Relationships

Hi all. I have recently been thinking about relationships.

All relationships are important. It does not matter if it is a romantic relationship or just friends. I will stress, relationships are important. We all learn things from each experience. When a relationship ends, we are upset and that is normal. I have had a few relationships that have ended. In each relationship, I have learned a lot about myself.

There are a few important things that are important to any relationship, be it romantic or friendship. Respect is a key part. If the two people don't respect each other, it does not work. You don't neccessarily have to agree with everything, just understand that the other person has their opinion. Another critical thing is listening. Many people in today's society have a problem with listening. Listen with your whole heart. Listen to understand what the other person is saying and offer advice, if asked. If two people don't listen, then there's nothing.

And the idea that you MUST have a romantic relationship to be happy is silly! Yes, you read correctly. It is silly if you think the only thing that will make you happy is a romantic relationship! The media will have you think: "The only way I will be truly happy is in a romantic relationship". No, no, no!

The true thing, that will make you happy, is God. Having a relationship with God WILL make you happy. You can talk with Him and He will listen to you. Pray to Him and He will hear your prayers.

All relationships are important.

Bible lessons on money

Yesterday I finished the New Testament and am now studying the Old Testament. Many people say the New Testament gives concrete advice on how we should live and the Old Testament is nothing but history. That is simply not true.

Right now, I am reading 2 Kings. It discusses how kings, in the past, ruled. Many of the kings disobeyed God. If you look deeper, 2 Kings tells us what angers God. One king is similiar to many leader's in today's world. King Menahem bribed the emperor of Assyria with money. The king died a short time later.

King Menahem shows God's anger with money. Money, in and of itself, is not bad. (It can help people out of desperate situations.) However, the motives behind money is important. When someone accumulates wealth, but does nothing with it- that is evil. When someone a leader has lots of money, and bribes someone- that is evil.

Money must be used for the good of all people.

A Small Miracle on Thanksgiving

Hi everyone. This small miracle happened on Thanksgiving 2009.

I went to the early Thankgiving mass at my parish to watch my dad give his first homily. I prayed for my Grandma G. (She passed away 4 years ago and always joined us for our Thanksgiving meal.) I prayed that she was happy and at peace with God in heaven.

When we got back home, my brother and I walked into the living room. He looked out the window and into our crab apple tree. He saw 2 things and asked me what they were. I wasn't sure so he yelled to our mom, who was in the kitchen. She saw woodpecker and something else. (It was bright red.)
She took out her binoculars and then she saw it... It was an apple! She then called my dad and he also saw it. We all were in amazement that a regular sized apple was in our tree!

The red apple in the tree represented "Grandma G". She IS happy and will be with us for Thanksgiving, in spirit.

Have you experienced a miracle in your life?

Actions speak louder than words

I'm sure someone has told you that at least once in your life. But have you ever wondered about the meaning behind it?

I have been told that twice in my life. My ex-boyfriend told it to me, towards the end of our relationship. And, just recently, my platonic male friend told it to me. I began to wonder what the line truly means.

It's GREAT to read the Bible and memorize some key verses. When you read the Bible, do so slowly in order to grasp the meaning. When you understand the meaning, write it down in a notebook. The simple act of writing helps us remember what we learned.

After writing it down, we must then live it. I can attest to the fact that it is not easy. Last Thursday, one of my friends invited me to her birthday dinner. (My platonic male friend was also there.) My platonic male friend brought his 2 year old daughter along and she started crying, so he took her to another room. I looked at his empty chair and started thinking. I debated, for several minutes, wheher or not I should talk with him. I finally made up my mind and did not. (I thought he wanted time alone with his daughter.) He e-mailed me 2 days later and was upset; he thought I ignored him. I explained my thoughts and he wrote back saying: actions speak louder than words.

Yes, actions DO speak louder than words. We must live what we learn from the Bible. If we do not, we are the same as non-Christians. I'm not saying living our faith is easy, because it's not! We should pray "God, you know how I struggle with life. Give me the courage to live my faith this day and all rest of my days. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen."

The power of forgiveness

I have been thinking about the power of forgiveness lately. In September, I went to the yearly retreat thru my church. During the retreat, I went to the healing service. (The service heals you from physical or emotional problems.) As the priest made his way thru the people, I prayed to forgive my ex-boyfriend and the strengthening of my friendship with Sara. (She is friends with my ex-boyfriend.) There are no adjectives for what happened next. All of a sudden, I felt heat run thru my entire body!

I had another powerful experience the next day, Sunday. When I woke up, I could not remember what my ex-boyfriend looked like! I tried hard to remember his facial features, but simply could not. God helped me completely forgive John!

I needed time to heal from my ex, so I did not contact my friend for 2 months. I called for this first time on November 9 and explained why I haven't contacted her.
She completely understood and our friendship has never been stronger.

God is great!

Is suffering bad?

Each of us have gone thru many struggles in our lifetime. Nine times out of ten, our struggles are not suffering; it is our emotions. When most of us suffer, the first thing we do is cry. Sadness is a very strong and powerful emotion.

Many of us suffer from one or two main things: death and the economy. Death is very powerful suffering; we lost someone dear to us. The economy also hits home. Maybe we, ourselves, are out of work or someone we love has lost their job.

Have you considered that suffering can be good? Yes, you read right-- suffering is good. Let me explain.

1 Peter is a great book to read if you are currently going thru a struggle. It discusses how suffering can be good. One verse speaks of suffering for God. (If you were "looked down on" simply because you believe in God.) "But if you endure suffering, even when you have done right, God will bless you for it" (1 Peter: 20)
-- In other words, God will bless you if you suffer because of him. (That is very powerful!)

Another verse speaks in terms of general suffering. "My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you. Rather, be glad that you are sharing Christ's sufferings so that you may be full of joy when His glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13)
-- In other words, we may suffer for a short time here on earth, but God will give us blessings and happiness when we go to heaven.

Feel free to comment and remember that suffering does not last forever.

An amazing experience

Hi all. I would like to share with you a very powerful experience I had 5 years ago. Before this experience, it felt like I was going to burn up from heat exhaustion and I even said I'd be guardian angel for a couple of my friends.

This is what happened... I was in downtown Milwaukee, on the corner of Milwaukee and Wisconsin streets. I was waiting for something. I saw VERY bright light in the distance. I watched as the bright light approached me, where I stood. I then saw it was a bus. There were 2 people standing next to me. I saw my neighbor Jim who died 10 years ago and my high school English teacher who died 6 years ago. They stood next to me. Jim walked on the bus and my English teacher whispered to me "get on the bus". I smiled at her and did not get on the bus.

Here it is, 2009, and I remember vividly what happened. I racked my brain trying to come up with an explanation and still do not have one.

Feel free to comment.

My faith story

Hi all. When I was a teenager, I sometimes felt family wasn't as important as friends. I had many friends and did not spend much time with my family.
I followed advice from my friends instead of my parents. I was like most teens in that I thought my parents could not relate to young people. Why should I listen to their advice? They did not like the same music I liked.

Now as I'm nearing my 30th birthday, I view family differently. I am VERY thankful for my parents. My mother gave birth to me and my father gave me the strength to endure in this sometimes painful world. I am also ever thankful that they passed on their faith to me.

In my studies of the Bible, I saw one major difference in the Catholic faith. It was in relation to faith and heaven. I was taught that the ONLY way to make it to heaven was to follow the 10 commandments. Faith was only mentioned in relation to God; we must have faith in God.

When I read in the Bible that faith was required to make it to heaven, I was shocked! I thought: so where do the 10 commandments come in? I was silent for a few seconds and God spoke to me. I wrote in my journal: "The 10 commandments show us where we sin. They CONVICT of us of sin. If we did not have them, we would not know where we have sinned. We must ask God to forgive our sins and have faith that he has forgiven us. Faith in God will get us heaven. Faith that He will answer our prayers. And faith by allowing him to rule our lives."

Feel free to comment.

Knowledge is power!!

Right now, I am listening to a very interesting podcast. One of my friends practices a different religion from me. I am learning a lot from her podcast.
Even though it is a religion different from mine, I am learning a lot.

I am seeing many similarities between the two religions. I think people need to expand their knowledge. Knowledge in religion and in life. It expands your knowledge into other people's lives. I'm going to repeat myself, but I feel it's very important... Knowledge is power. Knowledge expands your knowledge of the world. You see how others see the world. You don't have to agree with them, or go with their views. Just knowing where they came from is important. And when you learn new things, you MAY see some similarities.

The topic I'm listening to is my friend telling her family & friends her religion.
Her experiences are interesting!

Until next time, expand your knowledge.

Trust in the Bible

Hi everyone. I am currently reading a few remaining books in New Testament. Yesterday, Nov 2, I read Titus. Titus is short but "packs a lot of punch". A few lines are key for followers of God. These lines also spoke to me because I had been recently going thru a "friend issue".

"But avoid stupid arguments, long list of ancestors, quarrels, and fights about the Law. They are useless and worthless. Give at least two warnings to those who cause divisions, and then have nothing to do with them. You know that such people are corrupt, and their sins prove that they are wrong". (Titus 3:9-11)

When you know or are aware somone has done something wrong, tell them. You bring it to their attention, when you tell them. If they forget, remind them a second time.
After you tell them, twice, they may realize that they did something wrong.
The key here is change and trust. If they apologize, you may want to continue the friendship/relationship... if you think they will change. If they do not apologize, and you don't think they will change, end the friendship/relationship. This may be hard to do, but it all boils down to trust. If trust gone, there is no friendship or relationship.

Do not automatically end the friendship/relationship based on one mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. If the person makes the same mistake twice, that's when you have to think. Do you think the other person will make the same mistake again?
And trust must be considered... Do you still trust the other person?

What do you think?

The power of praying

How many of you have ever doubted the power of prayer?
I, myself, was one of them. I remember praying VERY hard for a boyfriend. I didn't ask for anything else, just a boyfriend. No boyfriend appeared and I was about to give up hope until June 23 of this year. God did bring me a boyfriend, but it was NOT what I expected! We dated for about 3 months; Memorial Day thru Labor Day. (I nick-named him "my summer dud".)

That lesson taught me to be more specific when I pray. I continue to pray for a job. I have been praying: "God, give me a job that is in your path for my life".
It beneficial for both... I'm giving God control over my life and, at the same time, I'm letting God know that I need a job.

Thanks to all of my family and friends who have been praying for me, I have secured two interviews for the week of November 2. God is good!

You CAN be strong!

Right now I'm reading 2 Timothy, in the New Testament. One line, in particular, spoke to me. I'm going thru a trial right now and this one line really spoke to my heart. This one line speaks to everyone going thru a trial and gives us hope.

"For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead the Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control". (2 Timothy 1:7)

If we look inside ourselves, the Holy Spirit is there to comfort us. All we need to do is tap into that power. How do we do that? By praying; simple as that. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give us the courage to endure whatever trial we're facing.
It is a guarantee that God will answer our prayer. It may not be what we expect, but God knows what's best for us. He is ultimately the one who is in control of our lives, not us.

Grumpiness is not an option!

This blog is based on the great movie "Where the Wild Things Are".

The main character in the movie, Max, meets these strange creatures. Critics who saw the movie argued over what the creatures symbolized.

I saw the strong connection between the creatures and many Americans today.
The creatures never smile and their voices are filled with sadness. We all have struggles in our life; death, war, and the economy to name a few. How we deal with those issues determines our satisfaction out of life.

"How do I get satisfaction out of life if all of these bad things are happening?" It's simple: gratitude. Be grateful for what you have, not for what you don't. Are you healthy? If so, be grateful. Are you employed? Be grateful you have a job in this troubling economy. If you are unemployed, are you actively seeking work? Be grateful there are jobs out there you can apply to. Another key is to be grateful for the little things in life. Is it raining where you are? Be grateful that the flowers will be able to bloom. Is it snowing?
Be grateful that you will get exercise by shoveling!

You may not be able to fix your situation immediately, but I can guarantee you will feel better.

Friends are such a blessing!

Today I had lunch with my best friend and she is the inspiration behind this blog.

When is the last time you hugged or thanked your friends? Friendship needs to be cared for and nurtured, just like a romantic relationship. You must protect and nurture your friendships.
True friends will be there for you thru both the good and tough times. You can spot a "bad" friend easily; they will not hesitate to turn on you the minute something bad happens to you. Friends are a true blessing from God. I think he realized we needed "outsiders" to care about us. (Outsiders as in "outside our family".) God puts strong emphasis on friends.

We need friends to help us thru troubled times...
"In trouble like this, I need loyal friends--- whether I've forsaken God or not". (Job 6:14)

and during the good times...
"Friends always show their love." (Proverbs 17:17)

The Bible also stresses the importance of choosing good friends ...
"Keep company with the wise and you will be wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will become stupid." (Proverbs 13:20)
--- The verse means to choose a friend who's knowledgable in God's teachings, so you can please God by the way you live your life.

Friends are one of the many ways God blesses his people. Pray for your friends, that they will a blessing for both of you.

Until next time, never take your friends for granted.

Waiting is hard to do!!

Waiting is VERY hard for most of us, myself included. Many people want things not later, now. Waiting is very important in life. It helps build character and we begin to appreciate things more. Sometimes we take things for granted, when it's been with us for awhile. Waiting makes us feel uncomfortable. Why? Because it makes us realize we are not in control. What happens after we wait, we have no control over. How many of us dislike not being in control!!

Here's an example of what I mean, from my life. I have been unemployed now for 3 months. I am appreciating the things I could not do when I worked, such as creative writing. I'm also discovering new things about myself I did not know before. I am now making jewelry; necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bookmarks. Being unemployed has also made me realize it's not in my control; I was not the one who caused my unemployment. From this unemployment, I'm growing closer to God.

I take one hour every morning to read the Bible. By starting my day this way, I feel more at peace throughout the day.

Whenever you feel uncomfortable about waiting, turn to God and you will feel better; that's a guarantee!

Negative thoughts

Hi all. Today's blog will discuss a trial I am currently going thru.

I heard on the news the other day, that 10% of Americans are unemployed. That number shocked me! Unfortunately, I am one of the 10%.

I have been looking for a job for about 3 1/2 months. Now that may not seem like a long time, but think of it this way... I worked at the same company for 5 years! One of my personality traits is that I'm optimistic. However, this job loss is challenging me! The devil has been tempting me lately, to become sad and depressed.

There is some truth to negative thoughts. Here me out... I believe being negative is ok, in moderation. Everyone has a right to complain. Whether you vent your frustrations to other people or write about them in a journal, it helps you identify them. Once you identify your thoughts, you can take them to God. God will listen to your frustrations and you will be free from your negative thoughts.

What do YOU think?

It's NOT all about me!

Hi all. Today concluded my reading of Romans.

One passage jumped out at me because it relates so much to today's society.
"We do not live for ourselves only & we do not die for ourselves only. If we live, it is for the Lord that we live, & if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord". (Romans 14:7-8)

When you turn on your TV, most likely you will see a commercial. Watch that commercial. Do you see the main character helping others OR do you see a person talking about how that product will help you? More likely than not, it will be about helping you. You need to take care of yourself, yes, for health reasons. But it is wrong when you never think about what others are going thru; you only think about yourself.

In the above passage from Romans, God is saying to lean on Him. Make Him your #1 priority. Live for God, not yourselves. Do good things for others, and yourselves last. I understand this is not easy, especially in today's society. But think of the rewards if we do this one thing!

What do YOU think?

Welcome one and all!

Hi everyone. Thanks for joining me on my journey! This blog will take you, day-by-day, into my journey with God.

I will blog about my joys and struggles along the way of following God. Because life is a journey with no end, this blog will also not have an end.

Today's blog will be about the Bible.

I have been a Catholic all my life. My parents baptized me into the Catholic faith when I was just an infant. My Catholic faith journey has been challenging at times, especially during the teenage years! I went to church and always followed the ten commandements. I always thought that following the commandments, alone, was going to make me go to heaven.

Today is when I discovered "the rules" are NOT how you live your life! What a shock that was to my system! Right now, I am in the middle of reading Romans. Romans 7:6 specifically spoke to me: "Now, then, we are free from the Law because we died to that which once held us as prisoners. No longer do we serve in the old way of the written law, but in the new way of the Spirit". We are to live as the Holy Sprit tells us. I must listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to me, on a daily basis. I am to live exactly as the Holy Spirit tells me to live. The commandments were given to show us where we sin.

What are YOUR thoughts?