God and lawn care

God and Lawn Care - GOD: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles. St. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there? ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy. ST FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week. GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay? ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. GOD:   Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir. GOD:   These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD:   What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life. ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. GOD: No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose? ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. GOD:  And where do they get this mulch? ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch. GOD:   Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? ST. CATHERINE: 'Dumb and Dumber', Lord. It's a story about... GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author Unknown

Is it possible to live without regrets?

Every normal human being makes mistakes. We also quite regularly make bad choices, that is, choices which we later regret.  We make these unfortunate decisions sometimes accidently, sometimes on purpose. Religious folks will refer to these deliberate bad choices as sins.

There are mentally ill people whom psychiatrists label "psychopaths".
They are incapable of feeling remorse for any action. They lack the capacity to feel empathy for others. The material in this article does not refer to these unfortunate souls. Neither can they be regarded as being guilty of sin, since they cannot recognize any personal personality flaws or acknowledge any personal wrongdoing.

However, for most of us, we know very well when we have deliberately made a choice  which we would not want to see printed on the front page of our local newspaper. If any particular thought, word or deed were to become public knowledge, we would be thorougly ashamed.

The small inner voice warning a person that he or she is about to break a rule forbidden by training, law, culture or personal ethic is known as "conscience".  Christians believe it is the voice of the Holy Spirit, encouring them to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life. However, everyone has been given free will and no one is perfect one hundred per cent of the time.

Conscience is a delicate gift. It can become numbed when frequently ignored. If someone routinely cheats on tax returns, or conceals items to avoid paying duty after shopping across a national border, the actions will soon become rationalized with excuses like "Everybody does it", or " I pay too many taxes anyway!".

For major wrongs such as theft, murder, perjury, or intentionally causing serious harm, normal human beings will later experience pangs of conscience and a nagging sense of regret. Is there any way to escape this uncomfortable, distressing state of mind?

For many, their best hope lies in confessing to the victim, or appropriate authorities, expressing sincere sorrow, and trying to make amends for the wrong committed. Often, there will be punishment imposed: a prison term, a compulsory fine, or mandatory community service. At the very least, a relationship may be broken and a sense of trust destroyed.

Roman Catholic Christians have the Sacrament of  Reconciliation to deal with regrets after the commission of sin.

On Easter Sunday evening, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them. Whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:20-23) 

After receiving forgiveness from God, the next step is to forgive oneself. This is not always easy, but the realization that God has forgiven, challenges one to imitate the Divine and erase all memory of past transgressions.

" It is possible to live without regrets. Christians possess the best means to achieve this goal: (a) ask God to forgive you, (b) believe that God has forgiven you and finally, (c) forgive yourself.

"I have swept away your offences like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." Isaiah 44:22

Going forward, firmly resolve to avoid repeating that sin in the future.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to make a difficult decision

We all have moments in life when we must make difficult decisions. Which job offer should I choose? Should I marry this person? Should we have another child? Shall I buy or sell my home? Shall I divorce or try to save this marriage? Is it time to move a parent to an assisted-living facility?

These can be times of indecision and acute stress. You honestly don't know what to do. How can you solve the dilemma? Are there steps to take to ensure that you will make the best decision possible? Many people have found the following procedure to be invaluable.

1. Pray

You may not know the best answer, but God does. He is all-wise. Being outside of time. He sees the past and the future at once. He is aware of the outcome of each of your possible choices. Acknowledge your confusion and ask for His help. The Bible says, "Ask and it will be given you." Luke 11:9. Take God at His word, He can be trusted.

It's fine to request a sign showing the right way; God is a loving parent, anxious to help.

2. Consult

Speak to knowledgeable people, the best experts you can find in the area that's troubling you. It may a doctor, a social worker, a psychologist, a clergy person, an accountant, a lawyer or several of these. Read up on the subject. Consult the Internet. Gather all the relevant information your can find.

3. Discuss

Speak with two or three trustworthy friends, preferably those who know all the people involved in your dilemma. State the problem clearly in an unbiased manner. Ask for their opinions. Listen carefully. Often God speaks through other people.

4. Paper and pencil

Divide a piece of paper into two sections, or more if necessary. At the top of one column write: "Option 1- Advantages". At the top of the second column: "Option 2-Advantages". If you have more choices, add more columns. List every advantage you can think of under each possible option. One column will probably have more items than the others.

5. Consider

By now, you probably know which course of action is best. Take a few minutes to plan the next steps you need to take, to implement your decision. It's a good idea to write them down while you have the time and are thinking clearly. Don't forget to thank God for His help.

Act decisively and without hesitation. Be assured that you have done everything possible to make the right decision. Trust God and trust yourself. Together, you make an unbeatable team.

 

How Great is our God!

God's perfection and accuracy may be observed in many ways. EXAMPLES: -the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days; -those of the canary in 14 days; -those of the barnyard hen in 21 days; -the eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days; -those of the mallard in 35 days; -the eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. (Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!) God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason, He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily. The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation! God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains. -Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. -Each orange has an even number of segments. -Each ear of corn has an even number of rows. -Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains. -Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number. -The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather. All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold all even numbers. God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed! The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. If you try to regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only the One Who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end. I HOPE YOU FIND THIS AS FASCINATING AS I DID. The Bible When you carry "the Bible", Satan has a headache, when you open it, he collapses, when he sees you reading it, he loses his strength, AND when you stand on the Word of God, Satan can't hurt you! And did you also know... When you are about to forward this email to others, the devil will probably try to discourage you, but do it anyway. "Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point." May God Bless You In Ways You Never Even Dreamed Today!

"Like a Shepherd" hymn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSJXi_wXLi4

Bible study for children: "Fear".

Have you ever gone for a boat ride on a summer day? The sun is shining; there is a soft, warm breeze and you can hear gentle waves lapping like music on the sides of your boat. It is a lovely experience.

But sometimes a boat ride can be scary. At night it is very dark. When a storm arises, the wind wails, the thunder booms and big waves rock the boat, until you think it is going to upset and you are going to drown in the cold, black water.

Jesus' Apostles had a very frightening boat ride one night on the Sea of Galilee.

That day, Jesus had been teaching and healing people. In the evening, he performed a miracle by feeding five thousand men plus more women and children with only five loaves of bread and two fish. In the evening he was tired. Jesus told his friends to take the boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake.

When the Apostles were far from shore, a fierce storm arose. Strong winds howled, lighting flashed, and the boat rocked wildly, like an out-of-control roller coaster. Just when the Apostles thought things couldn't get any worse, they saw a glowing, white figure walking toward them on the water. "Oh no!" they thought. "Now a ghost is chasing us!" But it wasn't a ghost; it was Jesus.

He didn't want them to be frightened. Right away he spoke: " Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Mt. 14:27

Peter, always the boldest, called out, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Mt. 14:28. Jesus told him to come ahead.

Peter stepped out of the boat and took a few steps towards Jesus. He was doing very well when suddenly he stopped. He took his eyes off Jesus and looked around. He realized where he was and what he was doing. He became panicky and right away he began to sink into the dark, stormy sea. He called out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!" Mt. 14:30

Right away, Jesus caught Peter's hand, pulled him up, and they both got into the boat. Immediately the storm went away, and the lake became quiet and peaceful once more.

Then Jesus told Peter that he needed to have more faith. It he had trusted Jesus and kept his eyes steadily on the Lord, he would have been just fine.

Often we are like Peter. When stormy times come in our lives, we forget to trust Jesus. We get panicky about the bad things that seem to be happening to us, or around us, and we take our eyes off the Lord. Even then, when we call to Jesus for help, he is ready and anxious to save us.

We need to always remember that when we are Jesus' friends, when he is on our side, or as we might say, "in our boat", there is nothing to be afraid of. Jesus is God, Lord of heaven and earth, and he loves each one of us very much. He proved this by dying on the cross to save us.

Like Peter and the Apostles, we need to have faith and trust in him and not be afraid, no matter how scary things around us might appear to be. . We need only call on Jesus and he will always stretch out his hand to save us.

 

Why did Jesus come to earth?

 

"...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

When our first parents were created, they had everything they could possibly want. They lived in a beautiful garden, where they would never have to work. There was no sickness or death. The animals were their friends and companions.

Best of all, God came daily and communicated with them. If they had proven their love and loyalty by obeying his one command, they would, in time, have been lifted to heaven to live forever with him.

Unfortunately, the humans ate the forbidden fruit, sentencing themselves and their descendants to the tragedies we must now all endure: sickness, death, pain, work and other hardships.

However, God still loved them and promised to send a Savior. God addressed Satan, the tempter, who had disguised himself as a snake:

" I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15

Indeed, Mary's son, Jesus, would seriously curtail Satan's ability to harm the world and its inhabitants, while Jesus would only be slightly affected by Satan's schemes to destroy him. Jesus' death would shortly be followed by his resurrection.

The sin of our first parents was very serious, because they knew God personally. They had daily witnessed his glory, his goodness, his majesty and his love. Yet, in spite of this, they chose to disobey him. This mammoth rejection of all that was perfect had to be atoned for.

Because an infinitely holy Deity had been offended, a mere human being could never atone for so great an offence.

Only Jesus could do so. He had two complete natures: human and divine. As son of Mary, he was human; as son of God he was divine. Thus, he was able to stand in place of humanity and offer the supreme sacrifice to Almighty God. Because Jesus was divine, his sufferings and death were sufficient to atone for every sin that would ever be committed on the earth.

Jesus came to earth to restore our relationship with God. Because of his sacrifice on the cross, we can now access heaven, even though we may commit sins. We only need to express our sorrow and do our best to repent. All our sins have already been atoned for by Jesus Christ.

There was another reason for the incarnation. On our own, a human could never really know God. He is, after all, Infinite Perfection. However, God loves us and desires to have a relationship with us, as he did with our first parents. When Jesus walked among us, he gave us a human face for God. Now we can more easily relate to the Divine, through the person of Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

Because of Jesus' life and death, we do possess the possibility of obtaining abundant life, not only during our brief sojourn on earth, but most importantly, for eternity in heaven. Because Jesus came to earth, lived, suffered and died among us, we now have the opportunity to know God and to live forever with him in heaven. It's no wonder Jesus is referred to as "... the Savior of the world". (1John 4:14).