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Monday, June 30, 2014

The Family Business

"I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven,"
Jesus tells Peter in Matthew 16:19.

I think we will never know the full reason why,
but I think one of the reasons why
Jesus gave Peter the keys,
was because the scribes and Pharisees
put obstacles and made it so difficult
for ordinary people to follow God!
“Woe to you Scribes, because 
you have taken away the keys of knowledge!"
(Luke 11:52)

Even today it is very difficult for the
ordinary Jew to read their Jewish Bible 
and understand it. I recently read
the writings of Dr. Michael Brown, 
who was converted from a 16 year old
heroin addict. He became a Messianic Jew.

He became so frustrated with the answers the
Rabbis were giving him, that he decided to
learn Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Yiddish,
Aramaic, etc.-- 15 languages in all, 
just to find the truth for himself!

He discovered that rabbinic Judaism
deviated from the Jewish Bible!!!! 
Rabbis were claiming that their faith
was based on oral tradition dating back to Moses. 
And this kept many Jews from 
reading the Jewish bible on their own.
It was sort of like that game where you pass
a message in secret from one person 
to another, only to find that the person at the end,
received an entirely different message!

In Jeremiah 29:13, we read,
"You will seek me and find me 
when you seek me with all your heart."
Praise God, we can read the Bible,
pray for guidance and discernment,
and do not need to go to our leaders
for interpretation of every little phrase in it!!!


 Even today it is very difficult for the
ordinary Jew to read their Jewish Bible 
and understand it. I recently read
the writings of Dr. Michael Brown, 
who was converted from a 16 year old
heroin addict. He became a Messianic Jew.

He became so frustrated with the answers the
Rabbis were giving him, that he decided to
learn Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Yiddish,
Aramaic, etc.-- 15 languages in all, 
just to find the truth for himself!

He discovered that rabbinic Judaism
deviated from the Jewish Bible!!!! 
Rabbis were claiming that their faith
was based on oral tradition dating back to Moses. 
And this kept many Jews from 
reading the Jewish bible on their own.
It was sort of like that game where you pass
a message in secret from one person 
to another, only to find that the person at the end,
received an entirely different message!

In Jeremiah 29:13, we read,
"You will seek me and find me 
when you seek me with all your heart."
Praise God, we can read the Bible,
pray for guidance and discernment,
and do not need to go to our leaders
for interpretation of every little phrase in it!!!


 "I will correct you...." Psalm 50:21

"Yes Lord, correct me!"
It's difficult to find anyone who will
say this wholeheartedly, joyfully,
voluntarily!!!!
Ever since I was young, my prayer was,
"Lord, please treat me gently!"
And He did! My life was wonderful!
No hardship or trials.
But one day, I had a vision.
My one and only vision.
I was before the Blessed Sacrament
during a Singles Retreat.
I was in a beautiful garden with the Lord.
All the plants were blooming,
riotous with color and vibrant with life.
Jesus said, "You know Patsy,
I am the gardener here.
I take care of every one of these plants.
I prune each one of them.

 "I will show you a plant I do not prune."
He led me to a dead, decaying tree 
in the middle of all the beauty.
It was brown, withered. 
"I am sure you do not like to be like this."

In a way, He was asking my permission 
to prune me, to correct me.
Job, one of the most "corrected" of men,
said in Job 5:17, said: 
"Behold, how happy is the man
whom God reproves, 
So do not despise the 
discipline of the Almighty."
The correction of a loving Father
reveals our condition,
redirects our course,
and restores our joy.
We can pray like Jeremiah,
"So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. 
Do not correct me in anger, for I would die."
(Jeremiah 10:24)

 "Did you not know that I must be about
my Father's business?" Jesus answered Mary
after 3 days of looking for Him. 
(Luke 2:41-51)

I have been working in our family business
since I was 11 years old. In our last 'Board Meeting',
my dad said our business was a miracle.
So it is. It was started by my mom,
with no capital, with more common sense
than business sense. And it is being
managed by a family with more creative
inclinations than business savvy.
And it is, by the grace of God,
doing very well!

But there is another business that 
is even more of a miracle.
More than 2000 years ago, 
the Father left the business
to His Son (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
And the Son had to learn everything
in 30 years, and pass it on
to all sorts of ordinary people,
like fishermen and tax collectors!
He invited them to invest,
to commit themselves to
this amazing business plan,
to follow Him and to advertise
the business and spread the Word.

It is a business that will never fail,
never go bankrupt, and you don't
have to be rich or smart or popular
to be a part of it!
It's not easy, but there is a manual
of instructions, a business plan,
to read and follow. 

What is great about this business,
is the promise of success and blessing
if we follow and obey (Dt. 28:1-2)
And if we continue and be faithful,
the retirement plan is out of this world!

Are you in?

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Friday, June 27, 2014

Paint Party Friday: Follow Your Heart!

I'm starting a new project.
I hope it comes out as beautiful
as I see it in my mind!!!
I dyed fabric and lace in tea
to make it look old.

And after laying it down
and "auditioning" the pieces,
I am now sewing it.

 We've all come across the phrase
"Follow your heart".
I probably have used it myself!
But the heart has many longings,
and it's different for each person.
Many long for love and look for it 
in the oddest places and persons!
Some long for fame, success, wealth.
I know somebody who wants to be left alone.
Another who is afraid of being alone.

 Because of these various desires and longings,
if we follow our heart we will not find rest.

St. Augustine said it well,
"You have made us for yourself, Lord,
and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee."
He made this statement after his many 
wanderings and running after the longings of his heart. 
"I was in love with love and I hated safety," he had said.

So instead of following our heart,
we need only to follow Jesus.
"Come to me, all you who are weary
and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28.

 "I never knew you..." Mt. 7:23


How sad it would be if
after reading the bible
we could not say 
we knew Jesus!

The Jews read about Jesus
in their Hebrew bible all the time,
but they don't recognize Him.

"A number of years ago,
Peter W. Stoner and 
Robert C. Newman wrote
a book entitled Science Speaks. 
The book was based on 
the science of probability and 
vouched for by the
American Scientific Affiliation. 
It set out the odds of any one man 
in all of history fulfilling even 
only eight of the 60 major 
prophecies (and 270 ramifications) 
fulfilled by the life of Christ.


The probability that Jesus of Nazareth 
could have fulfilled even 
eight such prophecies would be 
only 1 in 10 to the 17th power. 
That's 1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000.*"

Do WE know who Jesus is,
and more importantly?
does He know us?



Linking with

So many WONDERFUL blogfriends 
to discover here!

Thank you for dropping by!
You are appreciated!

Patsy
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

WOYWW: Silence the Wolves!

Here's my desk early in the morning.

 My little journal is on top of a
handout from a Parent's Seminar
my husband and I attended.
It was about Digital Parenting.
There was a LOT discussed
and I was so glad my son was 19 already
and didn't need too much supervision!!!
When he was young, we had a lot of rules
about watching TV and the use of the computer.

I bought some of these at a garage sale
last weekend and started making brooches out of it.

And here are the ATCs I got 
from the Anniversary WOYWW swap.
Thank you Annie, Regina,
Queen Eliza of artoypia, and Twiglet
for my marvelous cards!!!
I love them!
I hope you liked mine!

 "Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep's clothing."
Matthew 7:15

I can't say it any better than
The Word Among Us:
"As often as not, we are the 
first ones to lead ourselves astray.
We know that if we listen to the 
wolfish thoughts that go through our mind,
they will lead to bad fruit-
selfishness, sadness, isolation and sin.
It's tough to look inside ourselves,
but Jesus wants us to examine our thoughts.

 Not because He wants to show us 
how bad we are, because we 're not.
It's because He wants us to be free 
to hear and live by the Holy Spirit.
Only by quieting our racing minds
will we be able to hear His words of affirmation,
conviction and direction."
"Only by silencing the wolves
can we hear the Lamb!"

Yesterday  we celebrated the 
birth of St. John the Baptist.
I think he is one of the most awesome characters
in the New Testament and there are a LOT of 
great personalities we meet in those pages.

He is unique because from when he was a
baby in his mother, Elizabeth's womb,
he already had a distinct identity.
He knew, recognized the One he would serve.
He knew his mission! 
He knew he was called for a purpose!

In the womb, he "leaped for joy" 
(Luke 1:41-44)
when he heard the voice of Mary.
When he was older, he preached 
repentance without fear,
with no political correctness whatsoever!
He didn't water down his message,
and for that he got beheaded (Matthew 14:10).
How about us? Are we as clear about our purpose?
Do we know that we are called and placed here on earth,
in our city, in our neighborhood, school, office,
our family, community, because God wants us to do
something for Him?
We are all created unique, one of a kind, with gifts
and talents different from anyone else'.

"And who knows but that you have come to your position
for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14




Blessings!
Patsy

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