“…‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40
Upon reading the first time, it took me a bit to process what was being said. Is this meant to be a compliment or a lesson to learn? Then again, why can’t it be both? Think about your current daily life and if someone you know and respected said it to you. How would you react? It’s time we all begin to help others, slow down and not be so busy. We need to be out of our own heads and realize what all we have to be grateful for. Here are some ways you can implement this scripture into your everyday life.
The other week when I was at the gym, I noticed the church next door was having their annual carnival. Seeing all of the rides up, the concession stands, and all of the happy faces sure brought back plenty of memories from years past. It is nice to see the return to Church Carnival season, but there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into making it successful. Parish Giving would like to help! Here are some of the ways we can make your Carnival Season more successful!
Does anyone know how to be bored anymore? This is a question that enters my head quite a bit. We are a species that is always on the move. From home to work, then work to activities, then dinner and bed. Repeat this for five days straight. When Saturday morning comes around, we do not know what to do. Some of us are good at hitting the snooze button, while others need an invitation to do something. Well, I have a thought – Why is it good to be bored?
It takes a team to make things work. A team wins championships because they communicate – it’s not just because of their individual talent alone. Everyone has their place and job, and they come together and make it work. A parish is the same way. Each person has their role, but they need to support and listen to one another to make it work. You need the clergy, the administrative staff, and the parishioners to all work together to make the parish successful. This is how to keep your parish as a well-oiled machine:
The Heart and Soul of the Parish Community
I was looking at the back of my seeds packet the other day, and it looks as though I can start my garden. Each year I come up with a different technique to try and make sure all of my seedlings yield as much produce as possible. As many of us do, I start them in an individual pod, and then I have them make friends with one another once they start to blossom. Just like in life, the other plants help each other grow and blossom into something bigger and better. It is all about nurturing in nature.
Fish Taco
Salmon BLT
Shrimp Po’ Boy
Albus Dumbledore is one of my favorite characters from the Harry Potter series. He was a man of great intellect and faith, but he was by no means perfect. He had flaws just like the rest of us which made him more likeable and relatable. One of his most popular quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was, “we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy”. It is pretty similar in the choice of having faith or living in fear. The question is, how do we choose faith over fear?
Love is a very popular word this time of the year. With Valentine’s Day on Monday, we are a bit sweeter and gooier, like your favorite chocolate treat, than normal. But what happens after the holiday? Not only do we feel guilty about eating a chocolate heart, but we forget what love really means. That is why it is important to focus on unconditional love. Unconditional love helps you see the love within and without any condition. Here is how we found our unconditional love for the other 364 days of the year.
Many of us are familiar with the book and movie Eat, Pray, Love. The journey one woman went through (Eat in Italy, Pray in India, Love in Indonesia) to overcome a divorce. Well, what about the time of year where we follow Fast, Pray, Give? We Fast on Ash Wednesday, and Fridays until Easter, pray to be closer to God, and Give to those who have less, and it all takes place for 40 days of Lent. The Lenten season is only a few weeks away, and we want to make sure that you are ready for Fast, Pray and Give.