School of Holiness 2014 and Adult Faith Formation Program

Upcoming Retreats . . . Save the date!

School of Holiness 2014 and Adult Faith Formation Program

Save the date . . . 

Adult Faith Formation Retreat Program Ireland: May 2nd, 3rd & 4th

(more info)

Adult Faith Formation Retreat Program USA: May 23rd, 24th & 25th

(more info)

School of Holiness, Chicago, USA: May 26th – June 1st

(more info) 

 School of Holiness, Cavan, Ireland: July 1st – July 21st

(more info)

Click here to sponsor a student 

For any questions please contact:

Justin@directionforourtimes.org 

or Irish office at +353 (0) 49-437-3040

  

Direction For Our Times relies on donations to supplement the cost of publishing the messages. Currently, only 40% of the publishing cost is covered by the sale of the books. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. 

Click here to DONATE 

Direction for Our Times (DFOT) is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to spreading God's messages as revealed in the Volumes.

Rooting For Your Success

Positive people rank high in my book. Jay and I love the energy of someone who, quite obviously, is excited about their journey in life. This past weekend we attended a three-day conference called "Publish a Book and Grow Rich." We decided to attend to find out better ways to market my new book, Can You Text Me Directions? and spread the messages from this apostolate. What we went in for was not what we came out with. Yes, we have multiple new concepts on marketing, but Gerry Robert (author and international motivational speaker) blew us away. Not only is he an incredible teacher, but his energy and enthusiasm set us on fire. He gave us all the tools needed to succeed . . . and most importantly, encouragement to take the next step. How can you lose when someone is rooting for your success? 

In todays Gospel (Mark 9:38-40), Jesus gives His apostles a different perspective:

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

In Volume Three, God the Father is our biggest cheerleader and gives us advice on success in His Eyes:

"For those souls who are not following Me, but who understand that they must change, begin by prayer. Pray the Lord’s Prayer, as given to you by My Son. Pray this prayer often because through it you are acknowledging My dominion over this world. You are giving Me the praise that justly belongs to Me. This, little soul, is an act of humility and a good first step. Do this now and your God will stoop down to you and collect you. Do not be afraid. I am not to be feared at this time. Pray this prayer and all will be well. Souls who are working against Me, I speak to you now with the greatest of gravity. You know who you are and you understand that you have pitted yourself against all that is Light. You must cease now. The time is quickly approaching when you will be compelled to abandon all hope. Read the words of My Son in this series of revelations. He wants to rescue you. I have willed it." 

Lay apostles, surround yourselves with positive people as much as possible. Let go of those toxic relationships causing you to feel bad about yourself . . . deflated. So many who feel lost, fearful or negative aren't hearing His Call to humility, joy, and love. How can you take a negative situation and make it a positive today? I am rooting for your success!

Thank you, Lord, for the positive people You have surrounded me with in my life. And, thank you for the perspective needed . . . in times negativity hits me in the face . . . to duck and move on!

God bless,
Bonnie

Praising Him With Music

I just discovered an amazing couple singing all for His Glory, Trev and Trin Robert from Canada. Their voices are soothing and words praise Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! You can find them on Twitter: @trevandtrin 

(Not sure why this video is not fitting correctly . . . enjoy!)

Enjoy and support this young couple by buying their CD! Send them a message on Twitter: https://twitter.com/trevandtrin

God bless,
Bonnie

Sight But Not Clarity

There is one thing about aging that drives me nuts . . . the need for reading glasses! I truly miss the days of getting a text message on my phone sans glasses. So I have taken the matter into my own hands . . . I have at least 5 pairs of reading glasses scattered around the house so I am never without clarity. I have increased the font on my iPhone so text messages contain about two words per line (my daughter Whitney got a big kick out of that when she saw a text come through!). But, I discovered a huge advantage to diminishing focus . . . the wrinkles don't appear quite as deep! The other day I needed my glasses to see clearly in the magnifying mirror and yikes! There were wrinkles in places obviously not seen with my naked eye that, quite frankly, I really didn't need to know about! However, something positive came from this dose of reality. I am getting older and my time on this earth is finite. I had to ponder this question . . . how do I want to spend the second half of life? The answer was clear. Loving more. Shining His Light the best I can. Sharing the Lay Apostolate of Jesus Christ the Returning King with everyone I encounter. Encouraging discipleship and evangelization no matter how big or small. There is a lot of work to be done, lay apostles. The time to start is now!

In todays Gospel (Mark 8:22-26), it takes a few attempts for the blind man to see clearly:

When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, “Do you see anything?” Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

In the booklet Heaven Speaks About Addictions, St. Barnabas shows us that true clarity can only come from God:

"Your role in the Kingdom will become clear to you and you will use this clarity to illuminate others. Think back on your life to those who have helped you through difficulties. These souls were serving heaven. You must do the same. There are many souls whom you are destined to assist. You do not want to reach the end of your life and find that these souls went without necessary assistance because you were trying to numb yourself. Dear friend, be at peace. You are being called by name. Answer “yes” to Jesus and He will take care of all of your difficulties."

Lay apostles, think about how you want to spend the rest of your life, no matter how young or old you are. Is it about making more money or striving for heaven? Is it about status and ego or shining the light of Christ to others in darkness? We have this choice every day. I choose the way of the Lord to the best of my ability. What do you choose today?

Thank you, Lord, for all the lessons of love You provide in the Gospels and messages through Anne. Help me to say and do the right things for Your Glory!

God bless,
Bonnie  

Jesus Loves Me

Rocking my grandson Colton to sleep is simply divine. He is 18 months old now, and I know he will grow out of needing me to sing him as he drifts off. The new favorite song (for the moment) is Jesus Loves Me. Such a simple children's song, but so powerful. After googling the words, I discovered there are a few more verses I didn't know existed:

Jesus loves me! This I know,

For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to Him belong;

They are weak, but He is strong.

Refrain:

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! This I know,

As He loved so long ago,

Taking children on His knee,

Saying, “Let them come to Me.”

Jesus loves me still today,

Walking with me on my way,

Wanting as a friend to give

Light and love to all who live.

Jesus loves me! He who died

Heaven’s gate to open wide;

He will wash away my sin,

Let His little child come in.

Jesus loves me! He will stay

Close beside me all the way;

Thou hast bled and died for me,

I will henceforth live for Thee.

Beautiful, right? A message for all His children on earth!

In todays Gospel (Mark 8:1-10), Jesus demonstrates His Love for all:

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.”
His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets. There were about four thousand people.

He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Whispers From the Cross, we see Jesus' love for us hasn't changed . . . and never will:

"I am grateful to all who give their life to Me. My gratitude will accompany those who served me throughout their eternity. But I beg each of you to hear Me. Do you recognize the promptings of the Spirit? I will tell you how you will know. Is your heart often moved to pity? Do you find that there are times when you feel impatience and instead offer gentleness? Are you one who conducts others to peace or do you gather round and contribute condemnation when it is being levied against another? Do you talk about Me or about My enemy? Do you look out at a world in pain and see goodness or do you see darkness everywhere? Please, stop your service long enough each day to listen for My whispers from the cross. I am begging you to love each other. Very often I am rejected but I never stop loving. You must be like Me. Love, regardless of how you are repaid. I cannot force anyone to love Me, dear apostles. But I can love them. I want you to do the same. Love God’s children in My name and you will be rewarded. Love for Me." 

Lay apostles, how do you view the world? I have to admit, it's hard not to see the darkness in a world trying to separate from God. But, then I think about all the lay apostles in this world and the light each of us has the opportunity to shine every day. How are you going to be the light today? 

Thank you, Lord, for the Gospels detailing Your Love for us and the messages You have shared through Anne. I know I am loved.

God bless,
Bonnie

First official review of Can You Text Me Directions!

So excited! A woman named Maria who gave her amazing testimony in my first book, Heavenly Healing, bought Can You Text Me Directions? and left this feedback on my book's Facebook fan page:

"I finished the book, Bonnie! It's wonderful. I like how you put all together, testimonies, virtues & messages. So easy to read and so easy to get inspired.  I'm giving it to Anthony. We started to read together the messages from Jesus to young adults. God Bless you & your Family."

Feedback is always welcome!!! This book was a work of love. So blessed to be a part of this mission!

God bless,

Bonnie

We All Need A Good Coach

One of Jay's favorite sayings when people deny their need for God (or deny needing help or coaching in any area) is: "Michael Jordan won 6 NBA championships and not one of them without coach Phil Jackson." Gotta love a Chicago Bulls fan! Sometimes we all want to believe we can do it ourselves . . . we don't need any guidance or help. Especially when things are going well. But the truth is, we all need a little help now and then. A good coach is there with objective advice, especially when we let our emotions (fear, lack of forgiveness, etc) overrule our judgment. So, whether it be wise words from a pastor on Sunday, from your parents, or even from your children (yes, my girls have given me back my own advice several times since becoming adults!), when given with love, we begin to see things differently. We see how a good coach gives a different perspective, one that didn't occur to us initially.  We all have one amazing Coach who will never retire or change teams . . . our Father in heaven. He blessed us with His Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way back home to be with Him for eternity. It's all there in the Gospels . . . love, strength, forgiveness, and empathy. So basically, Jesus is our Phil Jackson. Our pastors the defensive coaches. Our church community the fans who want to see us succeed (how is that for a sports analogy?). Time to suit up, lay apostles, and believe the messages we have been given!

Todays Gospel (Mark 6:30-34) shows the love Our Coach has for each of us:

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”  People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.

When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Climbing the Mountain, she brilliantly describes the role of our Coach and why we must listen to Him:

"We must accept that discouragement will come during our mountain climb. If we accept this, we will be less likely to throw up our hands in despair simply because we are a little tired, a little saddened, and a little misused by the world. Our Lord allows this discouragement much like a coach who is interested to see how a team performs under pressure. Also, given that our souls are carried in our bodies, which can be quite noisy in their complaining, we can expect to become discouraged at times. So how must the lay apostle conduct himself when he is discouraged? Calmly, my friends. Our discouragement does not change anything, least of all our duties. It is often tempting to remain in bed and let the day see to itself. The seasoned apostle rises, discouragement notwithstanding, pledges his allegiance to his God, prays the Morning Offering, steps into the day and begins to serve." 

Lay apostles, I am the first one to fight the temptation to ask for help. I never want to look like I don't know what I'm doing. But the thing is, sometimes I don't know what I'm doing, just winging it along the way. I'm quite sure I could have saved myself A LOT of pain and time if I would have just asked . . . and most importantly . . . listened! We have been blessed with the Volumes, filled with "directions" on how to live our lives for Christ. How about we all ask Him for help today regarding something we are just not sure about? He is waiting!

Thank you, Lord, for all the patience You have for me and my "I-can-do-it-myself" attitude. I couldn't have a better Coach!

God bless,
Bonnie

February Monthly Message

I just figured out I completely forgot to post the February Monthly Message! And such a beautiful, needed message:

From DFOT:

We continue our cycle of monthly messages for 2014 with the message from February 1, 2006 for our prayer groups and personal reflection. 

February 1, 2006 (2014)

Jesus

Dearest apostle, I urge you to be little in your soul. Only in spiritual humility will you see the true state of your soul and so understand the work necessary for you to become holy. Holiness is your target. If a soul is holy, I can flow great graces through that soul into the world. Do not think about your own goals, little apostle, without checking them against My goals. In this time I require many apostles who strive to be humble. This is the opposite of what the world encourages. Do you see? Study this concept and you will see that great smallness is necessary in the Kingdom of God. Souls in heaven do not tear each other down, but build each other up. My saints in heaven seek ways to affirm the struggling souls on earth. They do not consider how to best put themselves forward, but rather how to best lift a soul toward holiness. You must be the same. I entreat you to listen to your Saviour. Strive for smallness in your service to the Kingdom. Be content to allow Me to have the glory. I will gaze into your soul and see the longing for holiness and I will make you holy, but I can only do this if you allow Me. My beloved ones, you will see in My life an example of constant patience with others. I was gentle on earth and I am still gentle. Because I am gentle, I am patient with you. You must be patient with others. You must be gentle with others. You must be forgiving of others, trusting My ability to work in the soul who allows Me freedom. If a soul is willing, I will help them. I have told you this. Trust My words and pray for each other, particularly those with whom you are called to walk during this time of transition. Dearest friends of heaven, believe Me when I tell you that all will be well. Your concern at this time should be to advance in holiness and you will only advance if you remain small. Be at peace in everything because My grace is more powerful than any bitter plans of the enemy. I am asking you to concentrate on your own movement to Me. For each apostle who gives Me their pride, I give the world My majesty, the majesty of Jesus Christ, your Returning King. 

Believing . . . Not Always So Easy

I want to sit here and tell you I trust God completely in everything . . . that I don't worry about a thing. But the truth is, at times, believing is not always so easy. When I become apprehensive about any given situation, my first thought is how to prepare myself for possible devastation . . . not "ok God, I'm giving You this one!" So what does that mean? Well, lay apostles, it means I am only human and a work in progress. The art of going to Him first takes practice. It's called blind faith, right? Resting in His merciful arms, knowing He planned my life before I was even born is a calming thought. (“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5) It helps to regain peace in my constantly overactive brain. There is a song by a group named Building 429 called "I Believe." I think this first verse sums it all up for me:

  

Walk blindly to the light 

and reach out for His hand 

Don’t ask any questions 

and don’t try to understand 

Open up your mind 

and then open up your heart 

You will see that you 

and me aren't very far apart 

Todays Gospel (Mark 6:1-6) reminded me to never forget what I claim to believe . . . He is my Savior:

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished.  They said, “Where did this man get all this?  What kind of wisdom has been given him?  What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”  And they took offense at him.  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”  So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

In Anne a lay apostle's book The Mist of Mercy, she describes so perfectly the difference between saying you believe in Christ and actually living your life for Him:

"Jesus began to talk about souls. He said that purgatory prompts and completes the process of self-acceptance. Jesus explained this. Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They do not live this belief, however, and they do not make decisions based on their belief. They do not serve. Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They make many decisions based on this belief and live good lives. They serve partially. Some souls understand that Jesus exists. They believe in God. They live this belief and make most or all of their decisions based on this belief. These souls are saints. They serve in near totality. It is a challenge for a person to conform his life to something he has not seen but therein lay the merit of our earthly service. We do not see this heavenly Kingdom. We do not see the saints who have gone before us. We cannot touch the stones or trees or water in heaven. We are, however, given great grace in our souls with which to understand and believe the truths of God. The Sacraments provide treasures of grace to strengthen our understanding of God. Souls who live for the world deny these truths. They do not wish to believe because they do not wish to serve God. They desire their own will. When these souls die, they have to come to terms with the fact that they knew God existed and chose against Him on some occasions. They have to admit and acknowledge that they knew of God’s existence because this is the land of truth and there is no bantering or word play. The truth is plain to see here. On earth souls try to tie each other up in knots with clever arguments designed to distract from the truth. This will not work in the heavenly Kingdom. We will be able to relax there and there will be no need to be clever in that respect. This will be a relief because one gets tired of having to constantly expose the enemy’s distortions and traps."  

Lay apostles, no one ever said this life would be without suffering. If Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God suffered . . . well, we have nothing to complain about. When anxiety, fear, pain or suffering cause us to go into "protect ourselves" mode, remember, He has your back. No matter what. So, believe the words of the Gospel to be true. Let's not let Him be amazed at our lack of faith!

Thank you, Lord, for the trials and tribulations of this life. Help me to turn to You first and foremost for comfort and healing.

God bless,
Bonnie