A Blessed and Peaceful New Year

  I write this on New Year's Eve in prayerful thought that you will all have a very blessed and peaceful New Year's Eve.  I will share my thoughts about this coming year..... a few things that we might do in order to have a stronger and more blessed year.     

May you have a blessed and safe New Year!

 Things to do for the New Year:

 Read scripture daily!

Do not beat yourself up for the past!

 Stay positive and focused!

Look at tomorrow only! (One day at a time!)

 Don’t worry about the future—God is already there!

 Enjoy the dream of tomorrow!

 Breathe in Peace and exhale fear and doubt!

 Pray, Pray, Pray, and Pray some more!

 Forgive yourself, forgive others, ask forgiveness!

Remind yourself daily:

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME        Phil 4:13

A Christmas of HOPE

Reflections by Mary—The Edgerton Earth

By Mary C. Juarez

December 17, 2013

     Hello everyone!  The celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world, is almost here.  Christmas is the time of year when we anticipate beautiful experiences to happen, and we eagerly await this blessed event.  Sometimes, in this secular world, we tend to lose the true meaning of Christmas.  Deep down I yearn for the Christmases of long ago that my parents spoke of, when families went to church together, shared their love with one homemade present, (if they were fortunate enough to be able to do that), and to rejoice that Christ had been born to bring Salvation into the world.  I believe the greatest gift we could ask for right now is the gift of Hope.  If our hearts have no Hope, there are no gifts in the world that can bring happiness and peace.

     This year, I pray for all hearts to be filled with the precious free gift of Hope.

     …For the couple who is sitting in a hospital waiting room, awaiting positive news from their doctor about the diagnosis of their child’s disease, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE of positive results.

     …For the couple who have been yearning to become parents, that either a pregnancy or an adoption will become a prayer answered, and that their hearts will be filled with HOPE that they will be able to hold a child in their arms to love.  And for the young woman who thought abortion was her only choice, that she too, would someday find HOPE.

     …For the soldiers fighting overseas, who will be spending this Christmas season without their loved ones, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE that their next Christmas will be spent with family.

     …For the people who have undergone the most devastating natural disasters ever, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that somehow, their lives will be rebuilt and they will become richer in spirit than they ever imagined.

     …For the alcoholics and addicts who have lost their way and feel only desperation and despair, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that they will have the strength and courage to ask God to heal them,  so that they may begin  a new life filled with  forgiveness, peace and contentment.

     …For the youth who are in trouble, lonely, suicidal, and cannot find the right path, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that someone will guide them with the light of Christ, which will replace the darkness in their lives.

     …For the prisoners whose lives feel meaningless, that someday, their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that forgiveness and mercy will come to them someday.

     …For the people fighting cancer, or any disease, who are losing all strength and will, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that somehow God will heal them of their suffering, either in this world, or to be rewarded in Heaven for eternity.

     …For the parents who are waiting on their prodigal child to return home, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that someday, they will run to greet that child who has come home to be reunited with his family and with Christ.

     …For the couple who is contemplating divorce, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that their marriage will be saved, and their love will become stronger than ever before.

     …For those struggling financially who see no end to their problems, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that someday, they will find security.

     …For the women and children who have lived with abuse and fear, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that somehow they will find happiness and healing.

     …For the people who are crying a million tears as they walk the journey of grief, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that someday, the sun will shine a little brighter and the sorrow will be a little lighter.

     …For the schools that have undergone tragedy, and for the youth who are troubled and acting out in violence, that their hearts will be filled with HOPE, that someday, our nation will invite Christ back into our schools, and that fear will never again linger in the hallways.

     …For our nation, workplaces, government, homes, & families, that all hearts will be filled with HOPE, that someday, we will all live in the peace and unity of Christ, and that war and hatred will only exist in the chapters of an old dusty history book.

     …From my heart to your heart, may we have HOPE this Christmas season, that everyday can hold the possibility of a miracle because our Savior, the giver of HOPE has been born!     May you have a blessed and HOPEFUL Christmas!!

      Romans 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing , so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit.

       Until we meet again, may God’s rainbow fill your hearts with the promise of His peace.         

Keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reflections by Mary—The Edgerton Earth

By Mary C. Juarez

December 1, 2013

     Hello everyone!  I hope you had a thankful and beautiful Thanksgiving.  Victor and I spent  Thanksgiving in Buffalo, NY with my daughter Christie and her family, and her friends.  We had a wonderful time at their friends, Amy and Ricky’s house for Thanksgiving dinner.  It almost felt like home when they gathered in a circle and everyone said something they were thankful for.   Even though Thanksgiving has passed, I am still thankful for many things:

     Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.  Before you were born I dedicated you.  I was not born into an ideal situation, for the woman who was carrying me in her womb was a young single woman who was not ready to become a mother, but I find comfort in knowing that the Lord said to her, “I will help you in this situation.”

     Jeremiah 29:11 For I know well the plans I have in mind for you says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe!  plans to give you a future full of hope.  God had plans for my life, and He had it all figured out even before I was born, and He took a difficult situation and He made good of it.

     Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he shall not depart from it.  God chose my parents for me, Virginia and Hinie Cape, because He knew they would love me as their own and would raise me with His love and guidance.  They planted that seed of faith the day they brought me home from Cleveland when I was seven months old.  That seed is now the center of who I am today.

     Matthew 19:19 Honor your father and your mother. My parents gave me so much growing up.  It wasn’t the material things in life that children find important today. It was the compassion and respect that they unselfishly poured upon me that gave me the desire to honor them in everything they did. 

     Psalm 8:4 When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place.

     Genesis 9:13 I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.     Growing up in the country gave me a real sense of God’s presence in my life.  I still remember the feeling in my heart when I would see the sun setting across the corn fields, or witness an indescribable rainbow hand painted across the sky after a storm. God’s nature has been a priceless gift to me in my life.

     Ecclesiastes 4:10 Two are better than one, if the one falls, the other will lift up his companion. God sent me precious friends during my grade school years at St. Mary’s, and also in high school years who are still close to me today.  He sent me the right friends at the right times in my life. Those friends laughed and cried with me, and picked me up at times when I fell.  Some friends walked with me on some journeys that I didn’t want to travel, but they helped me stay focused at times when the road ahead was blurry with tears.

     Matthew 6:30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, o you of little faith.  Throughout my life there have been times when I would wonder how I would pay the next bill, but somehow God would always come through and provide. It would leave me wondering why I had ever worried.

     Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”  I cannot comprehend the unselfish love that God has for me that He would send His only Son to die upon a cross for my sins.  I am a sinner, but I am forgiven.

     Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.  God brought me comfort at the times I fell to my knees in sorrow with a broken heart. When I thought I could not go on, He held me.

     1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written:  What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those for those who love him.  I cannot imagine anything more magnificent than the rising sun in the stillness of the morning, or the majestic purple and orange sky as the sun begins to play hide and seek as it sets in the horizon.  Yet, Heaven will be more beautiful than all of His creations on earth.

     Psalm 30:5 Sing praise to the Lord, you faithful; give thanks to God’s holy name.  I thank Him for all that He has given me. 

     Until we meet again, may God’s rainbow fill your hearts with the promise of His peace.