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

Cleaning Up the Inside

Have you read The Whole30: The 30 Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom? Two of my sisters and one of my nieces began this about 6 weeks ago. The changes they saw were not only on the outside, but on the inside, too. Here is The Whole30 in a nutshell:

Established by Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.

Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.

So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health.

Jay and I have committed to this program beginning September 15th (so pray for us!). We have a wedding and a 1st birthday party to attend before this date, so we wanted to make sure nothing got in our way of changing our lives for the better! Now, I am a planner . . . and I don't like surprises. So, I decided to start eliminating sugar, dairy and gluten over a week ago to prepare myself for the 30 days. Jay joined in and I have to tell you, not only are we experiencing more energy, but clearer thinking. Cleaning up the inside first is a must. If our minds are focused on Christ and His Will for us, everything else seems to fall into place. 

The Gospel today (Matthew 23:23-26) teaches us to spend more time cleaning up the inside, our souls, than our outward appearances:

Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.”

In Volume Seven, St. Philomena assures us a little courageous cleansing of our own souls will attract others to do the same:

"Dear brothers and sisters, you must be joyful during this time. Whenever you are tempted toward despair, you must think of heaven and how Jesus is making the earth like heaven by allowing this cleansing. Jesus is reclaiming the earth. That is a wonderful thing and will ensure that your children’s children will not have to contend with the darkness of sin that surrounds your children. It would please Jesus if you would be thankful to Him, despite any circumstances. A saint conducts herself this way and finds that she is joyful regardless of any and all hardships. Dear friends of heaven, the enemy will not prevail. You know this because you have been told this. At the end of this time, Jesus will return and the earth will be beautiful again. Before that, there will be a time when it will appear that the enemy has taken control of the world. The darkness of sin will reign and our beloved Church will suffer even more. Followers will face grave and constant attacks for their faith in many areas of the world. They will persevere and set the most beautiful example for others. This will draw others back to the faith in great numbers, so you see, the enemy’s strategy will backfire. The more God’s enemies persecute His children, the more children will choose God and remain true. It has always been this way, sadly. God’s children should serve Him faithfully in good times also, but many do not. Many become worldly when the times are easy. Be brave. Your courage will come from heaven and inspire many."

Lay apostles, I don't know about you, but I sure have some soul housecleaning left to do! I strive to be better every day by keeping Christ as my center . . . knowing He is by my side always. I do forget at times when my thoughts drift to the worldly view, but He gets my attention aligned with His very quickly these days. In what area do you need a little soul cleansing today? Maybe you can achieve that cleansing with #ActionsofCompassion? Just a thought . . .

Thank you, Lord, for leading me to a better life. Please continue to assist with the mind clutter that sometimes distracts me from Your Will.

God bless,

Bonnie