March 31, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"You have escaped the formidable rocks. Beware lest you are wrecked on the sands."

Gregory Nanzianzen

March 31, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

My savior,
do you invite me to share
in the glory of the resurrection?
Please stay with me
as I struggle to see
how accepting the crosses of my life
will free me from the power
of the one who wants only
to destroy my love and trust in you.
Help me to be humble and accepting
like your son, Jesus.
I want to turn to you
with the same trust he had in your love.
Save me, Lord. Only you can save me. Amen.

March 30, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."

Henry David Thoreau

March 30, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God of such unwavering love,
how do I "celebrate"
the passion and death of Jesus?
I often want to look the other way
and not watch,
not stay with Jesus in his suffering.
Give me the strength
to see his love with honesty and compassion
and to feel deeply
your own forgiveness and mercy for me.
Help me to understand
how to "celebrate" this week.
I want be able to bring
my weaknesses and imperfections with me
as I journey with Jesus this week,
so aware of his love. Amen.

Geocaching Traveling Treasures

Many of you know that I have gotten involved (some would argue addicted) to geocaching. One of the neat things about geocaching is when you are able to discover travel bugs or geocoins in a cache. These special items travel from cache to cache and are tracked on line. I wanted to share some of the travelers I have found, so I thought that I would put together this little slide show:



Some of these treasures have already traveled a long distance overseas. Others, like my own personal Texas shaped SETX Gang Geocoin are about to begin their journey shortly when I take my geocaching vacation in a couple of weeks.

For my fellow geocachers, what is your favorite travel bug or geocoin find?

March 29, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for a while each day in our rooms."

Blaise Pascal

March 29, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God of love,
My prayer is simple:
Your son, Jesus, suffered and died for me.
I know only
that I cannot have real strength
unless I rely on you.
I cannot feel protected
from my many weaknesses
until I turn to you
for forgiveness and your unalterable love.
Help me to share this
strength, protection and love with others. Amen.

March 28, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Human things must be known to be loved: but Divine things must be loved to be known."

Blaise Pascal

March 28, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving God,
I am just beginning to realize how much you love me.
Your son, Jesus was humble and obedient.
He fulfilled your will for him by becoming human and suffering with us.
I ask you for the desire to become more humble
so that my own life might also bear witness to you.
I want to use the small sufferings I have in this world
to give you glory.

Please, Lord, guide my mind with your truth.
Strengthen my life by the example of Jesus.
Help me to be with Jesus in this week
as he demonstrates again his total love for me.
He died so that I would no longer
be separated from you.
Help me to feel how close you are
and to live in union with you. Amen.

*Sorry this did not get posted sooner...it was a big day in the life of our churches here in Port Arthur...I will write more later.

March 27, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"The world is ruled by force, not by opinion; but opinion uses force."

Blaise Pascal

March 27, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving God,
Your eternal watchfulness keeps me safe from harm.
I am filled with a great happiness
when I feel your endless love for me.
Thank you for your care for me, one of your children.
I ask you to protect from harm
those who will soon be your children,
joined in the joy of your church.
Please continue to pour out your blessings
on all of us who have been given
the lifegiving waters of baptism. Amen.

March 26, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart."

Blaise Pascal

March 26, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Most forgiving Lord,
again and again you welcome me back into your loving arms.
Grant me freedom from the heavy burdens of sin
that weigh me down
and keep me so far from you. Amen.

March 25, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ."

Blaise Pascal

March 25, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Lord,
all I want is to be faithful to you in my life,
but so often I fail.
Free me from my many sins
and guide me to the life I will share with you.
I wait for your promise to be fulfilled
with great hope in my heart
and your praise on my lips. Amen.

March 24, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"There once was in man a true happiness of which now remain to him only the mark and empty trace, which he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings, seeking from things absent the help he does not obtain in things present. But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God Himself."

Blaise Pascal

March 24, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving Creator,
I know in your great love for me,
you see the deep sorrow in my heart.
Hear my prayers which are offered
with such trust in you.

Be with me in both mind and heart
as I renew my life in your spirit. Amen.

March 23, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."

Blaise Pascal

March 23, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving God,
You have heard my complaints, my impatience.
Sometimes I become frightened
when I move away from you.
Guide my heart back to you.
Help me to think beyond my own wants
and to desire only to do you will.

Thank you for the many blessings in my life
and for the ways I feel your presence. Amen.

March 22, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Instead of complaining that God had hidden himself, you will give Him thanks for having revealed so much of Himself."

Blaise Pascal

March 22, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God of love,
I know that you are the source of all
that is good and graced in my life.
Help me to move from the life of sin
to which I so often cling,
into the new life of grace you offer me.
You know what I need to prepare for your kingdom.
Bless me with those gifts. Amen.

March 21, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Our only business is to love and delight ourselves in God."

Brother Lawrence

March 21, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

My loving Lord,
it's so hard to love the world sometimes
and to love it the way Jesus did seems impossible.
Help me to be inspired by his love and
guided by his example.
Most of all, I want to accept that I can't do it alone,
and that trying is an arrogance of self-centeredness.
I need you, dear God, to give me support in this journey.
Show me how to unlock my heart
so that I am less selfish.
Let me be less fearful of the pain and darkness
that will be transformed by you into Easter joy. Amen.

March 20, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"The greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon divine grace."

Brother Lawrence

March 20, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Lord,
what you ask of my life seems so right.
It is how I want to live,
following your Son, Jesus, so closely.
And yet I fail so often to stay on that path.
I cannot do it alone, loving Lord.
I need your help and guidance.
I need to remember your love for me
and I want to remember
how very much I need you in my life. Amen.

March 19, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"History belongs to the intercessors---those who believe and pray the future into being."

Walter Wink

March 19, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving God of forgiveness,
I come before you humbled and sad
in the face of my own repeated failings.
I hold out my hands as a petitioner would,
asking for mercy.
It is then that I feel you reach out and take my hand
in your loving grasp.
Thank you for the love you pour out on me
so lavishly.
Help me to follow more closely
in the path you have set for me,
the path of your Son. Amen.

March 18, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"When I think of death as a thing worth thinking of, it is in the hope of pressing, one day, some hard-fought and well-won field of battle, and dying with the shout of victory in my ear. That would be worth dying for, and more, it would be worth having lived for."

Sir Walter Scott

March 18, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Merciful Father,
I know that the tiny sacrifices I make this Lent
can never serve as a real penance in my life.
But help me to make my whole life
one of following your Son.
I am filled with your love.
Let your love shine out from within me
and guide my life in this sacred journey
toward the Easter joy you offer me. Amen.

March 17, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar."

Abraham Lincoln

March 17, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving and merciful God,
I am so aware of my sins and weaknesses.
But as painfully aware of my faults as I am,
Let me also remember your tender love,
your gentle and limitless forgiveness.
I come before you filled with pain and guilt
but look into your eyes and see the forgiving love
I so long for in my life.
Help me to forgive the same way.
Teach me to love as you love. Amen.

March 16, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us."

Abraham Lincoln

March 16, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Joyful praise in Lent?
I'm not sure I always feel that.
I ask you to help me prepare to understand
and embrace the paschal mystery in my life.
I don't always see the beauty and mystery
of this season
and often I run from the pain.
Help me to see how your saving grace
and your loving touch in my life
can fill me with joyful praise of the salvation
you have sent to me. Amen.

March 15, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own."

Abraham Lincoln

March 15, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God who created me,
You offer me new life through your Son
and through the gift of your sacraments.
While I see new life all around me,
I don't always recognize the new life you offer me.
Help me to grow this Lent in an awareness
of the gifts you place in my life
and in a greater appreciation for your care.
Give me the courage to ask for help. Amen.

March 14, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"None so empty of grace as he that thinks he is full."

Thomas Watson

March 14, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving Creator of mine,
I feel the pace quicken, the time draw near.
I am filled with joy as I move toward Easter
and the promised reconciliation with you.
Teach me to follow the example of your Son,
to be worthy of being called one his people:
a Christ-ian.
Help me to live each day as he did
turning hatred to love and conflict to peace.
I await the new life with eagerness, faith
and a deep gratitude. Amen.

March 13, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Nothing can be so unworthy of a well-composed soul as to pass away life in bickerings and litigations, in snarling and scuffling with every one around us."

Edmund Burke

March 13, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God of Mercy and Understanding,
I know that with help
I can open my heart more fully
to the mysteries of the suffering and death
of your son.
Help me to be humble in this journey
and remember that any mercy and compassion I feel
is a gift from you.
I await the joy of Easter with new longing and patience. Amen.

March 12, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other."

Edmund Burke

March 12, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God of Mercy,
I feel my heart overflowing with your tenderness.
I sense your loving touch deep within my soul.
I ask for your help in my weakness
that I might be faithful to your word
and I am so grateful
that your mercy for my failings
is as strong as your unbounded love for me. Amen.

March 11, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"There is a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue."

Edmund Burke

March 11, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving God,
I hear your invitation, "Come back to me"
and I am filled with such a longing to return to you.
Show me the way to return.
Lead me this day in good works I do in your name
and send your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
I ask only to feel your love in my life today. Amen.

March 10, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Man is by his constitution a religious animal."

Edmund Burke

March 10, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God, you love me as your own child.
May I bend my life and will toward you
so that I might accept your teaching and guidance.
I am so grateful for your support in my life,
now and in the eternal life you are preparing for me.
I beg for your help and Spirit in my life today. Amen.

March 9, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"The historicity of Christ is as axiomatic for an unbiased historian as the historicity of Julius Caesar."

F.F. Bruce

March 9, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God of infinite love,
I thank you for this reminder of your love
and your call that we be more patient,
gentle and compassionate with others.
Here in the middle of Lent,
I turn to you to beg for your help.
Please soften my heart.
Help me to let go of judging others.
I ask you this, in Jesus' name. Amen.

March 8, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"In proportion to the size of the vessel of faith, brought by us to the Lord, is the measure we draw out of His overflowing grace."

Cyprian

March 8, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Merciful God,
Free your Church from the sins of this world
and protect us from evil we see
and the evil we prefer to ignore.
We need your guidance, Lord
for we cannot do this alone.
Only with your help can we be saved.
Thank you for your desire to save us and love us.

March 7, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"There is within every soul a thirst for happiness and meaning."

Thomas Aquinas

March 7, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving Father,
So many times I turn away from you
and always you welcome me back.
Your mercy and love gives me confidence
Thank you for the invitation to share, fast and pray
so that you can form a new heart within me.
Your powerful compassion for my weaknesses
leads me to ask for mercy
and await with great hope the Easter joy you share with us. Amen.

March 6, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason."

Thomas Aquinas

March 6, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God of infinite love,
you shower me with limitless gifts in my life.
In my every thought and action today
guide me to the bright and loving light of your kingdom.
Help me to be aware of
the many ways you allow me
to share in your life so intimately today.
Thank you for the gifts you have placed in my life.
Let me be grateful every moment of this day. Amen.

March 5, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."

Thomas Aquinas

March 5, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving God, Caring parent,
I am a child who so often turns my back
on your love.
Please accept my small acts of sorrow today
and help to release me from the self-absorption
that closes my heart to you.
As I journey through Lent,
let me remember the feast you have prepared for me
in the resurrection
and let me be filled with thanks to you. Amen.

March 4, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer."

Thomas Aquinas

March 4, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Loving God,
I hear your invitation, "Come back to me"
and I am filled with such a longing to return to you.
Show me the way to return.
Lead me this day in good works I do in your name
and send your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
I ask only to feel your love in my life today. Amen.

March 3, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"As a matter of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the truth."

Thomas Aquinas

March 3, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God of Love,
through this Lenten journey,
purify my desires to serve you.
Free me from any temptations to judge others,
to place myself above others.
Please let me surrender even my impatience
with others,
that with your love and your grace,
I might be less and less absorbed with myself,
and more and more full of the desire
to follow you, in laying down my life
according to your example. Amen.

March 2, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real."

Thomas Aquinas

March 2, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

God in heaven and in my life,
guide me and protect me.
I so often believe I can save myself
and I always end in failure.
Lead me with your love away from harm
and guide me on the right path.
May your Spirit inspire the Church
and make us an instrument of your love
and guidance.
Thank you for your care for me. Amen.

March 1, 2010

Here is today's quote:

"Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real."

-Thomas Merton

March 1, 2010

Here is today's prayer:

Lord,
your commandment of love is so simple
and so challenging.
Help me to let go of my pride,
to be humble in my penance.
I want only to live the way you ask me to love,
to love the way you ask me to live.
I ask this through your son, Jesus,
who stands at my side
today and always. Amen.