Rom 15:15-16 (Be a Beacon to Others)

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

"But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." ~ Rom 15:15-16 (full readings)

Rosemary's Reflections: It gets pretty hard these days to be a pro-life Christian, let alone one who attends a college where you can buy the "morning after" pill from the school nurse. It saddens me to see how many young adults have thrown aside their faith because it's "old-fashioned" or they had a bad experience with the Church. This is where not only do I have to be able to defend my Catholic faith and my belief that life begins at conception, but I must be a beacon of light to a culture cloaked in darkness. As comforting it is to stay among my Christian friends, I am called to reach out to my other peers who may not be as understanding. Just a few days ago, a friend of mine made a comment on my Facebook photo with the LIFE Runners. Let's just say I was disappointed in what he said. I could easily have deleted him from my friends or have wrote an angry response, but instead I wrote the reasons why I believe in the pro-life movement and will keep him in my prayers. I know there will be a few casualties, but that comes with the territory of living on the frontline. I would rather lose one friend by staying true to my beliefs than gain a dozen by going astray. As because I'm a Christian, I will always leave the door open for that one friend to come back. We must let the light of Christ shine through us for the lost to find the way back home.

Faith Challenge: Brighten up the world with a smile or an act of kindness. Just don't talk the talk. Be a walking example of Christianity.

Sr. Francelle's Devotion: A Modern Martyr.

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

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now. >

Feast Day: St. Charles Borromeo. His life was an example for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Milan to renew the faith of the people.

Faith Quote: “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” ~ Gahndi

Through Christ Our Lord,
Rosemary

2 Tim 4:7
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* 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.

Mark 4:21-22 (Beautiful Junk) by Todd Church

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

"Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light…." Mark 4:21-22 (full readings)

Todd's Reflections: Last Sunday night we had our first Life Night (Catholic Youth Ministry Program) at our parish. The theme for the night was ‘Junkyard Wars’, and the kids were asked to build something recognizable from tables full of junk. It was amazing what they were able to do with a little creativity and some duct tape! What is hidden is often unrecognizable until it is brought out into the open, where it can be cultivated into what Jesus has in mind for us – to be the light of Christ in this world. The prophet Jeremiah tells us that God has plans for our welfare, not woe (Jer 29:11). The pieces of our lives that are woeful are often like those piles of junk: unrecognizable, incomprehensible or unbearable. By examining them more closely and using the grace God gives us, we can find out where they fit into His plan for us. Then we will become the lamp that shines brightly, so that what was hidden will be made visible.

* Todd Church, his wife Ann, and their two sons John and David live in Grants, New Mexico. Ann is an NFP only Obstetrician/Gynecologist. Todd is in deacon formation and serves in youth/music ministry in his parish.

Faith Challenge: Place your "beautiful junk" before the Lord today and see what amazing things He can do with it. Take courage and be like the lamp set upon the hill for all to see.

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action
* Check out this solidly pro-life publication/website recently acquired by EWTN - National Catholic Register.

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

Feast Day: St. Angela Merici (d. 1540) "Angela has the double distinction of founding the first teaching congregation of women in the Church and what is now called a “secular institute” of religious women."

Faith Quote: "Preach the Gospel always; if necessary, use words." ~ St. Francis of Assisi
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Through Christ Our Lord,

Todd

Matt. 19:13-15

* 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 (23% 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.

Comments? To subscribe/unsubscribe to the emails, go to LIFE Group Devotions or LIFE Runners Updates.

John 1:3-5 (Get Out There)

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

"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." John 1:3-5 (full readings)

Steve's Reflections: The reading for today really got me pumped up. John does a sweeping account of Jesus' salvific role from the beginning of creation (...in the beginning was the Word), to the incarnation of Jesus as a baby. Light is hope for those in darkness. What remains is Jesus, the light of the world, and even today the darkness has not overcome it! The very fact that you are reading this devotion stands as a testimony, a witness, to that light and your faith in Jesus. This past December 26th was the feast of the first martyr, Stephen. As I read the account of Stephen's death in the Acts of the Apostles it struck me as witnesses declared that he had the "face of an angel". He carried the light of Christ! We, too, can carry the light of Christ with us wherever we go.

Faith Challenge: What sort of witness are you for Jesus in the marketplace? Can your co-workers, the cashier at the grocery store, or the bank teller see your light? Do they see the "face of an angel"?

Sr. Francelle's Devotion: The Stoning of Stephen "There are two kinds of martyrs: red martyrs...those who shed their blood and die for Christ. The second is a white martyr...that's you and me...those who suffer in this life and unite their every day sufferings with that of Christ."

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). View, add, update Prayers on our website. Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: St. Sylvester (d. 335) "Reading between the lines of history, we are assured that only a very strong and wise man could have preserved the essential independence of the Church in the face of the overpowering figure of the Emperor Constantine."

Faith Quote: “Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.” ~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
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Through Christ Our Lord,
Steve
Romans 12:2

* 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 (23% 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.


Comments? To subscribe/unsubscribe to the emails, go to LIFE Group Devotions or LIFE Runners Updates.

John 8:12 (Silent Majority)

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

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 (full readings)

Steve's Reflections: Last night at EDGE (Lifeteen ~ youth group) I was helping lead 45 middle school youth through what conversion is and how we can be converted in little ways to Christ each day. The story of Saul's conversion was used to emphasize how powerfully God can work in someone's life. The early church's greatest earthly nemesis (Saul) became the single greatest ambassador for Christ in the Bible (Paul). In that story Christ knocks Saul off his horse with a blinding light. When reading that conversion story it begs the question of our own conversion and the fact the most of us did not get knocked off our "high horse" by a bright light and hear Jesus speaking to us. For many of us, the silent majority, it has been in the quiet of our everyday lives that we have come to know Christ through little sacrifices and little conversions. As the youth gathered in small groups to discuss, I had to retrieve something from inside the Church. It was pitch black. Being across the room from the lights I stumbled to a closet to get the item. As I turned around to return I was surprised by the brilliance of the light shining through the doorway. It struck me as I made my way toward the light how easier it was to find my way out. In that moment I reflected on my own journey stumbling in the darkness, the moment I turned from that darkness by the Light of Christ, and how God has lovingly led me over the years to that same light. I face the same dangers now as I did in the darkness, but that light has comforted me and given me hope where there was only struggle and frustration. Lord Jesus, thank you for being the light of the world and the light of my world. Illuminate the darkness that remains in my life and help me to come closer to you day by day through this Advent season.

Faith Challenge: In what ways are you "stumbling in the darkness" today? Take some time to go to confession this Advent season and experience the grace and healing of this beautiful Sacrament.

Sr. Francelle's Devotion: Our Lady of All Nations "God gave Mary to us as mother to all. Even those who do not believe in her, still she is their mother...We do not worship Mary, as we do God, we simply honor her. Mary always points us to her Son. We can go to her with any of our needs. In the Bible we read about the wedding feast of Cana when the waiters ran out of wine. They went to Mary first with their problem and she immediately told them to go to Jesus. "Do whatever He tells you," she said."

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). View, add, update Prayers on our website. Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: Blessed Adolph Kolping “Adolph Kolping gathered skilled workers and factory laborers together. Thus he overcame their isolation and defeatism. A faith society gave them the strength to go out into their everyday lives as Christ’s witnesses before God and the world." (Pope John Paul II, beatification homily)

Faith Quote: “The first thing that a person finds in life and the last to which he holds out his hand, and the most precious that he possess, even if he does not realize it, is family life.” ~ Blessed Adolph Kolping
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Through Christ Our Lord,
Steve
Romans 12:2

* 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 (23% 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.


Comments? To subscribe/unsubscribe to the emails, go to LIFE Group Devotions or LIFE Runners Updates.

Luke 8:17 (Embrace the Truth)

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

For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17 (full readings)

Rich's thoughts: Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" Today, as Christians, it is challenging for us to discern the Truth, especially in our information age of the Internet and media. We are constantly exposed to a variety of ideas that are incompatible with the Truths of our faith (see Counter-Culture News). Christians who are not strong in their faith will unfortunately adopt secularist perspectives without recognizing their incompatibility with the Christian faith. Jesus came into this world to testify to the Truth. Everyone who belongs to the Truth listens to His voice. (John 18:37) Lord, may we listen to the Truth revealed by You, and live out that Truth in our daily lives. Amen.

Faith Challenge: How do you discern the Truth in your life?

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action.
* Planned Parenthood in 1952: Abortion “kills the life of a baby” Read how Planned Parenthood knew the truth about abortion back in 1952 before they became profiteers.

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. Peters family (JP), Rich Reich (cousin Tom cancer), Vicki Kerkvliet (Mom's radiation treatment), Karen Ryan-Philpott (2 wk old Baby William's heart issues), Steve Castle (1 yr old daughter Sarah seizure recovery), Nicholas Zeisler (for AF Academy healing from a cadet suicide).
* Pat Castle (Molly Barber in hospital)

Feast Day: Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and other martyrs who believed in the Truth and died for their Faith in Korea.

Faith Quote: "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32

Through Christ our Lord,

Rich

James 1:22

John 8:12 ("God cleans His fish...")

Let's welcome God today with this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (archive, Facebook), based on Living Faith. Prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers. James 1:22

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of Life. John 8:12 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "I have had many times in my life in which I have hit darkness and panicked a little. That was, I think, because I thought I was driving with my lights on, but I actually wasn't. I thought I was living with Jesus as my light, but in reality, I was listening to Him as just one of the many possibly helpful voices, rather than The Voice, the Word of God, shedding light, illuminating my journey. Jesus, you are my light. Lead me out of darkness." by Amy Welborn

Pat nuggets:
* Fr. Chris took me fishing last week. I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation with him on the drive back home...the mobile Sacrament was a first for both of us! The fishing/confession combo reminded me of a catchy saying I heard at Promise Keepers, "God cleans His fish after He catches them!" In other words, God doesn't expect us to be perfect when we arrive at the foot of the cross. At Mass yesterday, Fr. Mark said "bring your sins, I'll take care of the rest!" The Sacrament truly facilitates Reconciliation with God...through contrition (sorry), penance (healing), counsel (prevention), and grace (strength)!
* The LIFE Runners are doing the Sioux Falls Half/Full Marathon in support of the Sioux Falls Alpha Center Fleet for Little Feet (FFLF). The FFLF is a mobile pregnancy care center (big bus). Kimberly Martinez (director) wrote, "The FFLF allows us to travel around the state and into other states to reach women with free pregnancy tests, ultrasound, STD testing, material support and the great news of Jesus Christ. Just last week the FFLF was in Sioux City, IA parked in front of Planned Parenthood on one of their abortion days." The founder of the Alpha Center, Leslee Unruh, is a courageous defender of the Unborn and part of the LIFE Group!
* Need some faith mojo? Enjoy this soulful, feel-good ditty! "Bring all your troubles, come Lay Em Down."

Faith Challenges: Let's generously share the LIFE Group by forwarding devotions or using the Facebook "invite people" link.
* NEW: Stephanie Kemp recommended the movie Molokai..."a true story about Fr. Damien, the Belgian priest who ministered to those with leprosy in Hawaii in the late 1800's." I ordered the movie yesterday. Here is a movie trailer.
* NEW: What are some of the "many possible voices" that distract us from The Voice, the Word of God? Please consider sharing your devotion thoughts on the Facebook page, to be appreciated by many.

Counter-Culture News: 40 Days for Life, 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 expose abortion's unjust peace, rebuilding a Culture of Life for setting the unborn (and parents) free!
* NEW: National Right to Life Committee Statement on Abortion 'Deal' on Health Care Bill

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together, and close to God (footnotes). Peters family (JP). Prayer to end abortion. Stephanie Kemp (special intention), Pat Castle (Uncle Jim Castle with blood clots).

Faith Quote: "We need to bring the Gospel of Life to the heart of every man and woman and to make it penetrate every part of society." Pope John Paul II

Our Lenten journey continues,
Pat
Phil 4:13

* 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).