Saturday, June 28, 2008

Arise...


Cardinal Seán’s Blog » Blog Archive » ARISE Together in Christ: "
We need to arise, to come alive in Christ; to a new sense of discipleship, of being called to by God, empowered by the Spirit. “Arise in Christ' is a spiritual renewal prepared particularly for our Archdiocese.

Early in the development stages Cardinal Seán appointed Mrs. MaryAnn McLaughlin of the Office for Worship and Spiritual Life as director of the Arise effort and me as the Episcopal Liaison."

--Bishop Dooher

Praying for the program and for MaryAnn in particular...as anyone that has lived their Cursillo in the Boston area knows...she is AWESOME and will do a great job.

Holy Experience: Brave Strokes

Holy Experience: Brave Strokes

Van Gogh's Prayer, written to his brother:

I want to be bound to Christ with unbreakable bonds and to feel these bonds...

To live in and for Christ, to be one of the poor of His kingdom,

steeped in leaven filled with His spirit, impelled by His love...

To become one who finds repose in Him alone,

who desires nothing but Him on earth.



Lingering with Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Lifting voice in response to Scripture: Father, if I desire nothing but You, what is there to really fear? You go with us, calling us to come to sing the song You meant for us, on the canvas You've given.


Please pray for a personal intention, that the Lord lift me from my fear.


Living Scripture: Where is God calling me to take courage today?

Thursday, June 26, 2008

St. Jose Maria Part2

St. Jose Maria Escriva

Prayer When in a Bad Mood

"Prayer When in a Bad Mood
Heavenly Father, I awoke this morning in a bad mood, and I have been unable to shake it so far. Everything bothers me and everyone rubs me the wrong way.
I just cannot seem to get my true bearings. Help me to think of your salvation---
your countless gifts and overwhelming love for me.
Let me relax and forget life's cares by placing myself wholly into your hands. Grant that this mood will soon pass and I will be able to bask in your love and communicate it to others. Amen.
__._,_.___"


I got this in an e-mail and thought it was priceless.

Friday, June 20, 2008

LEARNING CHRIST

LEARNING CHRIST


Teach me, my Lord, to be sweet and gentle in all the events of life, in disappointments, in the thoughtlessness of those I trusted, in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied. Let me put myself aside, to think of the happiness of others, to hide my little pains and heartaches, so that I may be the only one to suffer from them. Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path. Let me so use it that it may make me patient, not irritable. That it may make me broad in my forgiveness, not narrow, haughty and overbearing. May no one be less good for having come within my influence. No one less pure, less true, less kind, less noble for having been a fellow traveler in our journey toward Eternal Life. As I go my rounds from one distraction to another, let me whisper from time to time, a word of love to Thee. May my life be lived in the supernatural, full of power for good, and strong in its purpose of sanctity. AMEN!

--author unknown

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Light with Love

"June 20
Everything Becomes Light with Love

ven those fasts and night watches that seem burdensome and are taken on so as not to disturb one's health are turned into spiritual pleasure--provided they are accepted with prayer, psalmody, and reading and meditiation on the law of God.
The labor of those who love is in no way burdensome; in fact, it even gives pleasure. What matters is what is loved. When we do what we love, either we do not notice the work or the work itself is loved.
-- Holy Widowhood, 21, 26

Prayer. Lord, all that I am I am with your mercy.
-- Sermon 16A, 6

The Augustinians - St. Thomas of Villanova Province"

Putting Prayer into Action

Intecessors of the Lamb - 10-25-04 Putting Prayer into Action

Actions will always tell us if a person is a person of prayer because the Word is going to go into action within them. As a young sister, I was reading a lot about love, love of God, and love of neighbor. I thought, "Yes, we have to really carry this love out in our actions." I thought I was. I said, "There's no one in the whole world who loves you as much as I do, and no one ever will. I just love You so much. I wonder how much I really do love You, Father. I wish there was a measuring stick of some kind. There must be some way to measure how much I love you." See all the self-love there? Then I read Catherine of Siena. She had asked the Father the same questions and the Father answered her, "There is a measuring stick, Catherine." She said, "What is it?" Of course, here I am all eyes reading this. He said, "Catherine, the one you love the least is how much you love Me." That just shocked me! I looked around the cloister to see which sister I loved the least. It didn't take me very long to find her, and I thought, "I'll show You how much I love You." So I went into action. I got a little book and put every sister's name in it. We had about 50 sisters in our little community. Everyday I would check off those sisters who I had visited with and loved during recreation time at noon. Then I'd make sure that I saw another one at night. It took me a whole month to get around to the entire community, one-on-one and really loving them. I particularly spent a great deal of time and prayer for this one sister whom I liked the least and ended up loving her the most! She became my dearest, dearest friend. That's what I mean about action.

Excerpt from Contemplative Prayer series, "Pondering the Word," Omaha, NE, 1984.

To Eternity and Beyond...

USCCB - (NAB) - June 19, 2008:

"Then Elisha, filled with the twofold portion of his spirit,
wrought many marvels by his mere word.
During his lifetime he feared no one,
nor was any man able to intimidate his will.
Nothing was beyond his power;
beneath him flesh was brought back into life.
In life he performed wonders,
and after death, marvelous deeds."


We are in training now for where we want to end up. We can look at the lives of the saints and see that their power of 'intercession' and good works (by the grace of God) began way before they entered Heaven. So...let's get rolling...there is work to be done! As Buzz Lightyear likes to say..."To Eternity and Beyond!"(LOL)

WHEN you fast...

USCCB - (NAB) - June 18, 2008: "“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”"

A Prayer for Discernment

A Prayer for Discernment

You have led me to desire your will and often your will seems beyond
me, but you O God are my friend and I know that you are with me always. In your
presence,calm my fear. Grant me the desire to be still in your presence, to
gaze on you and to feel your gaze. Grant me eyes to see you in your creation,
and to recognize in humanity the image and likeness of your Son. Grant me
ears that are attentive to your Word. May I respond with love to your call. Grant
me the desire to reach out and embrace all people with your love, to be
your hands in the world. Grant me the courage to echo in my life the Yes of Mary
and the passionate fidelity of Elijah your prophet. May I seek your will in
all things.
May I live my faith in you and be a sign of hope for the world.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Fasting by Bro. Ignatius Mary

How to Think Properly About Fasting by Bro. Ignatius Mary
Now what about devotional fasts? What if we do feel called to perform some devotional fast?

The devotional fast called for by our Lady—the bread and water fast on Wednesdays and Fridays—is also purely voluntary in nature. If one feels called to do it, then one should do it, as long as it is remembered that this fast, and all other devotional fasts, are purely voluntary and thus is not required to be a good Catholic.

Since we in this country are not use to going without, it is also suggested that we not beat ourselves up if we canot live up to such dramatic fasts and bread and water. For those interested in the more severe fasts it is suggested that one start with a less severe fast and work their way up to the more severe forms (see the note about St. Benedict at the end of this essay).

For example, since the definition of a fast according to the Church is one full meal in the day plus, if one needs, two snacks not to equal the amount of a full meal, and no snacking in between, one could start by doing this sort of fast on Wednesday and Friday. And then work up to one meal and no snacks, then just the two snacks and no meal, then just one snack, and finally only the bread and water.

To help in fulfilling the bread and water fast, one can buy some of the tastier Italian, French or other European breads, for example, and perhaps still put butter on it at first. The water could be flavored with lemon.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Intecession

Intecessors of the Lamb - Teachings:
"Intercession is another dimension of healing. It is a tremendous method and a tremendous stage of healing. It is amazing that, when we begin to forget about ourselves, which is what we do in intercession, God does not! Perhaps it is because when we are in the state of total self-forgetfulness we are totally in a state of poverty. We have let ourselves go at that moment. It is then that God comes in and really heals. The more we can come into this beautiful state of grace, the more powerful our intercession will become for others. We can bring to God all those people that He wants to bless and to heal. It pleases God so much when we do this - particularly when we can bring before Him those who we know really do not care for us. Jesus said that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. He said I want you to do this so that you may be children of the Heavenly Father. That is really beautiful. It is in Matthew 5:44 "

Love your enemies

USCCB - (NAB) - June 17, 2008:
"But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust."


When we notice 'bad behavior' in others, it should be a call to prayer and an opportunity to be Jesus to them and not a provocation to like behavior from us.

Monday, June 16, 2008

super natural reactions

Jezebels : A Catholic Reflection:

"Often, our next reaction to the Jezebels in our world is what we call 'defense.' We reason that if some people are going to be so vicious, we must protect and defend ourselves. However, Elijah's reaction to Jezebel was not defense, but prophecy (see 1 Kgs 21:17ff) and discipleship. He finally defeated Jezebel and Ahab by making Elisha his disciple and by anointing Hazael and Jehu through Elisha and his disciples (1 Kgs 19:15-17).

In summary, when we see mean and vicious people, our reaction should be repentance, prophecy, and discipleship.

PRAYER: Father, give me supernatural reactions and not just natural ones.

PROMISE: 'What I say to you is: offer no resistance to injury. When a person strikes you on the right cheek, turn and offer him the other.' –Mt 5:39"

obedience

"June 16, 2008
Obedience

'The Devil doesn't fear austerity but holy obedience.'
St. Francis de Sales

For Reflection:
Why would the Devil be fearful of obedience? How much fear am I willing to cause him today?"

Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Jesus Prayer

"The Jesus Prayer

O my Divine Savior, transform me into yourself.
May my hands be the hands of Jesus.
May my tongue be the tongue of Jesus,
Grant that every faculty of my body may serve only to glorify you.
Above all, transform my soul and all its powers,
that my memory, my will and my affections
may be the memory, the will and the affections of Jesus.
I pray you to destroy in me all that is not you.
Grant that I may live but in you and for you,
and that I may truly say with St. Paul:
'I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me' (Gal 2:20).
__._,_.___"

Friday, June 13, 2008

Alessandra Borghese

Alessandra Borghese: the prodigal daughter - Telegraph:

"In 1999, she recalls, looking me straight in the eye, she had a meeting. 'Catholicism is not a philosophy, neither is it a theology, but it is a meeting with a person. So the moment you meet Jesus Christ, your life can change radically. That is when I started to look at everything differently.' Borghese has since that meeting, become Italy's best-known born-again Catholic."

St. Anthony Feast Day

"Prayer to Saint Anthony of Padua, Performer of Miracles

Dear Saint Anthony, your prayers obtained miracles during your lifetime. You still seem to move at ease in the realm of minor and major miracles. Saint Anthony, Performer of Miracles, please obtain for me the blessings God holds in reserve who serve Him. Pray that I may be worthy of the promises my Lord Jesus attaches to confident prayer. [mention your special intentions]

Franciscan Mission Associates"

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Search for the God's will

Search for the God's will and do good - The reflection of Message, April 25, 2008 - Medjugorje.ws:

"Our Lady invites us to search for the God’s will, and it is revealed to us completely only in the personal encounter with Christ. Only searching for and doing God’s will can lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven (Mt 7,21). God’s will is more important than our will. To search and do God’s will does not mean to get lost or to disown one’s own freedom – on the contrary, it means to get free from the daily slavery and sin. It means to get free from the imprisonment of the small gods like: power, money, other people’s opinion etc. All these idols take your life, only God gives it. All other gods promise a lot, and do not give anything in return. Our Lady accepted the God’s will, she agreed to serve only the one true God and to do His will. By uttering only one word fiat – let it be so for me – she changed the course of history, with the God’s mercy."

I call you to conversion

I call you to conversion - The reflection of Message, May 25, 2008 - Medjugorje.ws

Our Lady calls us anew to conversion, which, in other words, means betterment. The majority of today's Christians have not seen the Lord in flesh, whereas this encounter is a prerequisite for a new beginning. After such encounter, everything changes, life becomes different and better. One should bear in mind, though, that after the encounter with God our crosses do not disappear. It just becomes easier to carry them. Those who have had the experience of meeting with God, become the salt, cabbage and the light of the world. They become instruments through which God's love and joy in this world are spread. We are all called to convert and continuously change in our path following Jesus. Conversion is a life-long process. Nobody can say that they have completely converted because there is always something we must improve, primarily on ourselves, not on others. Conversion is following evenly in Jesus’ footsteps every day, without negotiating. Conversion is a permanent task of the whole Church. It is not man-made, it is God's work.


Reminder to all interested that we will be meeting tomorrow (June 13th)by the Our Lady of Fatima Statue in front of St. Joseph's church in Wakefield at noon to pray the rosary.

Obedience 6/12

"June 12, 2008
Obedience

'I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible.'
St. Teresa of Avila

For Reflection:
How does obedience make things easy - even if they seem impossible?"


Grace! Pure Grace! Obedience opens us up to receive God's abundant grace.

a tiny cloud...

USCCB - (NAB) - June 12, 2008:

"And the seventh time the youth reported,
“There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”"

Elijah and Mary

Flos Carmeli: Elijah and Mary:

"Mary is the cloud that rises out of the sea. The sea is saltwater, undrinkable, a vast body of water, next to which the kingdom can still thirst and die. The sea is salty, impure, an image of fallen humanity with its admixture of sin. Mary rises out of this sea, pure and perfect, laden with the water of grace that will pour out through her to all humanity--not the source of Grace herself, nevertheless the container into which all is poured until it overflows out to all people, limitless, and life-giving. Not God, but human, Mary rises from the sea, pure and Immaculate in her conception, formed as a vessel of God's grace and a place of refuge for His people."

the hands of a priest

ZENIT - Kissing the Hands of a New Priest: "During ordination a new priest’s hands are anointed with chrism as a sign of consecration and of the change that has been effected in his soul.

The custom of kissing his hands stems from a recognition of the fundamental change that has occurred and of the particular importance of the sign of the hands in priestly ministry.

After ordination the priest uses his hands to hold the Eucharistic species during the consecration, to make the sign of the cross while absolving sins, to anoint the sick and dying, and on occasion to impart the sacrament of confirmation."


This is why my first option for receiving Holy Communion is from a priest and directly on my tongue.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Obedience, part 6

"'What does it profit you to give God one thing if He asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it.'

St. John of the Cross"

Obedience

"June 11, 2008
Obedience

'A little drop of simple obedience is worth a million times more than a whole vase of the choicest contemplation.'
St. Maria Maddalena De Pazzi

For Reflection:
Today, I will count my 'little drops of simple obedience.' How many have I had?"

Prayers

USCCB - (NAB) - June 11, 2008:

"Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”"


Let us pray for all those that teach the Catholic faith.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

give up...and develop...

Intecessors of the Lamb - Teachings

"As we seek to rid ourselves of these sins of the spirit, we must look at the virtues that can be used to come against them. To simply get rid of sin, and not to fill the void it leaves with virtue, can set us up for another fall. It can keep those doors open to sin. Jesus talked about the parable of the person who had swept all the sin from his life. His house was nice and clean but it was not filled up with any virtue. It was not filled up with anything that was of God. It was empty. Jesus said that seven other spirits, more wicked than the first, entered in. We cannot leave the house empty. The Bible tells us that the last state of that man became worse than the first. It is one thing to surrender - to let something go. But we must also build as well.

We must give up our pride and develop humility. We must give up greed and develop generosity. We must give up anger and develop understanding. We must give up resentment and develop forgiveness. We must give up sensuality and develop purity. We must give up impatience and develop patience. We must give up gluttony and develop abstinence. We must give up envy and develop contentment. We must give up jealousy and develop trust. We must give up sloth and develop perseverance. We must give up hatred and develop love. We must give up fear and develop confidence. We must up worry and develop faith. To develop these we need to work at it. It must be our daily assignment to constantly replace the negative with the positive. Remember: perfection takes a lifetime. But there will be immediate results in our inner healing if we ask the Holy Spirit to help us daily. We will start to see the progress."

Carmel

Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world: "Our Lady appeared as the Virgin of Mount Carmel not only in the final vision of Fatima, but also at Lourdes. Bernadette said 'she had never seen her so beautiful.'

As one website has written: ''Carmel' means 'garden' because the Mount Carmel headland was always green with life, as its heights dominated the semi-arid plains around its base. Metaphorically, it is the 'garden enclosed' of the Song of Songs, which [kind of relates to] the Church as the Bride of the Lamb, and simultaneously of the individual soul with its Bridegroom-Savior."

Monday, June 9, 2008

Fatima and Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Nuestra Senora del Carmen, Nossa Senhora do Carmo, Plinio Correa de Oliveira commentary on the Saint of the Day, July 16 @ TraditionInAction.org:

"Today Christendom is again in decadence. Our Lady came to Fatima to announce this fall, the chastisement, and the victory with the famous phrase: “In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” In that same set of apparitions in which she announced her victory, she desired to appear in the habit of the Carmelite Order, as a way to confirm her age-old predilection for it and to indicate that this Order will be a part of her glorious Reign. With the habit, she symbolically made a synthesis of the past and the future, at the very moment that she announced the end of an era and the beginning of another."

Contemplation

Welcome to the Irish Province of the Order of Carmelites:

"The first and most important thing to remember is that contemplation is God’s work but normally God asks for our consent to his action in our lives. So, responding to the grace of God, we consent to enter this process which will change us; we consent to be led into the desert which occurs in and through our daily lives. It is not necessary to know a lot about spirituality or to have read many books; what is necessary is to recognise that there is room for change in our lives and be open to God’s purifying action in and through the events of daily life. We can prepare the way for the Lord like John the Baptist by examining our lives and seeing if there is anything which is incompatible with our vocation. We can then use the normal remedies which we are offered through the Church."

rising

From the rising of the sun 'til the sun goes down Let the Name of the Lord be praised (Repeat)
We're gathered to worship, becoming a choir to sing Your praise Lifting our voices, joining our hearts in this house today

People of God, in the power of God, for the Kingdom of God, we sing
From the rising of the sun 'til the sun goes down Let the Name of the Lord be praised From the rising of the sun 'til the sun goes down Let the Name of the Lord be praised

From the sky to the depths, from the east to the west We give You praise We give You praise

We're gathered to go out to cities and towns we'll take Your Name Into the nations, shining your light in the darkest place
People of God, in the power of God, for the Kingdom of God, we live
From the rising of the sun 'til the sun goes down Let the Name of the Lord be praised From the rising of the sun 'til the sun goes down Let the Name of the Lord be praised

From the sky to the depths, from the east to the west (repeat) We give You praise, we give You praise Lord, we give You praise, we give You praise

From the rising of the sun 'til the sun goes down Let the Name of the Lord be praised

He feeds us...

USCCB - (NAB) - June 9, 2008:

"The LORD then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the LORD had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream."


Hmmm...sounds alot like a retreat doesn't it? LOL. I'm BAAAACCCKK! And yes...the Lord did take good care of me and nourished me well...both physically and spiritually. Even with human limitations (our own and others), the Lord manages to reach us and 'feed' us. Praise God.

All weekend I had this song running in my head (especially when I got up at 5:30 AM...AM and watched the sunrise.)...'from the rising of the sun, til the sun goes down, may the Name of the Lord be praised! WE give You praise!'... So Praise You Lord for that all that You do on our behalf...You are the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. I LOVE You JESUS!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

retreat

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

I'll be off for the next couple of days for my Lay Carmelite yearly retreat...please keep me and my group in your prayers.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Remain Faithful

USCCB - (NAB) - June 6, 2008:

"But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching,
for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work."


I wrote on my otherblog before going through today's readings...but I guess what the Lord was putting in my heart there, applies here too. Let's not perish for lack of knowledge!

Children of Hope

Children of Hope, Eucharistic Adoration for Children

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Rosary on the 13th

"We are planning to pray the rosary on the 13th of every month until October 13
in honor of Our Lady of Fatima.

Our Lady appeared on the 13th of every month from May 13, 1917 to October 13,
1917 with a message of reparation and peace. We started last month and were
blessed with a view of a circle around the sun as you can see in the attached
picture."


Just got the above message from Laura, I'm very excited about this.

YouTube - I Offer My Life

A Reminder for Confirmed Catholics

USCCB - (NAB) - June 4, 2008:

"For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands."


Prayer

Lord Jesus, I come before you, just as I am. I am sorry for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me. In your name, I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce satan, the evil spirits and all their works. I give you my entire self, Lord Jesus, now and forever, I invite you into my life Jesus, I accept you as my Lord, God and Saviour. Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul and spirit.

Come Lord Jesus, cover me with your precious blood, and fill me with your Holy Spirit, I love You Lord Jesus. I praise You Jesus. I thank You Jesus. I shall follow you every day of my life. Amen.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

No excuses

USCCB - (NAB) - June 3, 2008:

"Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned,
be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled
and to fall from your own stability.
But grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ."


We have been forwarned! Don't let your guard down. Don't expect it to be easy though...but through the grace of God it is is possible.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Prayer

Parabolic : A Catholic Reflection:
"To help us repent, let's pray the following prayers:

Jesus, open my eyes to the parables right before me.
Jesus, put a new parable into my life today.
Jesus, may I have repeated flashbacks of old parables until I repent.
Jesus, may I take Your parables to heart, go to Confession, and repent of my sins.
Praying these prayers will reveal that the routine circumstances of our lives are charged with meaning. In our everyday life, the Lord will confront and convict us, encourage and heal us, and motivate and empower us. Our lives will be full of repentance and excitement. They will be full of living parables.

PRAYER: Jesus, may I be easy for You to talk to."

Faith alone? Hardly...

USCCB - (NAB) - June 2, 2008:

"For this very reason,
make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control,
self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion,
devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love."


and the bottom line is LOVE! Not as the world shows us, but as Jesus Himself has demonstrated.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

It's raining!

USCCB - (NAB) - June 1, 2008:

"“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”"


Look around you...check out the news...look into the lives of your family and friends...all around the rains of distruction are pounding and its results are obvious...families falling a part left and right. Guess what...none of us are immune...God did not promise us temperate weather year round...what He has promised to those that obey Him is protection from the storm...it will still pound on us(how can it not...don't our hearts break at what we are witnessing?)but we'll be protected from distruction...He will NEVER leave us.

So...let's get going on building our 'house' on the rock! Start with prayer(heart to heart prayer).