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Read Online“Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher' and ‘master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” John 13:12–15Do you want to be holy? Perhaps this question is not one that everyone will immediately answer with a resounding “Yes.” Sadly, holiness, for some, can seem boring and unattractive. The lure of evil is very enticing on a confused and superficial level. So what is your answer to this question? Do you want to be holy?As we begin today the sacred Triduum, we enter into the holiest days of the Church year. We walk with our Lord through His final glorification today as He celebrates the Passover with His disciples and enters the Garden of Gethsemane to await His arrest. Tomorrow we walk with Him through the stations of His Cross. On Saturday, we sit in silent adoration of His tomb as we await the Resurrection.In the Gospel quoted above, Jesus gives us a model for holiness by the witness of His actions. He Who is the God of the Universe, the Creator of all, the Eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, humbles Himself and takes on the form of a lowly servant by washing the feet of His disciples. He then offers them the Most Holy Eucharist for the first time, before He goes to meet His persecutors.The model Jesus gives us is a prophetic action by which Jesus tells us that true greatness, that is, true holiness, is found in humility. Holiness is realized in our lives when we turn our eyes from ourselves and love others as their servants. None of us are the Savior of the World, but each of us must become instruments of His saving act for others. As we accept Jesus' gift, we must then turn to others and humble ourselves before them. We must help them to see our love and their dignity. We must serve them with humility and put them first. Doing so will then enable us to invite them to imitate us as we imitate Christ. Thus, our humble imitation of Jesus becomes a means by which Jesus invites others to follow Him.Reflect, today, upon the invitation of Jesus: “...as I have done for you, you should also do.” Jesus gave us everything, so we must give everything to others. We must serve without counting the cost. We must love them, putting their needs before ours. We must become a model of the love of Christ for them. Ponder Jesus' service today and throughout the Triduum and commit yourself to live the invitation given you by our Lord.My humble Lord, may Your name be praised and adored above all things. May You be exalted by Your humility and lowly service. I see in Your humble act, dear Lord, the deep love You have for me and for all. May I imitate that humble love in my own life so that my imitation of You will help to share Your saving love with others. Jesus, I trust in You. Image: Palma il Giovane, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Read OnlineSo the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” John 11:47–48Jesus' public ministry had two primary effects upon the people. For many, they were coming to believe in Him and were hanging on His every word. They sought Him out and began to understand that He was the promised Messiah. This was the response of faith. But the reaction of the chief priests and the Pharisees was far more worldly. In the passage above, we see a group of religious leaders who are completely consumed with worldly concerns to the point that these concerns drown out all matters of faith.As the Sanhedrin convened and discussed what they should do, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, spoke up and gave advice that perfectly depicts this worldly vision. He said, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” Caiaphas and many other religious leaders at the time appeared to be far more concerned with their worldly status and power than they were with matters of true faith and eternal salvation. If they were men who deeply loved God and sought only His holy will, then they would have rejoiced that Jesus' ministry was so fruitful in the lives of the people. They would have offered thanks to God, day and night, for the privilege of seeing the prophecies of old about the Messiah come to fruition before their own eyes. They should have had joy and gratitude, and they should have allowed those spiritual blessings to grow within them and give them the courage they needed to go forth and die with our Lord if necessary. But instead, they chose their comfortable lives and worldly status above the truth, and they decided that Jesus needed to die.One beautiful truth to reflect upon within this context is that God uses all things for His glory and for the salvation of those who believe. With this meeting of the Sanhedrin, these men began to plot the death of Jesus. Eventually they used deceit, manipulation, intimidation and fear to accomplish their goal. But even though from a worldly perspective these misguided religious leaders “won,” from a divine perspective, God used their evil to bring about the greatest good the world had ever known. Through their malice, Jesus' passion and death gave way to the new life of the Resurrection. Reflect, today, upon the fact that God is able to use all things for our good. Be it in the midst of corruption, persecution, discord, sin, illness or any other evil in life, when we turn to God in faith and surrender, He is able to transform all things and bring forth an abundance of good fruit through them if we only let Him and trust in faith. Prayerfully surrender over to God, today, any of the above concerns that have affected you, and allow yourself to believe the simple truth that nothing can keep you from the glorious fulfillment of the will of God. All things can help toward the salvation of your soul and end in God's eternal glory. My glorious Lord, You were loved by many but also hated by some. Those with power and authority could not see beyond their worldly ambitions, so they began to plot against You. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to see every act of evil inflicted upon me as an opportunity for You to bring forth good. You are glorious, dear Lord. May You be glorified in all things. Jesus, I trust in You. Image via Brooklyn MuseumSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
https://youtu.be/snPosSHZR_s Audio: Play the audio class Download: Download this MP3 Topics: Morning Prayers Follow-Along Text: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּבַשׁ אַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ אֶת רַחֲמָיו מֵעַל בֶּן יְחִידוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, כֵּן יִכְבְּשׁוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ אֶת כַּעַסְךָ מֵעָלֵֽינוּ, וְיָגֹֽלּוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ עַל מִדּוֹתֶֽיךָ.וְתִתְנַהֵג עִמָּֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ בְּמִדַּת הַחֶֽסֶד וּבְמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים, וְתִכָּנֵס לָֽנוּ לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין,וּבְטוּבְךָ הַגָּדוֹל יָשׁוּב חֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ מֵעַמְּךָ וּמֵעִירְךָ וּמֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִנַּחֲלָתֶֽךָ,וְקַיֶּם לָֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ אֶת הַדָּבָר שֶׁהִבְטַחְתָּֽנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ, עַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה עַבְדֶּֽךָ מִפִּי כְבוֹדֶֽךָ כָּאָמוּר:וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב, וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק, וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם אֶזְכֹּר וְהָאָֽרֶץ אֶזְכֹּר:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְאַף גַּם זֹאת בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּאֶֽרֶץ אֹיְבֵיהֶם, לֹא מְאַסְתִּים וְלֹא גְעַלְתִּים לְכַלֹּתָם,לְהָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם, כִּי אֲנִי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיהֶם:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְזָכַרְתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית רִאשֹׁנִים,אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵֽאתִי אֹתָם מֵאֶֽרֶץ מִצְרַֽיִם לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם, לִהְיוֹת לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים, אֲנִי יְיָ:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְשָׁב יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶֽךָ,וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים, אֲשֶׁר הֱפִיצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ שָֽׁמָּה:אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָֽיִם, מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶֽךָ:וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶל הָאָֽרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶֽיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ:וְנֶאֱמַר: יְיָ חָנֵּֽנוּ, לְךָ קִוִּֽינוּ, הֱיֵה זְרֹעָם לַבְּקָרִים, אַף יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ בְּעֵת צָרָה:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְעֵת צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקֹב, וּמִמֶּֽנָּה יִוָּשֵֽׁעַ:וְנֶאֱמַר: בְּכָל צָרָתָם לוֹ צָר, וּמַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו הוֹשִׁיעָם,בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ וּבְחֶמְלָתוֹ הוּא גְאָלָם, וַיְנַטְּלֵם וַיְנַשְּׂאֵם כָּל יְמֵי עוֹלָם:וְנֶאֱמַר: מִי אֵל כָּמֽוֹךָ נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וְעֹבֵר עַל פֶּֽשַׁע, לִשְׁאֵרִית נַחֲלָתוֹ,לֹא הֶחֱזִיק לָעַד אַפּוֹ, כִּי חָפֵץ חֶֽסֶד הוּא:יָשׁוּב יְרַחֲמֵֽנוּ, יִכְבֹּשׁ עֲוֹנֹתֵֽינוּ,וְתַשְׁלִיךְ בִּמְצֻלוֹת יָם כָּל חַטֹּאתָם:תִּתֵּן אֱמֶת לְיַעֲקֹב, חֶֽסֶד לְאַבְרָהָם, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּֽעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵֽינוּ מִֽימֵי קֶֽדֶם:וְנֶאֱמַר: וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל הַר קָדְשִׁי, וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי,עוֹלֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם לְרָצוֹן עַל מִזְבְּחִי, כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל הָעַמִּים:Master of the world: Just as Avraham our father suppressed his mercy for his only son in order to do Your will wholeheartedly, so too, may Your mercy suppress Your wrath from [being vented] upon us.May Your mercy outweigh Your other attributes.May You deal with us, God our Lord, with the attribute of kindness and of mercy, and deal with us more leniently than the letter of the law.In Your great goodness, may Your fierce anger turn away from Your people, from Your city, from Your land, and from Your heritage.Fulfill for us, God, our Lord, the promise that You made in Your Torah through Moshe Your servant, as it is said:3“I will remember My covenant with Yaakov and indeed My covenant with Yitzchak, and I will indeed remember My covenant with Avraham, and I will remember the land.”And it is said: Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not abhor them nor spurn them so as to destroy them and annul My covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God.And it is said: I will remember in their favor the covenant with their ancestors, whom I took out of the land of Egypt, before the eyes of the nations, to be their God; I am the Lord.And it is said: The Lord your God will return your exiles and have compassion upon you, and will again gather you from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.Even if your dispersed ones will be at the ends of the heavens, God, your Lord, will gather you from there and take you from there.God, your Lord,
https://youtu.be/suii_QNCXrA Audio: Play the audio class Download: Download this MP3 Topics: Morning Prayers Follow-Along Text: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּבַשׁ אַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ אֶת רַחֲמָיו מֵעַל בֶּן יְחִידוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, כֵּן יִכְבְּשׁוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ אֶת כַּעַסְךָ מֵעָלֵֽינוּ, וְיָגֹֽלּוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ עַל מִדּוֹתֶֽיךָ.וְתִתְנַהֵג עִמָּֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ בְּמִדַּת הַחֶֽסֶד וּבְמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים, וְתִכָּנֵס לָֽנוּ לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין,וּבְטוּבְךָ הַגָּדוֹל יָשׁוּב חֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ מֵעַמְּךָ וּמֵעִירְךָ וּמֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִנַּחֲלָתֶֽךָ,וְקַיֶּם לָֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ אֶת הַדָּבָר שֶׁהִבְטַחְתָּֽנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ, עַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה עַבְדֶּֽךָ מִפִּי כְבוֹדֶֽךָ כָּאָמוּר:וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב, וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק, וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם אֶזְכֹּר וְהָאָֽרֶץ אֶזְכֹּר:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְאַף גַּם זֹאת בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּאֶֽרֶץ אֹיְבֵיהֶם, לֹא מְאַסְתִּים וְלֹא גְעַלְתִּים לְכַלֹּתָם,לְהָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם, כִּי אֲנִי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיהֶם:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְזָכַרְתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית רִאשֹׁנִים,אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵֽאתִי אֹתָם מֵאֶֽרֶץ מִצְרַֽיִם לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם, לִהְיוֹת לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים, אֲנִי יְיָ:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְשָׁב יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶֽךָ,וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים, אֲשֶׁר הֱפִיצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ שָֽׁמָּה:אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָֽיִם, מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶֽךָ:וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶל הָאָֽרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶֽיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ:וְנֶאֱמַר: יְיָ חָנֵּֽנוּ, לְךָ קִוִּֽינוּ, הֱיֵה זְרֹעָם לַבְּקָרִים, אַף יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ בְּעֵת צָרָה:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְעֵת צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקֹב, וּמִמֶּֽנָּה יִוָּשֵֽׁעַ:וְנֶאֱמַר: בְּכָל צָרָתָם לוֹ צָר, וּמַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו הוֹשִׁיעָם,בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ וּבְחֶמְלָתוֹ הוּא גְאָלָם, וַיְנַטְּלֵם וַיְנַשְּׂאֵם כָּל יְמֵי עוֹלָם:וְנֶאֱמַר: מִי אֵל כָּמֽוֹךָ נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וְעֹבֵר עַל פֶּֽשַׁע, לִשְׁאֵרִית נַחֲלָתוֹ,לֹא הֶחֱזִיק לָעַד אַפּוֹ, כִּי חָפֵץ חֶֽסֶד הוּא:יָשׁוּב יְרַחֲמֵֽנוּ, יִכְבֹּשׁ עֲוֹנֹתֵֽינוּ,וְתַשְׁלִיךְ בִּמְצֻלוֹת יָם כָּל חַטֹּאתָם:תִּתֵּן אֱמֶת לְיַעֲקֹב, חֶֽסֶד לְאַבְרָהָם, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּֽעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵֽינוּ מִֽימֵי קֶֽדֶם:וְנֶאֱמַר: וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל הַר קָדְשִׁי, וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי,עוֹלֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם לְרָצוֹן עַל מִזְבְּחִי, כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל הָעַמִּים:Master of the world: Just as Avraham our father suppressed his mercy for his only son in order to do Your will wholeheartedly, so too, may Your mercy suppress Your wrath from [being vented] upon us.May Your mercy outweigh Your other attributes.May You deal with us, God our Lord, with the attribute of kindness and of mercy, and deal with us more leniently than the letter of the law.In Your great goodness, may Your fierce anger turn away from Your people, from Your city, from Your land, and from Your heritage.Fulfill for us, God, our Lord, the promise that You made in Your Torah through Moshe Your servant, as it is said:3“I will remember My covenant with Yaakov and indeed My covenant with Yitzchak, and I will indeed remember My covenant with Avraham, and I will remember the land.”And it is said: Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not abhor them nor spurn them so as to destroy them and annul My covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God.And it is said: I will remember in their favor the covenant with their ancestors, whom I took out of the land of Egypt, before the eyes of the nations, to be their God; I am the Lord.And it is said: The Lord your God will return your exiles and have compassion upon you, and will again gather you from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.Even if your dispersed ones will be at the ends of the heavens, God, your Lord, will gather you from there and take you from there.God, your Lord,
"May You be adored, O merciful God of ours, O All-powerful Lord and Creator. In deepest humility, we give You praise, Plunging ourselves into the ocean of Your Godhead." St. Faustina writes. Listen in as Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, reads from this modern spiritual classic. To order a copy of the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, visit ShopMercy.org. Support our Ministries here.
Monday, 13 January 2025 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure, it is, there also your heart, it will be” (CG). In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of amassing treasures in heaven, noting that earthly treasures can be stolen or eaten up. With that remembered, He next says, “For where your treasure, it is, there also your heart, it will be.” This is a link right back to the book of Joshua and the story Achan. He was fixated on earthly treasure, and that is where his heart was. It cost him everything – “And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.' 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, ‘Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.' So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. 26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.” Joshua 7: 20-26 On the other hand David had great wealth, but it did not possess him. Instead, he was a man of faith, and his heart was set on the Lord. The few times he is noted as having failed the Lord, it also notes that his heart was contrite, and he mourned over his blunders. David's treasure, above all else, was the Lord, and that is where his heart also was – “Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: ‘My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God. 2 Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. 3 Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: 4 three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; 5 the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?'” 1 Chronicles 29:1-5 Life application: There is nothing wrong with possessing wealth or protecting that wealth for the future. In fact, Proverbs says – “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” Proverbs 13:22 One cannot save up for his children's children if he doesn't possess wealth to some degree. The point of the Bible's words concerning this matter is essentially, “Are you master over wealth, or is your wealth master over you.” Be wise concerning earning and saving, but also let your heart be directed to the Lord above all else. Heavenly Father, help us to be responsible with the blessings You have bestowed upon us. If we squander what we have, it shows that our priorities were not directed toward You in the first place. Instead, we carelessly handled Your blessing upon us. At the same time, may we never let our possessions possess us. May You always be our hearts' desire. Amen.
Your Nightly Prayer
"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul." 3 John 1:2 Your health is your wealth when there is complete harmony with your body, mind, and spirit. Because our well-being is intricately linked to our daily habits. By cultivating healthy routines, we empower ourselves to transcend the limitations that life often imposes on us. Remember, a tree deeply rooted in rich soil; just as it flourishes with care, our well-being thrives when we nurture healthy habits. Adopting healthy habits doesn't happen overnight; it requires patience and commitment. The process begins with small changes—perhaps choosing nutritious foods or dedicating time each day to physical activity. The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?” Caring for our bodies leads us toward a renewed mindset and a more vibrant existence. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, "For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." The impact of these positive shifts extends beyond physical health—they elevate our mental state as well. Engaging in exercise releases endorphins that uplift our spirits and improve our overall mood. Nurturing both body and mind fosters resilience against life's challenges, whether through meditation, journaling, or spending time in nature. As we embrace the journey of developing healthy habits, let us also support one another in this endeavor. Galatians 6:2 instructs us to carry each other's burdens, fostering community around shared goals can keep motivation high. Let today be the first step towards enriching your life—body, mind, and spirit—and remember that every small effort counts toward transforming your health into true wealth! 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Prayer for the Day! With a heart full of faith in God's omnipresent love, I lift you in prayer today. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that You open the gates of divine well-being for this beloved individual. May You guide them along paths of righteousness and health. Let every step they take be blessed with Your healing power, and may their body mirror the strength and vitality that comes from abiding in You. Lord, grant them resilience against any ailment or discomfort, as You promise us in Exodus 15:26 — I am the LORD who heals you. In Jesus' name. Amen. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pastor-divineo/support
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:25–26After this startling opening line from our Lord, Jesus concludes today's Gospel by saying, “In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” Thus, at first read it appears that we are called to not only renounce all we possess but also to hate those within our own family. But is this truly what our Lord means? Let's begin with the idea of “hating” those within our family and even our own life.Obviously the word “hate” in this Gospel passage is not the same as the sin of hate and anger. In commenting on this passage, one Church Father explains that there are some cases when the best way to love another is through a form of hate. That is, if another were to act as an obstacle to God, working to deter us from the will of our Lord, then our “hatred” for the actions they do must be firmly expressed. But this is love. A refusal to turn from God, by rejecting another's disordered actions, is a way of sharing the Gospel with them. Let's take an extreme example.Imagine that you lived at a time and circumstance where being a Christian was a crime. You were arrested and commanded to publicly renounce your faith. Instead, you renounced that command with every strength of your soul. In this case, you exercise a form of holy “hate” for the persecution the person is imposing upon you. But that is also an act of love toward them as you fully reject their action by renouncing their command.Or consider also how you hate even your “own life.” Let's say that you fall into serious sin, over and over. The appropriate response is not only to repent but also to have a form of holy hatred for the habit into which you have fallen. This is a true hatred for yourself in the sense that it is a hatred for that which you have become by your sin. But this holy hatred has the ultimate goal of passionately overcoming your sin and is therefore a true act of love for yourself.The concluding line of today's Gospel mentioned above calls us to renounce all of our possessions. In other words, we must renounce anything that we are attached to in a way that is contrary to the will of God. Of course, in God's providence most people (except those who take a vow of poverty) are invited by God to have various possessions so as to meet the material needs of life. But even in this case, we must “renounce” all that we possess, meaning, we must not allow ourselves to become attached to anything other than God. But this is freedom in the truest sense. Even if you have many things, it must be understood that those things do not make you happy. Only God and His will can fulfill you. Nothing else. Thus, we must learn to live as if God and God alone suffices. And if it is God's will that you obtain a house, car, computer, television and other modern conveniences, then so be it. But true “renunciation” of all of these possessions simply means that if at any time you were to lose them, then this would be fine. Therein is perfect detachment. The loss of something material would not deter you in any way from loving and serving God and His holy will. Reflect, today, upon these radical words of Jesus. Try to hear them in the way our Lord meant them. Work to be detached from everything that is contrary to the will of God and everything that becomes an obstacle to God in your life. In the end, possessing God alone is more than you could ever hope for. And only if you fully possess our merciful God will you be able to love yourself and others with the pure heart and love of Jesus our Lord. My demanding Lord, You call us all to a life of radical holiness. You desire that I come to love You above all with all my heart. Please give me the grace and wisdom I need to renounce all that is an obstacle to my love and service of You. May You and You alone be glorified in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Christ Preaching by Rembrandt, via Wikimedia Commons
Our Lord Jesus taught us to pray these words, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is our heartfelt prayer. May You be honored in this nation with godly leaders, with humble people, with obedient followers of Jesus the Messiah. May Your kingdom come in power in each of our lives that we may do Your will on earth even as it is done in heaven. And may this nation experience a spiritual rebirth, a renewal that comes through the Holy Spirit of the Living God. We pray this in the strong name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44Today's Gospel presents us with two very short and similar parables. In the first, quoted above, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “treasure.” In the second parable, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “pearl of great price.” Though these parables are very similar to each other, there are also subtle differences worth pondering. It appears that the treasure mentioned in the first parable is discovered almost by accident. The person simply “finds” it. This is in contrast to the second parable, in that the merchant who finds the pearl of great price did so after “searching” for it. We often encounter the Treasure of the Gospel without even looking for it. We do so any time God intervenes in our lives without us seeking His intervention. For example, if someone were to offer an act of charity to you without you seeking it out, this is God giving you a treasure of His Kingdom. Or if someone shares with you their faith, or an inspiration they received, this is indeed a treasure given to you by God. The problem is that many times when we are given these treasures of the Gospel, we do not always see them as treasures. Imagine, for example, if the person in this parable were to stumble upon the treasure in the field and fail to open it out of indifference. They see it from a distance, have a bit of curiosity about what is in the box, but they are not energetic enough to actually open the box and look inside. In that case, the person would have no reason to go and sell all that they have so as to buy the field in which the treasure is found.One clear message that this first parable reveals is that we must be attentive to the countless treasures of God's graces given to us each and every day. God is so prolific in offering us grace, that we truly do stumble upon His grace all the time. Thus, having eyes to perceive His actions and ears to Hear His Voice is essential.A second message clearly given in both of these parables is that once we discover the graces God gives us every day, we must foster within ourselves a desire for those graces that is so strong that we are willing to do anything necessary to obtain them. The discovery is made through the gift of faith, but the discovery by faith must then be followed with a zeal that drives our will to conform to that discovery.Reflect, today, upon two things. First, have you discovered the treasures God has given to you? If you hesitate in answering this, then it's most likely the case that there is much you have yet to discover. Secondly, as you do discover the riches that come with the gift of faith, then have you allowed that which God has spoken to you to consume you to such a point that you are willing to sell all you have, meaning, do whatever it takes to further accept all God wants to bestow? Resolutely determine to go forth on this holy search and you will find that the riches of grace that you obtain are of infinite value.My Lord of all riches, You bestow upon me and upon all Your children countless graces every day. The treasures of Your mercy are of infinite value. Please open my eyes so that I can see and my ears so that I can hear so as to discover all that You wish to bestow. May You and the riches of Your Kingdom become the one and only, all-consuming focus of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Parable of the Hidden Treasure By Gerrit Dou or Rembrandt, via Wikimedia Commons
Sunday, 28 July 2024 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 “And she will bring forth a son, and you will call His name JESUS. For He will save His people from their sins” (CG). Joseph was just told that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit. The messenger continues, saying, “And she will bring forth a Son.” The words not only demonstrate the presence of God in the process, but more, they also reveal the directive hand of God. The Child will not merely be opening Mary's womb, but the Lord is directing what type of child will be born, a Son. Understanding that, it next says, “and you will call His name JESUS.” The words of this verse are similar to what was said to Mary – “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” Luke 1:31 Mary was told this, and even if she then told it to Joseph, it is still right that the messenger would repeat it to him now. His words confirm the words of Mary, or they establish the matter for Joseph if she had not yet told him. Either way, he is informed what will come to pass concerning the Child, and he is told what the Child's name will be. This is not a unique event in Scripture. The names of Isaac and Ishmael were given before they were born. Josiah's name was prophesied before he was born. Also, the name of Cyrus, King of Persia, was stated in a prophecy before he was born. In the New Testament, John the Baptist had his name designated before he was born. Though the name of Samson was not given before he was born, details concerning him were described. Such events as this show that God is in control of the redemptive narrative, and He intervenes at key points to continue having history unfold according to a set plan. The name Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua. It is a shortened form of Yehoshua, Joshua. Whereas Yehoshua means The Lord is Salvation, Yeshua means Salvation, or He Will Save, coming from the verb yasha, to deliver or save. Joshua anticipated the coming of Christ through his name. In the coming of Christ, the type is fulfilled: the Lord, Yehovah, is Salvation. Therefore, the messenger provides the reason for the selection of the name, saying, “For He will save His people from their sins.” Thus, as happens so often in Scripture, a pun is formed, “You shall call His name Salvation, for He will save His people from their sins.” The implication of the messenger's word is that Christ has a group of people that will be saved. It is also implied that some will not be saved because they are “not His people.” What is also explicit is that people have sin from which they must be saved. Without this process, they remain in a state of condemnation. Jesus has come to correct this in His people. Life application: It is not uncommon for people to argue over the name of Jesus. Some argue that His name is originally a different Hebrew name than Yeshua, deriving their opinion from one Old Testament passage or another. However, it is most commonly accepted that His name is either Yehoshua or Yeshua. As He is the Lord, Yehovah, in human flesh, it makes less sense to call him The Lord is Salvation (Yehoshua). Rather, He is the Lord who is Salvation (Yeshua). However, fighting over this is not necessary. Another way people argue over Jesus' name is to insist that we should use the Hebrew name only because that is His “real” name. As Jesus isn't the way a Hebrew would speak, it is somehow bad to them that we would say “Jesus.” This dismisses the fact that the vast majority of people don't pronounce any biblical name as it actually is. Some are so far from the Hebrew that when the Hebrew is heard, we don't even know who is being referred to. To say we must pronounce Jesus' Hebrew name would necessitate that we do so with all biblical names. It is unreasonable to hold to this view. Languages were developed by God. They continue to change as time passes. As they do, we accommodate to the general use of names within a language. The name Yeshua is transliterated into the Greek as Iésous (ee ay soos). If God wanted us to say Yeshua today, He wouldn't have had the New Testament given to us in Greek. From Iésous, the English language developed through the Germanic languages. Iésous eventually became Jesus (Yesous). Germans don't have the hard J (think of Johannes Kepler). The name then moved to the English people as Jesus with a hard J. Within English, this same name is actually pronounced quite differently depending on where you are. If you go to a southern church in the U.S., it sounds like Jayzuz. And so forth. There are YT videos that give the name of Jesus in many languages throughout the world. Different people groups will pronounce the name differently. But in the end, our Jesus is the Christ of the nations as well as the Messiah of Israel. However you pronounce His name, do it with respect. He is our Lord. He is our JESUS. Lord God, we stand in awe of what You have done. You have come to us in the Person of Jesus our Savior. May You be eternally praised for Your goodness to the sons of Adam for redeeming us unto Yourself. All hail the name of Jesus. Amen.
Are you looking after your energetic state? It's no secret that most of what we desire is “high vibe” - and since like attracts like in order to attract your desires you need to be in a high frequency. BUT - how can you get there? Today's episode is a solo pep talk from G about what you can do to nurture your energetic state and raise your frequency. If you have been currently trying to manifest a desire or are feeling like your sparkle has disappeared then this is the perfect episode for you. You can purchase the project here. Use the code 'NEXTLEVEL222' to get $222 off for the first 24 hours. (Available to purchase from 7:00am, Monday 27 May) You can find G's book recommendation - the Source by Dr Tara Swart here. You can listen to the episode on the Law of Attraction here. You can find out more about RISE the app here. You can join our Facebook group here. You can find our Instagram here. You can shop our courses here. You can shop our products here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join host Tewannah Aman for her podcast, "In Christ, I Can!" How many of us struggle with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy? Philippians 4:13 is a verse that many know well, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But how often do we freeze up? How many times have we not gone through a door? Or we haven't taken advantage of an opportunity? Do I hear a resounding yes and amen? I can relate. We have had many who have criticized and condemned us, and that has created a fear of rejection and a fear of failure deep within us. Those times when someone made us feel so insecure and inadequate, telling us things like: “You aren't good enough. You are a failure. Why even try? You are hopeless and helpless.” And the list goes on. When we accepted Jesus, we were adopted into His family. We are children of God and daughters of the King. But the tapes that have been playing in our heads don't just disappear. Wouldn't that be nice? We are now on a journey called the process of sanctification. That is when we seek God and His Word to renew our hearts and minds (Romans 12:1, 2). It is allowing His truths to transform us into the image of Christ. Walk with me as I share how God has enabled me to work through and overcome those fearful times that still can come back to haunt me. And let's look at Moses and how he struggled with deep feelings of fear and insecurity. When God called him, he practically refused. He tried to convince God He had chosen the wrong person. We are in good company. God empowered Moses to deliver the Israelites. Even though he was scared, he went through the door anyway. He trusted the Lord. And the Holy Spirit kicked in, and that is what He wants to do in each of our lives. He wants to reveal His power in and through us. He wants to heal, redeem, and restore the brokenness from our past. So that you can be used to achieve great and mighty things for His Kingdom. May You seek Him with your whole heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13). God has chosen you. He has a purpose and plan for your life. How exciting is that?!! Now, go rock the world for Jesus.
So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” John 11:47–48Jesus' public ministry had two primary effects upon the people. For many, they were coming to believe in Him and were hanging on His every word. They sought Him out and began to understand that He was the promised Messiah. This was the response of faith. But the reaction of the chief priests and the Pharisees was far more worldly. In the passage above, we see a group of religious leaders who are completely consumed with worldly concerns to the point that these concerns drown out all matters of faith.As the Sanhedrin convened and discussed what they should do, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, spoke up and gave advice that perfectly depicts this worldly vision. He said, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” Caiaphas and many other religious leaders at the time appeared to be far more concerned with their worldly status and power than they were with matters of true faith and eternal salvation. If they were men who deeply loved God and sought only His holy will, then they would have rejoiced that Jesus' ministry was so fruitful in the lives of the people. They would have offered thanks to God, day and night, for the privilege of seeing the prophecies of old about the Messiah come to fruition before their own eyes. They should have had joy and gratitude, and they should have allowed those spiritual blessings to grow within them and give them the courage they needed to go forth and die with our Lord if necessary. But instead, they chose their comfortable lives and worldly status above the truth, and they decided that Jesus needed to die.One beautiful truth to reflect upon within this context is that God uses all things for His glory and for the salvation of those who believe. With this meeting of the Sanhedrin, these men began to plot the death of Jesus. Eventually they used deceit, manipulation, intimidation and fear to accomplish their goal. But even though from a worldly perspective these misguided religious leaders “won,” from a divine perspective, God used their evil to bring about the greatest good the world had ever known. Through their malice, Jesus' passion and death gave way to the new life of the Resurrection.Reflect, today, upon the fact that God is able to use all things for our good. Be it in the midst of corruption, persecution, discord, sin, illness or any other evil in life, when we turn to God in faith and surrender, He is able to transform all things and bring forth an abundance of good fruit through them if we only let Him and trust in faith. Prayerfully surrender over to God, today, any of the above concerns that have affected you, and allow yourself to believe the simple truth that nothing can keep you from the glorious fulfillment of the will of God. All things can help toward the salvation of your soul and end in God's eternal glory.My glorious Lord, You were loved by many but also hated by some. Those with power and authority could not see beyond their worldly ambitions, so they began to plot against You. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to see every act of evil inflicted upon me as an opportunity for You to bring forth good. You are glorious, dear Lord. May You be glorified in all things. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: The Chief Priests Take Counsel Together By James Tissot, via Brooklyn Museum
"May You be adored, O merciful God of ours, O All-powerful Lord and Creator. In deepest humility, we give You praise, Plunging ourselves into the ocean of Your Godhead." St. Faustina writes. Listen in as Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, reads from this modern spiritual classic. To order a copy of the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, visit ShopMercy.org. Support our Ministries here.
Let me ask you a question: How are you feeling this holiday season? A) I'm feeling the Christmas magic! Grateful! B) I'm sad or lonely or really stressed… If you answered yes, you're in good company. Maybe you're having the best Christmas season you've had in a long time! Or maybe you're coping with grief, illness, financial insecurity, or something else. There's a good chance you're dealing with some mix of all of the above, and that's okay. The holidays can be complicated, and every Christmas song tries to tell you to “be of good cheer.” I'm here to tell you that you don't have to. And you're not alone. So how do you cope when the holidays are hard? Take a listen, and I'll share some ways I'm shedding expectations this year. (And I sing a little too…) Prayer: God, we acknowledge who You are, and we are grateful. We praise You for who You are, and we thank You for what You've done. We know You've done so much for us this year, but we also want to come to You and say there's many of us that are struggling this holiday season. May we base our expectations on Your expectations. May we be grateful for the gift that Jesus was in our life and is in our life, and the fact, God, that You sent Your only Son. And if that is the end of our gratitude, may we not feel shame in that being all we can celebrate. May You bring comfort to those who are mourning. May You bring freedom to those that are chained. And may You bring peace to those that are in pain. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. _____ Purchase your copy of my new book, How to Human, HERE: https://bit.ly/HowtoHumanNotes Let's keep in touch! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear ALL my updates: https://bit.ly/MasFamiliaNotes Interested in advertising with us? Reach out here. _____ INDEED: Need to hire? You need Indeed. Visit indeed.com/HUMANHOPE to start hiring now. HIYA HEALTH: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/HUMANHOPE
Let me ask you a question: How are you feeling this holiday season? A) I'm feeling the Christmas magic! Grateful! B) I'm sad or lonely or really stressed… If you answered yes, you're in good company. Maybe you're having the best Christmas season you've had in a long time! Or maybe you're coping with grief, illness, financial insecurity, or something else. There's a good chance you're dealing with some mix of all of the above, and that's okay. The holidays can be complicated, and every Christmas song tries to tell you to “be of good cheer.” I'm here to tell you that you don't have to. And you're not alone. So how do you cope when the holidays are hard? Take a listen, and I'll share some ways I'm shedding expectations this year. (And I sing a little too…) Prayer: God, we acknowledge who You are, and we are grateful. We praise You for who You are, and we thank You for what You've done. We know You've done so much for us this year, but we also want to come to You and say there's many of us that are struggling this holiday season. May we base our expectations on Your expectations. May we be grateful for the gift that Jesus was in our life and is in our life, and the fact, God, that You sent Your only Son. And if that is the end of our gratitude, may we not feel shame in that being all we can celebrate. May You bring comfort to those who are mourning. May You bring freedom to those that are chained. And may You bring peace to those that are in pain. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. _____ Purchase your copy of my new book, How to Human, HERE: https://bit.ly/HowtoHumanNotes Let's keep in touch! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear ALL my updates: https://bit.ly/MasFamiliaNotes Interested in advertising with us? Reach out here. _____ INDEED: Need to hire? You need Indeed. Visit indeed.com/HUMANHOPE to start hiring now. HIYA HEALTH: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/HUMANHOPE
*** IAYAALIS traces the Christmastime roots back to Ancient Egypt ***What's Up, my fellow Seekers of The Divine!?!In this 20th episode of ✨
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:25–26After this startling opening line from our Lord, Jesus concludes today's Gospel by saying, “In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” Thus, at first read it appears that we are called to not only renounce all we possess but also to hate those within our own family. But is this truly what our Lord means? Let's begin with the idea of “hating” those within our family and even our own life.Obviously the word “hate” in this Gospel passage is not the same as the sin of hate and anger. In commenting on this passage, one Church Father explains that there are some cases when the best way to love another is through a form of hate. That is, if another were to act as an obstacle to God, working to deter us from the will of our Lord, then our “hatred” for the actions they do must be firmly expressed. But this is love. A refusal to turn from God, by rejecting another's disordered actions, is a way of sharing the Gospel with them. Let's take an extreme example.Imagine that you lived at a time and circumstance where being a Christian was a crime. You were arrested and commanded to publicly renounce your faith. Instead, you renounced that command with every strength of your soul. In this case, you exercise a form of holy “hate” for the persecution the person is imposing upon you. But that is also an act of love toward them as you fully reject their action by renouncing their command.Or consider also how you hate even your “own life.” Let's say that you fall into serious sin, over and over. The appropriate response is not only to repent but also to have a form of holy hatred for the habit into which you have fallen. This is a true hatred for yourself in the sense that it is a hatred for that which you have become by your sin. But this holy hatred has the ultimate goal of passionately overcoming your sin and is therefore a true act of love for yourself.The concluding line of today's Gospel mentioned above calls us to renounce all of our possessions. In other words, we must renounce anything that we are attached to in a way that is contrary to the will of God. Of course, in God's providence most people (except those who take a vow of poverty) are invited by God to have various possessions so as to meet the material needs of life. But even in this case, we must “renounce” all that we possess, meaning, we must not allow ourselves to become attached to anything other than God. But this is freedom in the truest sense. Even if you have many things, it must be understood that those things do not make you happy. Only God and His will can fulfill you. Nothing else. Thus, we must learn to live as if God and God alone suffices. And if it is God's will that you obtain a house, car, computer, television and other modern conveniences, then so be it. But true “renunciation” of all of these possessions simply means that if at any time you were to lose them, then this would be fine. Therein is perfect detachment. The loss of something material would not deter you in any way from loving and serving God and His holy will. Reflect, today, upon these radical words of Jesus. Try to hear them in the way our Lord meant them. Work to be detached from everything that is contrary to the will of God and everything that becomes an obstacle to God in your life. In the end, possessing God alone is more than you could ever hope for. And only if you fully possess our merciful God will you be able to love yourself and others with the pure heart and love of Jesus our Lord. My demanding Lord, You call us all to a life of radical holiness. You desire that I come to love You above all with all my heart. Please give me the grace and wisdom I need to renounce all that is an obstacle to my love and service of You. May You and You alone be glorified in my life. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
RISE OF THE ENEMY IS NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! RISE OF THE ENEMY — NOW AVAILABLE! Today is BOOK LAUNCH DAY! My new devotional book for boys has been launched out into the world, and it is now officially available on Amazon! I'm super excited! The book was funded successfully on Kickstarter back in May […]You can find the shownotes for this episode HERE.The post Rise of the Enemy is Available on Amazon! RTC 80 appeared first on Laurie Christine.
The pinnacle of our relationship with God includes being stripped of every other earthly tie so that nothing holds us back from running toward God with great passion and purpose. We must be freed of every attachment in this life so that our one attachment is God and His holy Will. This does not mean we ought to neglect our love for others. This is especially true with family love. Love for those in your family must take on a special focus and become total and irrevocable. However, there is a difference between loving your family with a perfect love and being attached to them in an earthly way. In fact, holy detachment is necessary if you are to love with the Heart of Christ. Loving Jesus as your one desire in life will direct you to Him through others. You will love Christ in your family and in all aspects of your earthly vocation. But your love for all will be a love for Christ when you love Him with this perfect love. When this happens, every other attachment will be transformed into your love of God (See Diary #1365).What do you love in this world? What is it that you are attached to? Think about your greatest earthly loves. Hopefully these loves include family members and others whom God has put in your life. Now examine those loves and ponder whether they are centered in Christ. By loving them are you actually loving God? Or do these earthly loves remain ends in themselves? Reflect upon the goal of making love of God the one and only focus of your life and try to discover how you love God in and through every other person and every aspect of your life.My Lord, I love You and desire to love You above all else and in all else. May You become the one and only goal of my love. As I love You in all Your creatures may I be drawn closer to You and lavish Your perfect mercy upon their lives. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Feeling stuck? May Yeo Silvers provides practical advice, or fast “hacks”, to boost your personal and professional success. Drawing from a recent conversation with a savvy business associate, May shares the 4 big takeaways she learned that can help you shift your results. First, she emphasizes the critical link between physical health, mental clarity and business success, stressing diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management. Second, be cautious about your media intake; avoid negative content and choose sources of information and advice that you've researched and who align with your values. Next, remember that your close circle of friends and business associates matter; your success often mirrors the average success of your five closest associates. Choose them wisely. Lastly, visualize your goals, immersing yourself mentally in where you aim to be. Imagining business and life success before you have it can make it more possible for you to achieve. This short episode is packed with advice to help you get unstuck and transform your outcomes. Quotes • "Physical health directly relates to mental health, emotional health, and also your health of your business." (02:46 | May) • "Your potential for success in life and in business is the average of the five people that you surround yourself with." (10:47 | May) • "Your current environment, is it a reflection of where you want to go?" (14:52 | May) • “You want to be able to extract yourself from an environment that's not serving you and physically plant yourself in another environment that's going to serve you.” (16:23 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone For more information about our virtual Passion To Profit Workshop on September 13-14 2023: How To Attract Your Ideal Clients & Book Them, click on this link to register: https://workshop.mayyeosilvers.com/optin-passion-to-profit-sept-2023 If you want the FULL EXPERIENCE, for only $37, you get an ADDITIONAL bonus of a pricing video tutorial that teaches you how to price for profit PLUS a pricing calculator with embedded formulas where you can input your numbers and calculate your fees. Click this link to access your FULL EXPERIENCE for the workshop: https://workshop.mayyeosilvers.com/optin-passion-to-profit-sept-2023-free-37 Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
In today's episode, we're diving into a surprising topic: how staying active and getting physically fit can actually boost your business success. Host May Yeo Silvers suggests that the way you handle personal challenges can be a sneak peek into how you tackle business obstacles. May shares a personal story from her past to highlight the concept of mental toughness. She recalls a not-so-great moment in a badminton tournament where she faced a crushing defeat. Despite feeling embarrassed, her passion for the game pushed her to keep going, leading to continuous improvement. This experience became the cornerstone for developing not only physical skills but mental resilience. Participating in sports can be similar to starting a business. There will be times where there are setbacks, but to persevere, you must track and refine your processes along the way. It's important to learn from your personal achievements and setbacks, using them as building blocks for a strong and confident mindset in entrepreneurship. The key takeaway is to remember the times you've triumphed over challenges and apply that same resilience to your business journey. Quotes • “However you do something in your personal life is how you will show up in your business life." (01:02 | May) • "You can train your mind to be tough, just like you can train your muscle to be tough. If you can train your body to be tough, you can also train your mind to be tough." (01:58 | May) • "Your mind has different muscles, different levels of personal toughness that you can train." (02:34 | May) • "When I show myself that I can do hard things it will naturally show to the others that they can also do it." (13:21 | May) Links For more information about our virtual Passion To Profit Workshop on September 13-14 2023: How To Attract Your Ideal Clients & Book Them, click on this link to register:https://workshop.mayyeosilvers.com/optin-passion-to-profit-sept-2023 If you want the FULL EXPERIENCE, for only $37, you get an ADDITIONAL bonus of a pricing video tutorial that teaches you how to price for profit PLUS a pricing calculator with embedded formulas where you can input your numbers and calculate your fees. Click this link to access your FULL EXPERIENCE for the workshop: https://workshop.mayyeosilvers.com/optin-passion-to-profit-sept-2023-free-37 Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilversofficial FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Have you really sat down and taken the time to figure out your sales numbers? If not, you are doing yourself a disservice and may even find yourself having to go back to working a corporate job. Today, host May Yeo Silvers shares real life examples as case studies of entrepreneurs who have had to go back to corporate in spite of their business looking like they were doing well. When business is “good” and you have lots of money coming into your bank account every month, you may make the mistake of thinking you are in the clear and can go ahead and spend that money. However, you might just be making a big mistake! As CEO, it is critical that you take a step back and really get serious about knowing your numbers. Just making sales is not enough if you do not know how many sales you actually need to make in order to afford to pay both your personal bills and your business bills. Also, unlike a corporate job where you make a set amount of money every month, entrepreneurship is trickier. You will likely have some months that are slower where you make much less money or might not have any sales at all. By accounting for this in your calculations, you can determine exactly how many sales you need to be making and how much money you need to have in the bank at all times in order to afford your lifestyle and keep your business afloat even in hard times. Even if you do not consider yourself a numbers person, it is a crucial component of being a successful CEO. Being great at sales is only one part of the equation. Determining and keeping track of your numbers will help you to make the best decisions for yourself and your business as well as protect you from having to go back to a corporate job. Quotes • “In running a business, you have to understand what are the must track numbers… all these numbers will determine what you need to do, the next course of action in your business.” (3:53 | May) • “These four numbers are what's going to save you from not having to go back to corporate.” (5:09 | May) • “You not only need to do the selling, you need to know how much to sell.” (7:39 | May) • “I should have taken the time to sit down and determine how much money I need in order to live and thrive as a full time CEO for my business.” (9:17 | May) • “When you are in a corporate world, you have a fixed paycheck, so you know how much money is coming in. But when you're in business, you don't know how much money is coming in unless you do your sales projection.” (19:06 | May) • “If you are running a full time business, it is so important to incorporate a line item, which is your salary that you need to pay your personal bills.” (28:50 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Jesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44Today's Gospel presents us with two very short and similar parables. In the first, quoted above, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “treasure.” In the second parable, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “pearl of great price.” Though these parables are very similar to each other, there are also subtle differences worth pondering. It appears that the treasure mentioned in the first parable is discovered almost by accident. The person simply “finds” it. This is in contrast to the second parable, in that the merchant who finds the pearl of great price did so after “searching” for it. We often encounter the Treasure of the Gospel without even looking for it. We do so any time God intervenes in our lives without us seeking His intervention. For example, if someone were to offer an act of charity to you without you seeking it out, this is God giving you a treasure of His Kingdom. Or if someone shares with you their faith, or an inspiration they received, this is indeed a treasure given to you by God. The problem is that many times when we are given these treasures of the Gospel, we do not always see them as treasures. Imagine, for example, if the person in this parable were to stumble upon the treasure in the field and fail to open it out of indifference. They see it from a distance, have a bit of curiosity about what is in the box, but they are not energetic enough to actually open the box and look inside. In that case, the person would have no reason to go and sell all that they have so as to buy the field in which the treasure is found.One clear message that this first parable reveals is that we must be attentive to the countless treasures of God's graces given to us each and every day. God is so prolific in offering us grace, that we truly do stumble upon His grace all the time. Thus, having eyes to perceive His actions and ears to Hear His Voice is essential.A second message clearly given in both of these parables is that once we discover the graces God gives us every day, we must foster within ourselves a desire for those graces that is so strong that we are willing to do anything necessary to obtain them. The discovery is made through the gift of faith, but the discovery by faith must then be followed with a zeal that drives our will to conform to that discovery. Reflect, today, upon two things. First, have you discovered the treasures God has given to you? If you hesitate in answering this, then it's most likely the case that there is much you have yet to discover. Secondly, as you do discover the riches that come with the gift of faith, then have you allowed that which God has spoken to you to consume you to such a point that you are willing to sell all you have, meaning, do whatever it takes to further accept all God wants to bestow? Resolutely determine to go forth on this holy search and you will find that the riches of grace that you obtain are of infinite value. My Lord of all riches, You bestow upon me and upon all Your children countless graces every day. The treasures of Your mercy are of infinite value. Please open my eyes so that I can see and my ears so that I can hear so as to discover all that You wish to bestow. May You and the riches of Your Kingdom become the one and only, all-consuming focus of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Are you really giving your business your all? It's one thing to go through the motions, but it's another to be fully present and put your heart into everything that you do for your business. Today, host May shares the importance of self-awareness and the ability to self audit in order to really be sure you are going all in for your business' success. In order for your business to grow, you must first grow as a person. Assuming you are a full time CEO, there are around 8 hours available for you to devote to your business each day. How many of those hours do you actually spend on sales generating activities or coming up with creative ideas for your business? If you're being honest with yourself, you will likely find that you are not actually giving all you could be to being a CEO. You are getting your day to day activities done, but maybe your heart is not really in it or your mind is elsewhere. It can be daunting to ask yourself why you are procrastinating certain tasks or why you are struggling to be fully present, but self-awareness is key for accessing a growth mindset. You owe it to yourself and to your business to give it your all. If you are struggling with really dedicating yourself to taking inspired action rather than just checking off tasks, you first need to have the courage to ask yourself the hard questions and face whatever fears and doubts are standing in the way. Quotes • “If you want your business to grow, you have got to grow first.” (2:42 | May) • “How many hours are you taking inspired action? Taking action is not good enough. Taking inspired action is what is going to move the success needle. Taking actions by just checking off, okay, I got to do this, I got to do this, I got to do this. That means your heart is not there. When your heart is not there your people can feel it in terms of your content. You're just a robot reading a script.” (10:50 | May) • “When you put in your heart, your emotions, in carrying out an action, a sales generating action, delivering a message, communicating your value, your expertise, talking about your brand, connecting with people, those are sales generating activities.” (13:11 | May) • “You can work all day long. But all day long, are you really working? Are you really present? If you are not, you're just doing it for the sake of doing it, then you're not really giving it all.” (16:53 | May) • “Self awareness is key.” (18:22 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Wednesday, 19 July 2023 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. Acts 18:25 The previous verse introduced Apollos, noting that he was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures and that he had come to Ephesus. Luke next records, “This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord.” The verb being imperfect gives the sense of “He was being instructed.” He didn't just get instructed at a certain point, but his instruction was ongoing in nature. He continued pursuing the knowledge of “the way of the Lord.” These words are both technical and descriptive. The faith was called “the Way” at this time (Acts 9:2, for example). At the same time, it is technical in the sense that he understood the doctrine of the Lord. Today someone might say, the “religion” of Christ in a comparable sense. Therefore, he knew both what Jesus taught and he knew what was taught concerning the Lord. Next, it says of him, “and being fervent in spirit.” The word translated as “fervent” is zeó. It is an onomatopoeia. It describes the sound of boiling water. It means to bubble over because it is hot enough to boil. Figuratively, it means showing great zeal or being keenly passionate, as if one is boiling with great interest or desire. It is found only here and in Romans 12:11. The words “in spirit” surely refer to his spirit, not the Holy Spirit. He was zealous for his doctrine and instruction. The words “spoke” and “teach” are in the imperfect tense and should be rendered as “speaking” and “teaching.” He continuously did these things. One can imagine Apollos simply exuded with his love of telling others about the Lord and explaining the wonderful things He has done. Therefore, it next says that “he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord.” The Greek word translated as “accurately,” akribós, is described by HELPS Word Studies, saying, “This root (akrib-) refers to gaining exact information with the highest level of accuracy (‘exactness') and is acquired by probing investigation to provide a comprehensive circumspect (precise) view in strict adherence to the facts.” What this means is that his instruction and his knowledge of the Scriptures had led him to know and understand that Jesus is, in fact, the Christ. And so, this is what he proclaimed. His deficiency in the faith that will next be described was a result of a lack of instruction on doctrinal matters, but not a lack of understanding who Christ is and what role He filled. Why is this important? Why is this being relayed to us? The answer is seen in the final words of the verse, saying, “though he knew only the baptism of John.” The implication is that Apollos was, at this time, a saved Jew. He was a believer. Because this is so it reveals an important truth. Even though he was saved, he only knew of John's baptism. Therefore, it is sure evidence against those heretics who say that water baptism is a necessary condition for salvation, thus adding works to the simple gospel of Jesus Christ. Rather, water baptism is an issue of obedience and right doctrine. This is what is being conveyed, and it is fully supported by verse 27 as well as what will occur in Chapter 19. Despite being a descriptive passage, the internal clues about the faith of Apollos still help us to more accurately understand Paul's prescriptive words in the epistles. Life application: The simple (and only gospel) is belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again. This was in accord with Scripture and it is what we need to know in order to be saved. If we believe that He has done these things, God will accept our faith and impute to us the righteousness of Christ. Salvation and proper doctrine do not necessarily go hand in hand, except proper doctrine on how to be saved. But for other matters, such as the rapture or how to properly conduct oneself in life as a Christian, one must learn those things. However, they have no bearing on the matter of getting saved or remaining saved. Water baptism is an external sign of the inward change that has taken place in us. And yet, it is a command of the Lord. As such, to not receive water baptism is disobedience to His command. Thus, to refuse to be water baptized when it is clearly known that Jesus stated to do so will result in a loss of rewards, but it will not affect one's salvation. Get these things right, be saved through belief, and then be baptized as an open profession that you are a saved believer and follower of Jesus. Lord God, thank You for what You have done in the giving of Jesus. May we be obedient to the faith we profess and adhere to the word that has been given to us after we are saved. Help us to pursue proper doctrine all our days. May You be glorified as we do. Amen.
It is finally time to bust the biggest myth of all when it comes to starting your event planning business. If you've been told that in order to be an event planner you need to purchase your own inventory, listen up, because May is here to explain why this could not be further from the truth. In fact, if you do decide to invest in your own inventory, you could actually be limiting your business growth potential. While it may seem like less of a hassle or even a way to save money in the long run, owning your own inventory comes with a lot of additional costs than just buying it in the first place. You will have to maintain that inventory, store it somewhere, set it up at the event and break it down afterward. That's a lot of extra work! These are all labor costs and taking up valuable time that you could be spending on growing your business and generating sales. If your goal is to be an event planner, then you do not need to spend your money, time, and energy on physically designing and staging the materials for the event. You're a planner, not a designer! Doing all that extra work on top of your planning duties will quickly cause you to wear down and risk burning out, all while not really benefiting your business in terms of revenue. Don't let not being able to afford your own inventory stop you from starting your event planning business! The top most successful event planners in the industry do not own or manage their own inventory. You should not have to be responsible for manual labor at your events like setting up and breaking down equipment, because this takes from your time to actually manage the event and generate more sales. The next time someone tells you that you need to own your own inventory in order to be a successful event planner, direct them to May for some much needed myth busting. Quotes • “It's a widespread belief that you need to purchase inventory in order to start your event planning business.” (1:28-1:41 | May) • “If you want to own inventory, you were probably given this idea that it's so much cheaper to just own it than to rent it from a vendor.” (8:55-9:09 | May) • “You forget the costs of maintaining the inventory, of keeping the inventory, of setting up the inventory. You forget the costs of breaking down the inventory. All those are labor hours.” (9:48-10:08 | May) • “You want to copycat? Find the right cat to copy.” (14:04-14:06 | May) • “If you are living in a small town and you need this inventory, find a cheaper labor than you that costs less than what you're charging yourself.” (16:50-17:01 | May) • “If you are doing something, that means you're not able to do something else. You also limit your growth. If you are actively involved in the inventory portion, that means you're doing things that's not sales generating.” (18:10-18:24 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
If you are an event planner or designer who wants to build a sustainable business both in terms of profit AND freedom based lifestyle, you CANNOT be personally handling every manual task at each event. Instead, envision yourself as the CEO or boss lady, overseeing a team of talented individuals who specialize in different aspects of your craft. By delegating tasks and trusting others, you can scale your business, cater to multiple events in a day, and avoid limiting your earning potential. The key here is finding the right balance between honoring your passion and maximizing your income. You deserve to enjoy what you do, but you must also consider the opportunity cost of your time. Charging premium rates for your presence at events is a fair and effective way to ensure you're adequately compensated for your expertise. By openly communicating with clients about the additional fee for your on-site involvement, you can maintain transparency while aligning your income goals. Remember, you don't have to be physically present at every event to provide exceptional service. Instead, selectively choose which events require your direct involvement and charge accordingly, allowing you to play to your strengths, earn a substantial income, and nurture your passion for your craft without sacrificing your financial success. It's crucial to recognize that your passion for your craft shouldn't come at the expense of your profit margin. Embrace the role of a business owner and delegate tasks to a competent team, but find the right compromise that allows you to maximize your income without compromising your love for your craft. Quotes • "If you are hearing from other people or seeing how other people are running their business by having to use your talent and your time doing all these manual tasks that you could actually delegate to someone else to do it or hire a vendor to do that, that means you are limiting your earning income." (06:20-06:38 | May) • “You've got to have a good balance of really honoring your passion for your craft and making the money that you want to make.” (09:52-09:59 | May) • "If you wanna make money, start looking at how very successful wealthy people run their business. They are not in the day-to-day operation. They're not in the day-to-day client facing operation. They do more strategy work." (11:19-11:32 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Have you been taught by sales professionals that you should always go into a sale assuming that it is a done deal? While assuming the sales is an important piece of a sales strategy, it is not the complete equation. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers discusses the other 50% of the equation for forming a successful sales strategy. Building up your confidence is a big part of being successful in sales. You always want to go into a conversation with a potential client with a lot of confidence in yourself and the services you are offering, as well as with an assumption that they will want to work with you. However, if you go into it leaning too heavily into your assumptions, that potential client might feel like they are being forced to say yes to you. Instead, give that person a way out by asking them questions that enable them to explain in their own words why they want to work with you. When people have a chance to articulate their reasoning, they will be much more likely to go through with the sale. Most people are not inclined to argue against themselves. So, instead of insisting that someone work with you, give them an opportunity to choose to work with you and explain their reasoning in their own words. Tune into this episode of The Unstoppable Eventrepreneur™ to learn more about why assuming the sales is not always enough. Quotes • “Assuming the sales is 50% of the equation.” (7:14-7:17 | May) • “You need to create an opportunity for your potential client to tell you, to articulate it themselves, that you are the person that they want to work with.” (7:59-8:15 | May) • “You want them to explain why they want to work with you. Because when they say out loud the reasons why they want to work with you, they are justifying to themselves and they probably will hear 100% of what they're saying.” (11:44-12:22 | May) • “You want to be confident in presenting your services and assuming the sales. But then at the later part, you want to be curious by asking them questions, so they don't feel that they are being pushed to have to work with you.” (15:04-15:16 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Are you afraid of being judged or rejected? Do you struggle with imposter syndrome? Knowing strategy and tactics is only a small part of being successful when building a business. You also have to be able to execute that strategy, but that can be hard to do when your ego is getting in the way. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers discusses what she refers to as the four demons you face when building a business and shares her tips for dealing with them. May explains that the four demons are imposter syndrome, the fear of failure, the fear of rejection and the fear of judgment. All of these fears are tied to the ego and to your pride. With imposter syndrome, it is important to check the source and verify the facts. If someone is calling you a fake, who are they to say that? Unless you are lying about your services, you are not an imposter. When thinking about the fear of failure, judgment, and rejection, these fears are linked to a desire for external validation and come from your ego trying to protect itself. Remind your ego that you are grateful for it keeping you safe all these years, but that it is no longer necessary. If you focus only on learning strategy and do not put in the work to get past your own ego and imposter syndrome, then you will not be able to implement these strategies effectively. Tune into this episode of The Unstoppable Eventrepreneur™ for a closer look at the four demons and ways to navigate them. Quotes • “Knowing strategies and tactics are only probably 20% of what you need in your business and the rest of the percentage all depends on how you manage these four demons.” (2:58-3:12 | May) • “Unless you are lying about it, you are not an impostor. You may not know the ins and outs, or you may not be an expert in the subject topic, but that doesn't mean that you're an impostor.” (5:50-6:07 | May) • “You should not need someone's validation to tell you whether you're doing a good job or not.” (6:38-6:44 | May) • “A lot of times what we fear are not real fears. A lot of times it's our pride.” (10:05-10:10 | May) • “If you have impostor syndrome, if you have a fear of failure, that means you are afraid of being judged.” (13:55-14:03 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Thursday, 25 May 2023 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. Acts 17:4 A more literal rendering than that of the NKJV needs to be used – “And some of them were persuaded and joined themselves to Paul and to Silas, along with a great multitude of the worshiping Greeks, and not a few of the leading women” (CG). Paul has been in the synagogue at Thessalonica for three Sabbaths discussing the matter concerning Israel's Messiah. He has just said, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” With that, it now notes, “And some of them were persuaded.” Some translations say, “believed,” but this is not the word pisteuo found in verses such as John 3:16. Rather, this word, peithó, means to urge or to persuade. It is the root of the word pistis, or faith. They were persuaded, having faith that what they were told was true. Even if the meaning is that they believed, it is based on Paul's teaching and urging. In this, they were persuaded, “and joined themselves to Paul and to Silas.” It is a word found only here in Scripture, proskléroó. It signifies to assign by lot, to associate with, or to follow as a disciple. The basis of the word is kléroó, to assign by lot. Hence, it is to share common lot with another. They have accepted the message that Jesus is the Christ and have thrown their lot in with those who proclaim Him. This has been referring to the Jews in the synagogue. However, they are not the only ones who have been so persuaded. It next notes, “along with a great multitude of the worshiping Greeks.” Calling them “worshiping Greeks,” means that they were proselytes to some degree or another. They had already accepted that the God proclaimed in the Jewish Scriptures was the true God and had worshiped Him as such. However, they have now been convinced, right from those same Scriptures, that Jesus is the fulfillment of them. He, in fact, is the promised Messiah. As a note of the universality of the message, it next says, “and not a few of the leading women.” These would be influential women who were probably connected with ranking families within the community. They may have been proselytes, or they may have been the wives of some of the proselytes who came and they wanted to identify with their husbands. The main point is that the women were not excluded from this fellowship and these women were influential in their circles. Thus, they would become a means of attracting others as they developed in their own faith. Of the status of women in Macedonia, the Pulpit Commentary says – “Popular prejudice, and the verdict of Grecian wisdom in its best age, asserted her natural inferiority. The Athenian law provided that everything which a man might do by the counsel or request of a woman should be null in law. She was little better than a slave. To educate her was to advertise her as a harlot. Her companions were principally children and slaves. In Macedonia, however, monuments were erected to women by public bodies; and records of male proper names are found, in Macedonian inscriptions, formed on the mother's name instead of on the father's. Macedonian women were permitted to hold property, and were treated as mistresses of the house.” Life application: In 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Paul says to those in the congregation, “...how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” This would obviously be people other than those who were mentioned in Acts 17:4. What can be inferred is that Paul and Silas talked to others throughout the week. Their soul-focus (pun intended) was not just on those at the synagogue, but it extended to pagans as well. Though it was Paul's practice to teach at the synagogue, it was also his passion to speak about Jesus to anyone at any time. It is a good lesson for us all. Our interactions with others regarding Jesus do not have to be limited to our time at church. Rather, we should be ready and willing to interact with people at all times. When the opportunity arises, let us open our mouths and speak! Lord God, may we never withhold the precious, saving message of Jesus. Rather, give us the boldness to always tell others about His goodness. May You be glorified in our willingness to share the gospel often and with zeal. Be with us as we do! Amen.
Do you know all of your sales numbers for your business? It is a common mistake for new entrepreneurs to not understand the difference between financial numbers and sales numbers. Without knowing your sales numbers, you cannot turn your passion into profit. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers talks about the sales numbers you absolutely must know in your business. May explains that while exact sales numbers differ for every business owner, they do not differ in the manner in which they are calculated. She gives an example working backward from an income goal of $120,000 and walks through how to arrive at each sales number including calculating conversion rate, number of qualified leads, and how many sales you need to make to reach the desired income. May also explains the 80/20 rule which states that in a room of 100 people, only 20 will actually hear you and maybe 1 or 2 will become a sale. When you can see each sales number tracked, then you have a better understanding of what is required to reach your goals. Sales numbers are different from financial numbers, but are just as important for running a successful and profitable business. Tune into this episode of The Unstoppable Eventrepreneur™ for a deeper dive into the sales numbers every business owner must know. Quotes • “There's a big difference between financial numbers and sales numbers.” (1:41-1:45 | May) • “A lead is someone who knows the services you provide and they want and need the services you provide. They know how much you cost and they're able to pay how much you are charging.” (5:05-5:23 | May) • “The goal here is to work less and make more. So you need to keep testing your price point to see where you are in terms of your conversion rate.” (9:07-9:18 | May) • “You want to be able to track all these numbers to see what your closing rate is. You want to be able to reverse engineer the numbers.” (17:11-17:18 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” John 11:47–48 Jesus' public ministry had two primary effects upon the people. For many, they were coming to believe in Him and were hanging on His every word. They sought Him out and began to understand that He was the promised Messiah. This was the response of faith. But the reaction of the chief priests and the Pharisees was far more worldly. In the passage above, we see a group of religious leaders who are completely consumed with worldly concerns to the point that these concerns drown out all matters of faith.As the Sanhedrin convened and discussed what they should do, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, spoke up and gave advice that perfectly depicts this worldly vision. He said, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” Caiaphas and many other religious leaders at the time appeared to be far more concerned with their worldly status and power than they were with matters of true faith and eternal salvation. If they were men who deeply loved God and sought only His holy will, then they would have rejoiced that Jesus' ministry was so fruitful in the lives of the people. They would have offered thanks to God, day and night, for the privilege of seeing the prophecies of old about the Messiah come to fruition before their own eyes. They should have had joy and gratitude, and they should have allowed those spiritual blessings to grow within them and give them the courage they needed to go forth and die with our Lord if necessary. But instead, they chose their comfortable lives and worldly status above the truth, and they decided that Jesus needed to die.One beautiful truth to reflect upon within this context is that God uses all things for His glory and for the salvation of those who believe. With this meeting of the Sanhedrin, these men began to plot the death of Jesus. Eventually they used deceit, manipulation, intimidation and fear to accomplish their goal. But even though from a worldly perspective these misguided religious leaders “won,” from a divine perspective, God used their evil to bring about the greatest good the world had ever known. Through their malice, Jesus' passion and death gave way to the new life of the Resurrection.Reflect, today, upon the fact that God is able to use all things for our good. Be it in the midst of corruption, persecution, discord, sin, illness or any other evil in life, when we turn to God in faith and surrender, He is able to transform all things and bring forth an abundance of good fruit through them if we only let Him and trust in faith. Prayerfully surrender over to God, today, any of the above concerns that have affected you, and allow yourself to believe the simple truth that nothing can keep you from the glorious fulfillment of the will of God. All things can help toward the salvation of your soul and end in God's eternal glory. My glorious Lord, You were loved by many but also hated by some. Those with power and authority could not see beyond their worldly ambitions, so they began to plot against You. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to see every act of evil inflicted upon me as an opportunity for You to bring forth good. You are glorious, dear Lord. May You be glorified in all things. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
There are many things in life we can become attached to. Sometimes we can even become attached to things that are good. Most often, what we become attached to is our own stubborn will. We want what we want when we want it. One key to authentic holiness is to strive to be detached from everything but God and His holy Will. This requires much “letting go” in our lives and much surrender (See Diary #338).What is it that you are attached to? What comes to mind first? What is it that you would not want to let go of? Even attachment to good things in life is a way of trusting more in creatures than in God. And, in fact, the only way to authentically love another, be it God, family, friends, or anyone else, is to detach from your selfish attachments so that the love of God can flood you and love others through you with His pure and perfect love.Lord, help me to let go of all that is not of You. Help me, especially, to see my sin and to surrender it over to You. Help me to detach even from family in a holy way so that I am free to love them with Your Heart. May You, my Lord, be my one goal and love, and in this love may I discover how to love everyone with Your Heart. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Are you at the start of your business and trying to decide whether to niche down or be a one stop shop? Host May Yeo Silvers suggests not making a decision right away, but instead, trying everything first to figure out what your passion is. Unless you already know what you do or do not like doing for event planning, you may want to consider being open to doing different type of events and decorations (for event designer and decorator) to have an idea what your REAL passion is after doing these events. You may be very passionate and want to do it all, but consider that this may not be a sustainable path. If you are creating everything from flower arrangements to balloon arches and have a lot of hands-on activities, it may be difficult to maintain everything. Even if you enjoy doing it all, it will make your business harder to scale and cause you to risk burnout. You don't have to do it all to still be a one stop shop. Decide what you will keep your hands on and then hire vendors to provide auxiliary services. To determine your niche, you may have to experience planning and executing different events at least a few times before you say YES or NEVER AGAIN. If you find yourself enjoying lots of different niches, really consider whether it is a sustainable path for you to be involved in everything. Quotes • “When you're first starting the business, I would say don't be so quick to want to niche down until you have tried it all to know what your passion is.” (5:36-5:48 | May) • “You may not agree that you want to niche down to only doing one thing, because you have interest in every single thing. So I would suggest that if that's the path that you want to take, considering that it may not be sustainable.” (13:07-13:28 | May) • “If you go through the process of elimination and you still can't eliminate anything, just try it.” (16:40-16:46 | May) • “You can still be a production house or a one stop shop, but you don't have to do every single part yourself.” (22:58-23:04 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Have you been attracting the wrong type of clients instead of ones who are aligned with your style of working? Host May Yeo Silvers suggests that the underlying issue may lie in a lack of honesty between yourself and a prospective client. If you are typically a people-pleaser, it may be more difficult for you to say no to a potential client even if your intuition is telling you upfront that they will not be a good fit. You may hesitate to set expectations and honor your own boundaries in favor of trying to work and communicate in the way the client prefers. Ultimately, this does both yourself and that client a disservice, because neither of you are well-aligned. To attract your ideal client, be upfront and honest about your style of working and communicating, and encourage your clients to be honest with you about their desired working style and expectations. By qualifying that you and a potential client are a match before ever getting into rates or contracts, you create an environment of authenticity and honesty. This also helps you to honor your own boundaries and not agree to take on a client for the wrong reasons such as people-pleasing or monetary need. Quotes • “What went wrong was in that sales conversation nobody was being honest.” (6:07-6:13 | May) • “You are the leader in the sales consultation and you need to lead the conversation by creating an environment that your potential client can be themself to tell you how they want things done.” (6:28-6:45 | May) • “I basically set the boundaries and expectations at the very beginning.” (9:35-9:38 | May) • “Before I drop my fee, I want to know whether I like this person.” (12:53-12:57 | May) • “A lot of entrepreneurs, not just event planners, who said that they are not attracting the ideal client, it's because they're not being honest. They are not being honest with themself of what they want. They are also not being honest with their clients, and they are also not encouraging their clients to be honest with them.” (15:16-15:39 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Do you understand why your past and potential clients choose to hire you? According to host May Yeo Silvers, this is a question that every event planner needs to have an answer to because it can help you get more business in the future. On the surface, it is easy to assume that your clients have hired you for their convenience. And while this may be the case for some people, always trying to sell to the surface level needs of your customers is not a sustainable way to generate business. If you focus just on price, you will always be able to be easily out bid. If you want to form a real business relationship with your clients, you need to focus on identifying the one thing that you can give them that is unique to you and your business. When you stop trying to sell your services just for their price, and you shift your focus to addressing BEYOND the surface needs of your clients, you will be able to close more sales calls and bring in high-end clients that will appreciate your expertise and work. Quotes • “The problem with a lot of event planners that is blocking them from going to the next level is they are selling to the surface needs of their potential client. Which is, ‘I help you save time and money and I have the expertise to do this.'” (02:58-03:20 | May) • "There are always people who object to the price. Even though the potential client may not have the time nor the expertise to do what they say they want for the events, once they are quoted the price, immediately time becomes an abundance for them.” (03:32-03:54 | May) • “You will never win when it comes to price bidding because there will always be somebody who's more than willing to charge less than you in order to win the business.” (04:48-05:00 | May) • “As a consumer, it's easy for us to find comparable items to compare. But what is the one thing that a potential client can't find anywhere else? You. You are the most precious, rarest commodity. You are selling a unique experience.” (11:11-11:27 | May) • “I don't convince anyone to work with me. I show them my value. I show them that they can trust me” (12:10-12:20 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
You love actually doing events, but lately you are feeling less passionate and excited about actually running your business. Does that sound familiar? This is very normal and does not mean that you are not cut out for doing events. Your passion for events has not wavered, however, taking care of the business side is new and can be very stressful. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers shares her own experience of burnout for running a business and how to keep things running when you don't feel like doing it. Consistency is extremely important when you are running a business, especially in the beginning when you are still making a name for yourself. You do not always have to be running everything at 1000%. In fact, you're likely to burn out if you try to do that. Instead, if you feel your passion waning, allow yourself some grace to take a step back and only do the bare minimum of keeping your business running. Not everyone enjoys running a business. You got into event planning, because you love actually doing events. Not necessarily because you love all the administrative tasks that go into keeping a business running profitably. To get back the passion for your ‘why', take a step back whenever you need to instead of pushing yourself and risking burnout. Quotes • “The why is still there, but the passion for running the business is simmering.” (7:09-7:15 | May) • “You are cut out to do events. Never ever forget that.” (7:42-7:46 | May) • “If you don't have the passion to build the business, at least tolerate it and keep it at simmer.” (13:24-13:30 | May) • “Give yourself some grace, that it's okay to step away. It's okay to step away and not do anything about the business when you don't feel like it.” (13:37-13:48 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
There are many times in life when we are treated unjustly. As a result, our first instinct is to fight back, defend ourselves and see to it that justice is done. But is that what Jesus did? No, He remained silent and accepted all injustice as a sacrifice for the atonement for our sins. He was the Just One who took upon Himself all injustice. In doing so, He did two things. First, He appeased the justice of the Father as He offered this injustice for the atonement of sin. This is the central and deepest mystery of our faith. Second, He invites us to follow His example. In doing so, we are invited to accept unjust treatment and meet it with Mercy and forgiveness. This requires great inner strength and love. But if we are able to unite our own unjust suffering to that of Christ's, we will win more souls for God than if we fought back winning a temporary satisfaction of earthly justice (See Diary #81).How have you been treated with cruelty and injustice? Reflect upon that which has been most painful to you and know that this suffering is an opportunity for you to atone for the sins of the world. You are enabled, by uniting your hurt to the suffering of Christ, to win many souls for God. This is the mystery of our redemption. It's a mystery we are invited to enter into, live and offer to God as a sacrifice of love. Take a step in this direction, today, and watch the hurt you have dissolve into Mercy.Lord, I offer You, this day, my hurt, pain and all suffering. I especially offer You the injustices I have faced in life. May You remove all bitterness from my heart and replace it with Your Divine Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
When planning events, there is a common misconception that the venue coordinator and the day-of event coordinator are the same person. In reality, the venue coordinator is much too busy with their own tasks to have time to be your client's helper. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers discusses the difference between the responsibilities of a venue coordinator and a day of coordinator. Say you have clients who hired you to plan a wedding, but they did not hire you to do the day of coordination on their wedding day. They are mistakenly expecting the venue coordinator to be functioning as a day of coordinator as well, which can lead to a lot of disappointment and confusion at the event. A venue coordinator will be making sure things are running smoothly with the kitchen, the bar, and the rest of the staff, so they will not typically have time to help with much else. Make sure your clients are very specific about putting everything the venue agrees to handle in the written contract so that there are no surprises on the big day. Your clients should not assume that the venue coordinator will be serving as a day of coordinator for an event. This is often not the case, and unless it is explicitly written into the contract, the venue coordinator will not be expecting to act as your client's personal helper. Quotes • “I know of many venues, high end venues especially, that make it mandatory for the client who's having an event at their venue to have a pointed person who is the helper for the client.” (02:42-03:00 | May) • “You have to tell your potential client, ‘Go ask the venue if they're doing all these things'. If they say yes, make sure that they put it on the contract.” (12:04-12:12 | May) • “You must have a helper on that day and your helper is supposed to do everything that the hotel does not do, or the venue does not do.” (15:02-15:10 | May) • “You as a planner need to understand what the venue coordinator does.” (15:20-15:24 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
As we are halfway through the first month of 2023, have you checked in with yourself? How are you doing? Are you taking action towards your goals? As the year begins on a good note, it is important to take the time to plan out your year. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers teaches listeners how planning for the year can help you live a more intentional life. Many entrepreneurs feel like they can't accomplish everything they want to because they simply don't have the time. But according to May, we do have the time for the things we want to do, we just have to be better at planning for it. So when planning for 2023, you want to start with the big major events like holidays, weddings, and vacations. Then, you want to take a look at any industry events and block those times out. And after you have planned for the non-negotiables, you can look at what time is left for the extra things and it becomes easier to plan your day-to-day schedule. Even though it may seem extreme to plan a year in advance, it really can set you up for success. Once you have done it enough times, you will create new habits that free up your time to do more of what you want while still achieving all of your goals. Want to know more about how to start and grow a successful event planning business? Don't forget to sign up for my in-person workshop on Saturday, March 4th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. To request more information or sign-up please email me at may@events4anyone.com Quotes • “Are you busy just getting through the day? Or are you busy with making sure every single minute of your day is used to its best potential?” (03:17-03:30 | May) • “You can live a free life if you have already mastered the skill of understanding your energy and how to get things done in that type of energy flow.” (07:49-07:59 | May) • “I am extremely intentional with the time. I'm not just busy doing busy work. Every single work that I do is a building block to something else.” (09:23-09:34 | May) • “When the big events are already taking up spots on your calendar, you can see what the other open slots are. So when an opportunity arises, you can, at one glance, already know if you can take advantage of a new opportunity.” (20:19-20:35 | May) • “In order to be intentional, you first have to be self-aware.” (26:20-26:23| May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Host May Yeo Silvers starts off the new year by helping you attain the 2023 goals that you set for yourself during her goal setting series. In today's episode, she discusses how saying no is another way of asking for help. Many people struggle with saying no. If you have a hard time setting boundaries for yourself, there are many ways to practice saying no in different ways. Instead of saying no outright, you can ask questions such as, ‘can it be done later?' This way you can determine if what you're being asked to do is actually worth your time. When people are more discerning about asking for help and they know you are willing to say no, it becomes more apparent when someone actually really does need help. You cannot reach your 2023 goals completely on your own. It will take a support system and the best way to reach your goals is to begin training that support system now. By saying no and letting people know to only reach out for help when they truly need it, AND vice versa, you can begin to train the people around you to respect your boundaries and to be the supportive village you need. Quotes • “The reality is to attain what you have set out to attain, it takes a village.” (2:54-3:02 | May) • “In order for us to have stamina, in order for us to gain momentum, and continue with the momentum, we need to learn that one person doing it is good. Many people helping you to push you to move forward is best.” (5:32-5:54 | May) • “You'll be surprised if you open your mouth, people are willing to help. You know why? Because it has shown that when we help someone we feel good about ourselves.” (7:39-7:49 | May) • “There is another way to ask for help apart from asking someone to help you to do something. Another way to ask for help is to say no.” (9:34-9:44 | May) • “Saying no to negative thoughts will be the first step.” (11:36-11:40 | May) • “In order to get a buy-in from your village, your village needs to know what is the end goal? How's it going to benefit me?” (18:01-18:09 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
2023 Annual Prayer Planner - 21 Days of Prayer & Journaling to Plan Your Year digital download 2023 Annual Prayer Planner - 21 Days of Prayer & Journaling to Plan Your Year print book at Amazon Well, hey there! So good to be with you today on this episode of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are trusting fully in the Lord as we move toward 2023. My prayer for you is that you will know God better, hear the voice of your Good Shepherd more clearly, have more joy and peace and faith than ever before, and see the miraculous happening all throughout the coming year. Is that a big, bold prayer for me to be making on your behalf? Perhaps. But isn't that what makes it a prayer worth praying from the very depths of my heart? Definitely. You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, part of the Spark Network, now playing in the Edifi app. This is episode number 130. Recently I have been reading through the later chapters of the book of Genesis, along with 1 Peter and Hebrews. And every single day it seems like the Holy Spirit shows me places where He wants me to yield more, trust more, believe more, grow up more. Looking at the life of Joseph in Genesis, from his childhood to his difficulties with his brothers to his betrayal to his time in Egypt that was anything but sunshine and roses, to be honest, I have been encouraged, convicted and challenged. That's not always the most fun place to be in my walk as a disciple of Jesus, but it is always a healthy, good place for me to be. And so, as it says in chapter 4 of 1 Peter, I am finding joy in the hard things (that's a very, very loose paraphrase, btw). I'd like to read a verse from the NLT out of Psalm 18. Let me read verse 3 aloud to you. It says: I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies. Here it is from the Amplified: I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies. Very small differences between the two versions, but the Amplified Bible changes the tense a bit. From called in the NLT, past tense, to CALL in the Amplified, present tense. And the last portion - and I am saved from my enemies. Right now is the moment we can call upon the Lord and be saved from our enemies. We have enemies, like it or not. The devil, of course, is our ultimate enemy. But so often, in my own life, I am my own enemy. I fear failing at some new thing so I sort of put it off, do some other stuff, work on this, fiddle around with that. But fail to do that thing I should get going on, fail to do it because I don't want to fail in doing it. Anybody else? I know that failure is not fatal, that failure is actually not doing anything. Trying at something, learning and growing and slowly at times taking baby steps forward, that is actually a part of success. Failure isn't as big a deal as I give it credit for, when I frame it correctly. Failure when I am doing what the Lord calls me to do is falling forward, toward His good and perfect and pleasing will for my life. Failure is falling backward when I do nothing, try nothing, attempt nothing for God's glory or for His Kingdom or for other people's benefit. Failure, according to the book of James, is when I know the good I ought to do but do not do it. So as I live out the last couple of days of 2022 and step toward the new year, which feels new even though technically it is simply turning the page on the calendar and not one single thing beyond the date change may be even remotely new at this point in time - as I live in this moment and move forward into the next moments of my life, I am choosing to remember this truth about failure. Because there are some things I need to work on, some prayers I need to pray, some tasks I need to be about, some people I need to love better, some dreams I need to dream with the Lord, and some nonsense and baggage I need to drop right here and never pick up again. And I am thinking you may need to leave some stuff behind too. Maybe you need to redefine failure for the new year. Maybe we need to, collectively, give each other ample grace while also extending that grace to our very own selves. Back to Psalm 18, I'm calling on the Lord today and have plans to call on Him as often as need be in 2023, and I am believing He will save me from my enemies. Even if the biggest enemy is me at times. I'd like to take a moment and pray a blessing over you for the New Year. Lord, my prayer for each listener is that they will wholeheartedly, with fervency and devotion, love you more in 2023 than at any other time in their life. Would you be their strength, and not only when they face trouble or trials or difficulties or stress, but every single day. Be their strength as they parent their children, as they grieve losses, as they do their job week after week, in their finances, as they face what may feel like difficult economic times that are heavy and hard to bear, in their family relationships and in their ministry roles and even when they lie down to sleep each night, would you be their strength in those times to rest fully in you and be able to sleep and get the rest You want them to have? Be their rock, fortress, and rescuer in this new year. May they turn to you and take refuge in you as often as they need to. Be their shield, their high tower where they will be above the stresses of daily life and able to see things from Your point of view. Be their stronghold, a very certain help and comfort in their time of need. You are worthy to be praised, Lord. May they praise You often and with great adoration. Save them from their enemies, whomever and whatever those enemies may be. Hear me as I pray today, and keep this prayer before You all year, one You will answer on their behalf again and again. Open dry paths for them to walk on when it seems as if deep waters are hindering their way. Where You lead, may they follow, and may they be blessed in that following of Your daily leading. Reach down from on high, rescue them, delight in them, bring them out into a broad place. Enable them to live clean lives before You, honoring You in public and in private, keeping the ways of the Lord. Help them to remain in Your Word, to spend time in prayer, and to be part of the local church that blesses them and is a blessing through them to other believers. Show yourself kind to them, and may Your kindness spur them on to kindness that overflows onto others. Save Your people who are afflicted, and remind them of the need to remain humble before You. Keep them from arrogance, foolishness, and haughty behaviors or thoughts. By Your power, Lord, they can crush a troop or scale a wall. As they do great exploits spiritually for Your kingdom, may You receive all the glory and praise. Bring them healing in every area that it is needed - emotionally, physically, financially, spiritually, relationally, and every other way that healing will bless them. Encircle them with strength, be their rock, make their way blameless. Make their feet like hinds feet, stable and sure and able to climb on the heights - because we know that the high points of life require sure footing so we don't forget You or Your blessings in the good times, or think we caused the good things of our own accord, or focus so much on the good life that we stumble due to not caring for those around us who may not be in a good times season of life. Make us able to stand firmly and walk safely in the midst of trouble. Set us securely on the high places You have ordained for us. Train our hands for the battles we fight, and to be in the fray and in the fight by praying for those You lead us to pray for. May we be able to bend a bow of bronze and see the prayers we pray through to fruition. Uphold and sustain them with Your right hand. May Your gentleness, Your gracious response to them as they pray and on their behalf as I pray this over them today, may Your gracious response make them great, for Your kingdom and Your purposes in this world that needs You so desperately. Enlarge the path before them and make their steps secure so that their feet will not slip. They will pursue their enemies and overtake them this year. They will not turn back until their enemies are consumed. Satan will not have the final victory, and I am asking that he will not win in the battles they are fighting in 2023. Lord, with humility I am making this request on their behalf. Lord, do not deny me my requests today. May I be like the woman in Luke chapter 18 - like that parable You told about praying and not giving up, I will ask and ask and ask again like the persistent widow. Do not withhold from me answers to this prayer. Answer it again and again on their behalf, all throughout the next twelve months. May their enemies fall wounded under their feet, as it says in Your Word. Encircle them with strength for the battle, strength for whatever comes in 2023. Subdue those who come against them in ways that will not grow them, sanctify them, or honor You through them. Rescue them from contentious people, place them as the head and not the tail, may they be positioned for service among those who are Your people, Lord, and those who are in need of You in their lives. May they live in obedience to You, to Your will and Your call on their lives. And may they see the fruit of the Spirit in their life again and again and again, all year long. You, Lord, live. Blessed be Your name! May You, the God of our salvation, be exalted! Rescue these ones for whom I am praying today. Life them above those who attack them and rise up against them, whether those are people attacking, circumstances attacking, or satan attacking. Deliver them from men of violence. We are Your people, we are a people of peace, and may we live in peace and at peace as far as it depends on us. We choose today to honor You with our lives all year long. We set this year before You and offer it to You before it even begins. And we give You our worship, our love, our adoration, our hearts. You are good, and You cannot be otherwise. You do nothing apart from Your lovingkindness for us. We give thanks to You, we praise You, O Lord among the nations, and we will sing praises to Your name all throughout this new year. Thank You for Your care for us, for hearing my prayer and answering it, for Your Word which teaches me how to pray and what to ask You for, thank You for Your steadfast love toward us and the mercy You extend. Thank You, and once again I say thank You. This I pray in the name of Jesus, and may it be done according to Your Word. Amen. I am always so blessed, so thankful, for the opportunity to pray for you. And I really do mean that. It is a privilege to pray for others, isn't it? And one thing that gave me sort of a heart jump-start when it comes to prayer was the realization that I won't need to pray when I am in eternity, in heaven, with the Lord. I am still going to praise and worship and adore Him, revere Him, honor Him. But He will set everything aright, He will make all things new, and He means it when He says in Revelation that there will be no more crying or death or pain and so I won't need to lift those requests before Him since they will be gone forever. That realization moved me to pray with more fervency, more intensity, more longing for Him to hear and answer when I pray because I don't have forever to be about this work of praying for others. I only have right now. And that's, I suppose, why I am so thankful to be able to pray for you in this episode. If this is something that blessed you, I have three things to quickly mention. One is my private prayer group on Facebook (and it is a private group because prayer requests are confidential sometimes and so it's just a private group for that one reason). I do videos and pray in the group a couple of times a month, so it's not an overwhelming amount of notifications from the group. It's called Praying Through the Storm Online Prayer Retreat with Jan L. Burt on Facebook and the link will be at the top and the bottom of the show notes for this episode and also on my website, Jan L Burt . com. Second is the new podcast I am working on. This one will be here focusing on God's promises primarily, and the second one is called The Prayer Podcast with Jan L. Burt, and it will be, you guessed it, about prayer. Third, a resource I created for the new year (based on something I do each year and on something I did with a group of people via email in early 2022 that ended with so many people asking me to turn the content into a book of some sort, and so that's what I did) is called The 2023 Prayer Planner. It's 21 days of verses, devotional type content about each verse, and a prayer for each day with some journal type pages with room to pray and plan and take note of what the Lord is saying to you about the coming year. It's a way to give the Lord the first fruits of the year, as an offering to Him. And man, it is a great way to start a year. To begin with the Word of God as our foundation. If you'd like to get a copy, it is available as a digital download on my website, it is also on Etsy and TPT and as a print book to order via Amazon. The price is between $7 and $8, depending on the platform where you buy it, so it's not a huge financial investment per se but it is an investment that will pay huge spiritual dividends so check that out if you want to kick off the year praying and seeking the Lord intentionally and to grow your faith, your trust and your prayer life.
May Sim has been a psychological astrologist for the last 16 years. She has been helping thousands of clients with their life purpose and career; and teaching astrology to people from more than 26 countries. She is the first Asian to graduate from the International Academy of Astrology in the U.S. and, is even a member of their faculty now, amazingly creating their syllabus for psychological astrology. May's own SelfAstrology Academy is the top psychology astrology academy in Asia. She was gutsy enough to leave a General Manager position at age 24 to pursue entrepreneurship in astrology. The bold move has brought her clients who are high flying executives and business owners as well as coaches, supporting them to transition from dissatisfying jobs to empowering and fulfilling work that allows them to use their strengths which she helps them identify in the first place. May has also been engaged by government bodies and major corporations in Singapore to speak on world patterns, trends and potential future events and probable directions. In this episode, the first of a three-part interview, Host Helen Lee talks to May about 2023 and what is coming up for us, changes in the political arenas in many countries, the return to old values, the drive of younger generations - Generation Z in particular - and the role of the spiritual in the future of humanity. KEY TAKEAWAYS May's work to help people reach their potential and find satisfaction in their lives by discovering their true nature through psychological astrology has somewhat of a parallel with Helen's work which is even deeper and has helped others discover their True Selves to transform and thrive in the last two to three decades and which will be expanded and extended into the exciting albeit challenging years ahead. Next year's astrological calculations show a pattern pointing to a change in attitudes towards leadership. People are wanting to redefine how they choose their leaders. Political change will cause unrest and uncertainty amongst many and the polarisation of those looking for change and those looking to the past could cause more tension. We may see mass migrations as people try to escape doctrines that do not align with what they believe. The newest generation, Gen Z (those under 26), are a vocal generation very forward in stating what they want to see in their future to leaders of all kinds. They are prepared to pay the price of the inconveniences required to deal with worldwide problems like climate change. Regardless of generation, the problems that we face will be solved by people. The calculations and astrological charts that May creates denote the people in the world and their motivations. The scarcity mindset that has held us back for so many years is beginning to shift. No longer does the idea of ‘my customer, not yours', ‘my resources, not yours' prevail, with cooperation, sharing of equipment, knowledge, and melding of expertise becoming the norm. Our journey into the future will be full of accomplishments we will achieve together whether it be with the help of May's astrological advice or Helen's tried and tested methodology supporting us be the powerful spiritual beings we all actually are. BEST MOMENTS ‘A lot of projects that are worth doing take time to gestate. I can teach a class today but sometimes the things that you teach, they don't quite sink in until years later. I've got students coming back to me years later and saying ‘you taught this to me in class and it's only recently I went back to my notes and looked at it that it starts to make sense to me now.'' – May You can also see a lot of leaders are trying to make an effort now. I think the days of mindlessly kowtowing to a boss ‘just because' is already over and a lot of leaders are set to create a lot more space for people to share their opinions.' – May ‘I think people are actively looking for an alternative and, quite unfortunately, in some countries, in the U.S. for example there are people who are harking back to an old version of how the world used to be.' – May ‘What about climate change? We've been looking at it for ages and I don't think there is anything substantial enough being done where it would make a big difference. Is there going to be any significant progress?' – Helen ‘Astrologically it's really hard to tell about how climate change is going to be affected astrologically because there isn't a planet or a sign that specifically talks about the climate, per se.' – May ‘In the US for example, a lot of people my age are going into farming and it's specifically combining technology that is available today to be able to combine with the traditional methods of farming. They're actively trying to put their brains together and trying to find a way to still produce food at affordable cost and not to harm the environment.' – May ‘I think a lot of young people are very interested in this idea of sharing technology. Even with this concept, when we say working together there's a lot of loose boundaries with regard to things like machinery. People are much more conscious of the wastage of resources. That's what this generation is trying to address now.' – May ‘We may seem ordinary on the outside but in fact there is immense extraordinariness within all of us. We are all capable of the extraordinary and we only need to tap into what's inside of ourselves in as big a way as we dare to and are ready for.' – Helen GUEST RESOURCES Selfstrology Academy https://selfstrology.com/about-may/ ABOUT THE HOST HELEN LEE Founder & Principal Coach of Lee Heiss Coaching, Helen Lee coached thousands of clients worldwide and multinationals in Asia-Pacific in the last three decades. She created a powerful ontological coaching methodology that ignites the true greatness or invincibility in people. Thoroughly tested and honed over 20 years, this methodology consistently and rapidly produces desired results. Helen was also a journalist who later ran her own communications consultancies in Australia and Asia.The Business Times listed her in its “Who's Who of Women Shaping Singapore” while The Straits Times named her “The Leader Prodder” in a feature on Singapore's top coaches. VALUABLE RESOURCES To become a member of the Transform and Thrive Club and benefit from monthly powerful live sessions on Zoom video calls and multimedia coaching, check out and sign up here: www.transformandthrive.club CONTACT METHOD www.leeheiss.com www.facebook.com/leeheiss https://www.facebook.com/helenleeheiss https://www.facebook.com/groups/transformandthriveclub www.instagram.com/helenleeheiss enquiries@leeheiss.com
When it comes to setting your goals for 2023, it is important to know what your goals are, and why you want to achieve them. But to actually see these goals come to fruition, you must put action behind them. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers discusses how to put together the right action plan for your goals in 2023 and beyond. Whether this is a brand new goal, or you're building on an already existing goal, it it first important to understand your current behaviors. What are the things in your life that influence you to behave the way that you are? And how does your behavior impact your success overall? If you do not understand your behavior and how it makes you feel, then you will not be able to understand what's holding you back from achieving your goals. Once you recognize your behaviors, you can begin to take efficient action towards success. But the most crucial thing to remember is that change happens in time. And you need to reward yourself for all the small steps along the way. Ultimately, change doesn't happen overnight. Achieving success is a long-term process that requires a lot of dedication and self-reflection. If you do not break your goals up into small actionable steps, it will be hard to yield any results. Quotes • “Whether it is a new goal for 2003, or a goal that you have set for yourself throughout the last year, one very important thing that you need to do is to recognize your current way of behavior.” (02:02-02:16 | May) • “You have to evaluate what you currently have that at least keeps you content. But also what needs to change to make a difference so that you can live a more fulfilled life?” (03:49-04:02 | May) • “After you list out all the things that are robbing your time, you are going to evaluate what things you can automate, delegate or delete.” (06:25-06:35 | May) • “Once you come to the conclusion that you are not going to let your current circumstances affect you anymore, the need to want to change is going to surpass all the challenges, and uncomfortable emotions or actions that you have to take because your desire to want to make that change will be so strong that nothing is going to stop you.” (08:15-08:38 | May) • “When you have the fundamentals taken care of everything becomes easier.” (10:09-10:13 | May) • “The reason why 99% of the people fail when they try to attain a new goal is because they look at the big plan, and they go all in.” (11:03-11:14 | May) • “Every single change is going to bring you closer to your goal. You've got to keep yourself motivated with your small actions, not just the end goal.” (14:45-14:57 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
As the year comes to an end, it is important to start planning for success in the new year. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers discusses strategies for setting efficient and effective 2023 goals. As we head into 2023, most people are already thinking about what their new year's resolutions will be. And while most people know what they want to achieve, it often stops there. It is one thing to want to do something and an entirely different thing to actually get it done. To be more effective in achieving your goals, it is important to write things down. Write down your goal, why you want to achieve it, and how you would feel if you did or did not accomplish it. When you have some level of accountability, you are more likely to be successful in what you set out to do. Setting goals is an essential part of being successful. Tune in to learn more about how to set efficient and effective goals for the new year and beyond. Quotes • “I think when we set a goal, we have a pretty good idea why we set that goal. However, we just stop there, instead of giving it more thought.” (02:10-02:14 | May) • “When you set a goal, it has to be intentional.” (03:20-03:23 | May) • “When you set a goal, I want you to write it down on paper. Why do you want to set this goal? (04:53-04:59 | May) • “If you had the same goal before and you didn't achieve it, you have to write down why. Why didn't you achieve that goal when you had it before? What was the hindrance?” (06:55-07:13 | May) • “You have to envision yourself already at that place of attaining that goal. How does that feel? Does it make you feel good? And then you also have to envision how you would feel if you didn't attain your goal.” (09:45-10:00 | May) Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
SEND THE FIRE Ref: Send the fire (2x) O great Jehovah Send the fire upon us now 01. We need the fire, we need the fire O great Jehovah! Send the fire upon us now We need the fire, we need the fire O great Jehovah! Send the fire upon us now Send the fire, O God! 02. We need the fire of the Spirit O great Jehovah! Send Your fire to baptize us Plunge us right now in the fire O great Jehovah! Set us aflame to walk with You Send the fire, O God! 03. We need the fire of the Spirit O great Jehovah! Burn the dross and dirt that soil us We have grown cold; we are lukewarm O great Jehovah! May You stir us to walk with You Send the fire, O God! 04. We need the fire from heaven now O great Jehovah! Push us out of all comfort zones We need to be plunged in the fire O great Jehovah! Set us aflame to go serve You Send the fire, O God! 05. We need the fire from the throne now O great Jehovah! Set us aflame to go win souls We need the flames of Your fire now O great Jehovah! Set us aflame to plant churches Send the fire, O God! 06. We need the burning embers right now O great Jehovah! Set us aflame to take nations We want to build men that obey You O great Jehovah! Send the fire upon us now Send the fire, O God! Mathew Yujika Ngo, 6:30, 12/11/2022, PPFC, Koumé, Bertoua, Cameroon, Central Africa
The pinnacle of our relationship with God includes being stripped of every other earthly tie so that nothing holds us back from running toward God with great passion and purpose. We must be freed of every attachment in this life so that our one attachment is God and His holy Will. This does not mean we ought to neglect our love for others. This is especially true with family love. Love for those in your family must take on a special focus and become total and irrevocable. However, there is a difference between loving your family with a perfect love and being attached to them in an earthly way. In fact, holy detachment is necessary if you are to love with the Heart of Christ. Loving Jesus as your one desire in life will direct you to Him through others. You will love Christ in your family and in all aspects of your earthly vocation. But your love for all will be a love for Christ when you love Him with this perfect love. When this happens, every other attachment will be transformed into your love of God (See Diary #1365).What do you love in this world? What is it that you are attached to? Think about your greatest earthly loves. Hopefully these loves include family members and others whom God has put in your life. Now examine those loves and ponder whether they are centered in Christ. By loving them are you actually loving God? Or do these earthly loves remain ends in themselves? Reflect upon the goal of making love of God the one and only focus of your life and try to discover how you love God in and through every other person and every aspect of your life.My Lord, I love You and desire to love You above all else and in all else. May You become the one and only goal of my love. As I love You in all Your creatures may I be drawn closer to You and lavish Your perfect mercy upon their lives. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2022 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
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