Third Day Devotions

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

😎🐫🎤 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

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.

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.

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)

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#BrandonLake – That’s Who I Praise

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

😎🐫🎤 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)

#MatthewKelly – Those Who Believe Don’t Leave

#MattMaher – Because He Lives (Amen)

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

😎🐫🎤 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)

#MattRedman ft. Matt Maher – Unconditional

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Just about a month ago, we met some friends for dinner. Jenni told me that she cleaned a room in her home and came across a book that she read many years ago. She said based on what she’d been reading in my blog, she thought I needed to read that book. The book was a little marked up, but she said it was mine to keep. The title of the Wayne Muller book is “Sabbath”. I’m about half way through the first of seven sections and I came across something that made me stop. Wait a minute, what did he just say??? Sabbath is not a lifestyle suggestion, but a commandment. Okay, it’s been a while since I read the Ten Commandments, so I had to look them up. Yep, the fourth commandment, Exodus 20:8 “Remember the sabbath day – keep it holy.”

Wow, I have to admit, I’ve never really though of sabbath as a commandment. I, and we as a culture, just go, go, go. But think about it with me. God has placed some serious importance on sabbath, to place it in the top 10 commandments. Sabbath ranks right up there with you shall not steal, murder, commit adultery, bear false witness, and covet. As well as you shall not have other gods before Me; don’t make idols or take the name of the Lord in vain; and honor your father and mother.

God starting planting that seed of sabbath before I started reading the book. One of my many takeaways from the National Eucharistic Congress was COVID. We came home the Monday after the Congress. I worked all day Tuesday and I think about three hours on Wednesday, then I was off sick until the follow Monday. That was God telling me that He didn’t want me jumping full steam back into life. He wanted me to take time to reflect, meditate, and soak in all the experiences from the National Eucharistic Congress and what He had spoken to me there. Sometimes the only way to get us to stop, is to force us to stop, for our own good. God’s not so subtle hint and this book are causing me to pause and allow myself some sabbath.

Jenni, thank you for listening to God’s promptings to give me this book.

Take some time this week and talk with God about what sabbath is best for you. Listen to what He has to offer. And remember, your sabbath is as important as not committing murder and honoring God, Himself. Sometimes we just need to sit a few innings or a whole game on the bench, so that we are in prime condition when He calls to put us in the game.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly :0)

#NationalEucharisticCongress

#Run51 – Tempo

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Reading Matthew 13:36-43, it got me thinking about how much teaching Jesus had to pack into His three year ministry. There had to be an incredible amount of teaching and on the job training in three years, to develop His disciples into worthy representatives of Himself, to bring forth all they saw, experienced, and learned, to all the nations. They came from a variety of educational backgrounds, learning styles, attention spans, retention levels, and abilities to trust and believe in what Christ was sharing with them. I have to believe that Christ would occasionally get frustrated with the fact that His disciples didn’t understand His words and meanings.

Matthew chapter 13, for example, starts with Jesus teaching a crowd using parables. His disciples then questioned Jesus, wanting to know why He used parables to teach. But they didn’t stop there. The disciples then asked Jesus to explain the meaning of the parable. By now, Jesus may be thinking to himself, don’t they understand anything. Jesus explains the parable, then teaches them using a few more parables, then explains the parable, then shares more parables. It seems like a never ending cycle. I imagine Jesus wished we would get it the first time He told us what we needed to know, but He knows us all too well and patiently continues to teach us over and over again until we get that AHA! moment of clarity.

I appreciate the fact that the disciples weren’t afraid to ask the questions. You and I should be the same way. I don’t think God just wants us to follow Him blindly, which is evidenced by the fact that He wants to be in relationship with us. He wants us to have dialog and discussions with Him. He is certainly not afraid to answer the hard questions, after all, He is all knowing. Maybe the challenge or fun in it for Him is to figure out the best way to respond to our questions, so that we actually learn.

Never stop asking questions. Wisdom comes through learning and experiences. If you just experience, but don’t ask why, in search of the meaning, then you have only learned half the lesson. Maybe that’s how the term half-witted came into being.

Be bold in your faith and share what you have learned. As Chris Stefanick said at the National Eucharistic Congress, “Two thirds of God’s name is GO.”

You don’t have to be perfect. God will fill in the blanks.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly :0)

#NationalEucharisticCongress

#CastingCrowns – Crazy People

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Brian and I got home Monday after spending six days in Indianapolis, IN for the 10^th National Eucharistic Congress. WOW! 60,000 people laughing, crying, singing, and on their knees in Lucas Oil Stadium, silent, in adoration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was moving in and through us, as we were sent forth from the Congress to love and serve the Lord and each other, as He is calling us to.

There was so much good information. I have 13 pages of notes that I need to unpack, meditate on, and guide me to move forward from this encounter with the Lord. So, what am I going to do about it? For my Walk to Emmaus friends, that’s a question we ask at the end of each Walk. First of all, after intense experiences with the Lord, you leave changed, although the world you return to hasn’t changed. That’s where we step in with God’s guidance. Before we got back home, I made some calls and tapped into the Augustine Institute, Formed program to help increase my education of our Catholic faith. If you’re interested, contact your parish office to see if they have a parish code that you can use to get the content for free.

I also left the Congress knowing two things for sure. 1) I want to contact our Archdiocese to become involved with the Cursillo program, which is the origin of the protestant, Walk to Emmaus experience. 2) I want to build a community of Catholic Christian friends. Every person has a variety of friends in their life and this is one area that I see is lacking in my life at the moment.

All revivals must be rooted in repentance, which was a BIG part of the Congress. There were a multitude of priests hearing our confessions and absolving us from our sins, which then allowed us to be open to healing, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Here are a few quick notes, with some of my thoughts added, from Day 1:

Adoration is essential to our relationship with Christ.

A fruit of adoration is imitation. The more we adore Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist, the more we are able to imitate Him.

Have you ever seen sea turtles? They are born into a place they don’t belong, to get to a place they are destined for. They are born on a beach and as soon as they are born, they have to fight and struggle to get to the sea before they are eaten. That fight and struggle on the beach helps to strengthen and prepare them for their watery journey. We are like those sea turtles. We are born into a world filled with sin, which we were not meant to be in. Therefore, we fight and struggle to get to our true destination in heaven with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly :0)

#AugustineInstitute – Formed

https://www.augustineinstitute.org/program-and-resources/formed-subscriptions

#MavericCityMusic – Rest On Us

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Have you ever had the feeling that someone is out to get you? Last week I shared with you about the mulch speck in my eye. Last Monday evening Brian and I had another experience. A heavy rain was moving through our area, but it lightened up as we were heading out to meet a friend for dinner. It was about a 45 minute drive to our destination. Brian opened the garage door with the button in our vehicle and we drove out of the garage. Brian pushed the button multiple times, trying to close the door, but it wouldn’t close. He tried the other buttons as well, to see if they would work. Nope, that door was not going to close. Brian backed up to get closer to the door and tried the buttons again. It still didn’t close. So, I went in the garage and grab the garage door remote from my car. That worked and we were on our way.

About 25-30 minutes into our drive, we came to an intersection with a multicar accident. I told Brian, that’s why the garage door wouldn’t close. We’ll know for sure if the button works when we get back home. We continued onto our destination and had an enjoyable dinner with our friend. When we arrived back home, one push of the button and the door opened. Once parked in the garage, one push of the button and the door closed.

We don’t always see or receive the signs/proof of God’s workings, but there was no denying this. 100% God shielded us from being in that accident. Thank You Lord, for once again protecting us. It is clear that You still have plans for us to continue Your work in this world. I pray that we will always have the clarity and wisdom to choose You first and Your plan for our lives. Trust! Trust! Trust in the Lord!

As a reminder, the National Eucharistic Congress is 07/17/24 – 07/21/24 in Indianapolis, IN. Some tickets are still available, but if you are unable to join in person, click this LINK to livestream the events.

Please join me in praying for the National Eucharistic Congress and please add your own prayers.

Lord, I ask for Your blessings and mercies on all the volunteers, those attending, and those that will be moved by the National Eucharistic Congress, in Indianapolis, IN, 07/17/24 – 07/21/24. You are truly present in the Holy Eucharist and desire to always be present within us. May we humble ourselves to become worthy vessels of Your presence, as we carry You forward in the mission You have given us all, to preach repentance, healing, and forgiveness to every lost and hurting soul. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray. Amen!

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly :0)

#NationalEucharisticCongress

#MatthewWest – Don’t Stop Praying

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. I had an experience last Friday that caused me to think of two things. 1) Andy Benard from The Office. 2) Matthew 7:1-5. Yep, that probably sounds like an odd combination.

Brian and I were shoveling some mulch into the bed of the truck. The mulch was dry for the most part and it was a little windy, so as we threw the shovels full of mulch, some of the smaller particles blew on us. We finish getting what we wanted, put the shovels in the bed, dusted off, then we were on our way to our next stop. What happened next, I’m not exactly sure, but as we were driving, I think it was a piece of the mulch dust that got into my left eye. First of all, a tiny speck in your eye can be very painful. I waited in the truck, trying to clear my eye while Brian quickly ran into the store. We had one more stop that we wanted to make, but my eye was hurting too much, so we came home to rinse my eye out. That’s where Andy Bernard comes in. On The Office, Andy was trying to break into the acting business and he landed his first acting job in a work safety movie, in which he had to clean his eyes at an eye wash station. I can’t help but laugh thinking about that scene. It certainly was a challenge for Andy, but it helped me realize I had to keep my face down, so that the water and mulch particle could run out of my eye.

As Brian was driving, I was trying not to rub my eye. Actually, I tried to hold my eyelid away from my eye, so that whatever was in my eye wouldn’t scratch it. That was when I started thinking about Matthew 7:1-5,

‘“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’

That little speck sure did feel like a plank in my eye.

Thank God, it was only in my eye for about an hour and there was no injury to my eye. That situation keeps playing over in my mind. 1) I believe God protected us from what might have happened if we would have continued onto the third stop we were planning to make. I also believe one hour of an irritated eye was far less pain than the pain we would have felt otherwise. 2) Everyone has some size of speck in their eye that causes us pain, to see unclearly, and to lash out at others from time to time. I certainly don’t like feeling those things and I imagine you don’t either. But I am once again reminded that it is by God’s grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness that those specks and all the side effects of those specks can be washed away, so that we don’t have to continue living in that pain. Jesus Christ suffered anguish on the cross so that you and I don’t have to feel that pain. His living water, that He poured out for us, is all we need to wash us clean. Thank You Jesus!

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly :0)

#Blanca – Even at My Worst

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

😎🐫Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Wow! What an incredible two days with Jesus, participating in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route at St. Brigid Parish in Xenia, OH. I have just a few pictures that I want to share with you here, but I also attached the link to the Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph that has more pictures from 07/01/2024. I’m hoping the 07/02/2024 pictures will be added soon.

The first two pictures are of Jesus in the monstrance. The first picture is from 07/01/2024 and the second is from 07/02/2024. I took both pictures while Jesus was on an altar, completely shaded in a picnic shelter. For both pictures, there was full sun out and I did not use a flash. In the picture on 07/01/2024, it looks like the monstrance is glowing.

This next picture beautifully shows some of the hard work that went into preparing for Jesus’ arrival. I honestly don’t know how many yards of colored pine mulch they used to honor our Lord and Mother Mary. So many youth were involved in constructing these beautiful pieces of art.

This is just a portion of the pilgrimage line on 07/01/2024.

On 07/02/2024, we walked about 9 miles with Jesus, on the streets of Xenia, but mostly along the bike path. It was absolutely incredible, the reverence most people showed as we passed by. Some just kept on their way and I believe some thought we were a distraction and disruption in their travel. But then there were others that paused and bowed their head, made the sign of the cross, knelt on the concrete in their work clothes, and some that cried as Jesus passed by.

We laid a trail of rose pedals along the entire path. I prayed that each pedal dropped was a lost soul that would turn and run back to Christ.

Another honor I had, but don’t have a picture of and up until about 30 minutes prior to it happening didn’t know I was going to be doing, was that I had the privilege of being the left, front pole bearer of the canopy that covered Jesus and Fr. Blenman for about 2 miles of the pilgrimage. What an absolute blessing and honor to stand in the position of covering/protecting Jesus and being prepared to defend Him, if anyone would have tried to attack. Thank You Lord that the journey was peaceful!

I would like to share with you one more picture I took along the pilgrimage on 07/02/2024. I know there is a lot of green in this picture, so look close. There is a body of water in this picture, which is covered by a lot of scum, and has a beer bottle and water bottle floating in it. I thought this was a perfect picture of what our life looks like when we don’t allow the living waters of Jesus Christ to flow through us. We get all stopped up with trash and covered in scum. When a body of water, which our human body is about 60% water, has a steady current and movement, scum doesn’t take over and trash passes through. The cleanest, clearest, purest water is the living water that flows from Jesus Christ, to and through us. Don’t allow your waters to become blocked, scummy, and full of trash. You have a choice. Seek Christ!

You still have two weeks before Jesus arrives at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana on 07/17/2024. Checkout the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage link below and if at all possible, walk a mile or two with Jesus.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly :0)

#NationalEucharisticPilgrimage

https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/

#CincinnatiCatholicTelegraph

Photo Essay: Jesus is Here!

#NationalEucharisticCongress

https://www.eucharisticcongress.org/

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. JESUS IS COMING!!!!! July 1-2, 2024 the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route will be making a stop and overnight stay at St. Brigid Parish in Xenia, OH. This is super exciting and you have the opportunity to be a part of this historical moment. I’m really at kind of a loss for words about this. I don’t think anything I can say would even come close to what this experience will be. There are some things in life that you just need to experience and I believe this is one. I spoke with one of my sisters who was able to take part in the National Eucharist Pilgrimage on the St. Junipero Serra Route as they passed through Colorado. It’s amazing, or maybe I should say God inspired how many people this pilgrimage will touch…How many lives will be changed.

Two weeks ago, the expectation for the St. Brigid festivities was about 250 people for July 1^st and 225 for July 2^nd. As of June 24^th, those numbers had grown to an expectation of 600+ people each day. I believe God is calling even more to be there with Him. If you don’t like to come to events unless you are personally invited, this is me personally inviting YOU to join me in experiencing Jesus’ true presence in the Holy Eucharist. This is me inviting YOU to experience Jesus’ grace, forgiveness, and mercy. This is me inviting YOU to come and adore Him during the overnight adoration from 6:30 PM July 1^st through 7:30 AM July 2^nd. This is me inviting YOU to publicly walk with Christ 4:30 PM on July 1^st and following 7:30 AM Mass on July 2^nd. Will you come to Him?

Click the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage link below to find out where you can meet Jesus on the road to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana between now and July 17, 2024. Find the Pilgrimage route close to you and experience Christ burning within your heart, as did the pilgrims who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly :0)

#CrystalLewis – People Get Ready

#NationalEucharistPilgrimage

https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/

St. Brigid Parish Xenia, Ohio National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Registration

Click to access FINAL-2-St-Brigid-Pilgrimage-Detailed-Flyer.pdf