How Big Is Your God? (55/100)

Clearly it has been too long since my last post...what have I been doing these last 28 days?!?

Day 55.  In honor of yesterday being Easter, I wanted to spend parts of today giving glory to God.  In reading, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, I was particularly drawn to one of the questions the author, Mark Batterson, poses;

"How big is your God?"  

"The more we grow, the bigger God should get.  And the bigger God gets, the smaller our lions (fears) become.  The reality is that nothing is too big for God."  (pg 39)

Many times I get sucked into the dilemas of my day & my life and get bogged down.  I feel shelfish asking God to come quickly to my aid when my troubles are minor in comparisson to other areas of the world.  And yet, He is there for me even in my minor troubles.  He does care about all the details in my life even if they seem ridiculous in comparisson to others who are dealing with more severe hard times... He cares because my troubles are just that...mine.  He wants to comfort me. 

I, along with many others, never want to appear demanding or even needy, or rely too heavily on the consolation of God.  But God puts desires and needs in my heart and He longs for me to ask for His help.  We can work to help each other.  Friends look out for each other and neighbors should help neighbors.  

I like to remind myself that at times when I may be upset with certain people that make up a body within the Church, or upset at ideals that are in questions... I need to remember that at the heart of the matter & what is truly important is that I am not upset with God.  For He is perfect..  He is my ultimate reason.     

Highlight the Goddess Within (Day 8/100)



Day 8 - Highlight the goddess within.  Connect with your own spirituality...your core being.  Especially since today is the first day of Lent (a reflective period lasting 40 Days &40 Nights leading up to Easter), use today to connect with yourself & your savior. 

Today is Ash Wednesday - I attended the 12:10pm mass at The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the service was beautiful.  I was then called into work because the Sales Office needed some extra help.  I knew that the ashes were going to still be very vivid on my forhead & I was curious what the response would be from my coworkers.  I am was amazed at what the ashes smeared on my forehead in the shape of a cross triggered from people.  One woman, who I had never met, saw me walking down the hall and said aloud to the person she was talking to, "Oh right, today is Ash Wenesday."  One of my friends at work, specifically came up to me & said, "Look at you being a good Catholic."  And what I found to be the most fun was seeing 2 other coworkers with the ashes on their forheads too!

Day 8: I use prayer to connect with God and focus on the power of Lent and now will  use my 100 Reality Challenge as a way to grow even more in my lenten journey.  Lent is my journey with Christ and my Reality Challenge is my personal journey to better myself. 

New Years: Resolutions Too?

Now that it is officially 2011...and yes, it's usually the time for some self searching and determining a new resolution.  I found that for 2010 I was able to stick to my resolution because of something I heard off of the radio.   While living in VA, I would listen to KLOVE on my way to work and right around New Years for 2010, they announced that for 2010 they were going to pick a "word" that would help them stay focused and centered.  I loved the idea of picking a "word" to aspire to for my new year.  The word that I chose for 2010 was WORTHY.  I felt that I have stayed true to this...I worked toward being a worthy friend, worthy daughter, worthy of my job, worthy of my apartment, worthy of God's love, etc.  I know it seems too general to count as a resolution, but it really helped me feel like I had accomplished something in 2010.  I feel like 2010 showed real growth and promise. 

My word for 2011 is TREASURE with a specific emphasis on treasuring every moment.  I want to wish all of my family and friends and reader alike a beautiful, healthy and happy New Year.  May 2011 reveal its special treasure for you each gem at a time. 

Easter Season

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right...

~Phillips Brooks, "An Easter Carol"

Holy Thursday: Washing of the Feet

Happy Holy Thursday

Jesus knew that His hour had come ... "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me ... Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean ...

He said to them "Do you realize what I have done for you? ... If I, ... the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you shoud also do." 

The Gospel of the Lord

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow

Since Virginia has gotten a few inches of snow over the last few days, I decided to share with you my favorite song from on of my favorite Christmas movies; White Christmas.

SNOW SONG-Bing Crosby

Snow
It won't be long before we'll all be there with snow
Snow
I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow

Snow
I long to clear a path and lift a spade of snow
Snow
Oh, to see a great big man entirely made of snow

Where it's snowing
All winter through
That's where I want to be
Snowball throwing
That's what I'll do
How I'm longing to ski
Through the snow-oh-oh-oh-oh

Those glist'ning houses that seem to be built of snow
Snow
Oh, to see a mountain covered with a quilt of snow

What is Christmas with no snow
No white Christmas with no snow
Snow

I'll soon be there with snow
I'll wash my hair with snow
And with a spade of snow
I'll build a man that's made of snow
I'd love to stay up with you but I recommend a little shuteye
Go to sleep
And dream
Of snow

O Christmas Tree

Here are some Christmas Trees from around the world! Enjoy!

England:



Italy:



France:





Germany:



Tokyo:




United States:

Spiritual Fire

Fire of Advent

"Advent, like its cousin Lent, is a season for prayer and reformation of our hearts. Since it comes at winter time, fire is a fitting sign to help us celebrate Advent…If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then fire will have to be present in our prayer. Our worship and devotion will have to stoke the kind of fire in our souls that can truly change our hearts. Ours is a great responsibility not to waste this Advent time."
---Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac, p. 187

*Special Thank You to: this site for having the quote

Christmas Cookies

Today is the 1st day of baking cookies. I am attending a Cookie Baking Party at one of my sisters' house. We are suppose to bring tins and some of the cookie ingredients to share. I am very much looking forward to baking and so wanted to share a recipe with you.

SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients:

· 1 1/2 cups butter, softened

· 2 cups white sugar

· 4 eggs

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 5 cups all-purpose flour

· 2 teaspoons baking powder

· 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Decorate and Enjoy!

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

Being that it is almost the 1st Sunday of Advent, today is the perfect day to make your heart ready for Christ's coming. It is time to "Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room." Advent is a perfect time to "clean-up" and "get ready" for the birth of the Newborn King. I took time this morning to vacuum and dust. It felt great cleaning up my apartment as a small offering to God. I also got out my Advent wreath, which I am very excited to light the 1st candle tomorrow! Next to my wreath is a vase filled with fresh flowers as another small offering to Christ.

What do you need to do to prepare? Do you have to resources available to help? Invite your family and friends to help and get closer to Christ with you.

I will leave you with the lyrics to "Joy to the World," because we need to ring out the JOY that Jesus is coming!

JOY TO THE WORLD

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

It is again that time of year when the leaves have changed to a golden yellow, rustic red, or amber orange. Also, the groceries stories are full of shoppers gathering their Thanksgiving Day trimmings. I will be traveling to my parents' house and enjoying a nice dinner with them. I look forward to waking up and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while my parents' cook the Turkey and all the sides. Then early afternoon we eat a beautiful meal followed by watching "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles." We have watched that movie every year since I can remember!

This year, I will also stress to my family and friends how thankful I am for them being in my life! It is such a joy and comfort to know that I have people I can depend on and trust to always be there for me. What a blessing! God truly is good!

What are you thankful for?

I want to take this time to say a special prayer for you (the one reading this):

Heavenly Father,
Please bless all who read this. Take each person into the closeness of your heart, and give them your special blessing. May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy, laughter, love and good food. :)

Always share the goodness that is in your heart. Do everything with love.

All Souls

In honor of All Souls Day, I wanted to post a short prayer. It is important to take the time to pray for the souls in purgatory and for all those who are lost.


Invocation for the Souls in Purgatory

My God,

bestow Thy blessings and Thy mercies
on all persons and on those souls in Purgatory
for whom I am in charity, gratitude, or friendship bound
and have the desire to pray.

Amen

It's All a Bunch of Hocus Pocus

Halloween season begins when I get the opportunity to watch this Disney classic. "Hocus Pocus" is an awesome Halloween movie which highlights the great workings of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. Seriosuly, I love them as the Sanderson sisters. And because of this movie (and the brillance of one of my best friends) I want to name my future black cat "Binx."

Happy Halloween!

Happy Labor Day!

Have a beautiful and safe holiday! Enjoy this day celebrating!

Let us take a moment to honor those who work so hard to keep us safe...those who work so hard and their work goes unnoticed...and those that work so hard to allow our lives run more smoothly.

I also hope that those who are without work will earn special graces today to get a job very soon!

I am about to go to a cook-out and I am bringing dessert! :)

Good Friday

Without the victory of the resurrection, the death of Jesus would have been in vain. For death by itself is no victory, no matter how well-meaning the sacrificial lamb, no matter how noble the cause. Through His resurrection, Christ broke the power of death once and for all time. Salvation was not completed only because of the cross. It was completed by the victory of the empty tomb. "... Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor 15:54b-57 NIV

Katherine Walden
I Lift My Eyes Web Ministries

Holy Thursday

John 13:1-15

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples´ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well." Jesus said to him, "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all." For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean." So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ´teacher´ and ´master,´ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another´s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

Take time to reflect today on His passion. His love. His sacrifice. His selfless nature. His hope. His journey. His walk. Our cross.

Palm Sunday

"Practically everyone has known the taste of Palm Sunday, the sweetness of success and popularity, and nearly all of us have tasted the bitterness of Good Friday, of failure and rejection. What saves us from an endless round of ups and downs, what frees us from the tyranny of events over which we have no control is our commitment to press forward in obedience to God -it is trust in God's love to bring about Easter morning, - knowing that the meaning of life is to be found in the knowledge and love of God,- and in sharing that knowledge and love with those who accompany us on the way."

Rev. Richard J. Fairchild

Easter Means

Easter is approaching...April 12th will be here soon. All the stores have all their brightly colored plastic eggs ready in hopes people will stock up for their "Egg Hunt."

I would love to host an "Egg Hunt." It would be fun and all the neighboring children would come and join in.

What would be even better is if I was with my family and had all my second cousins looking for the eggs. I have lots of cousins and quite a few second cousins at this point and seeing their little eyes light up would make my heart very happy!

It will just have to wait until I can go visit them for Easter, or until they come out to see me...hopefully, they will wait until I have a family of my own too.



Easter also means that Easter lilies are in bloom. I love seeing them adorn the altar in honor of the Risen Jesus. What a beautiful offering! This flower, a lily, is pure and wonderful. No other such flower would give justice to this blessed event.

When I move into my new apartment, I want to start a new tradition of having fresh flowers by my picture of Our Lady and Jesus. It will be a special offering to them as well as a perfect way to decorate my home. It will brighten up any area with the right amount of "life."



Clearly, Easter is a celebration for Christians everywhere! We are rejoicing in the Risen King! He died on the cross and then rose from the dead.



Is there a greater love then that?!?!

This is the ultimate sacrifice...and therefore, the ultimate testimony of LOVE.

Journey to Easter...

Lent is a journey for all of us to walk closer with Christ.

Easter is approaching and so we should be preparing our hearts for the glory of His love! Jesus has died and risen for me...for you...for ALL of us!

LENT is a beautiful time for me to reflect on all of my hardships and those times in my life where I fell short. I certainly am NOT perfect, but God knows how much I aim to please Him.

He created me in His likeness and has blessed me with a beautiful life so that I may give back to my fellow brothers and sisters. Charity has been my focus this Lenten Season and I feel I am moving forward and have been "giving" back.

How has this journey been going for you?

Compassionate Lent

The Holy Season of Lent has begun. It began yesterday with Ash Wednesday service. I hope this Lenten Season for me is especially "compassionate." I want to respond to the Lord's call with more "compassion" as well as live more "compassionately" as a Christian. I want to live my life with more charity this Lent. I will use these 40 Days and 40 Nights to fill each day with true and complete acts of charity to my fellowman.

I have been blessed my entire life to not only have this beautiful life but to live out my dreams. The word "passion" helps make up the word "compassion" so I feel that in my "compassion" this Lent I should be filled with enough drive and "passion" for this new undertaking and outlook on my life. Now, I know that I should live each day with charity and that is what makes a Christian...this I know. What I am saying is to take my very simple acts and try and expand them to reach more people.

With each Lenten Season is not about giving up chocolates or sweets...it is more about building a strong relationship with Christ and growing more faithful to Him. I wish you a "Compassionate" Lent. Use this time to start fresh and connect with God - to get closer to His word - to follow Him in His Passion.