The weather in Cheyenne the past two weeks has been very Spring like. Some days were 70 degrees and without any wind I can firmly state that is ideal! I really feel like digging in the flower bed and start planting, yet I know that is not realistic because past experience says we will have several more snow storms! It is still Lent and will be for two and a half more weeks. That means there is still time to fulfill some of your lenten promises. I have been praying extra hard for a person I know that needs prayer. Jesus told his disciples that some things require more prayer, so I am following his advice. I pray also that your lent has been a good time to draw closer to our Lord Jesus. Enjoy the warm weather!

Dinner Guests

I invited special friends to dinner this week and then I began getting the house spruced up, decided on the menu and then shopped for the items I was out of. I spent most of the day cooking, setting a special table and making sure all was ready for my dinner party. We had a delightful evening of spirited conversation, laughter and just enjoying this special time together. The food was delicious and everyone ate heartily and after the guests left, I sat down to reflect if it all had been worth it! My feet hurt from being on them all day and I was tired! My answer was a resounding yes, for it is my way of showing special friends that I really do value their friendship and enjoy being with them. I also reflected on Jesus and his friends, the apostles. He had a "Last Supper" with them before he was crucified. All of the paintings I have seen of this scene depict an enjoyable time together as the apostles didn't know that it was to be their last meal together. Jesus also cooked for them after he rose from the dead. After they fished all night and came ashore a man was standing over a fire cooking fish for them. They didn't recognize him at first but in the breaking of the bread their eyes were opened.
Putting your best foot forward and putting on a good meal for friends is one of my ways of using the gift of hospitality the Lord gives. I realize it would also be good to go out into the highways and byways and invite in the lost and forsaken, but I don't want to neglect my friends either. So I feel there is a way to accomplish both, however in this day I would find another means of helping the lost and forsaken as I don't feel it would be safe to have them to my home.
Have you cooked a good meal and shared it with friends lately?

Lent

Lent begins tomorrow (Wednesday, February 22) and lasts for six weeks. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday when we are reminded that we are dust and to dust we shall return. I see Lent as an opportunity to draw closer to Jesus by my sacrifices and prayers. These prayers in turn will help others as I pray each day for whoever is placed on my heart. Lent is an opportunity to actively do good things for others. It may be in the form of a monetary offering or it may be calling someone that is lonely. It is a time to study my beliefs and attend church more often. As a Catholic, I am fortunate I can go to Mass every day. This is an opportunity to offer up the Mass for that day's intention. It may be someone I know or heard of that is suffering from a severe illness, having emotional problems or marriage troubles. It may be someone that is in need of a job or just needing to pass a test in school. I pray often for healing, for it seems there is always someone who needs to be healed. Lent is also a great time to reflect on all that Jesus did to redeem us. It is a good time to praise and worship him and thank him for the many graces and blessings he showers us all with each day. It is also a good time to fast along with prayer. I pray you all have a good Lent and on Easter morning you will rise up and be thankful for the six weeks you had to renew your faith.

Heal our Land!

My husband and I have been crying out to our God to heal our land! So many problems in recent years have invaded our land. I do not have to name the problems because they are broadcast on the news daily, in fact we are bombarded with it! This brings about stress and concern in our lives even if we don't dwell on it or talk about it. What is the solution? I would suggest to you that the answer is in II Chronicles ch 7 vs 14 "If my people upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land." I believe that is a promise from our God and if we do what he says, he will heal our land! Sounds very simple, however how many of us actually do what the verse in Chronicles tells us to do? Something to think and pray about! Have a good week.

How is your New Year's Resolution going?

I am beginning to think it is best not to tell anyone about your New Year's resolutions, not alone publish them on my blog! Some of the areas I wrote about are going very well, but the one thing I really wanted to work on has become harder than I realized. I proclaimed I would eat healthy and exercise and the weight would just fall off! I forgot to factor in the times we would find ourselves eating out at a restaurant or invited to someone's home for a delicious meal! Don't get me wrong, it is always on my mind and yet when that delectable piece of pie or cake is served, I forget about all of my resolve to lose weight and there goes the diet! St. Paul in the book of Romans has a similar dilemma when writing about sin. He writes, "I cannot even understand my own actions. I do not do what I want to do but what I hate." So, it is a very human condition to fall, yet I know with the Lord's grace I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me. Today is a new day and a new beginning, so back to working on the healthy diet! I sincerely hope all of you are having success with your New Year's Resolution. God Bless!

New Years Resolution!

Christmas has come and seemed to be over in a blink of an eye! Now I am making a list and checking it twice for New Year's resolutions. I have discovered from my many years of making lists that I am better off if I stick to one good New Years resolution instead of trying to work on a miriad of things. So here is my plan: I write down everything that comes to me that I feel I should change in the year 2012. Then I choose the one that glares out at me with a red blinking light that says "work on me". The following are some of the areas I would like to improve on or change: Lose weight, eat a healthy diet, exercise, don't ever judge anyone, think positive, restore a lost relationship, make out a budget and stick to it, pay only with cash and leave the credit cards at home, watch less tv, read more, etc.
The above are all worthwhile resolutions and most of them I am already working on but would like to improve, so the one that glares out at me with the blinking red light is: Eat a Healthy Diet!
If I resolve to eat healthy and leave all sugars and carbs alone then I will lose weight and feel all around healthier. I will then have a more positive attitude about the things that come my way and cause me not to judge anyone or indulge in shopping. I will have more energy so I will want to exercise more and get out of my lazy boy and watch less t.v. Isn't it amazing how choosing just one resolution and sticking to it will reverberate and bring about changes in the other areas of my life and help me to accomplish the many goals I wrote down in the first place. How do I know this? Well, two years ago I began a healthy eating plan and all of the above took place, but then I began to indulge in sweets a little here and a little there and soon put on ten pounds. Then I didn't have the energy to exercise and that caused me to sit more and watch more tv than I know is good for me, etc. So if you like my plan I urge you to give it try and see what wonderful results will come about. I plan to keep you informed on this blog how it is working for me! Stay tuned and have a Happy New Year!

Whiter than Snow

In the early morning, it is such a beautiful sight to pull up the shades on the window and look out to freshly fallen snow! It reminds me of the scripture in Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us set things right says the Lord. Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow" What a beautiful promise from our Lord that we too can have that purity we see right after the snow has fallen and can pray like the Psalmist in Ps 51:9 "Wash me and make me whiter than snow". God is such a forgiving God and all we need to do is ask for his forgiveness and he grants it. Are we that forgiving with one another? I believe if we truly desire to be pure and white as the new fallen snow, we must forgive as Jesus forgives. We can still be ourselves, but we will be transformed into a much more caring, loving and kind person if we strive to be whiter than snow! The following is from my book "Living Waters: Writings from the Heart of a Christian" and is found on page 19. "Your sins are forgiven. Your guilt is covered over by the blood of the lamb. You are set free from past sins and burdens. I remember them no more and neither should you. Be free my child! Be carefree and happy! Let my spirit soar within you, filling you with my love and grace". May the Lord Jesus bless you and help you to become whiter than snow!