Light The Fire..Again
"However great the work that God may achieve by an individual, he must not indulge in self-satisfaction. He ought rather to be all the more humbled, seeing himself merely as a tool which God has made use of..."
BUSY ONE: I cant believe how fast this weekend has gone already. It has been quite a busy weekend, yet also productive at the same time. Good things took place this weekend, a time to reflect one some different things going on in my life. My outlook going into this weekend changed and God showed me why today. Im feelin these pics cuz it kinda describes of how I felt today. Sometimes all it takes is really opening up your heart up to God. This weekend juss confirmed that its not worth putting up pettiness and sweating the small stuff. The only thing that I didnt get to do this weekend was work out. Oh well, that was the least of my concerns for the weekend. Hmm so let's see where do I begin? ha
IT CAME IN: Pretty much the whole morning and afternoon, I stayed home waiting for the UPS guy to come. Checking on the status of my shipment errlike 5 secs. Finally at around 430ish, it finally came in yay! I was so excited to open up the package and pull out my nokia 626o. The only thing that I was worried bout is that I get errthang working then find out its doesnt work out for cingular. Though, it all worked out! This phone is freakin tight, its juss gonna be a matter of figuring out all the different features and stuff. Now the next thing is to get me a blue toof, especially when I'm driving or the around the house, I dont have to worry bout missing calls. Yeah, so it's a little bit and not as thin as the razr, I dont care its wha I've always wanted...a nokia flip phone!
DIFFERENT THINGS: I think some people would call me crazy for spending over $100 on shoes, or if I spent over a $100 on a phone or something. THough, errone has their own particular interets. THings that like spending $200 on a certain video game may seem crazy to me, but to you its all worth it. Thas why they call stuff like collecting top of the line shoes or purses or phones or video game systesms hobbies right? Stuff that you love to do or love to collect...yup hobbies are cool, but they can get a little too expensive! ha In the end though they're all worth it, unless it breaks down ha So when it all comes down to it, it goes w/that one them song to that old show where they go...'differnt strokes for different folks.' It sure is...
FIRST ONE: MY I've never gone to too many concerts in my lifetime. In fact I can probably count on my fingers how many concerts I've gone to. What I miss going to are those ol skool 'episode concerts.' I had only gone to two of them I think, but it was still cool watching it. Anyway, so I went on friday to go watch this guy murs perform. It was my first time watching an underground hip hop artist perrform. Good show, only I wish I wasn't so tired. The music was good, and the people were pretty crazy ha. Great experience though, juss watching something totally different from the norm. I had a good seat up top sitting on top of the couch leaning agaisnt the air conditioner to keep me cool! ha
WORKSHOP: Growth workshop, went real well this weekend. Praise God that it seemed a lot of people were able to truly 'grow' spiritually and w/in their own community. Serving on sunday, God juss opened my eyes to something. Spent a lot of time this weekend too at the blessed sacrament, which is always good. The importance of community was really shown through the actions of many. Its true, its hard to keep that fire alive and burning on your own. Pretty much impossible, thas why God created people to help you keep the fire burning. Watching communities come up one by one and light that 'fire' was humbling and yet also inspiring. God showed me this weekend, why certain things that took place this year, why He allowed them to happen. Basically it comes down to lighting the fire again, by making disciples of all nations.
AT THE CAR WASH: Dropped by UTC's car wash fundraiser yesterday, had them watch my car. Which has been dirty for the longest time. I hated walking to my car and seeing it so filthy and gross. Well its not the shinest car on the block, but hey its a lot cleaner then it was the other day. On top of all taht, it looks like they came out making some bank on the fundraiser too. Making more then wha you spent on the project is always a happy thign to know. While watching them I juss wanted to start bust out the song and start dancing...working at the car wash, at the car wash.
COOL THING: Dane, one of the youf group leaders found this pamphlet on top 10 reasons why people come back to the faith. Its pretty tight.
#10-Because they want meaning in life.
In the hustle of today's busy lifestyles, lots of people suddenly realize that their lives have lost a sense of meaning or purpose. They begin to ask themselves, "What is my life all about? Why do I do what I do?" There is a widespread confusion in our culture regard to morality and truth. The Catholic Church offers a beacon of light that gives meaning to our existence and leads to eternal life.
#9-Because childhood memories surface.
Some people say childhood memories of feeling connected to God surface in later life. They begin to ask themselves, "Is it possible to recapture that simplicity of faith? Can I ever really believe that God is watching out for me? The secularization of our society leads people away from the spiritual side of themselves. The Catholic Church offers both religious and mystical experiences that feed the heart, the mind, the body, and the soul.
#8-Because they made mistakes.
Some people become burdened with the weight of accumulated sin. They want to get rid of the guilt of having hurt themselves or others. They begin to ask themselves, Will God ever forgive me? Is there any way I can start over with a clean slate?" You can always tell God that you're sorry. But if you want complete assurance of God's forgiveness and grace to start again, the Catholic Church offers absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
#7-Because they need to forgive others.
Sometimes people hold on to anger and resentment toward individuals who have hurt them deeply. Maybe it was a family member or friend. Maybe it was someone or something in the church. Our modern culture condones and encourages anger and revenge. But hatred and bitterness are spiritual cancers that eat at the heart of a person. The Catholic Church provides the opportunity to seek God's help in forgiving others, even when the other person does not ask for forgiveness, or does not deserve it. The ability to forgive is a gift that opens a person's heart more fully to God's love and peace.
#6-Because they want to be healed.
Some people carry deep spiritual wounds. They struggle with anger at God over bad things - a terminal illness, a debilitating injury, a broken relationship, mental or emotional problems, an act of violence against an innocent person, an unexplainable accident, some natural disaster, the death of a loved one, or some other deep disappointment. The Catholic Church cannot change these situations or explain why they happened. But there are people in the Church who can assist in spiritual healing and help you get on with your life.
#5-Because the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth and grace.
Many people who leave the Catholic Church are blessed by the experience of worshipping for awhile in another Christian denomination. But some people come back when they realize that Catholicism has the fullness of truth and grace. The Catholic Church was not founded by a single reformer or historical movement. It is not fragmented by individual interpretation of Scripture. There are thousands of Christian denominations, but only one Catholic Church, which has been guided and protected by the Holy Spirit from generation and generation for some two thousand years.
#4-Because they want their children to have a faith foundation.
Some people return to the Catholic Church because they recognize that raising children in a culture that promotes "doing your own thing" can lead to disaster. Children need to experience the spiritual dimension of life. They need a structured system of belief and firm moral foundation that goes beyond human logic and reasoning. People return because they want a solid foundation upon which other children can build lives.
#3-Because they want to be part of a community.
Many people seek a sense of belonging. But community is more that just a friendly people, good sermons, interesting activities. A Catholic Christian community is a group of people who gather around the person of Jesus Christ to worship God and live in the light of the Holy Spirit. Catholics come together in Mass, in the sacraments, and in parish activities to pray, to celebrate joys, to mourn losses, to serve others, to provide support, and to receive strength for daily life. A Catholic parish offers all of this- and much more - to people who recognize the importance of walking with others toward union with God.
#2-Because they want to help other people.
There are lots of opportunities within the secular world to volunteer. What's missing is the spiritual dimension that service within the Catholic Church provides. It's more than just a "feel-good" activity. It's part of the great commandment to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. In reaching out to others, Catholic volunteers become instruments of God's love. The Catholic Church offers opportunities to touch lives of people at home or around the world.
#1-Because they hunger for the Eucharist
Many people come back to the Catholic Church because they feel an intense longing for the Eucharist. Sometimes it happens at a wedding, funeral, baptism, a First Communion, or confirmation. Sometimes it happens when people are alone or facing difficulties in life. They describe it as a deep hunger for the spiritual nourishment that comes when they receive the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. This hunger for the Eucharist triggers recognition of the presence of Christ in other sacraments, which draws them even more deeply into the practice of their Faith. It is, without exception, the number one reason people come back to the church. Most people discover coming back to the Church is not an event as much as it as a process that involved a little pain, a little laughter ,some thinking, some prayer, some discernment, and a lot of letting go. "My actual return to full participation in a parish took about three years after I felt the first longing." One person admitted.
And what do they get in return? The Catholic Church offers union with Jesus Christ in scripture, in prayer, in the community of others, in the Eucharist, and in the other sacraments. It offers spiritual support in good times and bad. It offers divine wisdom that is thousands of years old. It offers meaning and purpose in this life and the promise of life after death. You’ll know you are home when you begin to feel a deep sense of peace.
Which of these applied to you?!
TRIPPY: I dont believe in tarot cards, astrology, horoscopes, and all that kinda stuff. Before I use to love reading that kind of stuff. THough now that I've learned the dangers of it, and how we try to 'play God' I stay away from it all. Anyway, one of my friends called me tonite, telling me how she went to a tarot card reader or palm reader or something like that. Anyway, the reader told her how her bf been cheating on her for a month now and that they're gonan break up and all this other stuff. Well, my friend goes home and goes to her bf's house first calls him and tells him she's ending it. She asked him why he was cheating on her, and well instead of him denying it he juss said, 'who told you' and 'how do you know.' Hmm pretty crazy I think.
"hey get your car wash today..."im done, im out God bless!
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