Taking a Break From the World

So, I've deleted my facebook pages (personal & blog). I decided that I need a break. A beautiful face, smiling at me, talking to me about the first thing that springs into his impressionable mind, looks to me for guidance, love, compassion. Yet....I'm scrolling Facebook on my phone; halfheartedly telling my three year old, "Yep" and, "Oh really?" It hits me like a ton of bricks. I am neglecting my child. How could I let this happen? What kind of mother am I that I'd waste valuable time listening to my toddler by checking facebook statuses?  He is what matters to me. His brothers and their father are important to me. I love writing. I love the fact that I created this blog. To write my feelings, allow the Holy Spirit to use me to evangelize, to bring a smile to my own face when I reread something I wrote months ago.  But, my family comes before me. Unless I am filled with the Holy Spirit to write, it's my own selfishness.  Jesus teaches us to love everyone. I have been trying so hard to love others that I've been neglecting those I love the most. And that is not what our Savior wants.  So I bid you adu for now. I will be back. I'm not sure when.  We are on a spiritual journey as a Faithful Family and we need to tune out all the noise. For me, that's the computer. For Mr. Faithful and me as a couple, it's tv shows after the kids fall asleep - the tv will be turned off and we plan to fall in love with each other all over again. It's our 6th wedding anniversary Saturday. We are going to a Charismatic Healing Mass first thing that morning. We need to be healed. We ALL need some type of healing. Farewell Faithful Ones. I shall return with a renewed spirit and I pray for an even deeper love for Christ, my husband and my children. Xoxo. 

Transformation

"One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, 'Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you or harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people." (Acts 18:9-10).

This passage reminds me of the most powerful spiritual moment I have experienced in my short life. I have been thinking more about that feeling lately and yearn for it all the time! For those who have never felt the unafraid, completely trusting, and full love of Christ, I will pray you, too, will be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a feeling, I believe, we will all feel once we are called to our real home.

If you would like to read my experience you can do so here: http://faithfulmamadiary.blogspot.com/2011/11/we-are-called.html

This last month has been life changing for my husband and me. We have a higher level of spirituality that I honestly did not think we would achieve! We have been together for just about 10 years; the last 6 we have made such a difference. Not only making a difference individually, but in our marriage, our parenting, friendships and our lifestyle.

You would never guess it now if you did not know me back then, but just 6 years ago I was a heavy smoker (2 packs a day), heavy drinker (the bartenders knew me by name and drink), blasphemer, liar, I never attended Sunday Mass, and basically denied most of the Ten Commandments. I have LOTS of work to do. I am still very much a sinner....but now I strive to notice my sins and correct them to please my God. I love my Father and want to make Him proud!!!

Are you spiritual?

Are you religious?

Jesus wants us to be BOTH. He gave the Apostles (our very first pope, priests & bishops) the Church and the Last Supper was the very first Mass! You can read about that more here: http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/churb1.htm

Mr. Faithful and I attended our very first Charismatic Healing Mass last week. It was AWESOME!! Out of the ordinary for us, so to be honest we were a little weirded out at first. But WOW!!

We experienced the Gift of Tongue twice during the Mass. I wasn't sure if it really was, but I did feel faint both times it happened. We were standing and I had to grab the pew. I felt almost nauseated I guess the word would be? I cannot explain it. It was very strange, but in an amazing way!

It just so happens the next one is on the morning of our anniversary. Hmmmmm, ok God we are listening!!!

During the Healing Mass, the priest spoke of "invoking the Spirit" and "becoming children of God". Sound familiar? That is because my last blog was about those two particular phrases...only thing is, I wrote that a week before the mass!!!

You can reread that post here:  http://faithfulmamadiary.blogspot.com/2012/05/invoke-spirit-invade-my-heart.html

I am telling you, something INCREDIBLE is happening to me!! I thought I was faithful before, but now that I ask Jesus to invade my heart every morning, I am transformed!! I can see through Christ's eyes much easier now!!

Allow God to take FULL control and open your heart to Jesus. Do not resist. The results are AMAZING!

Have an incredibly Faithful day!!

Invoke the Spirit, Invade My Heart

I accept that I am a sinner.

I accept that I have flaws, issues and immature moments.

Yet...

God still calls upon me to be His servant.

I inhale the Holy Spirit...I exhale and spread the love of Christ as best as I can. I eat Jesus' Body and Blood every Sunday so I can remain nourished. I offer myself to do His biding, to empower others, perhaps, to feel the same as I do.

I offer myself to be a ray of light in the dark world.

I am ready and willing to be crucified just as Jesus was. I am a humble servant for my King.

I have been called upon yet again after a long time waiting. Now, I am called for my family. I have no idea what will happen, but know in my soul something great is in store for Faithful Family! With many prayers, meditation, trust and love, we are fully on board with God's will for us.

Mr. Faithful and I have realized, with the signs I have been given, we must be literal children of God. So, we wait in great excitement as children do on Christmas Eve!

We do not know what our future holds, but know it will be awesome so long as we have complete trust in the Lord!

I have been shown, through the Holy Spirit, St. Therese of Lisieux. She is the Little Flower, the child of God. Ironically, this is the saint I chose as my Confirmation name at 13 years old. Had I known then what I know now about her, I'd say I chose the perfect saint that I can relate to. No wonder why I chose her! She is my patron saint!

Have you ever learned about any of the saints? Do you have one that calls you?

As I learn more everyday, I trust more.
As I trust more, I can love better.
As I love better, I am drawn more intimately with Christ.

As my patron saint said her vocation was love, so do I. I am meant to love others in a way to draw them closer to God.

I INVOKE THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Use my body as a vessel to gather Your flock, dear Lord. Allow others to witness the ultimate love only You can have for us, sweet Jesus! I am Yours and I ask that You invade my heart every day for the rest of my life. AMEN!!

What is your vocation?

What are you meant to do on this earth before you are called Home?

I will leave you today with a powerful prayers that has been crying out to me the last two weeks.

THE MAGNIFICAT

My soul magnifies the Lord

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; 

Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;

For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;

Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,

And Holy is His name;

And His mercy is from generation to generation

On those who fear Him.

He has shown might with His arm,

He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

And has exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

And the rich he has sent away empty.

He has given help to Israel, His servant,

Mindful of His mercy even as He spoke to

Our fathers, to Abraham and to

His posterity forever. Amen.

Have an incredibly faithful day. Peace in Christ. Xoxo

The Cross We Bear and How To Handle It

The last few weeks have been filled with gladness, sorrow, tragedy, triumph, spirituality and happiness. A roller coaster of a ride for Faithful Family!

It's easy to lose sight of important things in life when you surround yourself with a busy lifestyle...play dates, sports, work, meetings, internet; but when something happens that throws us out of our normal routine, it puts all that secular business on hold. You are forced to reevaluate what it truly means to let God be in control.

Even those who do not allow Jesus into their lives have this happen at times. In my observation, this is one way our Heavenly Father gives them an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior...but they must be willing to surrender themselves to His unconditional love. Sometimes that is the hardest part for people. God only gives us what He knows we can handle. We have all told ourselves at some time or another, "I just can't take any more." But if we just look at each moment as a gaining of wisdom, we can start to see the big picture.

No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. 

God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond 

your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the 

way out so that you may be able to endure it. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13

I saw this next excerpt and wanted to share it as it relates to what I am trying to remember myself. I hope it touches you as it touches me. Maybe God is talking to you through my writing? I will leave you today with a dialog all of us could have with God. Make it a faithful day and give your worries and stress to God!!!

Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure
Me: Promise You won't get mad
God: I promise
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do u mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late
God: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start
God: Okay
Me: at lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait
God: Hmmmmm
Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call
God: All right
Me: And on top of it all off, when I got home ~I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. BUT it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?

God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one
of My Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that
Me (humbled): OH
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.
Me: (ashamed)
God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.
Me (embarrassed):Okay
God: Your phone went dead bcuz the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered.
Me (softly): I see God
God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that would knock out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm Sorry God

God: Don't be sorry, just learn to Trust Me.... in All things , the Good & the bad.
Me: I will trust You.
God: And don't doubt that My plan for your day is Always Better than your plan.
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, Thank You for Everything today.
God: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I Love looking after My Children...

A Few of My Favorite Things

So it's been a while since I've written. We've dealt with sickness (all five of us had a virus), play dates, Elizabeth Ministry meetings & gatherings, our oldest son's birthday (the big 0-5!), party planning then party canceling, family visiting from out of town, and most importantly, rejoicing in Jesus rising from the dead!


About a month ago, my very dear friend chased Mr. Faithful down after a Sunday Mass. She dared him...and I am so very glad he accepted the dare.
On the way home that morning, before telling me, he dared me. He said it with a smile (I love that handsome smile by the way!), "I want us to do this together...I need you to trust me and accept the dare first before I tell you exactly what it is." So I trusted my husband and accepted it. He then proceeded to tell me, The 1,000 Things I'm Grateful For Dare. What we have done over the last 4 weeks has been life changing for the better. We have experienced a joy in our home that we feel has never been!


I'm so very grateful for Faithful Friend...so I want to make a point right now to tell her...I LOVE YOU!!! I LOVE YOUR UNCONDITIONAL FAITH AND LOVE FOR CHRIST AND I ADMIRE HOW YOU JUST KNOW WHEN YOU ARE BEING CALLED!!!!!


Seeing my husband have joy in his eyes again makes me well up with (happy!) tears! Watching him enjoy his time with our Faithful Boys brings me a happiness I can never explain in words. God's love is ever present in our home, and now Mr. Faithful is finally 100% on board with our family's journey to Christ!


For those who have not been keeping up with my blog, Mr. Faithful went through quite a bit of health problems last year. From two cancer scares to possible Chron's Disease to finally a diagnosis of low testosterone, he was mentally and physically not available to his family, friends and co workers. He finally decided to heal himself spiritually (and medically for the testosterone) and wow, what a difference! And now the Dare has brought him even to a better state of being for not only himself, but for our marriage and children. 
We have always figured out a way to triumph over obstacles...this time it was not our doing...this was definitely the Holy Spirit blessing us with such a fabulous gift! I believe God has granted us this joy because of how faithful we have been to Him through the hardships we have endured. I thank You, Heavenly Father, for sending us Your love through Your faithful followers and through this Dare! 


So, with all this being said, do you feel the need to be a better person for Jesus, your spouse, children, friends? Do it, I dare you. 

Who We Are Defines Us...Who Are You?

In this land of internet waves and seas of profile pics, jumping comments that let us know when Jane has arrived at the grocery store and how far along Allison is in pregnancy, who are we? We can't really (and I mean REALLY) know 300 people, can we?

What happened to face to face conversation in lieu of texting?

What happened to picking up the phone and actually talking?

I try look for the good in everyone...even if they judge me and see no good in me. I have reminded myself that when someone is judging me but never calls or talks to me, all they know me from are my facebook posts...or other people talking about me. How sinful are we as humans that we could do this to each other? I am at fault with gossip and false witness as well. I try not to, but sometimes that devil is tricky.

'A false witness will perish, but a good listener will testify successfully.' (Proverbs 21:28)

I think this passage is very powerful for all of us...even those that do not feel the same about Christianity can attest how they feel when being talk about by someone who really does not know them.

When we get to REALLY  know each other, we see people in a different light.

"I didn't know how much I had in common with Sue."

"Wow, James is so different than I am, I'd like to learn more about our differences!"

Yet, even sometimes, the people whom we should be closest to are complete strangers! How is this possible? How could that happen? People grow up, live different lives and start families of their own. Sometimes it is hard for us as humans to be outgoing for others in a time where life is passing us by with diaper changes, sleepless nights, teething, soccer games, Sunday Mass, marriage. Sometimes we have to be the person to start. Who are you thinking of while reading this? Pick up the phone and call them; better yet, go over to their home and talk face to face if you can! Xoxo.

Real Feminism

I am a woman.

I was granted the gift of labor pains and birthed three times...thanks be to God!
I have noticed the everyday miracles...God exists in everything!

I am a woman.

I cry at simplistic things...I am blessed at times to see through Christ's eyes!
I learn more every day...thank You, Jesus, for humbling me!

I am a woman.

I love my children and know they teach me...God works through my children.
I love my husband and will always support him in all he does...God called us to the vocation of marriage, a sacred sacrament we will never give up on; thanks be to God for being the center of our union!

I am a woman.

I support other women and friends with their decisions...thank you, Blessed Mother Mary and Elizabeth, for modeling what women need to do to create a community of supporters!
I create friendships in places I never expect...thank You, Jesus, for keeping me on a better path to know You!!

I am a woman.

I have a choice...I choose life for ALL people, born and unborn alike...thank You, Heavenly Father, for showing me Your way to life!
I plan to be a doula and lactation specialist...thank You God for helping me empower women to have their perfect birth!

I am a WIFE, I am a MOTHER, I am a FRIEND, I am an AUNT, I am a SISTER, I am a DAUGHTER, I am a MINISTER, I am a LEADER.

I AM A WOMAN.