THREE STEPS TO SUCCESS

Sometimes we need to take a look at what we are doing and a simple word (or article) might help us focus on our goals. Here is another wonderful inspiration from Steve Goodier, (Life Support System) lss_publishing :
Here are three simple steps to make things happen in your life:

DO IT. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale put it like this: "Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful "perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all." If you wait until you have all the facts or until you know how you will handle every possible challenge that comes along, you'll never get started. Begin somewhere. You can't accomplish anything until you begin. Do it.

DO IT RIGHT. One poet put it like this:"If a task is once begun, never leave until it's done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all."It's true: if you don't have time to do it right, when will you find time to do it over? Do it right.

DO IT RIGHT NOW. In the Spanish-American War, as the American soldiers were trying to capture San Juan Hill, they were thrown back again and again. The black powder ammunition they were using pinpointed their position for their enemies. As soldier after soldier toppled, the troops began to panic. Up rode Teddy Roosevelt, on a little horse named "Texas," urging his men on. Encouraged by his bravery in exposing himself to the whizzing bullets, the troops began to cheer their commander. "Don't cheer, men," Roosevelt called out to them. "Fight! Now's the time to fight!"There is a time to cheer. A time to reflect. A time to plan. A time to reminisce. But there is also a time to act. Those who accomplish anything worthwhile know that time is now.

Do it. Do it right. Do it right now. These are three simple steps to success.

30 Things to Do in the Summer

I do not apologize for borrowing the following list that came to me from a webpage designed for single parents. The following list is only enriched by doing it with the ones you love. This has been a great summer, and can be made even greater. And if anyone want to add to this list, please send it in a comment. Each of htese also provides an opportunity to Praise God!

1. Have a water balloon fight.
2. Go for a walk along the beach or a wooded path.
3. See the sunrise.
4. Have a picnic.
5. Watch the sunset.
6. Make playdoh.
7. Read a chapter book aloud to your kids.
8. Read a novel (something just for you!)
9. Go to an amusement park or local county/state fair and ride all the thrill rides!
10. Go fishing.
11. Make homemade ice cream in a Ziploc bag.
12. Sit outside and sip iced tea.
13. Make fresh lemonade.
14. Camp out in a tent.
15. Catch fireflies.
16. Take pictures of the kids having fun!
17. Eat watermelon outside, and let the juice run all over the place!
18. Walk in the grass barefoot.
19. Use lotion, soap, or shampoo that smells like coconuts.
20. Paint your toenails.
21. Get out the kids' watercolor paints and paint a picture of summer means to you.
22. Collect seashells and save them with some sand in a decorative bowl.
23. Sleep in at least once.
24. Hang your bed sheets outside to dry and bask in their clean sunshine smell.
25. Eat strawberry shortcake.
26. Get someone else to take your picture with the kids, smiling and sun-kissed.
27. Write a letter to a friend and include at least three great things that have happened this summer.
28. Thank someone who has helped you out.
29. Eat fresh tomatoes.
30. Go swimming as a family.

The Call of Lady Poverty

The following quote was shared by one of my spiritual mentors Fr. George Maslar, OFM Conv.:

"Many of us struggle with the same isues as the pre-converted (St.) Francis (of Assisi), with a pampered life and a mediocre and dying faith. We know that our faith calls us to work for social justice and that this demand is non-negotiable. We know, too, as somebody once put it with a praiseworthy succinctness, that strength without compassion is violence; that compassion without justice is weakness; that justice without love is Marxism; and that love without justice is baloney! What we don't know is that the preferential option for the poor is the cure for our mediocre and dying faith."Ronald Rolheiser

This was the call of Lady Poverty- why Francis was called to always be in her presence. Lady Poverty pushes the envelope continually. There is no earthly comfort zone here, only earth stripped away, revealing the face of Love that those of the world spurn.

In the presence of poverty, God's might alone is our strength, His sacrafice is the source of our compassion, His law is the word of justice. Love is found in the truth and that truth is ever lasting.

Each Day God calls us to bring his love to the world; an unapologetic love that makes the mighty uncomfortable and makes the uncomfortable mighty. Be the Face of Love!

You saw Him, Didn't you?

Rewards of a Virtuous Life By Mercedes W. Gutierrez *
There is a story about a man named Jim who traveled to Calcutta to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity. To his surprise one morning, Mother Teresa asked for his help as she roamed the streets looking for the sick and dying. When they left the house and were walking through the slums of India, Mother Teresa spotted a man lying in a ditch. She bent down and told Jim, “Pick him up.” As Jim looked at the dying man covered with sores, he thought to himself, “whatever you do, don’t touch him, don’t touch him.” So, he pulled his sleeves over his hands and reached down to lift the poor man out of the ravine.
They returned to the Missionary House and Jim laid the man on a mat in a large room where the missionaries care for the dying. After laying him down, Mother Teresa said to Jim, “bathe him.” Jim looked at Mother Teresa and then turned his glance back to the dying man. He thought again, “I cannot touch that man.” But, out of fear of disappointing Mother Teresa, he agreed. He took the sick man and laid him in a tub for washing. Then, with a sponge in hand, he cautiously patted the man’s sores, still refusing to make direct contact with him. However, with every contact the man repeatedly slipped down to the bottom of the tub. Jim was overcome with emotion, “how could I be so selfish, this man needs to know that he is not alone. He needs to know God loves him.”
Jim then placed his arms under the man’s shoulders and held him as he poured water over his wounds. While he washed the man, Jim began to rock him in his arms. At this moment, Jim noticed that he was no longer holding the man he had pulled from the ditch. He was actually holding our Lord…not an image of our Lord, but Jesus Christ himself. He had holes in his hands and feet. His side was pierced. His face was battered and bruised. While Jim was rocking him, he closed his eyes in amazement. Then, once he re-opened them, the suffering man had returned to his arms. Immediately, he looked behind him and saw Mother Teresa standing there. She smiled and softly said, “You saw him, didn’t you.”
We can only imagine the number of times Blessed Teresa of Calcutta interacted face-to face with our Savior. Her faith, her love, her outpouring of self for those who were the poorest of the poor …each of these virtues opened her soul to receive an abundance of grace: graces that actually allowed her to see Christ in humanity.
As Catholic women, we are called to demonstrate the same service of love in ourcommunities that Mother Teresa witnessed for the dying in Calcutta. We might not confront the atrocities of abandonment found in India, but God presents us with unique opportunities to grow in virtue each day. We need only ask ourselves how we respond to the cranky baby, the ungrateful parent or the gossipy neighbor. Do we react in anger, frustration and spite? Or, do we respond with patience and love.
Sacred Scripture reminds us, “whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). This profound verse is oftentimes dismissed because of the difficulty in implementing it. In order to know God and see His face, we must love. In addition, we need to pray for God’s grace to recognize the opportunities where we can grow in virtue. The Catechism teaches that “a virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good” (1803). Virtuous people pursue goodness and choose it in concrete ways.
One way that women can deepen their faith and cultivate virtue in their own lives is by attending spiritual retreats. On September 8th -9th, women will gather in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the 2006 ENDOW Catholic Women’s Forum entitled “Living a Grace-filled Life.” The Forum features two days of educational and uplifting talks from prominent Catholic speakers, daily Mass and confession, and enriching fellowship with other women.
Whether we take this opportunity for spiritual renewal or another, we must remember that God desires to reveal Himself to us in new and profound ways, just as he did with Blessed Teresa and Jim. We need only open our hearts to his grace and persevere in virtue.
Visit www.endowonline.com for registration information about the 2006 ENDOW Catholic Women’s Forum.

* Mercedes W. Gutierrez sits on the Board of Directors for ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women,) a non-profit, grassroots organization that promotes the New Feminism as proposed by Pope John Paul II. Mercedes and her husband Sergio live in Denver, Colorado.
(END)

When did I see you hungry... thirsty.... sick... imprisoned....
Lord Open my eyes that I might see you always before me, not in the specatular, but in the ordinary, in the brad and wine of our lives, that we may see you, and ourselves be transformed.

Lord I offer myself to you today. Hold me to my offering, for what you offer in return is so much the greater.

Consecration to Mary

Consecration to Mary:
EWTN - Prayers

The Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart
http://www.hli.org/sl_2006-05-26.html

I am reminded, reviewing the above article by Fr. Tom about consecration and the action of Pope John Paul II in consecration himself and his papcy to Mary.

How powerful God can be in our lives if we open up to his love; all our actions should be a consecration to his Holy Will, just as Mary's "YES, Let it be done to me according to thy word" defines her life and ongoing mission in the world today. As children given a mother like Mary, we are compelled to give our wills back to Jesus.

In fact, this is a reflection of the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, A constant back and forth giviing of self which in fact births the Holy Spirit.

God desires us so much to surrender all to Him, so that we, in turn might have everthing.

Cell Phone vs. Bible

Something to think about:

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?

This is something to make you go...hmmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing...unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!

One other thing: No Dropped Calls!

'United 93' Passenger Had Premonitions

'United 93' Passenger Had Premonitions

Sometimes God gives us premonitions - a kind of prophecy - which goes beyond what we know to be the natural order of things. This is expressed as God's will for us.

Prophets of the Bible often received word from God, not only for themselves, but their country, and because God goes beyond the border of countries, the entire world.

Most of these prophecies concerned the Messiah, the promised one. It is he who makes our relationship right with our beloved God.

When God puts a word on our hearts, it may be a warning or it may be consolation, but he wants us to know that all is in his hands.

We do not need to be afraid. We can be at Peace.

Let's Othercott Da Vinci - Christianity Today Movies

Let's Othercott Da Vinci - Christianity Today Movies

Let us minimize the effect of this scandalous Davinci Code.
It is intended to divide the sheep of Christ as the devil wants to do.
Go to the movies, but see something else. Be in the world but not of it. Be of Full of God's graces and want nothing but the truth.
And if you want the truth, see scripture. That is the word right from the mouth of God.

The Easter Bunny

http://www.beliefnet.com/nllp/Inspiration.aspx?WT.mc_id=Inspiration03&date=04-16-2006

The above story is about a family who finds out one of the neighbor's families did not have a visit from the Easter bunny.

In a "What Would Jesus Do? " moment, the importance of our relationships is revitalization, like the spring time sun calling to life all the animals and the offspring who came to life in the winter months.

We are likewise called to Life, Death and Love living in the Son as we profess that we do.

We are called to be free from inactivity and hiding, to live on the earth promoting God's kingdom. That's why he put us here and that's what he'll be looking for when he returns.

Do not hide the Easter light under the basket of fear, but shine, come forth and believe. The opportunity God gives us is before us. Grasp it wholeheartedly and you will be rewarded wholeheartedly.

Loved Into Action

LifeSupport : Message: Loved Into Action


LOVED INTO ACTION
Despite his best sales pitch, a life insurance salesman was unable
to get a couple to sign up for a policy. "I certainly don't want to
frighten you into a decision," he announced, standing up to leave.
"Please sleep on it tonight, and if you wake up in the morning, let
me know what you think."
People can be motivated by many different means. Fear is commonly
used. So is guilt. But many people find that other kinds of
motivation are usually more effective in getting more out of those
with whom we live and work.
A twelve-year-old girl took her younger brother, who suffered from a
mental disability, Christmas shopping. As they went into a
department store, the boy accidentally bumped a display, knocking
shoes in every direction. A weary and frazzled clerk grabbed the boy
by the arm and demanded, "Pick them up."
"No," the boy screamed in defiance.
"Pick them up," the clerk shouted.
"No," the boy shouted back.
His older sister began picking up shoes. The boy started to help.
Before long, the boy, his sister and the tired clerk were working
together to put the shoes back in order.
When they finished, the girl taught the clerk a profound lesson with
these words: "You have to love my brother into doing it."
If you live or work with people, you may benefit from her advice. If
you want people to respond to you, try loving them into action.
Flies and people prefer honey. When you fill people with what they
want, you're likely to get what you want out of them.

It was a love like this that brought Jesus to Earth. Jesus humbled himself to our level and provided an example to us of how it live.
God provides us with wonderful examples and reminders of His Love. The Key to finding God is to recognize love's presence and to open love's presents.

Shark Tank: Isn't that kinda like what software is made of? | Computerworld Blogs

Shark Tank: Isn't that kinda like what software is made of? Computerworld Blogs

A reputation often goes along with a particular profession. It may not seem the case but as a programmer, one is seen to be the genius. The genius truly lies in one of two categories:

Making Sense: Something doesn't look right; one comes up with options to make it right. The problem must be dissected and the root of the problem comes clear.

Common Sense: The answer will jump out if a certain factor (known or unknown) is brought to light.

The fish in the above article is genius for taking his place and being adaptable enough to solve the problem. So its not software. Deal with it.

Danielle Bean - My Dutiful Dryer

Danielle Bean

Danielle writes bout her dryer in her blog. Her apppreciation of her family and her environment comes through on her blog. It is amusing, insightful sometimes scary - just like life.

The Franciscan concept of poverty came to mind when I read about her dryer. Full of quirks and up and downs, it is an icon of possession. I thought about how good of God to provide this dryer to her.

I don't think St. Francis would be one to have a dryer. He surely wouldn't have gone out to buy one. If he had one, he probably would have given it away. He might think twice if it had the quirks of Danielle's dryer. In which case he would be heard "Be praised my Lord for Sister Dryer who helps me clothe the naked...."

With all the things that can go wrong with possessions, that sentiment is not so bad.

Call Home

Todays thought concerns the below described where folks are being buried with cell phones.

Would I want a cell phone in my casket? It would not matter.
The dead body there would not care.
The everlasting soul would not care.
If the Creator had an overwhelming desire for me to contact the living, he would provide the methodology. The cell phone would be useless.

The Communion of Saints allows all believers to be one in Christ. There is a physical separation upon death, but there is great joy in our reuniting with our loved ones through our prayer intentions on earth who can and will intercede for us. Upon our own death, we continue in the Communion of Saints and join our loved ones in Christ.

THE BURNING BUSH - Home of the Burning Bush Devotional: "There is a new phenomenon that is making its way across the globe. People are being buried with their cell phones. In South Africa, it was reported that a funeral home will actually include several batteries just in case one runs down. In some places it would appear the desire is for the recently departed to be able to actually make use of the phone if possible. In other places, it is simply the placing of something meaningful in their life to be with them. I have seen many different personal items placed in a casket with a loved one and it can be a very touching thing to see. However, if the body is to be cremated make sure you remove the battery from the phone because they will explode when heated."

The Devil’s Toy Machine

The devotional from Burning Bush warns us against becoming complacent.

The evil one likes for us to keep the status quo. He certainly is not interested in seeing us grow in Christ!

God wants us to seek Him. If we seek Him within ourselves, ultimately we may find that we are worshipping ourselves and have no interest in God or his kingdom.

God can and will save us from ourselves. We must be open to Him and invite Him.


THE BURNING BUSH - Home of the Burning Bush Devotional: "Some people are like a three-year-old in a toy machine - they do not want to leave. They want their sins and they do not want to give them up. That is the condition of many people before salvation and it sadly is the condition that some find themselves in even after they know the Lord."

Mary Appears

Last week I was driving home from dropping off my son Dylan at my sister-in-laws house. It was morning and the sun was low, shining from behind houses and trees. A bright though cool spring day had arrived!

Driving down the hill, I saw on the hill not far away a lone house, a tree... and an image of Our Lady!
The image lasted for the drive down the hill. I was filled with joy, realising that the Mother of God would choose to come and gently touch my life this morning, inviting me to prayer, inviting me close to her Son as well as our Father.

There are those who would argue that Mary was not there. No evidence. I don't know if the person in the car in back of mine would recognize her. That in itself is OK. I KNOW Mary was there. In fact, the only evidence I can offer is that my heart lept.
For people who do not believe in leaping hearts, intercession or that God can break into nature at His will, no explaination can be given. For those who believe, no explaination need be given.

Just know that Mary showed up in Bridgeport, CT on March 25, 2006. God has not and will not forsake us. Just follow Mary's example and say yes to Him.

Be Generous

I have had this blog on hiatus, but the following poen toouched my Franciscan Heart: Visit the authors site below the link.

Be Generous.

Today's Thought

Give more than you were planning to.
More of your money, your time,
your energy, your attention,
your efforts, your talents.

Give without worrying about how
you might be paid back.

Know that every thing you have
comes from God and has been given
to you freely.

Do the same.

Do not worry that you might
give too much.

Worry about not giving enough.

If in the end you come up short,
our Heavenly Father will fill
you up where are lacking.

Visit Danielle's Site

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.

And on the pedestal these words appear --
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.'
-- "Ozymandias", Percy Bysshe Shelley

I happened upon these woirds, a poem memorized in grade school. The truth that survives is of the Lord, all else is lies, fleeting and blowing in the breeze.

The Good Ground

After hearing the Gospel of the week, this poem touched my heart.

A Disciple's Prayer

I bow to the sacred in all creation.
May my spirit fill the world with beauty and wonder.
May my mind seek truth with humility and openness.
May my heart forgive without limit.
May my love for friend, enemy, and outcast be without measure.
May my needs be few and my living simple.
May my actions bear witness to the suffering of others.
May my hands never harm a living being.
May my steps stay on the journey of justice.
May my tongue speak for those who are poor without fear of the powerful.
May my prayers rise with patient discontent until no child is hungry.
May my life's work be a passion for peace and nonviolence.
May my soul rejoice in the present moment.
May my imagination overcome death and despair with new possibility.
And may I risk reputation, comfort, and security to bring this hope to the children.

Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB


My meditation on the Gospel this week, of the seeds sown on the ground, is that the seed falls where it will, and ground is ground.
My wife is a gardener, and we just retunred from vacation. She had a neighbor water the ground. I'm sure she will be working the earth before long to make things right again.

Ground can be made better, but only by those who tend the ground. A path can be redirected, and the soil enriched so that a plant can grow. The nature of rocky ground an be changed by removing the rocks or pulveriziing them into soil. Properly cared for soil will not produce choking weeds. The good grounds keeper will not let those weeds get out of control. A little plant food will make a growing plant happier and healthier. So ask our grounds tender to be with us and make us more fruitful!

Beliefnet.com -- Grace Happens

Beliefnet.com -- Today's Inspiration Reading

today's story was about a person who was contesting a traffic ticket, how the author listened to plea after plea not change the mind of the judge, and how a police officer was not there to be the accuser, so the charges got dismissed.

The author saw person after person give 'valid' excuses (many not so valid). Prepared for an arguement, and dismissed. In the parking lot, God's little reminder: Grace happens. What a blessing to have it happen! What a greater blessing for us to REALIZE that it happened! Praise God!

WTNH.com - High court bars display of Ten Commandments at courthouses

WTNH.com - High court bars display of Ten Commandments at courthouses: "High court bars display of Ten Commandments at courthouses"

(Washington-AP, June 27, 2005 Updated 10:31 AM) _ In a narrowly drawn ruling, the Supreme Court struck down Ten Commandments displays in courthouses Monday, holding that two exhibits in Kentucky crossed the line between separation of church and state because they promoted a religious message.

The 5-4 decision, first of two seeking to mediate the bitter culture war over religion's place in public life, took a case-by-case approach to this vexing issue. In the decision, the court declined to prohibit all displays in court buildings or on government property.

The justices left themselves legal wiggle room on this issue, however, saying that some displays -- like their own courtroom frieze -- would be permissible if they're portrayed neutrally in order to honor the nation's legal history.

But framed copies in two Kentucky courthouses went too far in endorsing religion, the court held.

the touchstone for our analysis is the principle that the First Amendment mandates government neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion,' Justice David H. Souter wrote for the majority.

'When the government acts with the ostensible and predominant purpose of advancing religion, it violates that central Establishment clause value of official religious neutrality,' he said.

Souter was joined in his opinion by other members of the liberal bloc -- Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer, as well as Reagan appointee Sandra Day O'Connor, who provided the swing vote.

In a dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia argued that Ten Commandments displays are a legitimate tribute to the nation's religious and legal history.

Government officials may have had a religious purpose when they originally posted the Ten Commandments display by itself in 1999. But their efforts to dilute the religious message since then by hanging other historical documents in the courthouses made it constitutionally adequate, Scalia said.

He was joined in his opinion by Chief William H. Rehnquist, as well as Justice Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.

'In the court's view , the impermissible motive was apparent from the initial displays of the Ten Commandments all by themselves: When that occurs: the Court says, a religious object is unmistakable,' he wrote. 'Surely that cannot be.'

'The Commandments have a proper place in our civil history,' Scalia wrote.

The case was one of two heard by the Supreme Court in March involving Ten Commandments displays in Kentucky and Texas. That case asks whether the Ten Commandments may be displayed on the grounds outside the state capitol.

The cases marked the first time since 1980 the high court tackled the emotional issue, in a courtroom boasting a wall carving of Moses holding the sacred tablets.

A broader ruling than the one rendered Monday could have determined the allowable role of religion in a wide range of public contexts, from the use of religious music in a school concert to students' recitation of 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance. It is a question that has sharply divided the lower courts in recent years.

But in their ruling Monday, justices chose to stick with a cautious case-by-case approach.

Two Kentucky counties originally hung the copies of the Ten Commandments in their courthouses. After the ACLU filed suit, the counties modified their displays to add other documents demonstrating 'America's Christian heritage,' including the national motto of 'In God We Trust' and a version of the Congressional Record declaring 1983 the 'Year of the Bible.'

"

I am not surprised by this, but deeply saddened. I will continue to pray for this country, but since it's laws are clearly no longer based on the 10 commandments, they are of men and not God, I do not see the nation as one nation under God.
The nation lies when it puts "In God We Trust" on currency
The nation forfiets the blessings the founding fathers brought forth

The nation and those who push aside the commands of God will receive the fruit of that action, just as those who obey the commands of God will enjoy these fruits.

I will put my trust in the God who has the power of life and death, not the stiff necked people who look to sieze that power.

I will not trust this government, but I will trust the God who still allows this government to exist.