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Extreme Fasting

Posted by eph21920 on April 8, 2025 in Faith, Food, Friends, Lent

I visited with a friend today and noticed that he was looking very slim. I commented to that fact and he said he had dieted for a while which worked, but like most diets, when he stopped being so particular, the weight came back on. For Lent this year, he is fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays. On the rest of the days, he usually will eat just one meal. It is no wonder that he is so thin now. But, more than that, the extreme fasting takes tremendous discipline. I was in awe of his sacrifice and I pray that he will be extremely blessed for his efforts.

I Found God today in extreme Fasting.

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Affordable Housing

Posted by eph21920 on April 7, 2025 in Answer, Friends, Grateful, Happiness, Home, Life, New

A friend in my prayer group had been on the waiting list for subsidized housing for the elderly for 2 years. A couple months ago she was notified there was an available apartment and she was able to move. Today the prayer group met at her new place. It was very cute and cozy. Her outside window faced the courtyard which was just starting to green with the Spring weather. She was very excited and grateful for the place and told us all about what she had learned – both the things she enjoyed and the challenges. There was a true sense of community, which was something she had been missing. She even has a small garden plot to grow whatever she wants. It seemed to be a good fit for her and it was good to see her happy.

I Found God today in a happy friend who found affordable housing.

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Talking With My Aunt

Posted by eph21920 on April 6, 2025 in Connected, Family, Grateful, Relationship

Going through my parents memorabilia got me to thinking about and missing my mom’s sister. I feel a special bond with her as we share a birthday. I had not talked to her in quite some time, so I gave her a call today. We chatted for a while and reminisced. She will be turning 90 this year, but sounded as clear as she had in the past. It even seemed that she was able to hear me better than in some previous phone conversations. She told me that the phone was connected directly to her hearing aids, and that really helped. She was visiting her son in Florida and enjoying the warm weather. She talked about the joy that she gets from her great grandchildren, even though it’s hard to believe she is that old. And we talked about the challenges of trying to reduce the amount of “stuff” in a house. It was good to talk with her and I was grateful for our conversation.

I Found God today talking with my aunt.

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Gallery of Living Art

Posted by eph21920 on April 5, 2025 in Bible, Faith, Jesus, Lent, Music

Today a friend and I went to an event called the “Gallery of Living Art” that was held at a local church. The presentation told the story of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection through life-sized reproductions of sacred works of art. Each painting or sculpture was as close in representation as possible to the original work of art. There were 14 sacred works of art that included The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, Christ in Gethsemane by Heinrich Hofmann and Ecce Homo, Behold the Man by Antonio Ciseria. The church’s full choir accompanied by the organ, a trumpet, and violin provided the breath taking music. For each scene, there was a scripture reading and a hymn. On the stage, the curtain opened to people in costume with props and a background as in the painting. The people stood very still – even the children in some cases. It was captivating. My favorite was the statue of Michelangelo’s Pieta in which Mary is holding Jesus when He is brought down from the cross. The “actors” were both teenagers who were covered in white make-up. It was visually and spiritually stunning. The afternoon was an amazing reflection of the story of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

I Found God today in a stunning presentation of Jesus’ life.

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Many Stories of Faith

Posted by eph21920 on April 4, 2025 in Connected, Faith, Healing, Jesus, Life

Tonight I went to the Stations of the Cross at the church. When I got back home, I watched part of the docuseries “Jonathan and Jesus”. It was about Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus in “The Chosen”. The show followed him during his break between seasons 3 and 4. He travelled to Rome where he met Pope Francis and spoke of how much his Catholic faith meant to him. But it wasn’t just about him. He met many other faith filled people from many backgrounds – even members of Congress. They also spoke of how much their faith meant to them. The common thread was Jesus. A lot was said, but it all came down to the fact that if people are following Jesus and living in the way He asks, there should be more unity and less division. I expected the series to be all about Jonathan. And while it was, it was so much more and definitely more meaningful than I had anticipated. I thought about my experience “walking” through the stations of the cross. It struck me that, while we will never be perfect, if we were to truly follow Jesus, we would be sacrificing daily for the good of the other. As pointed out in the show, we would be inclusive, not exclusive, building others up and not tearing them down. It seems like an impossibility, but with God all things are possible, and it is worth striving for.

I Found God today in many stories of faith.

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Intense Forgiveness

Posted by eph21920 on April 3, 2025 in Answer, Death, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope, Tragedy

Today I heard an incredible story about forgiveness told by Jeanne Bishop. Many years ago, right before Easter, she saw her sister and husband who shared the good news that they were expecting their first child. Sadly, the couple went home to an intruder in the house who killed them all. A while later, they captured the 16 year old boy who murdered them. He had been bragging about the incident. At trial, he never admitted the crime, showed no remorse, but was found guilty and went to prison. Jeanne admitted at that time, even though he had done a horrific act against her and her family, she didn’t want to hate him and personally forgave him. Over 10 years later, she was given a book called, “Forgiveness: Christian Reflection” and was pulled to take action. She realized that, although she had forgiven the murderer, she never told him so. She wrote a short letter to him and put her forgiveness into words for him. He wrote back a 14 page letter full of anguish and regret. Jeanne started visiting the man in prison and they have formed a relationship. Her view of him is that of another human being. This is not always met well with some of her friends and family, but she knows it is the right thing to do – especially if she claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It was a fascinating, heart wrenching, and yet hope filled story of ultimate forgiveness.

I Found God today in a story about intense Forgiveness.

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Laughing With Children

Posted by eph21920 on April 2, 2025 in Baby, Children, Friends, Fun, Joy, Laughter, Love

Today I went over to a friend’s house while she was taking care of her 2 grandchildren. They are ages 2 1/2 and 1 years old. I had met them before, but the last time the younger one was crawling. Now he was walking and very proud of it. His face just beamed as he toddled around wherever he wanted to go. The older one would just blurt out every now and again, “Grandma, I love you.” When my friend was busy doing things, I played with the kids. We played Mr. Potato Head, and house, and pretend car wash, and painting. With the younger one, we played putting the rings on the stand and making the farm animals pop up. I had both those toys for my own kids and so did my friend. She kept them for her grandchildren. It was so much fun playing and laughing with the little ones. There is a certain joy that comes from spending time with them.

I Found God today playing and laughing with children.

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A Slow Start

Posted by eph21920 on April 1, 2025 in Grateful, Home, Life, Peace, Rest

I had a hard time waking up this morning. But, I had no commitments, so I didn’t worry too much about it. I would wake up, then go back to sleep. When I woke back up again it was an hour later. This actually happened a couple of times. I figured I must have needed the sleep. When I did finally get up, I enjoyed my time in the hot shower, did some soothing morning yoga, and had a late breakfast as I read my morning prayers. Then I took my time cleaning things up and worked on some projects. I felt peaceful not rushing.

I Found God today taking the day slowly.

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Always Caring

Posted by eph21920 on March 31, 2025 in Connected, Creation, Eternity, Family, Service

This morning I brought Communion to the woman I have been visiting on Monday mornings. I learned today that she used to be a nurse. When she talks to me, it’s always about her distant past, when she was young and helping to care for the household and her younger siblings. She told me today of the different ethnic groups that lived near her family. She and her family helped them out too when they needed it, just like any of the other neighbors. She said she never thought of them any differently – just as people who needed help. It is becoming more apparent that her upbringing helped shaped her career and desire to help others. I would guess that she was probably an amazing nurse.

I Found God today in the caring attitude of an elderly woman.

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All the Weather

Posted by eph21920 on March 31, 2025 in Family, Grateful, Joy, Life, Love, Weather

My son and his fiancee went to a wedding over the weekend. I told them I would pick them up from the airport tonight. The weather has been unsettled, so I checked the hourly forecast and radar. It showed there would be some rain showers probably on the way back. Still, I knew that may or may not be true. As I was getting ready to leave, it had been windy, but no precipitation. But, as soon as I got out of the garage, it started sprinkling. It quickly changed to a rain/snow mix. Then it started lightning and thundering. A couple minutes later, it hailed. I was heading up in altitude, so when the hail stopped it was full on snow, still with the lightning. I actually laughed out loud because it was almost unbelievable. Once I went back down in elevation, it changed back to rain. Then it poured. There were signs that said, “Caution, Standing Water on the Roads”. Finally as I neared the airport, the weather cleared. I wondered what my son’s flight was like. I picked them up without incident and headed home. They told me about the wedding and said their flight wasn’t too bad. Thankfully, the storms had all passed which made for a much easier drive. I was so grateful when we all got home safe and sound.

I Found God today being safe in bad weather.

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