😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Relationships and friendships seemed to have been the focus of this past week.  My brother came in town for the weekend, so I was able to share some time with him, my sister and her husband, and my parents on Thursday and Saturday.  One of my uncles passed away last Friday, which has prompted me to reflect on conversations and experiences we shared.  Saturday, I attended the Cursillo School of Leader gathering, in which the topic was the what, why, and who of friendship.  And next weekend there is a reunion scheduled with some of those that I served in the Air Force with.  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make that trip.

There are so many people that make up the journey of our lives.  Some last as quickly as a breeze.  Others may last a season, years, or a lifetime.  Proverbs 18:24 tells us, “Some friends bring ruin on us, but a true friend is more loyal than a brother.”  So, choose your relationships wisely.  If a “friend” is toxic, it’s okay to walk away.

Not all relationships are meant to go deep.  It’s scary putting yourself out there and opening yourself up to be vulnerable.  When we are our authentic self, we allow others to also be their authentic self, which enables us to stop talking about the weather, our jobs, and other such superficial subjects.  Without God’s involvement, friendships are very limited.  It was said at the Cursillo School of Leaders, when you are authentic, you become spiritually and emotionally naked. 

It is said that when Aristotle was asked “What is a friend?”  His response was, “A single soul dwelling in two bodies.”  To me, Aristotle’s quote describes a friendship that can only be attained with God, Father, Spirit, Jesus.  That kind of friendship is something that we have to work at.  So often we try to fit God’s love and friendship into our schedule, instead to allowing Him to be first.  “A new commandment I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35.

A few days ago, I woke up with today’s song in my head.  When you listen to it, imagine God singing it to 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.

#PeteTownshend – Let My Love Open the Door

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  “A woman at a retreat shared how she had devoted her whole life to spiritual seeking.  She had traveled to sacred sites, attended countless retreats and workshops, sought teachers and guides.  It had, she confessed, been a time of much striving; it had been fruitful in someways, yet she felt tired, weary.  She was getting older. She wondered how much stamina she had left to continue her search.

“You have been a seeker for a long time,” I said.  “Why not become a finder?   At this stage in your life, what if you imagined you were ready to let go of seeking, and begin finding?”  She remains silent for a time, a look of deep confusion on her face, her head slightly tilted, as if she were trying to hear a sound far away.  Then, suddenly, a laugh exploded from deep in her belly.  A finder!  What a delight!  How could she have never imagined it before?  She had always been so focused on the search, she had never taken time to rejoice in the blessing, the gift of finding.

When we are trapped in seeking, nothing is enough. Everything we have mocks us; we see only what is missing, and all that is already here seems pale and unsatisfying.  In Sabbath time we bless what there is for being.  The time for seeking is over; the time for finding has begun.”

This exert is once again from the Wayne Muller book Sabbath.  There are quite a few good nuggets in this book. 

Like the woman mention above, how many years have you spent seeking, grasping for the next, then quickly dropping it to go after the next thing to grasp?  There is a huge pile of things we seek, grab ahold of, only to discard them, so we can start looking at the next best thing.  We usually don’t even take the time to breath, let alone discover what we sought to possess and explore it, now that we hold it in our hands.  This ongoing restlessness is due to our longing and desire to return to and be with the Lord. 

We need to ask, what are my mind, heart, and actions made for?  What am I made for and what gets in my way?  If we can at least determine what gets in our way, we can then work on eliminating those items from our path of temptations.  By eliminating temptations, you will free up time to speak with God more, about His desired plans for you.  The more you open your life to the Lord, the brighter His light will shine in you, for others to see and feel His presence.

Like the dawn, the reflective light of the sun, precedes the sun’s appearance.  The darkness dissipates and a glow fills the sky.  The same is true for dusk.  The sun has sunk into the horizon, yet it’s glow and the brilliance of the colors dance across the western sky.  Before others will see the Son, they will see a reflection of Him in you.  You will shine the light of His presence before He is fully visible. 

Stop seeking.  He is already within you.  Take the time to find Him where you are.

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.

#WayneMuller – Sabbath

#BenFuller – Who I Am

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Monday night, this question was posed to me.  “Have you ever been disappointed in God?”  In reflecting on this question, I asked myself, “When do I feel disappointed?”  I answered, “I feel disappointed when I don’t see the desired outcome I was planning, hoping, or praying for.  So then, what is the source of my disappointment?  God?  No.  Selfishness is the source of my disappointments.” 

We make plans, and in our mind, our plans are the best and everyone else should think they are also…right?  Then something changes your perfect plan.  That perfect vacation you planned for two years…COVID hits.  That promotion you’ve been working toward for three years…Given to someone outside of your firm.  That marriage you’ve been trying to hold together…Your spouse decides it’s time to call it quits.  These and so many other situations that don’t have our desired outcome are not a reason to feel disappointed in God.  God desires love, peace, and relationship with us.  He is not to blame or be disappointed in, because of our choices.  One of His gifts to us was free will.  He doesn’t want us to be slaves to Him.  He wants us to freely choose to be with Him, to share our time and experiences, to have conversations and live with Him.  He wants to share His time with us.  He wants to offer us advice for things we are struggling with.  He wants to laugh and play with us.  He knows what’s best for us and wants us to live the best life possible. 

Matthew 28:16-20

‘The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.  When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”’

Jesus has placed His blessing and commission upon you.  He is with you always.  Don’t hesitate or think twice.  Let this be the moment you go to 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.

#CastingCrowns – Already There

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Lately, I must be lacking when it comes to listening, because the subject of listening keeps finding its way to me.  Henri Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian.  From Wayne Muller’s book Sabbath, we read, “Henri Nouwen was a dear friend of mine, a brother, priest, and mentor.  He was also a fiercely astute observer of our worried, overfilled lives.  Henri insisted that the noise of our lives made us deaf, unable to hear when we are called, or from which direction.  Henri said our lives have become absurd – because in the word absurd, we find the Latin word surdus, which means deaf.  In our spiritual life we need to listen to the God who constantly speaks but whom we seldom hear in our hurried deafness. On the other hand, Henri was fond of reminding me that our word obedient comes from the Latin word audire, which means “to listen.” Henri believed that a spiritual life was a pilgrimage from absurdity to obedience – from deafness to listening.” 

On Monday, I started attending the St. Augustine Institute 16 week program, Symbolon at one of our local parishes.  The first session was titled, “Seeking the Face of God.”  Whether conscious or unconscious, our deepest desire is to know God, our creator.  He is constantly seeking us, which is why we constantly feel the aching to fill that God size void in our lives.  When we are obedient (listen to) His word, we ourselves can in turn seek God and our seeking will turn into seeing.

During a break at the Symbolon session, a lady I spoke with shared a bit of her conversion story with me.  As a child she didn’t have any kind of faith formation.  Her only exposure to faith and religion was a grade school friend.  As a young adult she was in an accident and during her recovery she found herself asking questions and seeking God.  She had never been to a Catholic Mass before, yet one Saturday afternoon, she found herself walking to Mass.  She sat in the back and had no idea what was really going on.  God moved so deeply in her at that Mass, that she found herself returning to Mass not only every weekend, but also to daily Mass.  She started asking questions to people at Mass and contacting the parish to see about taking faith formation classes to become Catholic.  That is the power of seeking and listening to God.

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.

#WayneMuller – Sabbath

#AugustineInstitute – Symbolon

#ZachWillimas – Lookin’ for You

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  When you open yourself up to God and His Word, you WILL change.  Those that knew the old you won’t understand and may no longer “recognize” you.  Quite often the majority of them won’t ask question or dig a little deeper to find out what’s going on.  They’ll sit on the sidelines.  Maybe talk behind your back to others, about the crazy things you’re doing.  They’ll watch to see if it’s a phase you’re going through, waiting for you to snap out of it.  When they see that you aren’t coming back to the old you, they’ll put up walls, cut ties, just stop communicating and coming around.  It hurts when friends walk out of our lives.  Sometimes the changes we make can be scary and confusing for our friends.  They don’t understand it.  You may even hear…”What happened to you?” 

To start with, your ears were opened.  The Lord’s words filled your heart and mind.  When that God size hole in you starts to be filled, you begin to transform back to the you that God formed in His loving hands, before the influences of Satan in the world got a grip on you. 

This journey we’re on is not a stairway to heaven, it a U turn back to our loving Creator, with the mission to bring as many people as possible with us. 

This journey must start with first hearing His word.  Maybe that’s why as infants, we first hear, before we learn to speak.  God is showing us that in order to learn, we must listen and then, be imitators of the word, by walking along side others and speaking the word of God with them. 

In last Sunday’s Gospel, Mark 7:31-37, we read and experience a very familiar seen…Jesus miraculously healing a man.  Yes, every act of healing that Jesus performed is miraculous.  The fact that Jesus has healed and continues to heal people every day, can make us blind to the fact that EVERY healing is miraculous.  I’ve listened to Bishop Robert Barron’s homily, regarding Sunday’s Gospel, five times.  Bishop Barron brings into focus some history and geography of the time, that allows for greater learning and ultimately a more expansive understanding of God’s word.  It’s a 14 minute homily, that I sure will bring you insight and wisdom. 

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.

#BishopRobertBarron – Be Opened!

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Your vocation as a Christian is God’s calling upon your life.  Have you spoken with the Lord and/or prayed for guidance regarding your vocation?  Do you think anyone else has spoken with the Lord or prayed on your behalf for wisdom regarding your vocation? 

Part of my daily prayers includes the Prayer for Vocations, which was penned by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, OH.  I would like to share this with you, in hopes that you too, will make it apart of your daily prayer life.  But before I share this prayer with you, take a moment to consider what your vocation as a Christian is.  Remember, your vocation is not a job, it’s a calling upon your life.

Almighty Father,

You have created us for some definite purpose.

Grant us the grace to know the path

You have planned for us in this life

and to respond with a generous “Yes.”

Make our archdiocese, parishes, homes and hearts

fruitful grounds for Your gift of vocations.

May our young people respond to Your call

with courage and zeal.

Stir among our men a desire and the strength

to be good and holy priest.

Bless us with consecrated religious

and those called to a chaste single life,

permanent deacons, and faithful husbands & wives,

who are a sign of Christ’s love for His Church.

We commend our prayer for vocations to You, Father,

through the intercession of Mary our Mother,

in the Holy Spirit, through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Which vocation do you have upon your life?  That answer could depend on what season of life you are in.  We have all been called to a chaste single life for a portion of our lives.  Into adulthood, the majority of us fall in one of two vocations, a chaste single life or faithful husbands and wives.  There are a lot less Christians who are called to vocations as priests, consecrated religious, and permanent deacons.  Our brothers and sisters in Christ, who have been called to these vocations, really need our prayers for clarity of discernment and the courage to trust in the Lord’s desires upon their lives.  With all the forces of this world pressing in, it can be very hard to commit to that “Yes.” 

Every single vocation is important and part of God’s purpose in creating you.  Don’t take your vocation lightly.  It requires commitment and work on your part.  You can’t expect that it will just happen.  God is asking you for your “Yes.”  Are you willing to offer it to Him?

Philippians 1:6 “I am confident of this, that the One who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus”

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.

#CollinRaye – Here I Am, Lord

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  If we believe that God is great, then we can’t help but share Him with others.  For most of us, that looks more like one-on-one interactions.  For some, that’s rooms, churches, or stadiums full of a people.  It may be through words, songs, or simply our silent actions.

Psalm 96

I

Sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, bless His name;

proclaim His salvation day after day.

Tell His glory among the nations;

among all peoples, His marvelous deeds.

II

For great is the LORD and highly to be praised,

to be feared above all gods.

For the gods of the nations are idols,

but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and power go before Him;

power and grandeur are in His holy place.

III

Give to the LORD, you families of nations,

give to the LORD glory and might;

give to the LORD the glory due His name!

Bring gifts and enter His courts;

bow down to the LORD, splendid in holiness.

Tremble before Him, all the earth;

declare among the nations: The LORD is king.

The world will surely stand fast, never to be shaken.

He rules the peoples with fairness.

IV

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and what fills it resound;

let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.

Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice

before the LORD who comes,

who comes to govern the earth,

To govern the world with justice

and the peoples with faithfulness.

Equality, fairness, justice…yes, we want them for ourselves and in this world, but the truth is, we are human and we aren’t capable of what God is capable of.  Seek God’s word and turn to Him.  He is where you will find ALL you’ve ever wanted, plus that which you had no idea you needed.  Seek the Lord, share the Lord, live in the Lord, and praise the Lord for all He offers you in this life and in eternity with 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.

#BrandonLake – That’s Who I Praise

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  St Augustine described a sacrament as an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.  During the homily Sunday, while discussing John 6:51–58, Fr. Mike Holloran stated, “Jesus’ physical body is the outward sign of an inward grace.” 

John 6:51–58, Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.” 

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”  Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent Me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will have life because of Me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven.  Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

First of all, when Jesus says, “Amen, amen”, that is a big clue to listen up and take note of what He is about to say.  In this moment Jesus is offering His physical body and blood, so that you and I WILL receive and have the grace of eternal life with God.  Isn’t that what we as Christians are striving for?  Do you want to spend your eternal life in God’s presence? 

But your eternal life wasn’t His entire focus.  He gave us His broken flesh and blood poured out for a time such as this.  He does not want you to face this life on your own.  He wants to physically be with you on this journey.  Why not start now?  The Eucharist is Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity!  His physical presence in you, WILL change you.

If you would like to know more about the true presence of Christ, please reach out to 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.

#MatthewKelly – Those Who Believe Don’t Leave

#MattMaher – Because He Lives (Amen)

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  Last Saturday I was at a Cursillo School of Leaders event and heard something that shed some light and a new meaning on what Paul was speaking of to the Galatians.  A large majority of the time, we read the Bible with our current understanding of the words, which can make it a challenge to understand what is really being spoken to us and for us. 

The word that was discussed was adoption.  I am by no stretch of the imagination an expert on adoption, so please excuse my very basic definition.  As we think about adoption today, it is legally bringing a child into your family, not knowing what they are really like, to love and care for that child, as your own, and to teach, guide, and prepare them for life and adulthood.

Adoption in Biblical Roman times was more about a wealthy man choosing a younger man, not a child, to be his son, so that he could have an heir.  It wasn’t about providing a family and home for an orphan, but about choosing someone with the skills, talents, and mentality you desire to inherit your wealth and continue your legacy. 

Here is what I found interesting.  In those days, a natural born child could be disowned for any reason.  If you didn’t like how they looked; the way they spoke; their mental stability; their physical health; if they racked up a lot of debt, and so on, you could disown them.  But, as an adopted child, you could not be disowned.

Galatians 4:4-7, ‘…God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.  As proof that you are children, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”  So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.’

Think about it.  That is powerful.  In that moment God said, I know who you are.  I know what you’re like.  I know all the good and bad about you.  I know that sometimes you will love Me, hold Me close, and please Me.  I also know that you will disown Me, curse My name, and hurt Me.  But I still choose you!  I will not disown or forsake you.  My inheritance awaits you.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  That’s all there is.  God, Father, Spirit, Jesus, is unconditional love, for 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.

#MattRedman ft. Matt Maher – Unconditional