand, splitting in two against the stone altar.  Sounds of awe and joy filled the air.  Thekla ran to her child spared of this bloody sacrifice and embraced him tightly.

St. Boniface, his face radiant then spoke to the people, “Hearken, sons of the forest!  No blood shall flow this night save that which pity has drawn from a mother’s breast.  For this is the birth-night of the white Christ, the son of the All-Father, the Savior of mankind.  Fairer is He than Baldur the Beautiful, greater than Odin the Wise, kinder than Freya the Good.  Since He has come sacrifice is ended.  The dark, Thor, on whom you have vainly called, is dead.  Deep in the shades of Niffelheim he is lost forever.  And now on this Christ-night you shall begin to live.  This blood-tree shall darken your land no more.  In the name of the Lord, I will destroy it.”  St. Boniface then took his broad ax and began striking the tree.  A mighty wind suddenly arose and the tree fell, wrenching its roots from the earth and splitting into four pieces.

Behind the mighty oak stood a young fir tree, pointing like a cathedral spire toward heaven.  St. Boniface again spoke to the people, “This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight.  It is the wood of peace, for your houses are built of the fir.  It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green.  See how it points upward to heaven.  Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.”

So they took the fir tree and carried it to the village.  Duke Alvold set the tree in the middle of his great hall.  They placed candles on its branches, and it seemed filled with stars.  Then St. Boniface, with Hunrad sitting at his feet, told the story of Bethlehem, the Baby Jesus in the manger, the shepherds, and the angels.   All listened intently.  Little Asulf, sitting on his mother’s lap, said, “Mother, listen now, for I hear those angels singing again behind the tree.”  Some say it is true; some say it was St. Boniface’s companions singing, “All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace; goodwill, henceforth, from heaven to men begin and never cease.”

As we gather around our Christmas trees this year, may we give thanks for the gift of our faith, hold the story of our Savior’s birth in our hearts, and listen for the song of the angels.’

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.

#CatholicStraightAnswers – What is the origin of the Christmas tree?

https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-origin-of-the-christmas-tree/

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  We are just one week away from celebrating Christmas, the birth of Christ.  Many Christmas decorations, cards, and tree toppers often involve angels.  Who are they?  What is their purpose?  The Greek word for angel is aggelos, which means messenger.  As we typically hear this time of year, it was the Archangel Gabriel that brought Mary the message of God’s calling for her to bear and be the mother of Christ. 

It’s recognized that there are nine choirs of angels that make up the angelic hierarchy.

The Seraphim are the highest order of angels.  They are the guardians before God’s heavenly throne.

The Cherubim are next in line and are the guardians of God’s glory.

The Thrones are the angels of humility and peace.

The Dominations, also known as Dominions, govern and direct God’s divine will among the angels.

The Virtues govern nature and the elements.

The Powers are the warrior angels defending us in the cosmos against the evil spirits who create chaos in and through us.

The Principalities are angels here on earth.  There are good principalities that are here to help us, but there are also evil principalities that seek the destruction of our souls.  For me, that helps to explain the image of having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.

The Archangels, considered to be chief or commander angels, intercede for us and present our prayers to the Lord.  As mentioned in the Bible, they have also been visible angelic messengers from God.  There are seven Archangels, but only three are named in the Bible, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

The Angels are those angels closest to you and I.  They are messengers and ministers between God and us.  They can take on human form (I’m sure you’ve seen that in more than one Christmas movie.) to help guide us on our journey.

In your final week of preparation for Christmas, may the angels protect you and guide you to the source of our true hope and salvation, Jesus Christ the Lord.

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.

#Alabama – Angels Among Us

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  One of the Advent daily reading books I’m working through is called Becoming Pilgrims of Hope.  On Sunday, it posed the question, what scripture verse reminds me of God’s promise of hope?  There are so many verses that express God’s many promises of hope, but today I’m going to share with you three sets verses and three promises that immediately came to my mind. 

The first set of verses holds a twofold promise for me.

John 20:19-23: 

‘On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.”

And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”’

The first promise of hope this verse offers me is the hope of Christ’s continuing presence in my life.  He will not abandon me or you.  He will continue to remain in our lives and make His true presence known.  I’ll come back to this point.

The second promise of hope this verse offers me is the gift of God’s Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is also a constant companion providing guidance and wisdom, to help enable us to use our free will to the best of our ability.

An additional supporting set of verses for the promise of the hope of Christ’s continuing presence is the institution of the Holy Eucharist.  Every day at Mass, we have the opportunity to receive Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity into our bodies.  Like Mother Mary, who was the first living tabernacle for Christ, our bodies too become a living tabernacle for Christ, as we carry His body within us.

Luke 22:17-20:

‘Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 

Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”

And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.”’

A third sign of God’s promise of hope for me, is when Christ gave me His Mother, Mother Mary to also be my Mother.  For me, and I would imagine you also, Mother Mary is a great source of peace and calm.  She knows how to navigate heartbreaking and challenging experiences and she makes herself available to bring her wisdom, patience, and peace to us in our challenges.

John 19:25-27:

‘Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.’

Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Mother Mary are three incredible promises of hope. 

I’m glad I was asked this question. It helped me to focus on how truly blessed I am.  What scripture verse reminds you of God’s promise of hope?

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.

#PhilWickham – Living Hope

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Happy Advent!  Welcome to your time of preparation.  But what are you preparing for?  Do you really know?  Are you actually preparing for something?  Depending on what you are preparing for, your needed actions will differ from my needed actions, and will ultimately determine our final outcomes.

I’ve noticed that when I set a 30 minute timer for my lunch break and start seeing the seconds count down, I put more focus on what I want to accomplish in those 30 minutes.  I tend to have my action plan for my lunch break set in the morning before I start work.  I have limited time with specific things I want to accomplish.  They typically include four things, eating, prayer, and reading, while walking.  I sit at a desk for 9 1/2 to 10 hours a day, so I try to walk as much as I can, when I can.  So, considering that 30 minute lunch break, that’s a small amount of time compared to the next 20 days you have to prepare for Christmas. 

Do yourself a favor.

1) Determine what your true goal is for this Advent season.

2) Make a daily plan.

3) Follow your plan with joy, excitement, and the attitude that you cannot fail.

When you approach a task with an I can’t fail attitude, you go after that task with confidence, and confidence empowers you.  May you be filled with the faith of a child, awe, and wonder, as you prepare for Christ’s return in your 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.

Fr.MikeSchmitz – The True Meaning of Advent

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Lately Satan has been showing up in almost all aspects of my life.  He has been pushing buttons.  There are some pretty big faith based events coming up for me in the next 10 months and I know Satan is doing his best to distract me and pull me away from God and the plans that are in motion.  He is attacking through my family, work, events, and one on one with me.  In the moment, I’m trying hard to focus on where the attacks are coming from, not who they are coming through.  Unfortunately, at times I allow my emotions to get the better of me and I lash out at who the attacks are coming through, instead of the actual attacker.  Let me tell you right now, this is not a good approach.  People get hurt.  Things can’t be unsaid.  And, apologies are needed to those we hurt in the process. 

You know, we are truly living in a time of spiritual warfare.  Satan and his demons against God and His heavenly hosts of angels.  It’s important to be on your guard at all times.  A perfect example of this was Monday night.  Before going to bed, I was walking around my house praying the Chaplet of St. Michael.  As I walk and pray, I like to look into the faces of the statues and pictures I have of Jesus and Mother Mary.  About half way through the chaplet, Satan started talking…no, attacking me, telling me that when I look into the face of Mary and Jesus, he was going to come through them, after me.  I have to say, that freaked me out a bit.  Seriously, I did not want to see him face to face and I certainly did not want to unleash Satan in my home.  Fear entered me.  The first few I approached, I wanted to keep my head down.  I didn’t want to look up and see Satan.  I kept telling myself, “Trust the Lord!  Trust the Lord!”  I would then slowly look into the face of Mary or Jesus.  It was like this for the rest of my prayer time.  It is by focusing on the light that we can and will dispel the dark.  I was a bit on edge as I tried to sleep that night.

This week, I want to share an incredible video with you.  It is 21 minutes and it is something you will need to watch, not just listen to.  I just have to say WOW!  God, the designer and creator is absolutely incredible!  There is so much to take in, you will probably want to watch this a few 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.

#GabiAfterHours – Our Lady of Guadalupe

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  As soon as I read Proverbs Chapter 8, The Discourse of Wisdom, I knew I wanted to share it with you.

1 Does not Wisdom call, and Understanding raise her voice?

2 On the top of the heights along the road, at the crossroads she takes her stand;

3 By the gates at the approaches of the city, in the entryways she cries aloud:

4 “To you, O men, I call; my appeal is to the children of men.

5 You simple ones, gain resource, you fools, gain sense.

6 Give heed! for noble things I speak; honesty opens my lips.

7 Yes, the truth my mouth recounts, but wickedness my lips abhor.

8 Sincere are all the words of my mouth, no one of them is wily or crooked;

9 All of them are plain to the man of intelligence, and right to those who attain knowledge.

10 Receive my instruction in preference to silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.

11 [For Wisdom is better than corals, and no choice possession can compare with her.]

12 I, Wisdom, dwell with experience, and judicious knowledge I attain.

13 [The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;] Pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate.

14 Mine are counsel and advice; Mine is strength; I am understanding.

15 By me kings reign, and lawgivers establish justice;

16 By me princes govern, and nobles; all the rulers of earth.

17 Those who love me I also love, and those who seek me find me.

18 With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.

19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than pure gold, and my revenue than choice silver.

20 On the way of duty I walk, along the paths of justice,

21 Granting wealth to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.

22 “The LORD begot me, the firstborn of His ways, the forerunner of His prodigies of long ago;

23 From of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth.

24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains or springs of water;

25 Before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth;

26 While as yet the earth and the fields were not yet made, nor the first clods of the world.

27 When He established the heavens, I was there, when He marked out the vault over the face of the deep;

28 When He made firm the skies above, when He fixed fast the foundations of the earth;

29 When He set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress His command;

30 Then was I beside Him as His craftsman, I was His delight day by day, playing before Him all the while,

31 Playing on the surface of His earth; and I found delight in the sons of men.

32 “So now, O children, listen to me;

33 Instruction and wisdom, do not reject! Happy the man who obeys me, and happy those who keep my ways,

34 Happy the man watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts;

35 For he who finds me finds life, and wins favor from the LORD;

36 But he who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”

I found verses 22-31 to be particularly interesting.  Wisdom that was with God at the creation of the heavens and the earth, and all that fill them, is the Holy Spirit of God.  We certainly don’t comprehend it all, but the Lord put His wisdom into every detail.  I’ve read through this chapter multiple times this past week.  There are so many good points to take in.  What caught your attention?

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.  Continuing my journey through Proverbs, it can be uncomfortable at times.  The truth can certainly hurt.  We don’t always think of our parents as wise people, but regardless of what we think: 

1) Parents have lived longer than their children have. 

2) Parents have made mistakes that they don’t want their children to experience.

3) Parents wish/pray that their children would take to heart the advice/wisdom they impart.

As a child, the older I get and the more I experience life, I more so see and appreciate the wisdom my parents have offered me through the years.

As a parent, I feel hurt for my children when I see them choose self over wisdom.   

Speaking as a parent, one of the most challenging things a parent has to do is watch their children make choices that lead down paths of destruction.  The destruction might be a gradual series of choices or it may be jumping straight into the deep-end, cannonball style.   

We can’t put our children in bubble wrap and protect them from every kind of evil in this world.  Satan is always seeking ways to entice and draw our children and us parents further away from God and closer to himself.  There is no wisdom of truth in Satan’s deceptive utterances, which cause people to feel shame, insecurity, unloved, belittled, unworthy of good gifts, etc.

God doesn’t instruct us to not to do things, just to lord them over us.  He provides instruction and imparts wisdom because He knows how we will feel the moment we do something He instructs us not to do.  It wasn’t very long into the history of the human race that this exact thing happened for the first time.  Queue the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis Chapter 3), their dinner with a serpent (aka Satan), and Adam and Eve playing hide and seek from God.  We are still doing the same thing today.  In our shame, we hide from the Lord.   

God cast Satan out of heaven and gave him dominion over the earth for a time, but God has not left us alone to fight this battle.  Every moment, of every day, God and His host of angels are with us, willing to fighting for us and on our behalf, but it is up to each of us to call them into action.  Ask, seek, knock.

Matthew 7:7-11

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread,

10 or a snake when he asks for a fish?

11 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him.

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.

#InfluenceMusic&MattGilman – Ask

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  The Book of Proverbs primary purpose is to provide instruction, but not just any instruction.  Proverbs provides instruction on the value of wisdom.  Proverbs 1:1-7 sums up the Purpose of the Proverbs of Solomon.

1 The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:

2 That men may appreciate wisdom and discipline, may understand words of intelligence;

3 May receive training in wise conduct, in what is right, just and honest;

4 That resourcefulness may be imparted to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

5 A wise man by hearing will advance in learning, an intelligent man will gain sound guidance,

6 That he may comprehend proverb and parable, the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; wisdom and instruction fools despise.

Granted, in this version of the Bible, it states men, but I think we can all agree that instruction in matters of wisdom is meant for all peoples.  In verse 2 it mentions appreciating discipline.  The word discipline may bring to mind different situations from your past, but in this context, discipline is referring to education and instruction that dispels ignorance.  We all need some of that.

In verse 4, simply references those that are immature or inexperienced, making them easily influenced for good or evil.  We’ve all been there at some point in our lives.  In some areas we may still fall into this category, which means we have great opportunity for growth. 

Fear of the Lord is mentioned in verse 7.  Fear of the Lord is something I’ve never really wrapped my head around.  I don’t see the Lord as someone to be feared.  In my mind, I always replace “fear of the Lord” with “respect for the Lord”.  It is absolutely, incredibly awesome, to say the least, what God has created.  The fact that He never gives up on me, even when I turn away from Him time and again…this is why I respect the Lord, not fear Him.

Wisdom it greater than any physical “treasure” you can poses.  It doesn’t matter what your level of understanding and knowledge is, we always have room for growth.  There are 31 chapters in the Book of Proverbs.  Read one chapter a day and draw from it the wisdom God is giving you at that moment.  Don’t read more than one a day.  You may have read the Book of Proverbs 10 or more times already, but as you read through and meditate on them this time, God will offer you new understanding on what is being said, and thereby imparting greater wisdom.

I pray that meditating on these proverbs, you gain the wisdom God desires you to have, so that you may be a greater representation of Him to those around you. 

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.

#SovereignGraceMusic – Christ Our Wisdom

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I have something pretty cool to share with you this week.  We all have those conversion moments and turning points in our relationship and commitment with God.  They usually aren’t a one and done kind of moment.  God works in and through our lives and those great Ah Ha! moments we have are really a compounding and culmination of God’s many works.  I find conversion stories very interesting and really enjoy hearing how God finds His was into our hearts.  I’m interested in hearing your story.  If you’re interested and feel your story may touch another person’s life for the glory of the Lord, please share it.  If you don’t want to respond to this post, please contact me directly.

To read about one of my major conversion/turning points, checkout my blog post dated Wednesday, February 23, 2022.

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Okay, so the really cool thing I want to share with you this week is a story about Mario Enzler, one of the Papal Swiss Guard.  The video is titled “Pope John Paul II Converted Me!”.  It’s a 17 minute video and well worth the time.  He does have an accent, so you may want to click the CC button, so you don’t miss a word. 

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.

#MarioEnzler – Pope John Paul II Converted Me!