Today!

Take a deep breath as you face your day. “ This is a day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it. “ Psalm 118:24

It will never come again. Don’t miss it.

God asks each of us this day and everyday:

Will you be a channel of my love today? It is easy. Find someone to lavish my love on today. Each time you give away my love; I will replenish it so you can keep on giving it away. My love is eternal and will never run out.

I created you because I love you; I delight in you and receive great joy that you are mine. I created you to give my love to the world. Give away your smiles, your hugs, speak words of encouragement and hope. Surprise someone with a thoughtful note or phone call today. Email a Scripture reminding others of my promises. Visit someone. Give the gift of yourself. Nothing speaks of my love more. Your presence is my gift of your existence, your very essence as my creation. Listen to others when they speak so you may address their needs more clearly and honestly. Pray that your needs are met and that you flourish as a vessel of my love. Pray sincerely for others because when you pray, you are in conversation with me and “ Nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

I created this day and you to live in it. I love you. You are mine and I delight in you today!

“ I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame not consume you”. Isaiah 43:1-2

You might wonder why I begin months before a retreat preparing to speak. It is because I am fully aware that to be used by God I must participate by readying myself.  I know of no other way to do this than through prayer, and no better way to pray than to ask others to join me in prayer.
It is not about me, it is a plea to be obedient and faithful in God's purpose for those who will come. I know as a member of a faith community, I need your prayers to be faithful.  We are one body in Christ. Your role in praying for the retreat is as vital a participation as me standing to give the opening talk. We all have been given different gifts for different purposes, but all gifts belong and flow forth from one source, the Holy Spirit. There is one goal in using our gifts, to further the kingdom of God. I ask that you join your gift of intercessory prayer for the women who are preparing this retreat and the women who will attend. I also pray for you in this prayer offering. Thank you.

Celeste

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given…” 1 Corinthians 12

 Please join me in prayer for this upcoming retreat!

"Daughters of God Celebrate 2011"

St. Frances Cabrini Roman Catholic Church

Spring Hill, FL, January 28 & 29

I didn’t just walk up the stairs to step out on stage Friday night, I felt like I was lifted up the stairs. I felt carried by all those praying for me and by all the excitement and anticipation of all things in Christ, so prevalent in the atmosphere of “Women Celebrate” retreat conference.

My talks are designed to encourage each person to recognize the joyful truth that each one of us, as Baptized Christians, has been given special gifts and specific ministries. We are each commissioned to recognize and develop our gifts to build up the body of Christ. No one on earth can fulfill your particular ministry except you. Jesus waits for your yes. Our ministries are carried out in the ordinary moments of our daily lives; it is in the little things, the next thing to do, and the next person to love. One ministry is not more or less important or needed than the next. All are necessary parts to make up the whole body of Christ. And it is the one Holy Spirit who acts in each of us to accomplish God’s will through us.

 Using our gifts to serve can be compared to us being tools in God’s toolbox.

• A tool has no power or vision of its own to comprehend the builder’s designs.


• A tool is available, sharpened and ready for use.


• A tool is picked up for use, and a tool is put down when the builder if finished.


• A tool is only a tool, placed among all the other needed tools in the toolbox.


• A tool is only useful in the hands of the master builder, the Holy Spirit, who can use it to create beautiful and useful works.

May God give us all the grace to be favorite, well worn, and useful tools!

Many thanks to all of you who have joined me in praying for Women Celebrate retreat over these 28 days. You share as part of my service in this retreat. May you be greatly blessed always!

Celeste

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“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given…” 1 Corinthians 12

There comes a time for each of us, like Jesus, to give our very selves in service.

Commit ourselves.  Go! Do the work. Serve.

Whether it is working faithfully in our jobs, taking care of children, performing routine tasks, or speaking God’s word to a friend, a stranger, or an entire congregation, every action we make becomes a prayer when offered to Jesus.

I have prayed for the retreat, those preparing and those deciding whether or not to attend. I have prayed to be a vessel used by the Holy Spirit over the last 27 days. I desire, by God’s grace, to be faithful. I have also prayed for those who read my reflections. May God bless you and strengthen your love for Him, your service, and your joy!

Travel begins today, so I will write my reflection for the 28th hour of prayer when I return home next week.

Till then, I leave you with this prayer by one of my favorite saints, St. Teresa of Avila.

St. Teresa describes the beauty of the human soul as an Interior Castle, within which there are an infinite number of mansions, Jesus dwelling within the inner most mansion. It has been said that her greatest sadness in life was realizing so many people look outside of themselves for answers, never contemplating infinite mysteries within their very own soul!

 Christ has no body but yours

 No hands, no feet on earth but yours

 Yours are the eyes through which He looks at compassion on this world.

 Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Let nothing disturb you, let nothing trouble you, all things pass away,

 God never changes.

 St. Teresa of Avila

 “I have so much to do today!” (from Day 22, Manna) I really do!

I am very busy today preparing materials, planning, packing and getting ready for the retreat.

Please Lord bless all we do today and everyday Holy!  Make us Holy!

 Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Prayer of St. Augustine

 Breathe into me, Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.

Move in me, Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.

Attract my heart, Holy Spirit,
that I may love only what is holy.

Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,
that I may defend all that is holy.

Protect me, Holy Spirit,
that I may always be holy.

I woke up this morning with an image of a basket weave pattern in my thoughts. The design was the most basic weave, about an inch wide, tight and strong. The weave represented my relationship with Jesus over the past 25 days of spending an hour in prayer daily. Like the strengthening of a strong woven pattern, my faith and knowledge of Jesus is developing.

 I used to think of Jesus as being way off in Heaven waiting for me to join Him when I died.  Jesus seemed separated from the events of my ordinary daily life. I mostly thought of Jesus when I went to church on Sunday, was in need, or when I was especially thankful.

 Setting aside a specific time of prayer each day, I have come to realize that Jesus is intimately woven into every detail of my life.  Through prayer and reflection, I also recognize Him more clearly in other people. I see Him in their smiles and laughter, I see Him in their kindnesses, love, and hospitalities offered. I see His care and His provision for my elderly art students, and I see His energy and joyful creativity in my younger students. I see the love of Jesus working in the lives of my own family members and close friends.  I experience affirmations of His eternal presence through such moments as my three-year-old grandson announcing boldly, “ Jesus is the Lord”, and my three granddaughters filling canvases with paintings of angels in worship. I also see Jesus in those who suffer and in those who serve the suffering. I see Jesus in the homeless person on the side of the road waiting for a donation, I see Jesus in the families that morn the loss of a loved one, or battle terminal illnesses. I also see Jesus in those who struggle and are unhappy.

 Jesus desires to be woven into the fibers of every heart, every need, every emotion.

 Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:9-13

Hour with Jesus, Day 24, Wait

 When I was a young mother, I often felt like a taxi driver picking up my three children from school and delivering them to their next destinations. Recently my daughter recalled one of her fond memories of driving around those days listening to Lionel Richey’s song, “All Night Long.” We “jammed in the streets” all the way home. I loved every minute of it! Even when the day came that I was told not to sing anymore when friends were in the car, because they talked about me later.

 In between my driving duties, I often stopped by to visit my mother. I wanted to tell her everything quickly before my next appointed time to crank my vehicle. I remember her trying to listen, saying the whole time “wait”. I would quickly spill out a few more sentences and she’d say “wait” again. She said it so many times it became part of the flow of our conversation, like playing ping-pong. I served up my comments, she hit them back with one word. Wait.

 I deeply loved my mother, but that word annoyed me then. It feeds me now. I wait. I hear her telling me to wait.

 I pray to wait on the Lord’s serve each day. I want to receive His call to wait. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is get my coffee, my Bible and journal and I wait.

 I often sing a little tune I made up filled with anticipation. “ I want to know the Lord what the Lord has to say to me, I want to know. Can’t wait to know. Lord I come to you bringing all of me. Lord I come bringing all of my needs. I am heavily burdened yet I ‘m filled with your peace. O Lord, I come. Please take care of me.”

 Amen.

 “Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

 We become stronger through weathering the storms of our lives. However, it is good to take precautions to avoid storms whenever possible.  Each time I move into a new place to live or work, I put up a “storm watch” by asking God’s blessing upon my dwelling places. I desire to live in peaceful atmospheres. I often sprinkle Holy Water, which symbolizes our baptismal promises and union with Christ, as I walk through the space. I pray for God’s blessings upon the space. I ask the Lord to remove any evil or unrest that has dwelt in that space before me. Evil cannot dwell in the presence of Jesus. In this prayer I am confident that I surely avoid many storms.

 We all face storms in our lives. Many storms we face are from outside ourselves, many come from within ourselves. We are all in need of healing from the storms of our lives. Jesus is our healer. In the gospels, Jesus demonstrated his power to calms storms, cast out demons, restores sight to the blind and perform physical and spiritual healings.

 To receive Christ’s healing we must humble ourselves, repent of our sins, and ask for healing. Jesus became aware of the woman in the Bible who touched his garment. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked above the crowd. Anyone in the crowd could have touched him, but Jesus felt her touch the hem of His garment. He felt her faith, her belief and trust that if she could only get to Him, just touch even the hem of His garment, that He would heal her and he did.

 Come Lord Jesus into every physical and spiritual place we dwell, protect us through every storm and heal us. Give us the gift of relentless faith to push through the crowd to touch you and be healed.

Amen.

Jesus then asked, “Who touched me?”

Luke 8:44-48

 I remember when I was a little girl, probably around 5 years old, sitting on the porch in a big comfy chair with rollers in my hair. My older sister had fixed me up. My head was covered with those big plastic rollers, hair pinned and secured tightly in an oversized  plastic cap.  Sitting under a portable dryer, the heat felt so good as it rushed out warming my whole head. I felt like a grownup. Papa, my dad, stepped out onto the porch and saw me. He bent down to say something to me, but I cut him off quickly as I leaned forward and spoke to him loudly above the hum of the dryer, “I have so much to do today!” I can still see the amusement on his face and remember the sound of his laughter.

 “I have so much to do today,” I said to Jesus during my prayer hour yesterday. “Lord, please help me.” I began bargaining with the Lord, hoping He would give me several prayer reflections in one day, so that I could have a stock of blogs to send out daily to complete the 28 days. This would allow me to return to my normal routine and focus on all the other things I have to do.

 As I proceeded to complain, one word clearly filled my thoughts: MANNA.

 I thought of the Israelites in the wilderness, receiving just enough manna from God for each day.  I didn’t want to sit still waiting and trusting for His leading, but the Lord humbled me.  I remembered how it is often difficult for us to wait to hear God, that the Lord requires us to have faith and be patient in order to hear His wisdom and will for our lives.

I came face to face with my own call to experience the theme of our upcoming retreat, “Be Still and Know that I am God.” Psalm 46:11