God Keeps His Promises!

God keeps His promises! He most certainly does. Sometimes it might take a while to bring them to fruition... sometimes it may feel like a lifetime has gone by before we see God's promises come to pass, though, when we cling to our Faith in Him and are persistent in Hope and prayer, we will surely see God's promises to us come to pass, we will never be disappointed by God when we seek to see our lives thru the eyes of Faith and try to see ourselves, our lives and others as God does... with eternal promise and Hope!

Nothing is impossible for God... I repeat, nothing!!! With God ALL things are possible... and there is nothing or nobody that can ever stand in God's way and prevent His will from coming to pass...what God has destined to be before the beginning of time, surely will come to pass in His own time and way... and then everyone will come to believe in His greatness, in His majesty, in His goodness and Love... and praise and glorify Him for never forgetting His precious children or the great promises He promised to them so long ago!

If you are at a place in your life where you feel like God might have forgotten about you, if you feel disheartened or your Hope is wearing thin, just know that you are not alone and God surely hasn’t forgotten you, or His promises to you. God is right there with you and is working mighty miracles behind the scenes at this very moment for your good and the good of all! If you let Him and continue to have lots of Faith in Him... He can take your situation and turn it around for the best, for God can transform even the ugliest, most horrific situation into the most beautiful, glorious situation that will bring Him glory and His Son, Jesus, Our Savior, Glory... just like He did for Jesus on the cross so long ago. Just think... if God can take he most horrific event of all time, (Jesus' dying on the cross), and turn it all around and transform it into the most beautiful, glorious event of all... the greatest miracle of all, don't you think that He can take your situation and do the same? Of course He can and will if you continue to have FAITH in HIM!

Reach out and take His hand reaching out to you... cling to it and Him and never let go... (ever!). He longs to show you and teach you His LOVE for you and just how mighty and miraculous He is by revealing to your His Loving will for your life and everyone involved! He has mighty, amazing miracles in store for you and yours!

You are in my prayers... and I look forward to hearing about all the many wonders and miracles God has done for you! Continue to keep your Faith in Him strong... and always remember... "All things are possible with God!"

Love Always... Even Your Enemies

God calls us to Love Him and one another, (including ourselves), at all times. It's easy to Love those whom we feel Love from and are kind to us, however, it's more challenging to continue Loving those who are unkind to us and even seem to have that, "kick em while they are down mentality," whom when they see us suffering or going through a trial of sorts, seem to take that as an opportunity to throw stones at us and try to hurt us and provoke us into fighting back in the same way as they are fighting us.

Though, we can rest assured that in times like this where we feel betrayed and abandoned by those even closest to us.... The One, Whom is most close to us, Jesus, Our Lord and Savor truly understands, because He has experience first hand what it's like to be betrayed, talked badly about, hurt and abandoned by those even most close to Him. And yet, still, God tells us to, "Love our enemies and to do good to those who persecute us." Talk about a bold and radical statement and call to follow.

That is what we must do at ALL times, is LOVE, LOVE, LOVE... always and everywhere!!!

It doesn't make the offensive and abusive actions of others OK, and in fact, never, ever should we put up with and tolerate abuse of any kind, nor does Jesus expect us to when He tells us to Love our enemies... but it does allow much room for the much needed healing balm of forgiveness and empathy that we can show, even if from a distance.

In order to really Love as Jesus calls us to we must have a greater and bigger and wiser understanding that ultimately those who seem to deliberately go out of their way to hurt and insult and provoke others are mostly, ultimately doing that because it's already been done to them and still that doesn't mean that because of that we should tolerate their abusive behavior.

Though, by acting in a way that is retaliating is only going to carry on the cycle of what is ultimately, "abuse," no matter how minor it might seem. Where there is injury, we must pray for God's pardon, like St. Francis of Assisi so beautifully said... and with God's Love, Mercy, Pardon and Forgiveness... a multitude of miracles can take place, though, our hearts must be open and willing to allowing God's Grace to make it all happen.

Perhaps, the miracle might be to forgive the other who has abused us in some way, and to find true reconciliation which in turn deepens and strengthens the existing relationship, or perhaps it might be that one finds that it's time to move on to find new friends and such who will truly treat you in the way you deserve to be treated, with mutual Love, respect and kindness.

Many people have never known that kind of treatment from others, and often times it is people who have been abused who don't feel worthy of finding Loving relationships based on genuine Love and respect and kindness, though, it is possible and that's the kind of relationship that God desires for us to have with others. If you already have these kinds of relationships with others in your life... praise and thank God for them, for this is a great Blessing from Heaven.

If you haven't yet found these kinds of relationships with others, you will, seek them and you will find them. Pray for God to send into your life people who will genuinely Love and respect you and treat you with the same kindness that you will treat them with in return! Of course, God still calls us to Love our enemies and yet, still, He doesn't mean for us to be abused. We can Love our eminies and friends alike with our prayers and Loving and kind thoughts... and we can even contribute greatly to helping to heal our world in so doing!

Beauty is Truth, Truth is Beauty

                                                                    

I heard a beautiful quote once, very long ago, that really stayed with me all these years because I was struck by the beauty and truth of it. The quote, by John Keats is this...

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty." When I think of these words today... and contemplate all the Beauty I see, created by our Beautiful Creator, our Beautiful God... the Divine Author of Beauty... I can't help but remember this special quote and be touched again, by the breath of God, really, that is so obviously present in the Beauty I see!

Our Beautiful Savior, Jesus, is very Beautiful... in every single way!  He is The Way, The  Truth and the Life and He leads us on towards the eternal Beauty of Heaven. His words are Beautiful... they are Spirit and Life... and even give new Life to all who hear them and allow them to take root and bloom within their hearts!

You are Beautiful too... because God created you in His very own image and likeness, which is so very Beautiful... Love! May you always remember that, because it's really true! :)

 

Find A Friend In Hope!

In times of great Joy... have Hope in the Lord.  In times of great sorrow... all the more, Hope in the Lord. In times of difficulty and pain... Hope in the Lord. In times of trouble and uncertainty... still Hope in the Lord. In times of betrayal and unjustice... have Hope in the Lord... in times of disbelief... still Hope in the Lord. In times of deep happiness and celebration, remember to Hope in the Lord. In times of newness and new life... Hope in the Lord. In times of weakness... Hope in the Lord.  In times of transition... Hope in the Lord. Everyday, always, no matter what... no matter where... remember always to Hope in the Lord!

Hope is an anchor for our soul, we are told in Sacred Scripture! It grounds our hearts and souls in it's two best friends... Faith & Love.  All three are very important to our spiritual life and with Love being the greatest of all three... Hope encourages us to Love even more... and gives us wings to fly... it sets us free from the momentary expeirence we are in to dream bigger and have more Faith in God to create beautiful miracles in our lives.

Hope is a true gift from God, one of which if I didn't have, I just can't even imagine how I would ever survive in this world that will test our Faith, bring trails and tribulations our way, challenge our courage and at times, bring us to our knees in sorrow... (just to name a few).

And the wonderful thing about Hope is, it seems to me that the more we have of it...the more it grows and grows and grows... filling our hearts and souls with more of it, until we become people that are transformed so much so by the gift of Hope... that nothing or no one can ever take it from us, and like a dear best friend, Hope will always be there to bring us closer to God whenever we need it!  Just have Hope in the Lord... it's easy, and yet quite profound at the same time!

May God's Blessings and Gift of Hope well up from within you... and enliven your Faith & Love and bring you closer and closer to God!  :)

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil."  ~Hebrews 6:19

You Are Loved

Just a little reminder today to let you know how much God Loves you... with an everlasting Love.  God has called you by name, and you belong to Him! He is with you and believes in you! He has wonderful plans of Hope, Love and Peace for your day today and every day after that! Believe it... and believe in Him!  For you  are blessed by God in every way! 

We Walk By Faith And Not By Sight

"We "We walk by Faith and not by sight!" (2 Corinthians 5:7). This is one of my favorite verses from Sacred Scripture and it's a timeless message that God has given us that has guided me throughout my entire life, and I know always will!

What does it mean to walk by Faith and not by sight?  I believe it means that we cannot live our lives depending on the sight that our earthly eyes give us alone, but the even greater sight that God gives to the eyes of our hearts, "Our eyes of Faith." It means to walk by what we believe, by all God has taught us and all the divine Truth and Love that dwells in our hearts.  It means to live our lives from the deepest place within us, where God dwells, and allow Him to be our true Guide in life... even when it is most difficult to do so, because caution and fear may tell us otherwise.

To truly walk and live by Faith we must have courage of the greatest kind imaginable! Faith goes beyond all reason and rhyme.  And the amazing things that Faith can do just may not even seem possible to the human mind, yet, Faith creates everyday miracles, both big and small in the lives of those who embrace it and practice it regularly. It can literally move mountains, make the blind regain their sight, and even raise the dead. 

When Jesus walked this Earth, He performed all kinds of miracles for people, (for people who had Faith, that is!). He said that He was not able to perform miracles at times because the people lacked Faith in Him to make them happen.  This must of made Jesus very sad, because He came that we might have Life and have it abundantly! He wanted to heal so many people... yet, He could only do so if they bravely exhibited their Faith... walking and living by Faith and not by sight!

I truly believe that Jesus continues to walk this very Earth, here among us, in Spirit... and He still longs to perform miracles of all kinds, (both big and small in people's lives), though, He is looking for Faith in the hearts of God's people... for He cannot do anything, unless we first have Faith in Him and in God!

May we always walk by Faith and not by sight... and may Jesus find in us, such strong Faith that He will be able to perform the true miracles we need and pray for! Amen.

Got Plans For The New Year? Got Hope?

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans?"  I have, and it reminds me of one of my most favorite Sacred Scripture verses of all time, taken from Jeremiah 29:11 seen here above.

As much as we might try to plan out our lives perfectly... what schools we will attend, what kind of profession we will have, when we will get married, how many children we will have and when, (and so on), I don't believe I have yet to ever meet a single person whose life happened exactly according to the plans they made for themselves.

Why is that?  I believe it is because, our lives truly are not our own, (even if we may think that they are), but belong ultimately to God.  Our lives are a sacred and precious Gift from God. Each day that we are given is a beautiful Gift from God... yet, another chance to Love Him more and His people, to praise Him, to serve Him, to draw closer to  Him, and to hopefully come to find and live out the very, special "plans of Hope" that He has planned and prepared for our lives, long before the world ever began!

It might be hard for some people to believe... that we could really have a God Who Loves us so very much, and cares for us so deeply, and that He is such an infinitely, intricate part of our lives. He lives within our very hearts, soul, and beings, and whether we choice to make notice of His ever-present Love and Guidance in our lives... He is so much a part of us, that nothing we could ever say or do could ever change that or separate us from Him Who is Pure Love! He truly wants us to live happy, healthy, meaningful, purposeful lives... and He wants us to dedicate our lives to Him.  He truly has the most beautiful plans of Hope for our lives... though, we must truly seek Him to find Him with us and find out just what they are!

Are you someone that finds that too hard to believe?  That we could, (and most certainly do), have a God so Loving, so Caring, so Faithful, that He truly wants the very best for you in life and has even taken great time and care to plan and prepare a beautiful future full of Hope and endless Blessings for you? If you are... I most certainly hope and pray, that today will be the day you make the brave decision to give God a try... to seek Him with all your heart and soul... and to find Him with you and discover at last, the most beautiful, bright, and blessed future full of Hope that you could ever imagine!

I believe that God places within each of our hearts, very special, "Dreams of Hope," that He has given us as Gifts to help lead us closer to Him in our lives and closer to discovering and living the most beautiful and bright, "Future full of Hope" that He has planned and prepared for us! May you, (if you haven't already), search deep in your heart for those beautiful and precious dreams that God placed there when He created you... and may they lead you closer to Him and the most beautiful and blessed, "Future full of hope" He has especially waiting for you!  :)

Rejoice In The Lord Always!

As we continue on in our Advent Journey, we have much to rejoice about.  We are drawing nearer to the most glorious day when we will gather together, family and friends, in God's Presence of Love to celebrate and remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  And there are countless blessings to behold and receive during this special, sacred time.  

There are lots of things to do to prepare for Christmas... though, the greatest and most important thing that we can do of all to truly get ready to appreciate and celebrate this wonderful feast and gift of Christmas is to prepare our hearts and souls for the sweet Baby Jesus to be born within us, once again this year, or perhaps, maybe even for the very first time!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

We are told in Sacred Scripture to, "Rejoice in the Lord always!"  And in deed, do we ever have a reason to rejoice in Him!  We most certainly do!  For we have a God that Loves us so very much, and wants so much to be the most important part of our lives that He chose to come into our very broken, hurting world, darkened and damaged by sin. He came to bring us Light... and be our Light.  He came to bring us Love eternal and be our eternal Love.  

He came to heal us and forgive us, redeem us and give us the gift of new and everlasting Life in Him.  He came to give us Hope... and the promise of Heaven!  He came to bring us Joy and fill our hearts with so much Joy and so many blessings of Goodness that our hearts will overflow with abundance. 

He came to bring us Peace and be our Peace.  Peace that the world cannot give.  A Peace so deep and so everlasting... that it can literally transform hatred and cruelty into Love that can transform our world into a bit of Heaven on Earth!

Just imagine the deep humility and generosity of God... that on His very own birthday, when we are so busy rushing around trying to find the perfect gift for others... God Himself, gives each of us His Himself, the most amazing Gift of all!

As we continue to prepare to receive the very special miracles and Gifts God longs to give each of us this Christmas... let us rejoice about all the Joy to come... and all the Joy we will too receive in sharing the gift of Jesus with others!

Giving Glory To God, Most High!

I am up early this Advent morning, and I am giving Glory to our awesome God Who has blessed me so much, with His Love and Grace and I thank Him and glorify Him for continuing to do so.  As I praise and glorify God, my precious daughter dances and leaps about with Joy in my womb. She of all people, knows the goodness of praising and glorifying God.  My 20 month old daughter, Audrey too, loves to sing, "Glory to God!" and I am reminded that when we do... God draws even nearer to us and blesses us with His Loving Presence and certainty that He is truly our Almighty God Who can, will and will continue to do amazing things in our lives.


Our God of Everlasting Life and Miracles will continue to bless us and Love us and mold and transform us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, as we continue to Love and serve Him and live our lives for Him!


During this most beautiful and Grace-filled Advent Season that only comes once a year... I open my heart wide to God and lift up my hands and soul to Him in praise and worship... giving Him all the Glory He so deserves... for He is our God... and an awesome God at that... Who can do all things!


As we draw closer to Christmas and the New Year, I hold in my heart this morning, all the people who are suffering at this time, who might not feel like they have a reason this year to rejoice, praise and glorify God.  I reach out my heart to them, especially, in prayer, and say... "Rejoice, my friends... praise and glorify our awesome God, Who Loves you with an everlasting Love... Who has an amazing plan of Hope and Goodness for your lives... Who comes, especially now, to save and redeem you and make you new in Him.  Have Hope in your heart... and give Him all the Glory, for He longs to bless you and Love you give your life the greatest meaning and purpose of all.  For you belong to Him and Heaven is your true Home!"


Wishing you a beautiful Advent day, filled with lots of Advent Light, Hope, Joy, Peace and Glory to God, Most High!

Get Ready... He's Coming Soon!

Advent is a special and sacred time of patient waiting, joyful preparation and longing once again, as we do each year, for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ... as a sweet, innocent, loving Child of Peace, Hope, Love, Mercy and Salvation born in Bethlehem so very long ago.

I can't even begin to say how much I am truly enjoying the mystery and wonder of this Advent Season this year, as I unite myself in a special way to Our Blessed Mother Mary, as a mother myself of a beautiful 20 month old daughter and another precious daughter, growing in my womb, due to be born this April!


With all the enthusiasm and Joy that my daughter, Audrey, brings as she awaits her little sister's coming into the world, as she sings to her, "Hush, little baby," and tries to feed her milk to her by holding it to my belly... and so many other, special little things that remind me of the true Joy and Love to come... I REJOICE and praise God, for the miracle of this child of my womb... and the Miracle of the Christ Child, Who comes again this Christmas to be re-born in all of our hearts!


With each delicate movement I feel from my daughter within my womb, I can't help but understand even just a little bit of the Joy and Wonder that Our Blessed Mother Mary must have felt, as She felt sweet, Baby Jesus move about in Her own womb.  For children, in deed, are a true Blessing and Gift from God... and the Miracle of Life is just that... a true miracle.... that is beyond what I have even words to express, though, I plan to continue celebrating it with true Joy all the days of my life!


So, as we continue on in our Advent Journey... making all the special preparations in our homes, though, most especially in our hearts, to celebrate Christ's birth... let's REJOICE all the way.... and share Christ's Joy with all we meet. For He is on the way and coming soon!


Many special Blessings of JOY to you and your family!  :)

Waiting and Longing For Christ in Hope!

Happy First Sunday of Advent! I am very excited about this beautiful season of Light, Hope, and Peace as it is one of my favorite liturgical seasons.  This year, it is extra special for me, since I am 4 months pregnant with my second child and also because my daughter, Audrey, although, is only 20 months, is still able to understand quite a bit and I get to celebrate and share this season with her as well!


Advent is a special and sacred time of hopeful and patient waiting and longing. We are waiting and longing for the coming and birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, just as Mary, His Mother and so many others waited and longed for His birth so long ago.


Although, Jesus was in deed born for us all, over 2,000 years ago, and has since died and returned to Heaven, we still wait and long for a Savior all the same today just as they did so many years ago.  We wait and long for Christ the King to come to us, once again, so that He may be born once more in our very hearts! And so we prepare our homes and most of all our hearts and lives for His coming at Christmas so that we may fully be able to receive Him with true Joy, openness and Grace, so as to celebrate and receive the most beautiful miracles of the Christmas Feast that God longs to give each and every one of us!


In my own life, I can relate to what Mary must have been going through, preparing for the birth of Her Son, Jesus, as I continue to prepare my myself and my life for my new child, still growing within my womb, due to be born this April. And just like God chose Mary to be the Mother of His Son, God has also chosen me to be the mother of His child as well. And the great blessing that I feel because of that is just amazing. Like Mary waited and longed to greet and welcome the child of Her womb into the world, I do the same and pray that God will bless my child with a pure Love for Him and a deep desire to always Love Him and stay close to Him, as He has my daughter.


Throughout this beautiful Advent Season of Hope, Light and Peace... please know that I am keeping you in my prayers as we all journey closer and closer to the Feast of Christmas! May your Advent Journey be blessed in every way and may you come to experience the real Presence of Christ in your life in a way like never before!

God Loves You!

It's a very simple message... yet, very profound and quite powerful: "God Loves You!" Yes, He most certainly does. This is something that we may know in our mind and hearts, though, can often forget from time to time... and it's always good to be reminded of this, for it brings us back to our core essence... "Love!"

God is Love... and it is from Love from which we have come. We are born to Love... born to give Love... born to be Love and share Love! God's Love lives deep within our hearts and within our very beings... it's who we really are. God's Love is so much apart of us that nothing or no one could ever separate us from it, and we must remember this at all times and remember to remind ourselves and others of this as well when we forget it.

I pray that today, you will remember how very much God Loves you. You are His Beloved and you belong to Him. He holds you close to His heart... and His plans for your life and your future are full of Hope! Believe it, feel it and see all the miracles His Love is meant to manifest in your life.

Many Blessings in Christ!

You are Not Alone

Something that I have always known and felt throughout my life, that I am ever so grateful for and I know is a true Gift from God is the realization of God's Love for me. And even further more, the feeling of His Loving Presence with me always, in the real Person of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Who walks with me right by my side as my Best Friend and lives within my very being.

No matter how old we might be, we will always be children of God, and knowing that, we can find great comfort and Hope in realizing that in Life we have the Paternal Care of our Heavenly Father to guide us and lead us in all ways on the path that ultimately leads us to our eternal Home in Heaven.

We are all pilgrims here on this earth and every new day is a Gift from God... a brand new chance to awake and be very thankful for the precious Gift of Life that God has given us and His endless Love for us. Every new day is a chance to praise Him for His Love and walk with Jesus as His disciple, learning more and more how to be like Him in all we do.

We can also find great comfort and Hope in knowing and trusting that we are never, ever alone in life no matter how much we might be fooled into believing that we are at times. God is always with us, and in us and so is Jesus, as is the Holy Spirit and Our Blessed Mother Mary. We also have with us, the guarding and inspiring presence of God's angels with us as well and prayers of the saints who have gone before us and are now in Heaven with God.

So, if ever you are feeling alone... please know that you are not alone... but Loved and cared for, guided and protected by Heaven's Love and embrace!

Say a special prayer today to God and Jesus for their great Love for us and for walking with you always... and imagine Them with you in a very real and authentic way. For you are blessed and Loved and cherished by Them more than you may ever know!

Thank You Lord For Blessing Me!

                                                    Thank You, Lord... for Blessing Me! "  :)

Lord, Make Me An Instrument Of Your Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy. 

          O, Master, grant that I may never seek,
          to be consoled as to console;
          to be understood as to understand;
          to be loved as to love.
      
          For it is in giving that we receive;
          it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
         and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
                                                                ~ St. Francis of Assisi

More than ever, I find this beautiful peace prayer of St. Francis to be timely and so needed in our world.  It's one that we all can pray, no matter what Faith we may affiliate ourselves with. It's one that speaks the Heart of all Jesus came to say to us, and was born to live out in His life and ministry here on earth.

May we prayer this prayer... with humble hearts... beginning in our own families, communities and in all the world and in so doing, carry on the mission that Jesus has entrusted to us!

Peace be with you my Friends... the Peace that Christ gives to all the wold!

Live for God... Shine His Glory... Radiate His Love

God Loves each and every one of us, that is without a doubt and nothing that we do or say can every change that! He hopes that we will Love Him in return, though, even if we don't, He still continues to Love us endlessly, because His Love that He gives freely to us is a gracious Gift, and when God gives a Gift, He gives it forever!

God has created us to shine with all His glory and radiate His Love and Grace... to have new and everlasting Life in Jesus Christ! And the world is truly starving for all that God longs to give it to live, grow, and thrive for all eternity, as we have been created to, though we cannot do it alone and all on our own!

So many people in our world are starving and hungering, for more than just food that will satisfy their bodies for a day, but for the real food, substance that we are created to be sustained by that our hearts and souls cannot live without... the Gifts of God's Love, Light, Mercy, Grace, Forgiveness, Salvation, Peace and Hope!

God has created each of us in His very own image and likeness of Love, not so that we could live apart from Him, but, so that we could live with Him, through Him and in Him, as One... with Him... forever and ever more!

I pray that if you haven't already, that you will join me and countless others in living your life for God... shining with His Glory...  and radiating His Love!  For this is what we were born to do! It's truly what we're created for!

Many blessings in Christ!

Living Healthy, Being Well & Praising God

My husband and I got got back from an amazing workout at the YMCA where we go to work out... (this was our first Bootcamp class together), followed by a wonderful, healthy breakfast... and we both feel great! Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and so it's really important to treat them with the utmost respect and honor, love and care. For when we do so, we are not only showing our honor, respect,  love and care for ourselves, but for those we love and take care of and for God as well.

It's taken me some time to get back into working out and exercising again, like I did before I was pregnant with my daughter, Audrey, and I was told by one of my fitness instructors that it takes a woman's body a good 9 months after delivering her baby to begin getting back "to normal," since it goes through such a transformation in every way, both during pregnancy and in giving birth. And it was only just a few months ago that I found myself really beginning to regain my strength to really work out as strongly as I used to before becoming pregnant.

Something that I have found really helpful in my workouts has been, "Praise!" I love to praise God while I am working out... especially for creating me in His image and likeness of Love and for giving me the strength and desire to live and be healthy, fit, fully alive and well!

God is truly the center of my life! And it is in Him that I find all the strength I need to live the very best and most beautiful life that I know He has created me to live! God Loves us so much, and wants us to be healthy and well, and He knows that by doing so, we will be all the more happy because of it!

May God continue to bless us with the desire to live active, healthy, happy lives and continue to bless us every step of the way with His Grace, Love, and Joy!

Blessings in Christ!

Lord, Make Me A Blessing To Others Today

Something that I've been praying about for a while now and also trying to put into practice and apply to my life is on a daily basis is... "How can I be a blessing to others today?"  It's a great question to ask ourselves and it's one I am sure makes God very happy as well.

It's important, I believe,  to pray that God will bless others, that He will bless the world with His Love & Grace.   It's also important to ask God to not only bless us, but to make us a blessing, so that we may bless others by being the beautiful, fully alive people that He's created us to be.

We are all sisters and brothers in God's family and we are all interconnected in endless ways. We need each other, just as much as we need God. By living our lives to honor, serve and follow God's ways we may never even know how our kind actions and witness to our Faith may touch and bless the lives of others.

The greatest example and role model we have for this kind of living... (asking God to make us a blessing to others), is truly, Jesus Christ.  He was and still is the One Who we should follow to live our lives as fully alive as we possibly can, to glorify God and praise Him in doing so. 

When Jesus walked and graced the earth, He couldn't help but be a blessing to each and every person He came in contact with. His very life was an eternal blessing to all the world. And now here we are, over 2,000 years later and we are continuing to be called by God to carry out His mission of Love & Blessing as well.

Just imagine all the good we could do in the world by asking God to make us a blessing to others each and every day! I believe that the more we continue to do this... the more it will catch on and like beautiful ripples in the water, endless blessings will flow throughout the earth and perhaps, even reach Heaven as well.

And so, a prayer for today and every day to come: "Lord, Make me a blessing to others today... so I may bless, praise and glorify You in all ways! ~Amen.~

The Prayer of Jabez: Make It Your Own

Have you ever heard of, "The Prayer of Jabez?" I hadn't until about 13 years ago when it suddenly seemed to become really popular and there were different books showing up for it in stores, both Christian and secular.  It's a rather short prayer, quite simple, yet, very profound, deep and well rounded.  It's a prayer that asks God to bless us... to bless the person praying it.

Here's the short prayer, (a hidden treasure), found in Sacred Scripture: Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!"  So God granted him what he had requested.  1 Chronicles 4:10

How often do we remember to ask God to not only bless others, but ourselves as well? Of course, God wants us to pray for others and it's good that we do, because they need our prayers and God hears us when we pray.  And so the same goes for ourselves, we need prayers too, and even if we have people that are already praying for us, still, it's so important for us to pray for ourselves as well. Especially to pray that God's blessing be upon us.


I really do love this little, yet powerful prayer of Jabez... and like with many other formulated prayers, I have personalized it to fit my own life and made it my own. Having recently re-discovered this beautiful prayer, my heart grows more and more fond of it and wants to pray it more and more... at least every day!


If you're not familiar with this prayer, why not try applying it to your own life and making it your own.  Just give it a try... and see how God will  bless you and work special wonders in your life!


Call on the God of Israel, the God of Love and Giver of all good Gifts and say... "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!"  Allow God the blessed opportunity, by praying this prayer... to grant you, also, what you request of Him.


Endless Blessings in Christ!

Holy Week 2011: A Time of Great Grace and Redeeming Love

Holy Week 2011 is here and my heart and soul are filled with a new Light and Hope that I've never quite had before.  I believe it's partly because my beautiful daughter, Audrey is here with us. More and more each day, as I continue on in my journey through motherhood I come to realize how long complete my life has become now that my daughter is here with us... I waited so long for her, and now I feel as if I've always had her with me. She feel's as if she's always been a part of me and me her.

Though, still, I know that this new Light and Hope that I see and feel comes not just from having my daughter here with us, but from Jesus Christ, Who truly is the Light of the World, Who has come into the world to save it and redeem it with His unfathomable Love, to give it sight with His Glorious Being and to give it Life eternal with His boundless Grace.

I've learned so much from being a mother and my daughter is just little over 1 years old, and much of what I have learned already is a direct correlation to the relationship that God our Heavenly Father has with us his beloved children.  Just as I feel as if my daughter has always been here with me, in my heart and in my life and that she is just as much a part of me as I am her, so too do people feel and even more so, that God has always been with them in their lives and hearts and souls and that He is just as much a part of them as they are He when they find Him at last, when they surrender their hearts, souls and lives to Him and when they acknowledge Him as their one, true God, Creator of the universe and Savior of the world.

I felt very much that way when I came "Home" to God over 14 years ago, though, for me, it wasn't as if I had ever left God, though, I had stepped away, momentarily from my Catholic Faith for a few short years, during a very painful, sorrowful time in my life... to see if I could find God beyond the four walls of the Church. In the hustle, bustle and craziness of New York City, a young woman in my early 20's I was, I truly can say that I found God there beyond those four walls of the Church in the faces of people I met, in Sacred Scripture which He led me to really discover and understand like I had never before... and most especially in my emptiness, and loneliness in my own heart.  I had moved to New York City a couple of years prior, all by myself to follow a dream of becoming "A Star!" I was accepted into the one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world and thought that I would soon be discovered and make it big!

Well, I was most certainly, "discovered, to soon shine like a star, though, it was not at all how I had imagined!"

It was not some big Broadway producer who had discovered me, but, even better, it was the One True "Producer" and Creator of all, God Who had discovered me and found me... lonely, brokenhearted, hungry for His Love and thirsty for His Mercy!

It's quite a long story that I don't have time to tell of of today, but I will say that it was very real, profound and life-changing... for, God came into my life and saved my life in the most mysterious way!!! And since then I have never been the same. I had died, and yet, just like Jesus died up there on the cross for each of us over 2,000 years ago... my life did not end there... it was just the beginning! Through Jesus Christ, God gave me the Gift of His forgiveness for all of my sins, Grace and Mercy and Love and restored to new and even better Life in Him.

As I result, my heart was led back in the most beautiful way to my "Home," my Cathodic Faith, where God not only let me know I truly belonged, but, Gracious as He is... He let me know in a real special way that He had been preparing a very special place for me within it all the while!

I love my Catholic Faith very much... and I stand by it all the more, during these challenging times that we are going through, just like God stood by me throughout my challenging times.

I look forward to this Holy Week, the last part of my Lenten Journey for this year and strive to make it all that it can be and is meant to be! It's a true time to grow in Grace, holiness and God's redeeming Love and of course, to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ Who has made Eternal Life possible by His eternal sacrifice on the cross.

I will be keeping all of you in my prayers, especially this Holy Week and ask you to please do the same for me as we continue to journey with Jesus to the cross, to the tomb and into the resurrection of New Life in Him!

I praise God and Jesus for this amazing experience of Love and Grace and endless Blessing! May He continues to bless you and your loved ones in ever way! ~Amen! ~