Matthew 11:29 (learn from Me)

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

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. Matthew 11:29 (full readings)

Rich's thoughts: In 2007, I sponsored my friend Justin in RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults; process through which interested adults are introduced to the Roman Catholic faith). At my parish, each RCIA sponsor was responsible for presenting a Bible to their candidate with a specific verse highlighted. After prayerful reflection, I chose Matthew 11:29 for Justin. Justin told me afterwards that this scripture was very fitting for his life at that moment, because he was in search of the peace and rest that Christ offers everyone. Lord, when I struggle in life, please remind me that I need only to learn from You. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Learn from Christ and you will find rest.

Sr. Francelle's devotion: What is the purpose of a Christian in this world?

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life.
* 180 Congressmen Urge No Abortion on Military Bases

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. Peters family (JP).
* Rich Reich (cousin Tom diagnosed with liver and colon cancer), Jamie Simpson (for husband Ivan's alcoholic treatment and salvation)

Feast Day of St. Bonaventure: "Bishop and doctor of the Church."

Faith Quote: "The purpose of Christianity is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce a character adequate to meet it when it comes. It does not make life easy; rather it tries to make us great enough for life." - James L. Christensen

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

Mark 2:3 (Carrying a Friend to Jesus)

Let's welcome God today by reflecting on this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (website, Facebook), based on Living Faith. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Mark 2:3 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "The paralytic in today's Scripture came to Jesus only through the heroic efforts of four others. These men were determined to bring the paralytic to Jesus, eventually lowering him through a hole in the roof. Without them, the paralytic never would have met Jesus face-to-face or have been healed. Likely every one of us can think of someone who has been instrumental in nurturing our faith. We are indebted to parents, religion teachers, spiritual writers and/or host of others who have made the faith accessible to us." - Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti

Rich's comments: I believe a great exercise for spiritual development is to reflect on those who have been instrumental in my life and to identify the elements they presented me that led me on a closer walk with Jesus. After much reflection, I have identified 3 essential elements: authenticity, understanding, and accountability. My spiritual guides strive to live an authentic Christian life; they are genuine about their love for Jesus; and they are honest about their own struggles. My spiritual guides understand my weaknesses and struggles, and they encourage me to lean on Christ for help. And finally, my spiritual guides hold me accountable for my actions without judging me as a person, and lead me closer to Christ. Thank You Lord for placing people in my life who have led me to You. May I be a guide for others. Amen.

Faith Challenges: Let's generously share the LIFE Group by forwarding a devotion to others or by using the Facebook Group "invite people to join" link to invite your friends. Steve, Rich, or Pat will gladly add others to the email list.

* NEW: Identify those people in your life who were instrumental in leading you to Jesus and thank God for them. Identify those in your life who need your help in finding Jesus and show them the way.

* NEW: Please read Sr. Francelle's devotion (The Holy Spirit - forgotten person of the Trinity) and learn about using the Holy Spirit as our guide.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, Vatican, American Family Association, Priests for Life

* Let's never forget the horrific reality of abortion (images), #1 cause of death in America (23% of pregnancies). Let's courageously share ProLife Truth to create social tension for exposing abortion's unjust peace, rebuilding a Culture of Life for setting the unborn (and parents) free!

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together. Fasting ideas in footnote below.

* Prayer to end abortion, abused children, chastity, peace, our enemies, our troops, depression/despair, prisoners, politicians, illnesses/injuries, jobs, natural disasters, refugees, addictions, persecuted believers, Peters family (JP, Rebekah), Shantelle Castle (special intention), Health care reform bill (protect the unborn), victims of Haitian earthquakes.

Faith Quote:

"A Godly leader ...

finds strength by realizing his weakness

finds authority by being under authority

finds direction by laying down his plans

finds vision by seeing the needs of others

finds credibility by being an example

finds loyalty by expressing compassion

finds honor by being faithful

finds greatness by being a servant" - Roy Lessin

Through Christ our Lord,

Rich

James 1:22

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn't, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead.

* Fasting: Let's fast from things that take our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, pornography, bitterness, criticalness, impatience, 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 live as you wish' (Blessed Mother Teresa).

* Evangelization: Let's make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead a 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 (Matt 28:19).

Psalm 57:8 (putting God at the Center)

Let's welcome God every morning before 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. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast. Psalm 57:8 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "I learned that with a labyrinth, unlike a maze, if you simply keep following the path, you will come to the center. I walked with a burden weighing heavily on me and prayed as I walked. At the center, I sat quietly, feeling myself in God's presence. Placing God at the center of our lives gives us steadfast hearts. We may be traveling a rocky path or facing a terrible situation, but walk it we must. And awaiting us at the center is God who will hold us in love, heal us and show us the path out." by Heather Wilson

Rich's comments: Today's devotion about the labyrinth reminded me of my trip to Tucson, Arizona to visit the Mission San Xavier del Bac, built by Father Kino in 1700. In the church you can see the Man-in-the-Maze logo on the floor and altar. This famous logo of the Tohono O'odham nation is shown on the basket pictured with this devotion. A common interpretation is as follows: The human figure stands for the O'odham people. The maze represents the difficult journey toward finding deeper meaning in life. The twists an turns refer to struggles and lessons learned along the way. At the center of the maze is a circle, which stands for death, and for becoming one with God. Lord, I know that I struggle to walk a straight path towards You, but by placing You as the center of my life, I know that my path eventually leads to You.

Faith Challenge: Let's challenge each other to joyfully live out the Good News.
* NEW: Ask yourself what is in the center of your life? Where does your path lead?

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, American Family Association, Priests for Life
* Let's never forget the horrific reality of abortion (images)...#1 cause of death in America. Let's courageously share ProLife Truth (John 14:6) to create social tension for exposing abortion's unjust peace...rebuilding a Culture of Life (Matt 5:16) and setting the unborn free!

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together. Fasting ideas below.
* Prayer to end abortion, abused children, chastity, peace, our enemies, our troops, depression/ despair, prisoners, ProLife politicians, illnesses/injuries, jobs, natural disasters, addictions, Jason Peters (son JP), Kathy Castle (Michael Moon hand infection), Carla Neal (Harold Heard, Jamie, Joyce & all of you), Pat, Angi, & 4 cadets (safe trip to China and back)

Feast Day: St. Isidore

Faith Quote: "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." by C.S. Lewis

Through Christ our Lord,

Rich

Romans 12:12

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead.'

* Fasting: Let's fast from things that take our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, bitterness, being so critical, impatience, 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 live 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 invite others to join our LIFE Group...Rich or Pat will gladly add them to the devotions distribution list (Mark 16:15)!

Matthew 1:20 (dreams)

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

The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream... Matthew 1:20

Living Faith snippets: "Have we lost an important conduit to God? I wonder if we'd learn more about ourselves and God if we developed our ability to remember dreams and our willingness to discuss and trust them." by Aileen O'Donoghue

Rich's comments: My wife Erica loves taking long trips in the car with me. It is not, because of the scenery, but because she has me captive for the duration of the trip to listen and talk with her with minimal distractions. I believe that God uses our dreams to speak with us for much of the same reason, we are prepared to listen to Him without distractions. Much of our praying to God probably involves a lot of us doing the talking and not a lot of listening. I like to take the opportunity to pray before I go to bed; not only to praise God and thank Him for my blessings, but also to present Him with my worries and problems. I usually wake up the next morning with a sense of peace and direction. Here's wishing you a good night sleep tonight and pleasant dreams.

Jesus' Christmas list: This is how we give Jesus a Christmas (birthday) gift..."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, faith, hope, love) with those lacking in "daily bread" and love. Who is in dire need of our Christmas gifts?

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

* 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).

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, Kathy Ayers brain surgery, Mike Castle (Rachelle/Isaac, eye infection), Jason Peters (health of son JP), Carolyn McKissack (Bailee with Crohn's), Joe Levisky (medical issues)

* NEW: Rob Ouellette (Bob, Joanne, Donna, Don, Carol, Jack & Nancy, Molly)

* NEW: Pat Castle (his mom, battling infection)

* NEW: Rich Reich (Granny, health problems)

Faith Quote: "Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow." by unknown author

Through Christ Our Lord,

Rich

Romans 12:12

* 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)!

Revelations 3:19 (love is being able to say 'no')

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

Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Revelations 3:19

Living Faith snippets: "God says "no" to us sometimes and wants us to make good choices. God doesn't ask for perfection but does expect our very best effort and, when we fail, our repentance. God does not wait for us to make mistakes so he can punish us. He offers guidance and an invitation to forgiveness because we are loved." by Steve Givens

Rich's comments: Do you include God in your life decisions? Do you pray and discern with God's help? Sometimes people do not include God, because they know that the answer to their question will be "no", or against their worldly desires. They can hear it in their well-formed consciences, the guidance that God is whispering to them in their hearts. Lord, may we include you in our decisions, listen patiently for Your response, and obey Your loving guidance. Amen.

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, illnesses/injuries, Joe Castle (medical concern), Joe Hourigan (special intention), Pam McGushin (family of six yr old William Hopkins), Mary Ellen Seibert (college daughter Paige has tough virus), Lynn Bishara (aunt Mary with ovarian cancer), Stephanie Spader (babies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome)

* Gina (her friend Renee Strohm was recently diagnosed with a massive brain tumor (non-cancerous) and will be having surgery tomorrow (Wed, 19 Nov). Please pray for her and her family that the surgery goes well and she has a speedy recovery.

Faith Quote: "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'" by C.S. Lewis

Feast Day: St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (http://saints.sqpn.com/saintr20.htm)

Through Christ Our Lord,

Rich

Romans 12:12

* 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)!