23 Jan Mark 3:13 (“go all out”)
Posted on Friday 23 January, 2009
Welcome God every morning before your work by taking ~5 min to read this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which has snippets from Living Faith (livingfaith.com). All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17
[Jesus] went up the mountain and summoned those whom He wanted and they came to Him. Mark 3:13
Living Faith snippets: “The choice to follow Jesus in our time is not much different from the choice to follow Him when He walked the dusty roads of Palestine. Today the call we hear comes not just once but sometimes several times a day, and our choice to follow Christ must happen each time we hear the call.” Mitch Finley
LIFE Group nuggets:
* Kay Castle shared this reflective short video on the Lord’s Prayer: http://www.lordsprayermovie.com/.
* Stephanie Kemp shared, “Please pray for a conversion of heart in America: for the new president, his administration and all our elected leaders, for the Justices on the Supreme Court, and for our priests and bishops that more will find the courage and strength to speak out boldly in defense of life- no matter the cost. Pray also, that God will lead you personally to work harder and with more conviction in some aspect of pro-life work today and everyday.”
ProLife news: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ & http://www.priestsforlife.org/
* Let’s never forget the horrific reality of abortion (click here for images).
* Let’s pray for courage to communicate the ProLife message through Christ to those around us (John 14:6)…rebuilding a Culture of Life (Matt 5:16).
* NEW: Joe Scheidler, the founder and President of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, commented on the ProLife movement. “The people that love truth and know there’s a God have got to go all out. All out all the time; get the conversation going, bring it up, show the pictures. Get the message out. I really think the movement is going to be revitalized by this Administration. People have to be shocked by what abortion is. We’re a visual society, they got to see the pictures, they’ve got to hear the stories, and they’ve got to see the women that have had abortions, see the ruin that it’s brought on so many families.”
Our Prayers: Prayer to End Abortion, chastity, peace, our enemies, our troops, depression/ despair, prisoners, politicians, lack of faith, illnesses/injuries, Mike Castle (eye infection), Lynn McAleece Bishara (Aunt Mary battling cancer), Papa Joe Castle (brain bleed resolution), Jason Peters (health of son JP), Joe Levisky (pancreatitis), Maureen Morgan (reconciliation for Sue Peterson and son), Rob Ouellette (Libby, Juel, Fr. Whelan, Mike)
Faith Quote: Anne Hourigan shared the definition for the virtue of temperance. “Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion.”
Through Christ for ProLife,
Pat
Phil 4:13
* Today’s Bible readings at www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml. Reflection on readings at http://www.daily-meditations.org/index2.html
* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, thereby changing us & helping others. Wayne Watson lyrics, “When God’s people pray, there is hope reborn, there is sin forgiven, and miracles you can’t explain await!” ‘If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead & see Him.’
* Fasting: Let’s fast from things that takes our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, bitterness, being so critical, impatience, gossip, excessive video games, etc) and take on things that fix our eyes on Jesus (selflessness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, caring, helping, listening).
* Defend the unborn: ‘Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die’ (Prov 24:11). ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you’ (Jer 1:5). ‘It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might lie as you wish’ Blessed Mother Teresa.
* Evangelization: Let’s make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of selfless love, mercy, and service.
Let’s joyfully live out the Good News and gladly tell others about it (Mark 16:15)!