The Shepherd's fish

Posted by Nicole at 8:43 AM

"If we did all the things we were capable of doing we would literally astonish ourselves"
This is the theme for our year
"But mom, I can't read all of that"
"I am not that good at math"
"I just don't want to, it's too hard"
And the list goes on, talking ourselves into such thinking
But, If we do, practice what God has given us the ability and heart to do
We may just surprise ourselves
Oh, the glory that would bring to our Lord, giver of life

Borrowed Comfort

Posted by Unknown at 12:47 PM

Image from: http://us.cdn1.123rf.com/168nwm/ilona75/ilona751202/ilona75120200031/12148743-sad-young-girl-with-amazing-eyes-hugging-her-teddy-bear.jpg

Borrowed Comfort

All Comfort is Borrowed

From others, From God

In and of ourselves

Our need is not satisfied

When no one else is available

We hug something soft

While we think of those,

And of the One Who gave us

Comfort, Who gave us those Others,

If only for a moment

Only for a memory

We are not alone

For we do not have Comfort in storage

Yet we have ample supply in Plenty

To lavish on others when they Need

For God, the Great Comforter

Loves to Give

What only He does not need,

Yet created in Unending Supply,

Like a Thread tied to His Heart,

Comfort is Ever-born from Love

Smaller parts.

Posted by #ChurchCrimes at 5:00 AM

Recently, we visited the famous Museum of Science and Industry, or MSI, in lovely Chicago, IL. There were grand, sweeping and enormous displays that promised to delight my children. We saw intricately preserved body parts artfully done, a lovely old steam engine, a great room filled with farm equipment, and a display about the science of weather that would knock your socks off. We saw the Apollo spacecraft! It was so amazing and breathtaking. I loved it all.

After I had left the stress of Chicago driving and was safely back on I-65 headed south, I finally was able to ask Sarah what her favorite part was. "Oh mom! When we sat and had that snack and watched the large silver ball roll through the amazing machine! That was really neat!" I thought. hmm. snack time.... OH! We had sat, eaten cracker jack from a box, and then we stood and watched a ball bearing glide seamlessly through a really intricate Rube Goldberg machine. It was in a walk through corner of the lunch room. It only filled an 10 foot section of wall and unobtrusively went about showing the children all the cute little gizmos that can move a ball forward. IT was to my eye, nice, but no big whoop.

It was Sarah's favorite part.

Sometimes we get caught up in the big, bright, shiny things and we miss the simple pleasures of life. Sometimes we need to step back from the grand sweeping things that make us miss the truly beautiful. It is in the quiet moments that go so often overlooked that we see God.

A promotion?

Posted by Ruth at 8:00 AM

Six months ago I resigned from my job to be a stay-at-home mom. I started my 20 year career in education as a middle school teacher. In college I quickly learned that many have a very low opinion of the intelligence of those majoring in elementary education. I chose to pursue my bachelor's degree in elementary education because I loved teaching children. Whether or not my career choice had any prestige associated with it did not matter to me. The past few months I have felt self-conscious when someone has asked me what I do for a living. My husband and I are in full agreement that this is what is best for our family, and I know these years with my children are going to fly by too quickly. Recently I was watching a movie based on a true story about a family who survived the tsunami in 2010. The protagonist said she was a medical doctor but now she was staying home with her three boys. The person who asked her what she did for a living said that it sounded like a promotion to him. What a delightful response! The truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of my choice to be "just" a mom. I answer to God alone.

That They May Know Him...

Posted by Unknown at 7:00 AM

In learning to be still before the Lord, I am finding more and more that my heart is yearning to share the good news with those who do not know or truly believe that God loves them passionately. Many times in my life, I have wondered and felt ashamed at my lack of passion/boldness for sharing Jesus with others. Now, I just want them to know Him, and how in love with them He is! I want to see people set free. I want to see the goodness of the Lord operating in the lives of these precious people who God has been bringing across my path. We are all broken people, and God wants to see us healed and whole and reaching out to others to bring healing to them as well. It is my desire to provide a safe atmosphere for people to come and allow themselves to shed their masks and be finally able to be real, and to discover the Lover of their souls.

Simple Pleasures

Posted by Unknown at 1:56 PM

Often in the midst of my day I find myself exhausted, running from one task to the next. When things don't run smoothly and I end up with a hiccup in my plans I tend to react out of frustration. Impatience leads to exasperation which leads to rather unpleasant exclamations..... How dare the universe disrupt my rhythm??? After all there are rooms to clean, bills to pay, errands to run, children to tend to, groceries to buy, dinner to prepare, music to rehearse, and a job to go to.
Ah yes, the new job. I recently re-entered the work force. I work with individuals who have varying degrees of developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. In our society's not so distant past, people who fell into this category were housed in crowded institutions with deplorable conditions. Thankfully society has moved forward and is working toward providing programs and regulations to protect and support them instead of hiding them away and mistreating them.
In working with some of these individuals, I have had the opportunity to practice patience (after all, it is my job), but oddly enough I find that patience comes easy. It follows compassion.
One particular individual's action pricked my conscience on one of my work shifts. I had been assisting him while he washed his hands. Sometimes his staff would quickly dry his hands with paper towels and scoot him along for whatever was coming next. This time as I was helping him dry his hands, he clutched onto the paper towel and wouldn't let me have it back. He looked me in the eye and then slowly began to turn away. I watched as he painstakingly maneuvered his body, then his arm, and finally his hand as he placed the towel in the trash container. He then turned his head back toward me and smiled from ear to ear as if he had just reached the summit of Mount Everest. Something that would be a small task for most of us was a huge accomplishment for him.
I pray that the picture that was painted for me in that moment will pop into my head the next time that I feel frustrated and impatient. It is too easy to forget that sometimes it is the little things that can bring joy.

Just Beyond the Froot Loops

Posted by Christine Ansorge at 3:00 AM

I am on vacation. This means lots of extra work but of a different kind. It means rules are relaxed, bent, broken. It means Froot Loops for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I so desire. So far, I've only made it to breakfast and lunch. These differences and a measured lawlessness gives me the opportunity to shake up my life and see if it looks any better that way.
This vacation I'm not the only one doing the shaking. Mass at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, followed by a tour got me thinking about and reaching for the saints. I'm wanting more discipline in my life, but not the arbitrary sort I usually cook up. Anything is better than nothing, but St. Theresa of Avila has taught me the value of training. I keep feeling drawn to St. Teresa of Lisieux. I'm learning to trust that feeling.
Somewhere beyond my last bowl of Froot Loops, a new life in a better shape will welcome me closer to home.