...Hold On to What is Good...

~~~ Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary ~~~

~~~Zephaniah 3:14-18A or Romans 12:9-16 ~~~

Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

~~~ Luke 1:39-56 ~~~

The story of Mary rushing to visit Elizabeth celebrates

 the love and friendship between two women.

Mary has just experienced a profound life changing event.

 Shes goes right away to the woman carrying the one

 who will make the way for Jesus, John.

I have written about this visit in other entries on this blog

just click on the tag Visitation.

Perhaps we have these readings today

 because they highlight the workings of the Holy Spirit in the lives

 of these two devoted women...Mary and Elizabeth.

The Holy Spirit draws these women together;

one giving testimony to the other even before they utter a single word.

Nothing is impossible with/for God,

but when he 'tosses' in the Holy Spirit something fantastic happens.

Young, old, wed, virgin;

no objections are too great for the Holy Spirit.

Paul's letter to the Romans is most lovely.

He uses words like...

Let love be sincere;

hate what is evil,

hold on to what is good;

love one another with mutual affection;

anticipate one another in showing honor.

Do not grow slack in zeal,

be fervent in spirit,

serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope,

endure in affliction,

persevere in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,

exercise hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you,

bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice,

weep with those who weep.

Have the same regard for one another;

do not be haughty but associate with the lowly;

do not be wise in your own estimation.

I have included the full reading here, so that you also may

cherish his words.

Whether or not he was thinking of Mary as he was writing;

it is easy for us to place her on our hearts as we read and reflect on it today.

Every verse offers something for us to magnify in our own life.

Which verse speaks most to you?

...hold on to what is good?

I think in our world today it is difficult to hold on to what is good.

First, we must identify the good, which may cause

 us to shift our primary focus.

Where is the good? What is really good today?

How do we define good in our personal life?

I believe, if we look for the good we will find the good.

Do not grow slack in zeal...

Zeal...

a strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm

 that makes someone very eager or determined to do something.

May our zeal for the message of love and mercy

inspire us to have greater regard for others.

Mary visited Elizabeth and together 

they rejoiced in what the Spirit of God had done with their lives.

May we share in their Visitation joy.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Anguish Splinters Joy

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 18:9-18 ~~~ Psalm 47 ~~~ John 16:20-23 ~~~

So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.

Anguish is a very strong descriptive word.
Just to pronounce the word anguish
makes me want to recoil from reality.
Anguish...excruciating or acute distress, suffering, or pain.
After the death and crucifixion of Jesus
 those who loved him were in acute pain.
After the resurrection he makes appearances
 to many of those who loved him most.
Now he is going to leave again
 with the promise to send down the Spirit,
once again the anguish fills their hearts and minds.

Anguish is so strong that one can hardly believe
 that it will ever be better,
yet we are promised relief in the form of joy.

Anguish is a heavy burden to carry around.
Joy gives one a feeling of lightness,
not just in spirit, but a
lightness of the heart and soul.

When one is buried under the weight of anguish it is hard to accept
that a joy will be given that cannot be taken away.
Anguish obscures the heart and mind so utterly that the three letters of joy
are mixed up, splintered into a thousand pieces.

Jesus says that when we have his joy it can never be taken away...
it can never again be covered with the cloud of anguish.

It is ever possible to experience this kind of joy
 while still here in this world?
Is it a joy that can only be realized after we die?

Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

Is this part of the joy of which Jesus promises when he returns?
If we have this magnificent joy
 what else could we possibly need to ask for?

This joy will be enough
that we may not feel the need to ask for anything more.

Always Blessed
 even as anguish obscures and splinters the joy.
~~~Peace~~~

All Things Pass

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 18:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 16:16-20 ~~~

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Paul met Jewish friends in Corinth, but for the most part
 his preaching fell on deaf ears.
His decision was to redirect his attention to the nearby Gentiles.
As a result of Paul moving on many Corinthians
heard and were baptized.
There minds and hearts were open to the word of the Lord.
Paul was steadfast and determined to preach to those who would listen.

We thank you Paul for not getting discouraged.
There were so many times when you could have
walked away, and gone home to stay.
The Spirit, which was upon Paul, gave him the strength of heart
to carry on in the face of rejection and apathy.

‘A little while and you will not see me,

and again a little while and you will see me’?

These words almost make you think of a baby's game of peek-a-boo.

To a baby if they cannot see you then you are gone.
Hiding and revealing your face to them is a surprise.
The surprise of seeing your face again
causes them to laugh and giggle.
It is delightful joy to play with babies.
But of course we know that Jesus
 is not playing with the apostles;
he really is physically going away. 

He is returning to the Father in Heaven
so that he can send down the Holy Spirit.

...your grief will become joy.

We all experience grief to some degree in our lives.
We grieve over the death of a loved one...
we grieve over losses in our lives...
some even grieve over their own lives.

Jesus does not tell us not to grieve...
he does tell us it is foolish to grieve.
He validates our grief with the promise of joy.
Jesus does not want us to remain in a state of grief.
He wants us to believe that whatever grief we experience;
he will transform it into joy.

The only genuine experience
of joy we can have must come from him.

Blessed with grief so that we can better appreciate his joy.
~~~Peace~~~

No Strings Attached

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 17:15, 22-18:1 ~~~ Psalm 148 ~~~ John 16:12-15 ~~~

...the Spirit of truth...will guide you to all truth.

The Athenians had many shrines and altars erected.
As Paul noted, they were very religious.
They attempted to cover all of their bases by building an altar
‘To an Unknown God.’

This 'Unknown God' does not need anything made by human hands.
Paul reveals to them the truth about the God they do not know,
but want to know.
Paul is filled with the Spirit of truth.

In my ideal world, the Spirit of truth would not allow lies to be spread.
But since we have a God that gave us free will lies will
continue to be present.
The Spirit of truth reveals to our heart that which is true concerning God.
The Spirit of truth keeps us searching for the truth.

Paul reveals more about our God.
...gives to everyone life and breath and everything.

There is only one true God.
He is patient with his people while having expectations of repentance.
God has given us everything, just as Paul is sharing with the Athenians.

For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’

This is not to imply that we are merely puppets in this world.
God is not up in heaven manipulating strings
 as we move about our daily life.

It is his Spirit that lives in us.
It is the his Spirit this sustains our every breath...
our every step...our every heartbeat.

The Spirit of truth blesses us;
pay attention...do not ignore his messages.
The Spirit does not just bear truth;
the Spirit is truth as given
from the Father to the Son flowing on to the Spirit.

They are one and as such share all things.
No strings attached, there is only love.
We are blessed through each one...
the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
~~~ Peace ~~~

The Doors Flew Open...

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 16:22-34 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ John 16:5-11 ~~~

Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in jail.

Apparently they were part of God's plan 

to bring the guard and his family into the circle of believers.

The voices of Paul and Silas 

filled the entire space of the prison all night long.

The guard fell asleep leaving them alone, locked and chained.

He, of course, had no idea what was about to happen to him.

God arranges for the paths of certain people to cross

 for a reason...his reason.

Paul and Silas sang and prayed 

with such fervor that the Holy Spirit 

shook the prison with earthquake force.

The ground shook, walls tumbled, and the doors flew open.

Peter and Silas could have escaped, but that was not God's plan.

They remained in order to convert the guard and his whole family.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus

and you and your household will be saved.”

Had Paul and Silas not been put into this particular jail at this precise time,

the guard might never have been saved.

Not only was the guard himself saved but his salvation

 was also extended to his wife and to his children.

God reached out to his children...his offspring.

The salvation was now a part of his inheritance and his legacy.

The Spirit of God frees us from our chains.

The Spirit of God opens the locked doors.

The Spirit of God goes beyond the present generation.

The Spirit of God in with and in each of us just as it was in Paul and Silas.

It frees you so that you can share this love with others.

Believing reaches out to the entire household.

We are all part of the family of God.

He gives us freedom from sin.

He opens the doors of our heart to greater love.

He shakes us to the core through his mercy.

Leave the chains behind...walk through the door...

freedom from your fears and doubts

is there for you.

Blessed with freedom through the Holy Spirit.

~~~Peace~~~

God Sheds His Grace on Us

Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 16:11-15 ~~~ Psalm 149 ~~~ John 15:26-16:4A ~~~

The Lord takes delight in his people.

With honor and gratitude
we remember those who gave their lives for us.
Land of the free, home of the brave...
America the Beautiful.

The Lord takes delight in his people.

Proud to be an American.

The Lord takes delight in his people.

The Lord takes delight in his people.

For God so loved the world...
For the men and women who love and serve our country.

The Lord takes delight in his people.

There is no greater love...
than for a man to lay down his life for a friend...
to lay down his life for his country.

For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory.

God Bless the United States of America.
God sheds his grace on us.
It is God that stands beside us, to guide us, to protect us.

May God hold our military men and women in the palm of his hand.
Today Lord, as we remember our fallen heroes,
we give you praise and glory.
We ask for your continued protection from all our foes,
both near and far.

Let us always remember those who paid the ultimate price
to insure freedom for the rest of us.

God Bless America!
So Blessed to be an American.
~~~Peace~~~

Sanctify Your Heart

~~~Sixth Sunday of Easter ~~~

~~Acts of the Apostles 8:5-8, 14-17~~Psalm 66~~

~~1 Peter 3:15-18 ~~ John 14:15-21~~

Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.

Have you ever considered what this verse really means?
Sanctify...set apart as or declare holy; consecrate.

Peter writes of how we are to set apart our hearts as holy....
holy for Christ, the anointed one as Lord.
Does that mean to consecrate only a portion
of our heart for the Lord?
Does it mean we put God in part of our heart,
leaving the rest to do with as we want?
We must each make the decision to legitimize
 the holy presence of the Lord in our heart.
We must claim his presence for ourselves.
He resides in our heart, always there with us as close
 as our next heartbeat.
No one can do it for you.

Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,

You can not give an explanation for something you do not know.
It is this knowledge that Christ in always with us
that gives us a reason to have hope.

...do it with gentleness...
We are the face of God to those we come in contact with everyday.
How we talk with them, how we interact with them
should be a representation of the Christ who
is sanctifying our heart.
The Christ who lives in our heart.
The God who is our all in all...our everything.

Treating others with the utmost respect is one way
 to present the Lord to them.

If we are not capable of exemplifying God's love toward all people;
have we really sanctified a place in our heart for Christ?

What is inside our heart cannot not be confined there.
What is truly in our hearts must become visible to others.
They will know us by our love
because we have set apart our heart for our Lord.

We are Blessed to know this is not just a jumble of empty words
Keep the glow of sanctifying grace in your heart
and it will surely be visible to others.

~~~Peace~~~

"Hooked" on Jesus

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 16:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ John 15:18-21 ~~~

If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own...

The world wants us to be exclusive to its whims and temptations.
Just consider every commercial on network television
 that captures your attention.
Now days we don't even leave our chair
during a commercial because they are making
 them more and more entertaining.
Some commercials are almost considered a necessity.

How else would we find out about the numerous negative side effects
 of our medications? I am half kidding,
but it is so close to the truth.
We get hooked into commercials because
they are designed in such a manner
that we begin to identify with the actors.
These are actors they are not real.
Speaking of actors; we have so many different
'reality' shows that I have lost count...
just more examples of how the world lures us unto itself.

Jesus has such a different method to 'lure' us to himself.
He does not try to make us his slave.
He does not trick us with actors.
He does not attract us to himself through the things of the world.

Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’

A slave hardly has the freedom to think their own thoughts.
A slave eventually becomes immune to hope.
A slave surrenders to the darkness...this is what the world has to offer.

We were not chosen by God to be a slave.
We were chosen by God to be his friend...to know him and to love him.
God had called us to proclaim the Good News...

I want to get 'hooked' on Jesus because of his great love and mercy.
The world offers nothing in comparison.
The world offers no mercy, just criticism and judgment.

We are Blessed because we know the one true God.
~~~Peace~~~

Chosen for His Purpose

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 15:22-31 ~~~ Psalm 57 ~~~ John 15:12-17 ~~~

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you...

Pause for just a minute and let those words soak into your head and heart.
YOU have been chosen...chosen by God.
There are times in our life when being chosen
becomes a new opportunity,
but there also times in our life
 when fear and doubts arise from being chosen.
We fear that we cannot accomplish that which we have been chosen...
we begin to doubt our ability or qualifications.
Today Jesus says I have chosen you...
chosen you because I have plans to work through you.
Jesus has plans that no one other than you can bring forth.
You were chosen way before
 you even knew what it meant to be chosen,
especially chosen by God.

...and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain...

God is sending each of his chosen ones to go and bear fruit...
to go, that means you have not been chosen
 to sit on a throne with a crown on your head
 waving and sweetly smiling at everyone.

No your task is to go and get dirty.
Bearing fruit requires hard work, sometimes work
that goes unnoticed and unappreciated.
The fruit he is asking us to bear is resistant to mold and mildew.
He wants us to share his message of love and redemption.
These fruits have no shelf life they will never decay and fall away.
Their expiration date is...until the end of time.

...so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

Always in prayer and supplication present your needs to the Father.
He hears you because he has chosen you for himself.
Sometimes we may feel that the Father does not listen,
that he does not give us what we ask for,
but this is how we fool ourselves
 into believing that we are not chosen by him.

This is pure nonsense!

Just as a parent you cannot give your child
everything that he asks for, so it is with the Father...
he cannot give us everything we ask for.

Sometimes we do not ask for things that would be good for us to have.

Often we do not know what would be good for us.
The Father truly knows best.
He knows best and he chose you to bear fruit that will last forever.

Today, look up to heaven and love God for being one of his chosen ones.
Ask him to help you bear the best fruit possible for you.
Thank him for prayers answered.
As one of his chosen, you can expect
 to be blessed along the way as you go and bear fruit...his fruit.

~~~Peace~~~

!!! Gelato Joy !!!

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 15:7-21 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~ John 15:9-11 ~~~

Remain in my love...
...so that my joy might be in you and 
your joy might be complete.

Three years ago we stopped for some gelato
 while visiting Dubrovnik, Croatia.
The very first thing that catches your attention as enter the store
is in the long glass display case.
The pastel colors, the smooth texture of the Gelato; it was all so luscious
 that my initial inclination was just to dive right in.
Gelato is the Italian word fro ice cream, yes, we were in Croatia.

That day if I had had to post an image of joy, that would have been it.
Creamy mounds of frozen pastel sweetness! Ahhh!

Today we hear Jesus telling us about his joy.
His desire is for us to have a share in his own joy.
But in looking at what Jesus considered to be joy;
I had some reservations.

Jesus found joy in places I would resist...at times
when joy was not apparent.
Is joy reserved for the Gelato yummy moments only?
That would be great, but Jesus does not see it that way.
Jesus saw joy in healing the sick, forgiving the sinner,
preaching to those who questioned and accused...

Jesus found joy in carrying the cross...
having nails driven though his hands and feet...
Jesus found joy in dying on the cross for us.
Jesus found joy in things we would run away from;
he did not look for the luscious refreshing flavors of Gelato for joy.

While I do desire to share in the joy of Jesus
I must confess it is with some reservation.

God, who knows the heart...

Our awesome God, who does indeed know our heart,
 wants us to share in his joy.
He wants us to know that his joy
ranges from ice cream to thorns and nails.
Saint James advises us 'to consider it all joy'. (1:2)

This is the only way to experience complete joy,
that is to look at our life through the joy glasses of Jesus.
His joy gives us the perfect model for all our joy.
If we make the intention to see joy in our life we will find it,
but a word of caution the opposite is also true.

One look into the face of Jesus will bless you with his joy.
The joy he has for saving you compares to no other.

Have some Gelato and consider your joy.
~~~Peace~~~

One of 'His' Branches

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 15:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 122 ~~~ John 15:1-8 ~~~

I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.

Have you ever been to a vineyard?
The vine and the branches are so intertwined
that you cannot tell one from the other.
There is an art to growing grapes.
It takes preparation.
The supports must be in place
 to prevent the vines from decaying on the ground.

Every vine grower wants to cultivate and produce the finest luxury grapes.
The finest grapes make the most exquisite wine.

A few years ago my husband and I
had the opportunity to visit Napa Valley.
We saw the branches and the twisted vines
stretching along the guide wires.

The vine grower must cut away the parts
 that are not going to produce fruit.
He then prunes the branches
that are healthy to produce the better quality fruit.

This is what Jesus is telling us about our spiritual life with him.
We must stay connected to him as closely as the vine
 and the branches in the vineyard.

It is hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
If we were to be that close to Jesus;
it would be hard to tell that we were not becoming a saint.
To become a saint would be equivalent to producing
 the most exquisite wine.

The more closely connected we remain to the Lord
 the more we will prosper and grow in his love.

The Father is the vine grower he knows
who has remained on the vine...who has remained close to Jesus.

There is no life if we are cut from the vine and fall to the ground.

Perhaps this 'pruning' Jesus speaks of
 is the essence of those hardships we read about yesterday.

If you are close to Jesus and you are bearing fruit
 then be prepared to be pruned.
For he tells us it is through the pruning
 that we come to bear fruit more abundantly.

His very words remain in our heart.
They are designed to prune off
 that which does not make us into one of his exquisite branches.

The vine and the branches are one just as the Father and the Son are one...
just as we must become one with him.

Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit...

The best way to bear much fruit is to became one of his faithful disciples,
even when the pruning shears cut into our heart.

How often Lord have I not understood your pruning?
How many times have I not seen your blessings?
Ask God to make you into one of his exquisite branches.
For with him all things are possible
and probable, but keep that last part to yourself. (wink,wink)

Close to him, I want to remain.
~~~Peace~~~

Why Do We Shy Away?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 14:19-28 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ John 14:27-31A ~~~

Do you believe that hardships are part of your spiritual life?
How, if possible, can they make one stronger?
The disciples were thrown out to be stoned to death.

Paul did not let incidents like this stop him.
He was not deterred from the destination.
Paul believed that the destination
was beautiful; the hardships would not stop him.

The destination was being united with Jesus for all of eternity.
We are all on the identical journey...
to reach the same destination...the Kingdom of God.

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Sometimes we are tempted to pray for a pain free life.
Often we pray that our loved ones will be spared
 from unnecessary hardships and pain.

But why, do we shy away from hardships?
What are we afraid of?

Even Jesus faced hardships, the agony in the garden for instance.
Jesus asked the Father to spare him from the passion and death.

The person you most want to become
 will not happen without enduring the necessary hardships.

The desire to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven
gives us the courage and strength to endure our hardships.
It is in our hardships when we most need
 to cling to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"If we believe that tomorrow will be better,
we can bear a hardship today."
-Thich Nhat Hanh-

Everything in life has a purpose and a reason..
not to discourage us but to encourage us
to believe that the last tomorrow
will be the best.
We will be very close
 to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessings in hardships
with eyes fixed on the destination...
the Kingdom of Heaven.
~Peace~

Reputation...What is Yours?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 14:5-18 ~~~ Psalm 115 ~~~ John 14:21-26 ~~~

Henry Ford once said,
"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."

Here we have a similar, but different situation.
The disciples were able to perform miracles,
 not by their own ability
 but because of God.
They did not want to have the reputation of being gods.
The people, however, were looking for their own explanation.
In a way they were self medicating their minds and hearts.
They could not deny the miracles they were witnessing.
How were they to make sense of them?

They chose the most logical explanation...
“The gods have come down to us in human form.” 

Of course the disciples were distraught over this assumption.
They never intended to present themselves
 as anyone other than persons
who were doing the work of God.
By themselves they had no power...they were not acting alone.
They were actually cooperating with the Spirit.

We are of the same nature as you, human beings. 

Does your reputation make you who you are?
Does your reputation even matter?
Is it possible to change a false reputation?

...Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your mercy, because of your truth.

Whatever good we do in our life
 let it be solely to give glory
 to our Father in heaven.
Without God we are nothing...we have no reputation.

We live in a society where a person's good reputation
 can be flipped in just a few seconds via social media.

The disciples had to rely on word of mouth.
They had to set the record straight...
they were NOT gods.
They had to change the public opinion of their works.
This must have been a daunting undertaking.

All things are possible with God...
the disciples found this to be true first hand.

Blessings flow to us through our actions
 allowing God to work through us.
All things are possible...Believe it!

~~~Peace~~~

Devoted Living Stones

~~~Fifth Sunday of Easter~~~

~~Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7~~Psalm 33~~

~~1 Peter 2:4-9~~John 14:1-12~~

We are the living stones...set here to thrive...
here to tell the story.

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
He prepares a place for us; a room just for you.
You would only prepare a room for the living.
If we are with God and if he is with us
then we are among the living.
Being alive is more than our narrow concept
of what it means to be alive.

Do not let your hearts be troubled
because he is with you in good and in bad times.

...we shall devote ourselves to prayer

and to the ministry of the word.

Where God is there is life...
there is reason to have a devotion to prayer.
For he tells us what we ask for in prayer shall be given to us.

God is in the living word it belongs to him.

If we are to be alive as living stones then we too
 must devote ourselves
to a life of prayer.
If we are to be with God we must devote
ourselves to the ministry of the word...
that is to spreading the message.

We are chosen and precious.
We have been called out of darkness into his light for a reason.
We live in his light to announce his praises.

We are a people of his own.

Blessed to be alive today.
~~~Peace~~~

In the Company of Joy

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:44-52 Psalm 98 ~~~ John 14:7-14 ~~~

The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

What do you think?

Does the Holy Spirit come because of our joy or

does joy come in response to the presence of the Holy Spirit?

Is the Holy Spirit always in the company of joy?

Can joy exist without the Spirit?

Sometimes you miss an opportunity at the time it is offered.

This is what happened to the Jewish people;

they had Jesus and his teachings right in their midst.

But they rejected and resisted to the point that 

the disciples moved on to the Gentiles...us.

The Gentiles were hungry to hear the words of salvation.

They rejoiced at being offered the chance to become followers of Jesus.

They had been waiting not knowing that God had them in his plan.

Even if the Jews had not rejected Jesus,

he would have reached out to them eventually.

For so the Lord has commanded us,

I have made you a light to the Gentiles,

that you may be an instrument of salvation

to the ends of the earth.

God's plan was always to include all peoples even though,

in fulfillment of the prophecies, he initially went to the Jewish people.

The disciples were beginning to experience some disillusionment.

Were they really doing the right thing?

Were they even capable of delivering the words 

of salvation promised by Jesus himself?

I can just imagine some of the Gentiles

 expressing relief at finally being allowed

 to openly confirm their beliefs.

The enthusiasm of the Gentiles

 rejuvenated the disciples, giving them new hope in their mission.

They shrugged off their rejection and moved forward.

They had to change the way they looked at the Gentiles.

They had to accept them for who they were...non-Jew.

Being filled with joy and the Spirit the disciples had renewed energy.

They once again had purpose...they had an attentive audience...

they had the commitment of the Gentiles. 

We are Blessed that the disciples did not quit.

They listened to God and reached out to the eager Gentiles.

The Love of God is great enough  to include 

all peoples who chose to believe...

all he calls by name.

~~~ Peace~~~

The Place of Beauty

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:26-33 ~~~ Psalm 2 ~~~ John 14:1-6 ~~~

Darkness lurked about freely in Jerusalem...

the leaders failed to recognize Jesus...they found
 no grounds for a conviction

...still they condemned him to death....

They laid his body to rest in the dark tomb,

but out of this darkness he was raised and glorified;

appearing to many in the following days.

The glory of his resurrection radiated to each one he met.
There is no darkness in Resurrection.
Jesus is the light of the world.

I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.

God sent Jesus to save us, we all know this,
but he also came to give us hope.
His death on the cross was not the end.
His death on the cross was the realization
 of his promise to come back for us.

Jesus had to leave so that it would be possible
for him to came back for us.
Three days after his death he came back to the apostles
giving them sufficient cause to have hope.

Hope is what keeps us moving forward in the right direction.
Without the possibility of Jesus
 coming back for us, can there be any hope? 

We have hope because Jesus gave it to us.
Hope gives us a reason...a purpose.
Our greatest hope is for Jesus to return, to take us unto himself.

It is a nice thought to think he has prepared a place just for us.

But in reality it is not the place that gives us hope,
it is the promise to be with him for eternity.

I would go to a landfill if that was where
I could spend all of eternity with God.

The place he prepares for us can be nothing less than a place of beauty,
because God is the creator of all that is good and beautiful.

Faith...Hope...Love
Notice that hope is in the middle...
between faith and love.

Faith leads us to hope, hope increases our desire to love more perfectly.

Inside hope lies the most beautiful place of all.
H..heartfelt...O...openness...P...possibilities...E...existence

He has prepared a place for you.
Blessed today with hope.

~~~Peace~~~

In Good Company

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:13-25 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ John 13:16-20 ~~~

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

God says,  

I have found David, son of Jesse, 

a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.

Jesus says,

I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen.

Throughout all times, every generation 

God has seen fit to provide for his chosen ones.

He led his people with many prophets; those he himself chose as leaders.

Today we are being reminded that what God

 has done in the past is not just the past.

There is no past tense for God.

History gives us the opportunity to look back

 for evidence of God's presence.

But this history does not end when the ink has dried...

does not end when we have read the last word.

What we read as past history is happening today right in our midst;

that is, God remains steadfast in caring for his chosen ones.

We seem to be the problem,

 because we continue to let our doubts cloud our mind.

When enough doubts cloud the mind then it begins to seep into the soul.

This is where the real devastating problems begin to rule our life.

Once our soul becomes shrouded in doubt darkness triumphs.

God wants you to believe without a doubt that he chooses you...

not just once, but every moment of every day of every year of your life.

It is not a one time choice...or something of the past...

it is current, constant, ongoing.

The psalmist says it beautifully today...

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. 

God wants us first to believe that he chooses us

 and then to believe that he also provides for our needs.

There is nothing he cannot or will not do for us.

As God chooses us he also uses us to work in his kingdom...

for his greater glory.

So I ask...How can we doubt, deny, or refuse our Lord?

God never fails us...

all he asks in return is for us to love him.

How difficult can it be to love the Lord?

We are Blessed in more ways than we could ever imagine.

Oh how sweet it is to be one of his chosen ones along with you.

Together we are in good company...

the company of the Lord.

~~~ Peace ~~~

"Gift of Yahweh"

Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 1:15-17, 20-26 ~~~ Psalm 113 ~~~ John 15:9-17 ~~~

Matthias was not one of the original apostles hand picked by Jesus.

He was, however, a faithful follower and an avid believer.

He was one of about seventy disciples who had been

 with Jesus from the beginning.

If it not for this feast day we 

might not even pay attention to Matthias.

Matthias was discerned, thus chosen,

 by God to fill the position held by Judas.

The name Matthias means "gift of Yahweh".

It seems Matthias won the lottery, as lots were drawn for him.

Very little was historically recorded about Matthias. 

We can safely surmise that 

he went about preaching the gospel of Jesus.

One may wonder why Peter felt the need to replace Judas.

The Bible footnote points out the significance of the number twelve.

The number twelve was associated with the twelve tribes of Israel.

Tradition tells us that Matthias, was the one who climbed up into the tree

 to get a better look at Jesus.

He was also called Zacchaeus. 

Jesus invites himself to dine in the home of Zacchaeus.

Following this dinner meeting, he gave half of his belongings

 to Jesus and became a believer. 

Matthias was chosen by God to be named one of the apostles

 because he turned away for his corrupt ways.

He chose to enter into the circle of influence surrounding Jesus

and he was filled with grace.

Matthias was stoned to death for blasphemy.

We too can chose to enter into this circle surrounding Jesus.

We can open ourselves to be changed by Jesus.

We can experience the fullness of his grace.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you

Jesus speaks these words to each of us today

just as when Matthias was chosen to be one of the Apostles.

Every day Jesus chooses you to be with him...

to receive his graces...

to reside in his circle of Blessings.

~~~ Peace ~~~

In the Palm of His Hand

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 11:19-26 ~~~ Psalm 87 ~~~ John 10:22-30 ~~~

The feast of the Dedication was an eight day festival of lights.

This is when Jesus is confronted...

“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 

You can almost feel their sense of frustration.

They want to know the truth.

Why won't Jesus just tell them in simple words who he is?

Why doesn't Jesus just come out and tell it like it is?

He is the Messiah period...there is no room for discussion.

Jesus becomes equally as frustrated with them.

It is as if the words he speaks to them 

are in an entirely different language.

It is much like a parent feels 

when trying to reason with their teenage child...

there seems to be a huge communication barrier between them.

Words are not the only way to communicate with someone.

We have the image of the shepherd...the sheep see him...

they hear the sound of his voice and they follow him.

Jesus takes it to a deeper level.

Jesus speaks of having us cradled in his hand.

No one can take them out of my hand. 

For me this is a beautiful image...resting in the hand of Jesus or God.

What do we put in our hands?

I think of holding the tiny hand of a newborn baby.

Is this how we are to God?

Are we just a tiny infant in the palm of his hand?

I like to imagine God drawing me up to kiss me on the cheek.

So tender, so loving, so intimate...

what a dream.

One vital need of humans is to be touched 

to have that human physical contact.

Imagine the physical contact with Jesus; 

many in the Bible did experience his healing touch.

A simple touch can bring comfort, peace, and understanding.

God the Father has given us to Jesus...

has put us in the palm of his hand.

No one can take us away.

The tenderness of God is perfectly illustrated in this image.

No one can take us out of the Father's hand 

or out of the hand of Jesus;

they are one.

Blessed to rest safely in the palm of his hand.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Kairos: the Opportune Moment

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 11:1-18 ~~~ Psalm 42 ~~~ John 10:11-18 ~~~

Peter comes to the conclusion that God
 wants to include more people than just the Jews;
God wanted to include the Gentiles also.

If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us
when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was I to be able to hinder God?”

Sometimes we may even feel like
arguing with God or fighting against him.
In the end he always has the perfect picture.
It is just easier if we let his plan unfold.
It is better if we let him send the Spirit to whomever he wants.
We certainly cannot prevent God for doing his thing!

I am sure you have heard the saying, in God's time.
We can grow impatient with God.
One day we want to speed up life the next
we want to slow it down.

Can you imagine what a mess we would make of things
 if we had complete control over every aspect of our lives?

Like Peter, we certainly do not know better than God.
God's concept of time is not linear it is Kairos time.
Kairos, an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment.
The opportune moment...God's time...

I have other sheep, Jesus says, that do not belong to this fold.

These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

As I slowly read this verse I begin to see more of this kairos time of God.
What does he mean when he says,
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold?

Maybe we are not quite ready to fully understand his meaning here.
But at the opportune moment the meaning will be revealed to us.
Who are these 'other sheep'?
Are they the Gentiles?
Are they the Christians who have strayed away...
like the lost sheep?
Or are they those we would never consider;
those we ignore and ridicule.
Are they those we deem ourselves to be better than?
Those who are not part of the 'fold' as we define it.

Who are those that do not belong to this fold
and why would they hear his voice and follow him?

The answer lies in our belief that God sends
the gift of his spirit to whomever he wants,
whenever he wills it to be sent.

Simple yet so complex, it causes us to scratch our heads.
How many times in the Scriptures do we Jesus
 befriending the most unlikely candidates for his 'fold'.
He is accused with dining with tax collectors and sinners.
He speaks to women, he touches the 'unclean'.

We are Blessed to have a God
 that is consistently on the edge and out of the box.
He wants to include each of us into his fold.

He draws us to himself.
I am so thankful for that. He models
 for us to also reach out to those on the edge...
to those who are not part of our 'fold'.

We have but one flock and one Shepherd.
Let us him praise and thanks with gladness and joy.

~~~Peace~~~

Abundant Life Guarantee

~~~Fourth Sunday of Easter~~~
Good Shepherd Sunday....Mother's Day

~~Acts of the Apostles 2:14a, 36-41~~Psalm 23~~

~~1 Peter 2:20b-25~~John 10:1-10~~

I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.

Jesus calls himself the gate.
He is the one who leads the way through the gate.
He keeps us safe from the robbers and thieves.
As long as Jesus is the gate and the gate keeper
we can come and go freely.

He alone knows the way to the best green pastures.
He knows how to keep us safe from the dangers
 we cannot see for ourselves.

We can trust that he will keep watch over us all the days of our life.

"Abundance is not something we acquire, it is something we tune into."

Wayne Dyer

I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

What does it mean to you to have abundant life?

Google images find everything from the name of churches
to credit counseling and chiropractic services.  

Abundant life is not determined by your material possessions.
Abundant life is measured by your love for others.
Jesus came that we might have more love
 than we could ever dream was possible.

To be a mother is one of the ways
 we can participate in the abundant life of Jesus.

Giving birth is cooperating with God
 to give abundant life to a tiny little infant.

We are blessed to live in his gift of abundant life.

'Tune into' living your life more abundantly.

The most abundant life will be with Jesus in heaven.
~~~Peace~~~

Spirit and Life

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 9:31-42 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ John 6:60-69 ~~~

 Does this shock you?

In our world today there is not too many things that shock us.

We are surrounded, thanks to the media, with so many horrific things

 that we have become numb to being shocked.

What would shock you today?

Have you ever thought about it?

The terrible events on 9/11 certainly shocked our entire nation,

but now not even flying jets into buildings would shock us.

How sad our world has become.

I challenge you to look for anything positive that shocks you.

Jesus was preaching about wonderful things...

life eternal...nourishment from his body and blood...

raising people from the dead...

All of this was too much for many of his so called followers;

so they turned and walked away.

Would you have stayed?

Do you believe these things today?

Even if you are a faithful attendee at church; 

do you truly believe?

Do you still hold on to some form of doubt?

It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.

The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.

Jesus is the only one who can nourish

 our soul and our body.

He gives us his spirit of life.

He gives us his body and blood to sustain our soul.

Who gives you more?

 Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.

I want to have the conviction

 like Peter when he spoke these words to Jesus.

To whom shall we go, there is no other like our God.

There is no other who has a fraction

 of the capacity to love like him.

There is no other who has the words of eternal life

even if they make such empty claims.

Let yourself be shocked, that is blessed,

 by something good and wonderful during the next few weeks.

It might not make the news, just let it shock your heart.

We are Blessed with Spirit and Life.

~~~Peace~~~

Spiritual Diet

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 9:1-20 ~~~ Psalm 117 ~~~ John 6:52-59 ~~~

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood

has eternal life,

and I will raise him on the last day.

The idea of eternal life and being raised up on the last day
are so foreign to our fast paced instant culture.

We basically do not like waiting.
How do you tolerate waiting in line to pay for your groceries?
As we approach the check out lines we are scoping out the shortest one;
we even dare to change lanes if one seems to be moving faster.

Why do we like our microwave ovens?
They cook the food much faster;
we do not have to wait an hour to have our baked potato.
We are willing to sacrifice flavor for speed.

So are you spending you wait time?
Every day you wake up in the morning
you are waiting for your eternal life.

Eating the Bread and drinking the Blood
makes the waiting easier.
We have no clue as to when our eternal life will begin,
but we long for that day.

There is no reason to be impatient,
because we have this time to make ourselves
more ready for this eternal life.

Waiting gives us the time
to gather more of God's grace;
to secure our place in line to be raised
 up on the last day.

Eternal life varies for each person depending on when you die.
The last day will be the same for all of us...
we will all be raised up together.
Then we will all be in the greatest love of all...
the love of eternal life.

It is his love for us that wants us to be
 raised up on the last day;
to spend all of eternity with him in heaven.

There will be no more waiting when we get to heaven.
There will be no need for us to keep track of what is passing.
There will be no need to keep our eyes on our goals or dreams.

He has given us our spiritual diet for life eternal,
His Flesh and His Blood.

Do not ever think that you are not loved.
Blessed to be waiting for eternal life.
Patient Grace.
Peace.

Our All-Inclusive God

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:26-40 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~ John 6:44-51 ~~~

“Do you understand what you are reading?”

For twenty five years I taught reading.

Reading is not just about the ability to call out the words.

Reading is about comprehension...understanding.

If there is no understanding there is no reading.

The best way to insure comprehension

 is for the reader to learn to create a picture 

of what the words mean.

Grab a children's picture book and you will see
that the illustrations bring the text to life.

If we can picture something then we can gain deeper understanding.

It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Sometimes all we need for understanding is the picture...
the words are not sufficient.
God sends an angel to send Philip out
 at the precise moment for his path to intersect that of the eunuch.
God sets in motion the conversion of this eunuch,
someone who exists on the edge.
Eunuchs are different; they have been rendered sterile.
God seeks out all peoples no matter their physical condition.
This Ethiopian eunuch was different from
the Jewish people, he was a person of color.
God's love is all inclusive. 

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him...

This sentence almost leaves the impression
that we are standing on the sidelines waiting for the signal to enter.

God the Father draws each person to himself.
There is no exact timeline. It is not an art or a science.
It is gift...the gift of faith.

This gift of faith is always there, always being offered to us.
Some walk on by as if they are not interested.
Some pretend the invitation does not exist.
Some think the invitation is for others and not themselves.
Sometimes we are given the gift,
but we do not understand its significance.
Some accept the gift; only to toss it aside later.

And then there are those who accept the gift
and hold it close to their hearts.

Once we have this gift our desire
 is to wrap ourselves around it until it comes near suffocation.

But once we come to Jesus,
 we can no longer be content to keep
 it hidden from plain sight.

Blessing often come in the form of a teacher
 to help us understand the gift.

The eunuch was given Philip, a Spirit-filled teacher.
Who is your trusted teacher?
Who helps you understand the words of Scripture more fully?

The more understanding we have
 the more we are able to express our appreciation.

~~~ Peace ~~~