Fire Up!

 When you pray remember to invoke the the Presence of the Holy Spirit.  When our prayers are joined with the Holy Spirit a powerful flame of love is ignited.  A flame which can consume hatred, intolerance, jealousy, and indifference.  Don't underestimate your prayer life, ignite it!  Don't let your prayers just fill you, let them spark those around you!  Invite someone to pray with you or join others in prayer!  The potential to make changes in this world resides within you and your own living flame of faith.  Come Holy Spirit lets make a bonfire!

-Susan

My Mission

  

  I have to admit God's Plan can be mysterious and confusing.  It is not written in black and white and labeled step1, step 2, step 3, etc.  God's plan is more of an inner stirring, a desire found in your heart, a series of unplanned events, and sometimes a dream that seems impossible.  God's plan isn't necessarily the answer to your prayer, but He may use you to answer the prayer of another.  And, in the end, we may find out it really was the answer we were searching for all along.  God never said we had to have it all figured out.  He just said, "Follow me."  This weekend I challenge you to ask God if there is anything you can help out with, and then follow His inspiration.  If you feel unsure and get cold feet, close your eyes and imagine God saying,  "Trust me, you got this!"

-Susan

All Stressed Out

 Right along with eliminating world hunger and acquiring world peace, I wonder what a stress-free life would look like.  Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to worry about so many things?   I have found that most days my over-weight friend "Worry" accompanies me wherever I go.  He has this annoying way of interrupting my thoughts and making my problems seem even bigger.  And if that wasn't enough to deal with, he has a twin brother named "Guilt" who always seems to stay right beside him.  What's annoying is that these twin brothers, Guilt and Worry, like to analyze my life and let me know how I could have done something better or how I never should have handled things that way.
  Life is not straight forward.  To quote a popular saying let's just say, "It's complicated."  Everyone has problems and everyone is struggling to get it right.  Perfection is an unattainable goal.  Maybe that's why Jesus spoke so much about forgiveness.  We have to forgive each other and ourselves, and trust that God will always love us, even when we make mistakes.
  I have decided to take a "trust walk" with Jesus, and I'm going to let my friends Worry and Guilt come along.  I think we could all benefit from some time with Jesus.  Exercise is good for the body and the soul, and I think the three of us (Me, Worry, & Guilt) could all use to lose a little weight. 

-Susan

Make Each Moment Count

Share kind words, smiles, and hugs.

Be honest & trustworthy.

Don't take what isn't yours.

Love people more than money.

Let your faith be your greatest fortune.

Make good choices for yourself and for others.

We touch each other's lives more than we know.

We were created by an all-loving God.

We were created to love.

Remember, God never asked us to get ahead.

He asked us to follow.

Walk slowly and carefully,

And let each moment,

each seed,

and each step,

Plant goodness into your soul.

-Susan

Keep Dreaming

  Time, reflection, and faith can have a tremendous impact on our dreams.  What looks like the end, may only be the beginning of a new aspect of your life.  Be adventurous and ask God what He dreams for you.  Then, take the answer to that prayer, and begin your life again.

-Susan

The Invisible Cross

  Evelyn walked into the jewelry store and began looking around.  A gentleman crossed the store and said, "Hello, is there something I could help you find today?"
  "Yes, as a matter of fact," Evelyn said, "I'm looking for a very special necklace with a cross.  I want something different."  The salesman showed Evelyn their collection of cross necklaces.  There was quite a variety.  Evelyn looked closely at each one.  They were nice, but predictably common.  "Is this all you have?" inquired Evelyn.
  "Well, I'm kind of new here.  The designer is in the back room, let me see if he has any ideas."  The salesman left and returned a few minutes later with the designer.
  "Hello, I've been told you are looking for a cross necklace.  Something a little different?" said the designer.
  "Yes, I want something very unique.  Something no one else has seen.  A cross that would enhance my natural beauty, and yet be versatile enough for me to wear with everything.  Would you have anything like that here?"
  The designer smiled and said, "I have just the one.  He went down to the end of the counter and pulled out a brown wooden box.  He opened it up and said, "What do you think of this one?"
  "Is this some kind of a joke?  I don't see anything!" exclaimed Evelyn.
  The designer smiled.  "Yes, it is invisible to the eye, but you can feel its weight.  Please allow me to put it on you.  You will find that it compliments the true beauty of your soul.  No one will even know you are wearing it, yet each day you will become more beautiful."
  "Really?"
  "Yes.  Once you choose it, though, you can't exchange it.  The cross will mold to fit your life perfectly."
  "Can I just hold it in my hand first?" Evelyn inquired.
  "Of course."  The designer carefully placed the necklace in Evelyn's hand.
  "Oh, my gosh, I can feel it, but I can't see it.  I can perfectly trace the outline of the cross."  Evelyn smiled.  She didn't know anyone who had this same necklace.  "This is exactly what I was looking for, I just didn't know it. I'll take it."
  The designer carefully placed the necklace around Evelyn's neck.  "Take a look for yourself."
  Evelyn looked into the mirror.  She could feel it's weight, but she saw nothing.  As she looked in the mirror, Evelyn was pleased with her reflection.
  "You are very beautiful," the designer said.  "Now remember, you are the only one who will ever feel it's weight.  That cross was made for you."
  Evelyn smiled and nodded her head.  She wondered which of her features would become more beautiful.  Evelyn walked out of the store ready to embrace her life with her invisible cross.
  Evelyn found that time has a way of passing from minutes to hours to days and years.  In the beginning, Evelyn barely felt her cross.  Occasionally it would scratch the delicate skin over her heart.  For some reason her mind always turned to God when this happened.  She would offer a small prayer to God and wonder what heaven might be like.
  However, there were some days that her cross felt very heavy and it made doing every day activities difficult.  On these days she would cry out to God on bended knee and ask for His help.  She didn't understand why her cross was so difficult to carry some days.  There were even some days that her cross made her heart and head ache.  It was in these moments of tears and pain that she would plead for God's help. And God would answer.  Evelyn would feel His Spirit stir in her, and remind her how much she was always loved.  God seemed to fill her mind with His own thoughts, and she discovered that if she left some of her own thoughts behind, she was able to move forward again.
  And so day after day, she carried, dragged, stumbled, prayed and rejoiced with her invisible cross.  She forgot to worry about her vane ideas of physical beauty.  Her eyes, however, did search for beauty--the inner beauty of those she met.  Oddly, she began to seek out those who were struggling with their own invisible crosses and tried her best to ease their pain.
  On the very last moment of her life the Lord appeared before her.  His smile filled her with a love and peace she had never known.  After the Lord embraced Evelyn with loving arms, He said, "I would like to remove your cross from your life.  Will you allow me?"
  "Of course!" Evelyn answered.
  As the Lord took the cross from Evelyn, it suddenly became visible to her eyes.  Evelyn looked surprisingly disappointed when she saw it.  "It's just a plain wooden cross.  There is nothing remarkable about it at all."
  Jesus smiled.  "What is remarkable is how you changed your life once you embraced the cross.  Do you see what is etched on the back?"
  Evelyn turned the cross over and saw the words, 'Trust me, I love you, and I will never leave your side.'  Evelyn smiled.  "I have heard those words echo within me so many times."
  Jesus smiled again.  "I showered you with grace every time I whispered those words to you."  Evelyn's eyes filled with tears of love.  "I'm here to take you home to the Father.  I can hardly wait to see His face when He sees just how beautiful you have become.  Are your ready?"
  Evelyn nodded her head and reached for Jesus' hand as they walked home together.

-Susan

Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

The life of Jesus began and ended in the arms of His holy mother.
        Let us be like Mary and spend our lives 
                    embracing the Body of Christ.
                Let us be like Jesus, and allow Mary 
                           to hold us in her arms our whole life long.
  
                                                                                 -Susan