Luke 17:15-16 (some gave all, thankfulness)

Welcome God every morning before your work by taking ~5 min to read this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which has snippets from Living Faith (livingfaith.com). All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

One of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. Luke 17:15-16

Living Faith snippets: "Only recently have I realized how central gratitude is to the faith that saves us. When something good happens, it is so easy to be glad but then just rush ahead with life. It is crucial to stop, to turn around to the source of goodness, to give thanks at the feet of the Love that heals us. [This] deepens the immediate experience of goodness into trust that will hold when we "stand up and go."" by Patricia Livingston

Pat nuggets:

* Related to today's verse and devotion snippets, Steve Castle shared the following last Friday: "I was listening to Dr. Jeremiah last night on the way home from the Search meeting, and he talked about what it means to be truly spirit filled. His number one qualification was “thankfulness” – he went on to outline how Paul was so thankful for PEOPLE (just read one of his epistles – always thanking God for those Christians in his life). He made several strong statements, but the one that stuck with me is that if you are not thankful you are not filled with the Spirit (period!). If you are a complainer, whiner, angry, or resentful you are filled with something, but it’s not God."

* Aaron Ferrie shared this powerful Veteran's Day video, "All Gave Some, Some Gave All" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzUA6ijXP-Y&feature=related. Watching this video brought tears to my eyes...representing thankfulness and American pride that so many sacrificed everything (their lives) to preserve God's gift of freedom for us. Freedom isn't free! May America continue to sacrifice in following Christ and receive God's blessing on our imperfect but great nation!

ProLife news: http://www.lifesitenews.com/

Our Prayers: Prayer to End Abortion, chastity, our enemies, our troops, natural disasters, depression/ despair, prisoners, ProLife politicians, loss of loved ones, lack of faith, Joe Castle (medical concern), Joe Hourigan (special intention), Pam McGushin (son's 7 yr old friend with leukemia)

* Let's pray for courage to build relationships and talk about ProLife. Let's pray that We The People of America (beacon on the hill) will shine Christ's Light and build a culture of Life.

* Wed night is pray with your family night...the family that prays together, stays together!

Feast Day (St. Josaphat): He was martyred in 1623 for trying to reunify the Church. "You know I would be happy to give my life for you. I am ready to die for union of the Church under St. Peter and his successor the Pope." http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=71.

Faith Quote: "You have judged them [children of main character] worthy of love, even if it costs you everything. That is how Jesus loves." from fictional book The Shack by William P. Young

Through Christ for ProLife,

Pat

Phil 4:13

* Today's Bible readings at www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml. Reflection on readings at http://www.daily-meditations.org/index2.html

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, thereby changing us & helping others. Wayne Watson lyrics, “When God's people pray, there is hope reborn, there is sin forgiven, and miracles you can't explain await!” 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead & see Him.'

* Fasting: Let's fast from things that takes our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, bitterness, being so critical, impatience, judgment, gossip, excessive video games, etc) and take on things that fix our eyes on Jesus (selflessness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, caring, helping, listening).
* Defend the unborn: 'Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die' (Prov 24:11). 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jer 1:5). 'It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might lie as you wish' Blessed Mother Teresa.

* Evangelization: Let's make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ's example of selfless love, mercy, and service.

Let's joyfully live out the Good News and gladly tell others about it (Mark 16:15)!