A Time For Reflection

2016 is just about upon us . . . and I find myself reflecting on the past year. It's easy to think about the bumps in the road of 2015, but I want to focus on all the beautiful, loving gifts from our Heavenly Father. There are so many graces I am extremely thankful for, and the following may not capture everything, but these are the highlights:

Celebrating 2 years of marriage to the love of my life, with our new marriage book (Letting Purpose & Passion Drive Your Marriage; How To Find Harmony & Happiness No Matter What!) published in July!

4 healthy, amazing grandchildren I get to love unconditionally

4 daughters with big hearts trying to make good decisions for Christ, which sometimes requires suffering and sacrifice

2 sons-in-law stepping up to be good fathers and husbands

A new addition to the family, and he happens to be an awesome drummer in the band Saint Motel

A successful year in our commercial real estate business

Adding new family members: an Australian family of 5 whom we adore 

Seeing our 17 year old niece transform after attending the School of Holiness in Ireland

Jay and I embarking on a life changing program . . . the Whole30 (gluten free, sugar free, dairy free was not something I EVER imagined I could do! Thanks to my sis Diane and niece Jenna!)

The support and love we receive from Anne a lay apostle, Fr. Darragh Connolly and all the DFOT team

There are so many more blessings . . . but my time is limited today and know if I have forgotten to add something to this list, it is not intentional! Tomorrow is a new year . . . a time to love more, laugh more, practice humility, develop greater patience, realize we are all imperfect while recognizing the good in each other, and most importantly, love Jesus more. Tomorrow is another beginning . . . lets support each other in making it a stellar 2016!

Todays Gospel (John 1:1-18) takes us back to the beginning:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light,  so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God,  to those who believe in his name,  who were born not by natural generation  nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision  but of God.

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying,  “This was he of whom I said,  ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me  because he existed before me.’” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses,  grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,  has revealed him.

In Volume Three, God the Father gives us a new beginning if we chose Him:

"My children, you await union with Me, even though you do not realize this. There is always something lacking, something you are longing for, while you remain on earth. Those who are close to Me, and who attempt to serve Me in their daily lives, feel less of the emptiness. Those who are far from Me, particularly those who once knew Me and then moved away from Me, feel it to a greater degree. I do not care how you have tried to fill that emptiness in the past. What I am saying to you now is that I wish to fill the void you are experiencing. Souls close to Me, I refer to you too. I want to renew you. Souls far from Me, turn to Me, pray to Me, and I will fill you with such gladness that you will not regret your decision against the false gods the world uses to distract you. Souls undecided, I gently call out to you. Do you hear Me? Do you hear the voice of your Creator within your soul? It is I. Have faith, little ones. I am calling out to you all. To some I call gently and quietly. To some I call with a thunderous command. What do I say? I say turn away from insulting your God. Turn away from sin. Come back to Me now, while I can salvage your earthly experience. Soon your time here will run out and you will have made your decision. Do you want Me? Truly, I want to be with you. I want to rejoice in you, My little one. I want to give you great joy, great peace, great security and safety. 

There is no substitute for the one true God and I am He. I have given you instruction on how to return to Me. My Son has explained how you fall away, how you stay away, and how you must eradicate habits that lead you away. Your heavenly mother, Mary, shows you nothing but love and care. She has brought many souls to heaven and will bring legions of them now in these times. Follow these lights. Follow these words. Follow this call and come to Goodness. Children, please, your Father wants each and every one of you. I want you to be with Me. I can say this no differently. When you turn to Me, I will give you a sample of My love. To many I have already done so. This is the very tip. This is the very beginning. I do not reprimand you. Because of the Sacrifice of My Son, your sins will be forgiven. They will be forgotten. I am issuing you a pardon from your sins, little ones. That is the kind of Father I am. I have a short memory of your sins, particularly for these current struggling souls who have contended with a time of great darkness. So there is nothing left to consider except the love that I have for you. There is nothing standing in the way of you, My beloved child, and Me, your merciful Father."

Lay apostles, there will always be setbacks in our life which throw us off our climb up the mountain of holiness. We can either give up or start anew . . . the choice is ours to make. God is hoping we choose Him. 

Thank you, Lord, for Your Great Mercy. It would be so easy for me to give up when things are not going the way I want. Instead, Your Love propels me forward to achieve what You ask of me.

God bless and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Bonnie

A Life Centered In Prayer

Honestly, I don't know how they do it. It must create fear unparalleled to any other. It must feel like a constant state of chaos with an ego in need of stoking to establish stability. When we don't know the love and mercy of Christ, and I mean truly feel His Love and Mercy, all we see is the worldly view of our circumstances, not the heavenly view.  Evil is ready to pounce at a moment's notice when we feel disappointed, sad, hurt, or offended. Remember, we have a choice. We can either tumble down the rabbit hole running after revenge/retaliation, or, ask God what lesson we are in need of. Is it humility? Patience? Trusting Him completely? Whatever situation or circumstance we find ourselves in, we must run to Him, our Heavenly Father, to comfort and impart His Wisdom as any good father on earth would do for their children. 

Todays Gospel (Luke 2:36-40) demonstrates how focus on Christ heals and comforts:

There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.  And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.  The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

In the 2015 Christmas letter from Anne a lay apostle, she asks us to contemplate relationships in our lives and see them through the Eyes of Jesus:

"Now, humanity being what it is, we cannot always get along as well as we would wish with the important people in our lives. But we can certainly try. And a good start is to consider those around us using the mind of God. When we try to contemplate each other with God’s mind, we cannot help but be more compassionate and patient and also understanding. Because while we experience hurt personally, so often the actions of another have more to do with their wounds than with a desire to hurt us. When we use God’s mind, we can forgive more quickly and easily. Peace on earth means peace in our important relationships, whenever possible.

 

I think our quiet contemplation of each other would please the Infant King. As lay apostles, pleasing our King is of paramount importance. So together let us pray for peace in the world and in our families and in our hearts. Together let us pray for all prisoners and all families, especially those who worry for an addicted family member or for those families who have suffered a great loss this year. Together let us pray for those who are sick or suffering and most especially, let us remember those who may feel lonely this Christmas, even if they are not alone."

Lay apostles, I am imperfect. As I write todays blog post, I am reminded to stay focused on Him and love others with all their imperfections. I may experience hurt, sadness, or frustration, but when I react with love and understanding, I am pleasing the Infant King!

Thank you, Lord, for continually showing me I need to turn to You first . . . ALWAYS! And, love others as You love me.

God bless,

Bonnie

I Am Imperfect

Fear of the unknown. What if I'm exposed, wrong, embarrassed, humiliated, or powerless? What if I have to admit I'm not perfect not only to others, but to myself? I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but admitting your imperfection makes you . . . human. Welcome to Christianity! There was only ONE perfect Person who walked the face of this earth, and He was murdered for our sins. Be flawed, but always striving for perfection in His Eyes, not the world's. He is so much easier to please!

A leader without humility can do a lot of damage as todays Gospel (Matthew 2:13-18) demonstrates:

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.

In the Monthly Message of December 2011, Jesus assures us our imperfections will not damage His Plan:

"Do I require that you be powerful? Important? Do I need you to be people of great wealth or great influence in the eyes of the world? Will My plan be threatened by your imperfection or your difficulty maintaining holiness in every moment? Do I need only angels? Or do I need apostles of good will serving exactly where I have placed them? You were created to persevere and even flourish with limited understanding of all that is happening around you and through you. Yes, dear apostles, I am filled with hope. I am hoping that you accept My love. I am hoping that you allow Me to bring you healing, daily. I am hoping that through you I can love and heal others whom you will encounter in your daily experience. I bring you so many gifts of knowing Me, both directly and indirectly."

Lay apostles, let go of the pressure to be perfect. And, stop pressuring others to be perfect. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Acknowledge this and focus on your strengths and the strengths of others. Jesus knows our imperfections and if we follow Him, He uses our imperfections for the good of His Kingdom.

Thank you, Lord, for helping me to accept my imperfections. Continue to show me how to use them to benefit Your Kingdom.

God bless,
Bonnie

Accentuate the Positive

Negativity abounds every time I turn the TV on. It's one of the reasons I rarely watch the news. Now if I were the owner of a television station with news telecasts, here is what I would make mandatory: for every negative piece of news, there was positive to offset it. Think about how that could effect people. Or better yet, MORE positive than negative? There are countless compassionate people making this world a better place, striving to bring hope when hope can be hard to find. There is a song by the beloved Ella Fitzgerald called "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" which sums up what we as Christians should be showing the world. Here are some of the lyrics, followed by a YouTube video of Ella singing this uplifting song:

You've got to accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum

Bring gloom down to the minimum

Have faith or pandemonium

Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate his last remark

Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark

What did they do

Just when everything looked so dark

Man, they said we better, accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In-Between

No, do not mess with Mister In-Between

Do you hear me?

Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear

About the elininatin' of the negative

And the accent on the positive

And gather 'round me children if you're willin'

And sit tight while I start reviewing'

Todays Gospel (Luke 10:21-24) reminds us of the graces given to followers of Christ:

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

In Anne a lay apostle's book Whispers From the Cross, she directs us to focus on the positive:

"If the world is facing a difficult time, and it seems that we are, then we will need to work very hard to understand God’s power and stop talking about darkness. Is the darkness there? Of course. Only a spiritually blind man would deny this. But we sometimes add to the darkness instead of holding up the light. We can be guilty of doing this by talking incessantly of the darkness with dire threats of impending doom. In most cases, we are speculating. Perhaps we should speculate on how God can rescue us and posit those theories instead of hypothesizing how the enemy will play with us next. Perhaps we will speculate on how the Church will lead us with strength and courage instead of how we will be overcome. Perhaps we could try an exercise and guess how good men will become great men through challenges instead of guessing how men of apparent lesser good will become evil through temptation. May the Lord have mercy on us for being so pessimistic about God’s world and may the Lord enlighten us as to how we bring unity to God’s Church and not division. If we identify that unity is desirable, and indeed necessary for the advancement of the renewal, then we will make a decision to participate in the acquisition of this unity. Jesus loves us so much. He has such tremendous hope placed in each one of us and in each one of the roles we have been assigned."

Lay apostles, what are you focused on today? Life is full of disappointments if you continue to dwell on them. So, let's accentuate the positive . . . stepping away from all the negativity and opening our eyes to the beauty and graces provided by Our Father in heaven. At the least, with every negative thought, quickly think of a positive one to offset it! I'll be working on that right along with you!

Thank you, Lord, for shaking the negative out of my head with Your beautiful words in the Gospel and in Anne's books. Continue to remind me to focus on the positive!

God bless,
Bonnie