Matthew 25:40 (How Do I Love Thee?)

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Upcoming Guest Authors.

"And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'" ~ Matthew 25:40 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: In today's Gospel, Jesus gave a preview of Judgement Day. We will be judged by our faith and love for Him as we have expressed it in loving service to "the least of the brethren." This statement could be understood as a burden that we must bare. Now we are responsible for taking care of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned?! (Matthew 25:35-36) Don't be discouraged. Have you ever read the poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."? We should feel privileged that Jesus has given us so many ways to show our love for Him. Lord, thank you for giving me the opportunity to love you in so many ways. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Take advantage of the many ways to show your love for Jesus by serving those in need.

Counter-Culture News: LSN, LifeNews, Priests for Life,AFA,Vatican, Project Rachel.

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Spiritual Adoption,Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). Add Prayers on ourwebsite. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, LIFE Runners, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: St. Leander of Seville

Faith Quote: "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." - Mother Teresa

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will and His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (and family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 and Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa.
* Evangelize: Make room for unbelievers and re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.

Matthew 23:13 (To Lead You Must Follow)

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Guest Authors schedule. LIFE Minute radio.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter." Matthew 23:13 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: Jesus was harsh with the religious leaders of His time. He called many of the leaders "hypocrites," who were foolish and blind (Matt 23:16,17). Jesus is so strict and critical of leaders, because bad leadership is so destructive. The hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees appeared in the difference between their speech and action and in demonstrations of piety that have no other purpose than to enhance their reputation as religious persons. At the Air Force Academy, cadets who are training to become officers are first taught how to follow before they are taught how to lead. As disciples of Christ, we have a responsibility to be good Christian leaders, and this is only possible by first becoming good followers of Christ. Lord, help me to be a good disciple so that I may lead others to follow You. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Be critical of your leadership as a Christian. Is there a difference between your speech and your actions?

Counter-Culture News: LSN, LifeNews, Priests for Life, AFA, Vatican, Project Rachel

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Spiritual Adoption, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). Add Prayers on our website. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, LIFE Runners, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: The Queenship of Mary.

Faith Quote: "Those who follow Jesus as Leader will be and have good leaders." ~ unknown author

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (& family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 & Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa.

* Evangelize: Make room for unbelievers & re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.

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Ephesians 5:1-3 (Imitating Christ)

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (archive, Facebook).

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1-3 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: In St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we are called to imitate God, but how do we do this? True imitation is not a question of trying to look like Jesus, nor of trying to duplicate His actions. We imitate Jesus when we try to imitate His motivation. In other words, when we try to do things for the same reason Jesus did them. Sometimes this is referred to as "putting on Christ." We enter real discipleship when, like Jesus, we have as our motivation the desire to draw all things into one unity of heart, one family of love. We gain insight into the motivations of Jesus by reading scripture and meditating on His life. Then we should pray to Jesus and ask Him to instill in us His desire, longing, and motivation. In essence, we should pray to Jesus and ask Him to make us feel the way He felt while He was on earth. Lord, give me the strength and understanding to imitate You. Amen

Faith Challenge: Get to know Jesus in Scripture and in prayer so that you may imitate Him in your life.

Counter-Culture News: 40 Days for Life (ends 31 Oct), LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action.
* Heavyweight Philosophers Clash at Abortion Conference

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP), Rich Reich (cousin Tom cancer), Pat Castle (work to elect ProLife politicians), Carolyn McKissack (daughter Karen's health), Sue Peters (husband Bill's injured hand), Robert Cox (daughter Pauline's health).
* Kathy Schwab (5 yr old Dalton fighting cancer)
.
Faith Quote: "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 11:1

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

Matthew 15:30 (Volition)

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

They placed them at His feet, and He cured them. Matthew 15:30

Living Faith snippets: "Use this poignant image for your prayers today. You may wish to lay before the feet of Jesus your excessive need to control or perhaps some form of resentment...an unhealthy busyness that threatens your spiritual and physical well-being or maybe an addictive behavior from which you would like to be free. Place before the feet of Jesus all that prevents you from being the person God created you to be." by Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr

Pat nuggets: In visiting with the homebound in nursing homes, I discovered that most of the elderly residents do not have regular visitors. Consider visiting a nearby nursing home for just one hour during Advent. This is a powerful example of love (service/sacrifice) for children, and everyone is richly blessed by the experience.

* The Colorado Springs LIFE Devotions Group members (LIFEr's) are invited to meet at the Liberty Heights nursing home (near New Life church) from 6:30-7:30 PM, Thurs, 11 Dec (for caroling and visiting with the residents). Please let me know if you plan to attend.

Jesus' Christmas (birthday) List: This is how we give Jesus a birthday present..."whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matt 25:40). The true meaning of Christmas is to share our gifts (time, talent, treasure) with those lacking in "daily bread" and love. Who is in needs of our Christmas gifts?

* NEW: Life Network (http://www.elifenetwork.com/)

* NEW: Chad Livingston shared..."The street church is in need of back packs to hand out to the homeless; the bigger the better."

Christian ID: How would unbelievers recognize a Christian in the world? By our love! Let's share things we can do to glorify God and love neighbor.

* NEW: Chad Livingston shared, "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful." Col 3:12-15

ProLife news: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ & http://www.priestsforlife.org/
* NEW: Angi Castle shared this video about how some autistic people communicate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnylM1hI2jc. There is a strong ProLife message that begins at ~3 min into the 8 min video. Special needs people are God's children who deserve to live and be loved! In many ways, we all have special needs and handicaps...
* NEW: Jean Noon shared this about Jesus..."But of His own volition He died because of love to do God’s will." Volition is defined as a conscious choice or decision. Check out the powerful 15 min ProLife movie "Volition" and article at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08112501.html. An article snippet: "Volition places its central character in the historical contexts of...the greatest human rights violations in history: the holocaust, slavery, and abortion."

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, illnesses/injuries, Joe Castle (medical concerns), Matt Kayser (family of Jesse Alne), Rob Ouellette (Jeff, Arleen, Ramona, Pat)
* NEW: Mike Castle (eye infection)

* Wed night is pray with your family night.
* Let's pray for courage to communicate the ProLife message (through Christ) to those around us (John 14:6)...rebuilding a Culture of Life (Matt 5:16).

Feast Day (St. Francis Xavier): http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=423

Faith quote: "We are called not to be successful in the conversion of others or of society- for that is in God's hands [1 Cor 3:6-9]. Rather, we are called to be faithful. God is at work in the world because He seeks every human heart. Knowing this makes even great trials and disappointments worth bearing." by Daniel Avila (Columbia magazine)

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)!

Isaiah 2:3 (Advent, Bella, ID)

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

Come let us climb the Lord's mountain...That He may instruct us in His ways, and we may walk in His paths. Isaiah 2:3

Living Faith snippets: "An eagerness for learning and a craving for wisdom [God] is portrayed in the hearts of these pilgrims. The image of changing all weapons of war into tools for service and peace is indeed uplifting. Let us reflect on ways we can take our sword-like qualities and change them into peacekeeping qualities. How would our living conditions improve if we could change all of our complaints to gratitude, our bitterness to compassion, our envy to affirmation, our indifference to love? How would our lives be transformed if all negativity would soften into encouragement and fear to trust? [We] already know the answer to these questions. Meditate on these truths." by Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr

Pat nuggets:

* Jesus' Christmas (birthday) List: Aaron Ferrie shared this great 2.5 min video on keeping Christ in Christmas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU). Christmas is Jesus' birthday party. This is how we give Jesus a birthday present..."whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matt 25:40). The true meaning of Christmas is to share our gifts (time, talent, treasure) with those in dire need of "daily bread" and love...feed children (http://www.compassion.com/), serve homeless, visit homebound & prisoners, write injured & deployed soldiers, help unemployed, help crisis pregnancies, etc (what else?). For our adult & child family members who don't need material gifts, consider giving them a nice hand written card with a gift certificate for spending time with you...presence (vs presents) is more valuable to relationships: lunch, sporting event, church/pray, hiking, fishing, etc (what else?). Give the gift funds you saved (from presence vs presents) to the needy. Consider giving to the needy in the name of a family member (as a gift). Consider asking family members to donate your gifts (funds) to the needy. Consider pooling gift funds with immediate/extended family members and give to the needy...God's work brings family closer together! Other ideas on how we can keep Christ in Advent/Christmas?

* Bella movie: Per Melissa McBride's recent reminder/recommendation, we rented the ProLife movie "Bella" last week. This movie did a fantastic job of putting abortion in perspective by bringing two people together who were wrestling with the sanctity of life. One accidentally killed a little girl (~4 yrs old) with his car, which caused him huge suffering. He worked with a woman who was considering an abortion to kill her very little girl (a few wks past conception). He reached out with a loving friendship (made sacrifices) to help open her mind, heart, and soul to the sanctity of life and evil of abortion...thereby saving her daughter's life (Bella) and replacing her own suffering with joy! The best indicators for real love are service and sacrifice.

Christian ID: How would unbelievers recognize a Christian in the world? By our love! Let's share things we can do to glorify God and love neighbor.

* (NEW) Pastor Don Bird shared: "Whenever I see Christian "ID", I am reminded of Freud's classifications of the id, ego, and superego. According to Freud, the id is the personality component made up of unconscious psychic energy that works to satisfy...those unconscious drives that help us survive and meet our own needs. Should not our faith, our Christianity, our spirituality, be so in-grained within us that it becomes the very thing that drives us? When our Christian ID takes over we respond differently, act differently, and pursue our needs and meet the needs of others differently. When we are troubled, we turn to prayer instead of worry. When we are angered, we turn to mercy instead of revenge. When we despair, we live in the hope of Jesus instead of wallowing in the mire of our own existence. When someone speaks poorly of us, we respond in silence instead of gossip. When we are confronted with hate, we respond in love. When our Christian ID becomes the driving energy in our lives, Jesus is shared in a real and evident way. May we continue to pray that our Freudian id does not drive us to meet our own needs and cause us to look selfishly at the world, but that our Christian ID leads us to be the hands, feet, and voice of Christ in our world today!" http://pastordonbird.blogspot.com/

ProLife news: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ & http://www.priestsforlife.org/
* Let's pray for courage to build relationships and talk about ProLife. Let's pray that We The People of America will shine Christ's Light and build a culture of Life (Matt 5:16).

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, illnesses/injuries, Joe Castle (medical concerns), Matt Kayser (family of Jesse Alne)
* NEW: Rob Ouellette (Jeff, Arleen, Ramona, Pat)

Faith quote: "If you only want to have more and more -- if your idol is profit and pleasure -- remember that one's value is not measured by what one has, but by what one is!" Pope John Paul II

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)!

Revelation 15:2-3 (Thanksgiving, Jesus' Christmas list)

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

On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast...and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Revelation 15:2-3

Living Faith snippets: "One commentator says that these people are the Christian martyrs who "did not succumb to the oppressive influences of the Antichrist." What are some of the oppressive influences of the Antichrist in our own age? One could be a philosophy that says, "Me first!" or, "Happiness is a 'buy' product. The more things you buy, the happier you'll be." Another oppressive influence says, "You're only one person. What can you do?" or it could be an attitude of selfishness, hopelessness, fear, a lack of forgiveness, pettiness, relativism, shame or apathy. Today try to name one oppressive influence that tends to hinder you from singing your song to God." by Sr. Melannie Svoboda

Pat nuggets:

* Jesus' Christmas (birthday) List: As we plan how we will share our gifts at Christmas, let's reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. St. Nicholas (the real Santa) gave to children and the poor because Jesus calls us to give His birthday presents to those in need. Let's not give into the oppressive influences listed above...we are called to be Christ to the world! If we (the Body of Christ) share God's gifts, the needy will also be a part of His birthday party. Who are those in need? Crisis pregnancy centers, Joe Castle's homeless shelter, others? Kay Castle suggested that we write to our injured soldiers: Recovering American Soldier, c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington , D.C. 20307-5001.

* Thanksgiving: Chad Livingston shared this piece of our foundational American history. "Written in 1782, one of the first declarations concerning the day of Thanksgiving read: “The United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these States:[...] Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, the observation of Thursday the twenty-eight day of November next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to God for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.” from https://www.history.com/

Christian ID: How would unbelievers recognize a Christian in the world? By our love! Let's share things we can do to glorify God and love neighbor.

* When someone sneezes, say "God bless you." When asked for prayers, offer to pray with them on the spot. When asked about your weekend, tell about your faith activities. When someone takes the Lord's name in vain, ask them gently to please not say that (hopefully they will ask why...and we will share our faith!). When asked your favorite food, say "the Body and Blood of Christ." When asked what you're thankful for, say "Jesus." Shirts proclaiming a Christian/ProLife message. Bumper stickers/car magnets with a Christian/ProLife message.

ProLife news: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ and http://www.priestsforlife.org/
* Read the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) that president-elect Obama plans on signing. Please sign the petition now to fight FOCA. Millions of unborn babies depend on you.
* Let's pray for courage to build relationships and talk about ProLife. Let's pray that We The People of America will shine Christ's Light and build a culture of Life (Matt 5:16).

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, illnesses/injuries, Lynn Bishara (aunt Mary with cancer), Stephanie Spader (for babies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome), Joe Hourigan (special intention & Silbi/Sabu), Gina Prevett (Renee with brain tumor), Kay Castle (funding for Welcome Home Warriors), Tom Albrecht (health/faith of parents), Joe Castle (medical concerns), Matt Kayser (family of Jesse Alne, Jesse was killed in a motorcycle accident)

Faith quote: Joe Castle shared this quote by Billy Graham. "Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost."

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)!

Luke 21:4 (God's heart, our gratitude)

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

For those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood. Luke 21:4

Living Faith snippets: "[We] saw moments like these every day when we visited the streets of Calcutta. Homeless families sharing what little they had with other destitute families. John literally took the shirt off his back and slipped it over the head of one of the children. His impractical, shirtless presence reminded us that in this sea of need we could still contribute what little we had." by Fr. Mark Mossa

Christian ID: "How would unbelievers recognize a Christian in the world?" By our love! Let's share things we can do to glorify God and love neighbor. When someone sneezes, say "God bless you." When asked for prayers, offer to pray with them on the spot. When asked about your weekend, tell about your faith activities. When someone takes the Lord's name in vain (2nd commandment), ask them gently to please not say that (hopefully they will ask why...and we will share our faith!). When asked your favorite food, say the Body and Blood of Christ.
* NEW: In preparation for Thanksgiving, Paige's public school teacher asked each student to say one thing they are thankful for. Paige said, "Jesus."

* NEW: This past week during lunch, Angi's coworker said, "the best part of Obama's election is that he is pro-choice." Angi gently said, "that is the worst part. Life is the foundational issue." The coworker acted surprised (didn't respond). Angi said something out of love for God and neighbor (coworker and unborn babies). Let us strive to love one another to God's Truth!

Pastor Don Bird devotion: Read his devotion titled "Gratitude" at http://pastordonbird.blogspot.com/. A few snippets: "Gratitude is the lens from which we look at the world. If our hearts are not filled with gratitude, we only see a receding economy, our broken relationships, the faults of others, and a world full of violence, pain, and despair. A heart filled with gratitude doesn't ignore these things, but is able to look past them to an ongoing good work of God. Remember, we are told that He works for the good of all those who love Him. (Romans 8:28). We have to work at seeing the good in people, situations, the world, because the bad and the negative seem to be right in front of us. But, the more we work at being grateful, the easier it becomes to proclaim the goodness around us. Recently, I receive the following from Timothy Merrill...[a list of attitudes to be more soul-full in response to our current economic crisis...can be applied to any situation]. No matter the crises, the difficulties, the challenges of life, there is much to be grateful for."

ProLife news: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ and http://www.priestsforlife.org/
* Scott Casmer shared this reference for the text of the Freedom of Choice Act: http://www.nrlc.org/foca/FOCA2007S1173.html. "There is some very misguided legislation in here."

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, illnesses/injuries, Lynn Bishara (aunt Mary with cancer), Stephanie Spader (for babies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome), Joe Hourigan (special intention & Silbi/Sabu), Gina Prevett (Renee with brain tumor), Kay Castle (funding for Welcome Home Warriors), Tom Albrecht (health/faith of parents), Joe Castle (medical concerns)

* Let's pray for courage to build relationships and talk about ProLife. Let's pray that We The People of America will shine Christ's Light and build a culture of Life (Matt 5:16).

Feast Day (St. Andrew Dun-Lac and Companions): http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=540

Faith quote: Jean Noon shared..."The heart of God is so abundant in love and its goodness is so infinite that all can possess it, without anyone's share diminishing. Infinite Goodness cannot be exhausted, even if it fills all the souls in the world. God does not pour a smaller quantity of His love into a soul because He pours out His love into an infinity of others; the power of His love is not diminished by the multitude of rays that He spreads abroad, but remain ever overflowing with its immensity." St. Francis de Sales

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)!

Luke 19:48 (hanging on every word, Thanksgiving)

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

...All the people were hanging on His words. Luke 19:48

Living Faith snippets: "How easy it would have been, I thought, to hear His words and come to believe. I realized later how wrong I was. I would have been laughed at, spat upon and maybe even thrown in jail or stoned to death. Even today, we can find it hard to hang on to the words of Jesus while living our lives, raising our children and earning a living. We can easily shut out Jesus' words because we don't make the time to hear and obey them. But the words of Jesus remain, as sure as the rising and the setting of the sun. All we have to do is listen for them and hang our lives upon them." by Steve Givens

Pat nuggets:
* Our daughter Grace (5) recently asked our daughter Paige (8), "What is your favorite food?" Paige said, "the Body and Blood of Jesus...and then mac & cheese." Jesus said to them (John 6:54), "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day." Hopefully, the Body and Blood of Christ is our favorite food, based on eternal nourishment (top of the "food guide pyramid"!). Let's consider saying this when asked about our favorite food (hopefully they will ask why...and we will share our faith!). The word Eucharist (Body and Blood of Christ) literally means "give thanks" (to God!). Thanks be to God for Paige's gift of faith...and thanks to Paige for another great "Christian ID" tip (see below).

Christian ID: "How would unbelievers recognize a Christian in the world?" They will know we are Christians by our love! Some things we can do to glorify God and love neighbor (others?).

* When someone sneezes-say "God bless you", when asked for prayers-offer to pray with them on the spot, when asked about your weekend-tell about your faith activities

* (NEW) Pastor Don Bird, Joel Cain, Chad Livingston and Steve Castle helped with this one. When someone takes the Lord's name in vain (2nd commandment), ask them gently to please not say that (hopefully they will ask why...and we will share our faith!).

Sister Francelle's devotion: Read her devotion titled "Thanksgiving" at http://sisterfrancelle.blogspot.com/. A few snippets: "Dearest Ones, many people don't bother saying, "thank-you" anymore. This is sad because thankfulness is good for the soul. When we are thankful, we recognize that food, a home and all other necessities come to us because of the goodness of God. Thankfulness turns our hearts toward heaven. "Give thanks to God at all times and for everything." (1 Thes. Ch 5:18) This morning I made a list of my blessings, one for each letter of the alphabet. Here's what I came up with [see devotion]. You may enjoy doing this as a family on Thanksgiving or while riding in the car. Let's make this Thanksgiving more than just a good turkey dinner. People are more hungry for love and appreciation than for food. Hugs and best wishes for a Happy thanksgiving."

ProLife news: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ and http://www.priestsforlife.org/

* "Another 'champion of abortion' becomes defender of life: the story of Stojan Adasevic." Some snippets: "Stojan Adasevic, who performed 48,000 abortions, sometimes up to 35 per day, is now the most important pro-life leader in Serbia, after 26 years as the most renowned abortion doctor in the country. “The medical textbooks of the Communist regime said abortion was simply the removal of a blob of tissue,” the newspaper reported. “Ultrasounds allowing the fetus to be seen did not arrive until the 80s, but they did not change his opinion. Nevertheless, he began to have nightmares.” Adasevic has told his story in magazines and newspapers throughout Eastern Europe. He has returned to the Orthodox faith of his childhood and has studied the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Today the Serbian doctor continues to fight for the lives of the unborn." http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14322

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, illnesses/injuries, Lynn Bishara (aunt Mary with cancer), Stephanie Spader (for babies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome), Joe Hourigan (special intention & Silbi and Sabu), Gina Prevett (Renee with brain tumor), Kay Castle (funding for Welcome Home Warriors), Tom Albrecht (health/faith of parents)
* Let's pray for courage to build relationships and talk about ProLife. Let's pray that We The People of America will shine Christ's Light and build a culture of Life (Matt 5:16).

* Prayer Update: Stephanie Spader ("Thanks for including these babies in the prayer requests. The smaller twin is gaining weight. Obviously something is helping the twin to grow. Keep the prayers coming. God bless.")

Faith quote: "I think any bishop here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about the end of abortion. If we're willing to die tomorrow to bring about the end of abortion, then we should be willing to spend the end of our lives dedicated, to take whatever criticism, to bring about the end to this genocide." Bishop Robert Hermann

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)!

Psalm 150:6 (Christian identity)

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

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Alleluia. Psalm 150:6

Living Faith snippets: "After all, who more than God, the Creator of the universe and our Creator, is deserving of praise? Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and forever." by Rebecca Sande

Pat nuggets:

* Christian identity: Chad Livingston shared this about Monday's devotion: "There is a biblical mandate to rebuke our brother if he sins...having someone in your life (perhaps a priest) whom you allow to honestly rebuke you is a step of faith that I believe God wants us to take. Outsiders already see her [the Church] as hypocritical because they do not see Christians acting in a Christ like manner. If we have a real relationship with Jesus, lets act in a Christ like manner and be considered lunatics if we need to. I prefer the label of freak to Hypocrite." Joel Cain and Chad Livingston both recently posed this question..."How would unbelievers recognize a Christian in the world?" We know the overarching answer...they will know we are Christians by our love! Let's build a list of everyday things we can do to help others recognize that we choose to live in Christ. Joel and I came up with these to get us started: when someone sneezes-say "God bless you", when asked for prayers-offer to pray with them on the spot, when asked about your weekend-tell about your faith activities, others?

* Snippets from Thanksgiving, Freedom and Life by Fr. Frank Pavone: "Our Founding Fathers were influenced in their philosophy of government by Scripture and the Judeo-Christian tradition, according to which everyone was a sinner and equally subject to the laws of God. Moreover, each person is a child of God. This awareness shaped our Founding Fathers’ concept of government, because it introduced something unheard of among the ancient pagans, namely, that now, each individual has a direct and personal link to the Creator. This awareness of the dignity of the human person then formed the basis for letting each individual have a say in a representative form of government, and for insisting that our rights, starting with Life, come from the Creator, and that “to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men” (Declaration of Independence). This is what we celebrate at Thanksgiving – not just that we have food, but that we have freedom, rooted in God and the recognition that government cannot tamper with our human rights." www.priestsforlife.org/columns/columns2008/08-11-17-turkey-day.htm

ProLife news: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ and http://www.priestsforlife.org/

* Fr. Frank Pavone wrote: "The Freedom of Choice Act would vastly increase the number of [abortions]. When people realize how extreme the bill is – for example, saying to states that they cannot require abortionists to inform the parents of a minor before doing an abortion on her – they will reject the bill. The key is that we make sure people know this before Congress votes on it." more at www.priestsforlife.org/legislation."

* David Meece shared this from Americans United for Life (AUL): "The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would establish the right to abortion as a fundamental right and wipe away every restriction on abortion nationwide...and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future. Please take a minute to sign this petition and then forward to your friends and family. As we petition heaven for the unborn let's put action to our prayers and sign this petition as an act of faith. Please read the expert analysis by AUL and sign the Fight FOCA petition at: http://www.fightfoca.com/."

* The Freedom of Choice Act does not include the choice/voice of the unborn. We are their voice crying out in the culture of death..."Life"!

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, illnesses/injuries, Joe Castle (medical concern), Joe Hourigan (special intention), Pam McGushin (family of six yr old William Hopkins), Lynn Bishara (aunt Mary with ovarian cancer), Stephanie Spader (for babies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome), Joe Hourigan (Silbi and Sabu to resist abortion pressure)

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

* Gina Prevett (her friend Renee with brain tumor surgery today)

Faith quote: "You and I can be in it and not of it [the world]." Jesus in the 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)!