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

New Beginnings

The last day of 2014 . . . this year has flown by. As I look back at all the blessings and challenges of this year, there is one thing I know for sure . . . I am still alive on this earth, so God must need my service to Him for a bit longer! This morning Jay and I were talking about our goals for 2015. The usual "New Years Resolutions" of eating better, exercising more and becoming more organized at work and home were discussed. But, more importantly, our spiritual well-being was first and foremost. We have slacked a little in our one hour of Adoration/week the past few months as life has become very busy. Our marriage book was put on the back burner due to many factors . . . work, two new grandchildren, life in general. So, tomorrow is a new day. We will work harder to make God the priority in everything and serve Him to the best of our ability. Here is to new beginnings, lay apostles! How are you going to serve Him in 2015?

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

Drop What You're Doing

Spontaneity is not my forte . . . I can go with the flow if I have to, but I am a planner at heart. One thing I love about Jay (of the many thousands I could list!) is he could be taking the trash out and come back in the house and say, "Bonnie, come outside! I want to show you something!" If I'm tired or in the middle of a project, I tend to ask if it can wait. His response is usually "no, please come out here!" When I do, it is always to show me something beautiful . . . like a full moon, a jet in flight, or a sky filled with stars. Over time, I have stopped asking if it could wait and head outside to see what he is marveling at. The childlike sound in his voice when viewing God's creations while wrapped in his arms is worth every little effort. So, drop what you're doing long enough to appreciate the beauty God has provided for our time on earth. Drop what you're doing to listen to God's call for your life. Listen, you will hear Him speak!

In yesterdays Gospel (Mark 1: 14-20), the apostles didn't hesitate to follow Jesus: 

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

In Volume One, Thoughts on Spirituality, Anne a lay apostle identifies the answer to our search for comfort:

"The call to our God comes from our center, and when we are in pain, it becomes louder and more insistent. Instead of answering the call and dropping to their knees saying, “God, God, make haste to help me,” people go to health food stores, fortune tellers, Reiki practitioners, and all manner of holders of empty promises. The anguish, the groaning, is the soul, saying, 'Please, dear person, I am starving. Feed me with spiritual food that I may begin to flourish again, thereby granting you the peace you find so elusive.'"  

Lay apostles, what are your goals for 2014? To live a healthier life? To make more money? To lose weight? I have some questions for you . . . is Jesus on that list? Is making more time for Him in Adoration there, too? What about some spiritual reading? Make sure He is at the top of your list this year (and every year!). 

Thank you, Lord, for encouraging Jay and me to make You our priority, letting go of what can be let go of. 

God bless,
Bonnie