Sunday November 30

“No Sessions”

Happy Thanksgiving!

All Sessions Return Sunday December 7th

1-3p.m. 7th grade

4-6p.m. 8th grade

7-9p.m. High School

Cost: $10.00

Color: A Bight Blue

Lettering in Gold

I encourage you to read the whole scripture of John 17, “Jesus Prays for His Disciples.” So, don’t be the the one who is destined to be lost.

Also listen to the song I have downloaded to this post and listen to it carefully.

04-who-can-pluck-us

We serviced 155 veterans at a BBQ at the V.A. Hospital in Bohnam, TX. We prepped food and helped the vets with their plates and drinks. We also interacted with the vets in conversation. We met up with the Knights of Columbus there and worked side by side. These vets are from the wars of WWII, Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Desert Storm, and Iraq Contra. 

Get The Most Out Of This Experience…

Remember “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” Proverbs 11:25

Dates: September 27 

October 11

November 22

December 13

The first gathering will be October 28th at Star Bucks across from the St. Mark campus.

Please join us from 7:00 to 8:30p.m.

Come and share your insights into our faith and be with other young women. 

Give yourself this time to relax and be with Him!

Jesus asks you…”What were you arguing about on the way?”

   Have you ever argued with others about who was the best at something? Have you ever thought you were better than someone else around you? Pride, Ego, Arrogance, etc…these are concerns for humans. People feel they must compare themselves with others to feel good about themselves. You might be the best athlete on your team, but if you don’t have care, concern, or respect in your heart for your teammates, then what use is the gift you have been given by God? Jesus may have a couple of awards in his bedroom for his wood working skills, but he has many awards around for the good he has done for other out of love just because.

   “Christ died out of love for us… The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself.”      (CCC, no. 1825)

   Practice being last to all and servant to all. Try opening doors for other, even if you don’t know them. Allow people at school to go before you in the lunch line. At dinner, serve your family and then serve yourself. These are just some examples of how you can be last and servant to all. Try to come up with some of your own ways to be last and servant to all.

   Lord, each time I slip into thinking of my self as better than others, or more important than others, lead me to serve them instead. Amen.

Situation Explained
Do you need to pray more? Join the club.

Solution Offered
I’ve traveled thousands of miles this summer. I’ve been to numerous events in a variety of states. I’ve spoken to and prayed with more people than I can count, and do you know what? Everybody I talk to needs the same thing…

Prayer.

It’s what all of us have in common as Christians, no matter how strong or weak we feel in our faith, no matter how close or far from God wefeel, almost every person I talk to admits or declares, “I need to pray more”.

Prayer isn’t complicated but it is tough. Prayer takes effort. Prayer takes discipline. Prayer isn’t about the perfect words or the perfect schedule. Prayer is about desiring the perfect relationship with God and trusting that He’ll fill in the gaps for our imperfections.

There are a ton of reasons we don’t pray more. Here is a brief list of some of the most popular:

• We’re not in a state of grace
• We’re in a habit of putting other things first
• We don’t really trust God
• We think prayer has to be formal 
• We are easily distracted
• We don’t know where to start

This is not a complete list, but most of the people I talk to say that one or all of these reasons contribute to their not praying more or enough or at all.

If you’re not in a state of grace (if you have serious sin that you haven’t reconciled yet), it is more difficult to pray. Sin deafens our ears, blinds our eyes and hardens our hearts. If you haven’t been to confession in a while, tell Jesus you know you need to go, and then get there. That admission and action is the first step to a great prayer life.

If you’re not in the habit of praying, we can solve that. Keep reading. 

If you don’t trust God, it’s because you don’t really know Him as well as you need to…you might know things about Him, but trust comes from intimacy and intimacy comes through prayer. The more you pray, the easier it will become to trust Him. Keep reading. 

If you think personal prayer has to be formal - don’t, because it doesn’t. Scripture reminds us it ain’t about the words of our mouths (Romans 8:26) but the words of our hearts. If you’re easily distracted, me too. What were we talking about? Oh ya, prayer. Keep reading.

If you don’t know where to start…that’s why I’m typing this, so let me share what works for me…since I failed for more years than you’ve probably been alive. Learn from my mistakes.

How do you “pray constantly” like this Scripture verse says? I mean, you have to work and eat and sleep. Didn’t St. Paul know that?

Of course he did. What he was telling the people in Thessalonica is the same thing he’d tell you today. Don’t forget that everything you do, if you offer it up for God’s glory, can be a form of prayer. If God is on your mind, if Christ is in your heart and if the Holy Spirit is guiding your actions, steps and words…anything can be a prayer.

Make your morning routine of waking up and getting ready a form of prayer. Talk to God during it. Offer your day up to Him as you’re showering or getting dressed, drinking coffee or having breakfast.

Make your morning drive a time of prayer. Change what music you listen to or, better yet, drive in silence. Pray for those in traffic who are rude. Pray for those in cars not as nice as yours, or at bus stops or on foot. Use the time to grow in the virtues of temperance and patience.

Make your school day or your work day forms of prayer. Pray for those who annoy you. Submit to authority with respect and obedience; there is grace in obedience, you’ll grow from it. Work hard. Stay focused. Constantly check your attitude. “Put on” Christ, which means…do everything in your power to be like Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit work and speak through you.

Make your meals a prayer. Begin with grace, sure, but treat your body as a temple. Eat healthy. Use that time to grow in fellowship with those you eat with. If you’re eating alone, use that time to pray or grow in knowledge through reading. Remain mindful, with each bite, of those who go without food and basic necessities like water, each day. Pray for them and pray in thanksgiving for all those blessings you take for granted each day.

Make your time at home more of a prayer. Engage those you live with in more meaningful conversations. Don’t go to bed unless you know what the people in your house are struggling with or needs prayers for that day. Create more prayerful spaces in your home or your bedroom. Put things up that remind you to pray and that guide your thoughts and heart back to Christ.

Make your bedtime ritual a form of prayer. Reflect back on your day. Look at where you fell short, where you failed to show kindness or mercy to others. Look at where you need to improve tomorrow and ask the Holy Spirit for the strength to do better. Turn off the t.v. and go to bed earlier. Spend some time talking to God, yes, but also listening to God (not music) as you fall asleep. 

These are the simple ways you “pray constantly”. Try to get into this rhythm and before you know it, you’ll be praying more in a day than you used to in a month.

You come from God, so your whole life is designed to be a prayer - the sooner you realize it, the easier your prayer will become. It’s pretty amazing that St. Paul could tell us so much in just two little words, huh?

Salvation Given
”…pray constantly.” – 1 Thess. 5:17

Ready, set…pray.

Achieve the attitude-You have the same attitude as Christ.

Become the beatitude-It is no longer I who lives but Christ in me.

Cultivate the consciousness of Christ-Be still and know that I am God.

Develop the discipline-If you want to follow me you must turn from your selfish ways and take up your cross.

Emulate the eternal-Be holy as I am holy.

Fight the flow-Don’t copy the behavior of the world.

Grasp the Grace-Lord who are we that you should notice us.

Harbor the Hope-Await the mercy of the Lord.

Imitate God-In everything you do, live a life full of love.

Jump-start the joy-Rejoice in the Lord.

Kindle the Kindness-Share each others burdens.

Live the life-Remain faithful to the things you have been taught.

Mimic the Maker

Nullify the Naughty-Don’t sin by letting anger control you.

Open the Heart

Preach the Word of God

Question and encourage

Remember He is with you always

Stomp Satan-We will crush Satan under our feet.

Taste the Truth-I am the way the truth anf the life.

Understand His Laws.

Voice of Victory-Shout joyful praises to God.

Walk with our God.

Xalt Him-Let us tell of the Lord’s greatness.

Yahweh-God, Savior, Father

Zero in on the truth and share it.