I saw Mary and I Praying in front of a white Cross on a hill. All of a sudden a wind blew up and blew us off our feet! We hung on to the white Cross! And although the wind blew so hard our feet had left the ground, we kept hanging on! Then the wind stopped and we returned to praying in front of the Cross. The storm had passed :)-Seen while Praying the Rosary.

Life brings many storms. It always has. Sometimes the storms are obvious like a the death of someone we love or a job loss or homelessness. But sometimes the storms are less obvious. Like being to busy to Pray daily or read the Bible. Or just having too much “fun” or being “busy” at work or home. Perhaps it is our social life… But all of these, if we are not careful, may pull us away from Jesus.

Don’t let them! We have a choice, given to us by God Himself!

Choose Christ 🙂

So often we focus on how wonderful it is that our relationship with Jesus brings us Home to Heaven.  But today, I want to shift the focus on how wonderful it is to belong to God in this world here on earth.

I’ve always seen my share of challenges.  I have had serious health issues both now and when I was young.  I’ve had days when I could not get out of bed and had to crawl to the bathroom because I was so sick. And yet, although I spent months in bed, God never left me. Instead God surrounded me with the love and comfort I needed to survive those years. And to survive them well! 

 And I have had days when I have gone to work even when it was really, really difficult. Days where I had to stand to testify before the State House or Senate not knowing if I would faint from lack of strength. Days when I lay on the bathroom floor, sick as a dog, but determined to do God’s Will. But God held me up through it it all. That’s the thing about God, if He opens a door, He always gives you the strength to walk through it. 

A word to those who suffer. Whenever I have felt that the suffering was more than I could bear, I prayed to the Holy Spirit. He lifted me up and out of it and gave me a “break”.

Another word on suffering. We can offer our suffering to Christ. For me, it has always been a huge help to know that my suffering did some good. Was worth something. And this made it so much easier to bear 🙂

That the family I was born into was not the best, is saying way too little.  But it’s not only my story to tell. Let’s just say that With God’s Help, you can survive anything 

I’ve also been Blessed with a wonderful husband and two amazing children. I always think of my husband as my Knight in Shining Armor, because he is so good and so honorable. Old fashioned words, but still true. And I think of my two children as the best present God every gave me. Truly, they have given me such joy! They have all been such a great Blessing in my life and I thank God for them everyday 

 While being sick is no picnic, I’ve always been Blessed with a good home in a safe neighborhood and food to eat 🙂  And I have, for the most part, been Blessed with good doctors who care about me.  And I have been Blessed with really, really wonderful friends!  Friends who have always been there for me, and given me more joy than I can share on this page. 🙂 And I have been Blessed with years when I was well-and really enjoyed them, probably more than most 🙂

But more than all of these, I have been greatly Blessed with a Faith that has more than withstood the test of time. That’s another thing about God, He always gives us more than we ask for. God’s love and generosity are endless. Whether it was God or His angels sitting with me when I had to stay in bed when I was young or holding me up now, God has always been with me.  My Father has never left me and neither has Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  And The Holy Spirit has always lifted me up and out, especially when the suffering was too much for me to bear.

There is a song called Dearly Loved by Shaylee Simeone that describes my life perfectly.  I have always felt dearly loved by God!  

And sadly,there have been times when I was a young that I made my share of mistakes. I wanted God to “fix” me and I was unwise to not realize that God had given me way more than I had lost. God did not move, but sadly I did.  Unfortunately, we all make our share of mistakes. Some are through our own doing, and some are because we were hurt by someone else.  But if we call upon Jesus, God uses all of it to make us stronger and more compassionate, and God enables us to use our experiences to help others.  Our Father loves us so much that He simply uses our mistakes to our good, or the good of someone else.  He always will.

That doesn’t mean we will never face any consequences for our choices-we will.  But it does mean, that ultimately, we will see good come from them.  

So life can, at times , be easy or difficult, pain or joy filled.  The key is to find our way to happiness and peace – either way, through Faith in Jesus Christ 🙂

I wish I could explain the happiness and peace that fills my heart.  Or how asking Mary to Pray for me has made such a very real difference in my life.  Being with God can be like flying. If I am afraid at times, With God’s Help, I never let it stop me. For With God, All Things Are Possible.

God is truly amazing.  And sitting with Jesus just makes me smile, all the way inside and out.  And being filled with the Holy Spirit fills me with an indescribable joy.

Is my life like this always?  24/7?  No.  There are times when my burdens weigh heavy on me, when suffering overwhelms me, when I hurt for some one I love or worry about their welfare.  Or sometimes some one hurts me.

But belonging to God means I always know where to go. For my Joy and my Help is in Jesus.  It means my heart is full and my life is even fuller. 

And having experienced both Pain and Joy, I really appreciate God’s Gifts to me and His help when my earthly life is challenging.

And this is what I pray for you, that you find Joy in Christ too! 

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold”-Matthew 24:12

Don’t we see that in today’s society? The riots, the schools, the way we treat one another sometimes? We are destroying ourselves!

In the riots, many have hurt one another. Pushing older people down. Beating others up. Killing others! What kind of evil does it take to hurt another human being?

And our public schools! Our public schools are a mess. Teaching children to hate one another (think CRT). Teaching our children to hurt themselves (encouraging transgender operations and abortion in schools). Loving our children is not the same as being their buddy! What kind of evil hurts a child!

And what happened to the way we treat one another? We used to talk with people we disagree with in a kind and encouraging way. And yet, there is not much of that these days! We used to reach out to others and lend a helping hand, what happened to that? When we married, we used to be faithful to one another. And how many don’t even bother to marry in today’s society? Do unto others… used to be our way of life. It can be again, if we choose it.

And that is the thing, isn’t it? If we choose it? We can choose to love on another or we can choose to let love “wax cold”. If we want to love God and love one another, Jesus will be glad to help, just ask Him 🙂

In Acts 15, we read of the great dispute among the Gentiles and many of the Jews over the issue of circumcision.  The question was raised in the Jerusalem Council:  “Are Christians made right with God by faith alone, or by a combination of faith and obedience of the Law of Moses?”

Peter addressed the council with the answer, “We are saved by faith alone”.

This discussion/dispute took place in the Jerusalem Council in 50 A.D.

Flash forward to today.  There are all different denominations and churches in Christianity.  Many have different beliefs, traditions and styles.  But we all share one important belief, Jesus is our Savior. And Jesus is the only Savior 🙂

In Revelations we read the Letters to the Churches.  One thing is clear, no Christian church was or is perfect.  One thing is also clear, Loyalty to God must come first, above all things, including churches, family and  country.

The good news is that we are all on the same journey, the journey Home to Heaven and we all believe and follow Jesus Christ. This will matter the most!

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready?

While praying the Rosary, I saw Mary and I together praying on a hill in front of a white Cross. We were praying to her Son. All of a sudden we seemed to fall far, far away. Almost as if we flew. But we kept praying. All of a sudden I realized this fall was an illusion. It was a false illusion. And as soon as I realized this, we were right back next to the Cross, praying as before.

When I realized this was an illusion, I heard “That’s right”. And I knew it was Jesus.

When we feel far from Christ, we need to ask ourselves, “who moved”. And did we really move, or is Jesus right there. Whatever the case, keep praying 🙂

“So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”-Matthew 24:33

In Matthew 24, Jesus gives us many signs to look at to see that His coming will be here sooner, rather than later…

One of those “signs” is: “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another”-Matthew 24:10

Doesn’t that sound a lot like American Society today? Isn’t the Cancel Culture and War that is currently going on like that?

Does not the Left hate the Right?

Do we not hear much about Christians being persecuted? Sometimes by their own family members. Sometimes betrayed even unto death!

Take heart, for it is a sign of Christ’s Return. Jesus will come for us :).