Awesome God

Love Song

My Mom was a Helicopter Mom

There was a man who had two sons...

What a joy it is knowing Him

What a joy it is knowing who we are in Christ!
What a joy it is knowing that I can forgive through Him, without fear!
What a joy it is knowing Him.
What a joy it is knowing Him.
What a joy it is knowing Him.

RISE Challenge Day 1

Who am I? I am precious, because I belong to You.

What am I worth? I'm worth dying for.

We took an early trip east this morning, and the sun was not even up yet. We stared at bright red tail lights, all of the same hue, for about 20 minutes. We arrived at Henry Ford Columbus Center on time, but the therapist did not. So we did some labs on the same floor and drove home. I had time for a shake before work and now I am hard at it: running Downlegger trying to get one year tax returns and an appraisal waiver, trying to decode Dog's emails, wishing Tom were here to absorb some of the Braggart's verbiage.
Survivor and a pork loin tonight, Big Dance starts tomorrow, and Friday another PT appointment in Novi then a TBD fish fry with my sweetie.

2nd Sunday of Lent

Thursday was 63 degrees and windy, and a tornado touched down about 40 miles west of us. The wind blew all night but thankfully we didn't lose power.
Friday the temps dropped and we got snow Friday night; and a squall came through Saturday morning causing cars to slide off the road with verily no visibility.
The robins are back; the hummers are not.

Not yet.

it's the little things

It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most;

it's making a great deal out of the little ones.

~Jean Webster 

prayer

Heavenly Father ~

All praise and honor and glory to You; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit amen!

Thank You for another day I am able to get out of bed, read my Bible, and pray to You!

I confess to You that I have sinned, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; through my thoughts, words, and actions; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. I ask Your forgiveness - LORD have mercy, Christ have mercy, LORD have mercy on me a sinner.

To-day I pray for all our loved ones and family:
For Francis and all the priests, bishops, and deacons and their families, and Your Church all over the world, especially where there is persecution. For President Trump and his family, for Judge Cavanaugh and his family, and all who are fighting to make America great again. 
For John Martinogni and the Bible Christian Society and men of goodwill everywhere, for Bill Patrick and the team and candidates for all the upcoming cursillo weekends, for every child and every one who does not yet know you, for protesters that they would turn their hearts to You in truth.
For my bride, that You would forgive her sins, and give her a desire to know You more intimately through the truth and fullness of the Catholic Church, heal her body mind soul and spirit, give her peace in her heart, protect her and keep her safe, and let her know how much You love her.
For Stan and Rita (rest in peace), Stan, Charlotte, Kathy, Justin, Dana, Aaron, Joey, Mary, Grace, Stosh (rest in peace), Stacie, Carter, Ryan, Emily, Mary Ann, Dean, Courtney, Rusty, Drew, Mason, Meggie, Jake, Quinn, Cameron, Deacon, Kacie, Brett, Moni, Bob, Jon, Jen, Joslin, Liam (and my those two beautiful grandbabies grow up to know and love You and serve You all the days of their lives), Jason (rest in peace), Pam, Ken, Kennie, and Kendall, Terry, Jeanie, Jeanie's dad, Tye, Sophia, Trent, Kevin, Justen, Tori, Kaylee, Kristine, Mike and his mom, Mom and Dad and thier families, Nancy, Ruben and his family, Ray, Ricky Ben, Belle, Alex, Carlos and Cheyenne and her family, Gary, Susie, Josh, Taylor, Jeremy and his fiance.

I give You this day, all our plans and doings, our comings and goings. Lead and guide the doctors we will see to-day.

Praise Your Name!

First Sunday of Lent

“One solitary God-centered, God-intoxicated man can do more to keep God's love alive and His presence felt in the world than a thousand half-hearted, talkative busy men living frightened, fragmented ‘lives of quiet desperation’." 

-Fr. William McNamara

the reluctant stowaway

I'm expendable and you're not.

Glory be to Jesus

"Glory be to Jesus"
Italian, 18th Century
Translated by Edward Caswall, 1814-1878


1. Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the life-blood
From His sacred veins!

2. Grace and life eternal
In that blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind!

3. Blest through endless ages
Be the precious stream
Which from endless torments
Did the world redeem!

4. Abel's blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

5. Oft as earth exulting
Wafts its praise on high,
Angel hosts rejoicing
Make their glad reply.

6. Lift we, then, our voices,
Swell the mighty flood,
Louder still and louder
Praise the precious blood!


The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #158
Text: 1 Pet. 1:19
Author: Italian, 18th Century, cento
Translated by: Edward Caswall, 1857
Titled: "Viva! viva! Gesu"
Composer: Friedrich Filitz, 1847
Tune: "Wem in Leidenstagen"

Friday the 8th of March, in the Season of Lent

https://pray-as-you-go.org/player/prayer/2019-03-08

Forgive us, Lord

Heavenly Father, we have turned our backs 

on You and your principles in your Word. 

We have allowed man to usurp Your role as 

God over life and the number of our days.  

But we come to You in brokenness and repentance over our sin.  

We cry out for Your mercy and ask You to remove the scourge of abortion from our land. 

Use us as your vessels, Lord,  

to bring the light of Your Truth to our nation once again. 

Because of Christ we pray, amen.

Lent

As excited as I am for this special penitential time of year, I am saddened that family and friends will not experience any of what we will.

I know each Pilgrim's journey is his own, and God speaks to us and deals with us each in a unique way; I still wish that our loved ones would be a part of His Church.

The liturgical year - with its feasts and celebrations, colors and sacraments and seasons - is in its nature cyclical as we are cyclical folks ourselves. We look forward to spring and the flowers coming through the cold ground. We look forward to warm and long days and cooking outside and trimming the shrubbery. Then we look forward to cool evenings and the fall color. Then, when that first snow comes, it is exciting as well!

Similarly the Church year cycles:

The 'new year' begins with Advent, a penitential time of waiting and preparation (purple)
Then we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity: Christmas and it's octave (white)
Then comes Ordinary Time until Ash Wednesday and Lent (green)
40 days of Lent and then the Easter Triduum (white) , then 50 days of Easter celebration!
Then another longer Ordinary Time (green) , ending with the Feast of Christ the King of the universe!

So much to celebrate with Jesus!!

So many events in His life we remember and meditate on!

So big our God is - all praise to Him!!!

Idiocy and Fear

I"m on a paczki sugar high and instead of rambling on here at work to no one, I will write:


Biggest thing I think that keeps folks away from and scared of the Church is we don't like authority.

That 'relationship in stead of religion' mantra so many regurgitate rotely really means I will not be told what to do.

I interpret for myself (and, so much more, for others it appears);
I decide which scripture passages I will quote out of context for the particular situation I am in right now;
I will worship (or not) how I want to;
and I will never ever be open to listening to why 2000 years of blood and heresy, conversions and forgiveness, mercy and grace, and loving unconditionally like Christ mean anything at all.

The bottom line as I see it (and you know I am a bottom line guy), is the subject of authority.

So many protestors use the Bible as their authority - or rather, THEIR interpretation OF the Bible!
Hence the thousands of protesting sects. And that's what Christ prayed for, right? Thousands of sects all protesting in their own, 'relationship instead of religion' way.

Really sick of the absurd comments from family and friends - all based on what they've heard; NONE ever based on first-hand experience, by reading the Catechism, or attending the Mass.

Father, I give You my angst and defensiveness toward

idiocy and fear.

Please, in Your mercy, give me the grace

to give the reason for my hope,

but only in love, 

and only after prayer.