DEACON SAM
September 26, 2023

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS


-  We glorify God by the way we choose to live our life.
- We each want to be treated as a beloved child of a loving God.
- We are encouraged to respond to a positive action with a positive action.
- If we want people to listen to us, listen to them.
- Practice compassion and praise the goodness of God and the goodness we see
        in each other.
– We are all challenged to live as Jesus taught us – we try to do our best – which isn't
often easy, but we try anyway.
- Earth is not our home – we are all merely passing through.
- One who serves the Lord and keeps the commandments helps each of us to be
  pilgrims of integrity. The strength of our country is only as strong as how we treat
and respect our fellow pilgrims on the journey.
- Freedom means choosing the things that lead us to God - those things that are right and moral and virtuous. Our freedom is based on our relationship and dependence on
God, and not on things which leave us wanting.
– To be a disciple of Jesus demands a radical reordering of our priorities. God demands our principle affection. A higher version of our life places God first. When we welcome others into our lives, let us do so in Jesus’s name with kindness and caring.

- It is OK for us to keep our prayers to God simple. God knows what we need. "God I will be in your hands - you know best. I accept your will." It is easy at times for us to think of ourselves as victims. But God wants us to move beyond this. We need to be people of peace and community. No one has to tell us to love those who love us. But we must also love those who don't, which is more difficult. It is for each of us to discern how to pray. The more quiet we become and the more listening we do, the more we connect with God in our prayer life and the more peace we find in our hearts with God.

Prayer moves our heart to be like God.
Prayer softens our heart toward our enemies.
Prayer reminds us of who is in charge – God!

– Many of us suffer from lack of self-esteem and insecurity. We forget – or don't believe - how precious we are to God. No matter what life throws at us, Christ has the final say and it is, "I love you, I always have and I always will." God wants us to have the bravery and courage to love, to be open to joy and happiness and to be open to life. Our life is worth living. We do not move forward in this life alone – Jesus is with us and hears us.

Is my life about myself as I go through the busyness of each day or is it about building the Kingdom of God on earth?

What am I doing for Christ?
What have I done for Christ?
What will I do for Christ?

– "Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word, always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love."
St Thérèse of Lisieux the Little Flower

"We are all missionaries of mercy sent by the Father of mercy to distribute the treasures of mercy to those in need." St. John Eudes

"We find rest in those we love and we provide a resting place for those who love us."
 St Bernard of Clairvaux