Two Fish, Five Loaves, and a Miracle

Two Fish Five Loaves and a Miracle
April 20, 2011

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he [Jesus] said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:15-21 (New International Version, ©2011)

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties. ~Oswald Chambers

Prayer is communication with the Divine. It can be whispered or chanted or written or expressed in the work you do. However it is expressed, it is never in vain. ~Donna Wilk Cardillo

I never liked fish. I thought they were boring to watch swimming around in a tank. Then I changed my mind when I realized how relaxing watching fish are. People use fish in diverse ways – for eating, for pets and for calming their minds. My Saviour used fish to perform a miracle. He used just two fish and five loaves to feed 5,000 people. This is the third animal in this week’s thread.

Now I don’t eat fish, since I’m a vegetarian, but can I can just imagine how the 5,000 people welcomed the fish and bread, since they were hungry after sitting in the sun all day listening to Jesus preach. They never expected a miracle from an animal they used for their living and for their meals. But that’s the splendor of Jesus and the miracles He performs. They are unexpected. And when I pray to God or Jesus, I don’t know what the answer will be. Like a fish follows food, I follow Jesus, since I believe not only is He my Saviour, but He also hears my prayers, no matter whether I pray to Him silently or with my voice. Fish, bread, countless people, and miracles – I know Jesus has no end to what He can do. I know one thing – He died for me and then defeated death. I praise Him because, as the saying goes, “He’s got my back.” He sure does.

Bless all of you, your families, and your furred, feathered and finned kids this High Holy Week.

Michelle Rose

Rituals

Rituals
April 18, 2011

If the pull of the outside world is strong, there is also a pull towards the human. The cat may disappear on its own errands, but sooner or later, it returns once again for a little while, to greet us with its own type of love. ~Lloyd Alexander

The ideal of calm exists in a sitting cat. ~Jules Reynard

Although all cat games have their rules and rituals, these vary with the individual player. The cat, of course, never breaks a rule. If it does not follow precedent, that simply means it has created a new rule and it is up to you to learn it quickly if you want the game to continue. ~Sidney Denham

You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense. ~Jane Pauley

I was looking for quotes on rituals. However, what more ritualistic animal is there on earth than cats? Those people who don’t own a cat are missing out on saving electricity, since a cat is a furry alarm clock. Cats also condition their humans to feed them when they “demand” it. And cats, whether they meow or not, have trained their humans to give in to their commands – clean my litter box, brush me, pet me, go to bed, and all the other rituals that make human lives interesting when one has a four-legged furry love with paws and a tail.

Since I have no one else in my life, my day sometimes revolves around what Sasha wants or needs at certain times. This morning she was bouncing all over the bed, trying to wake me up. Other times she will come lay with me. Our nightly ritual is for her to lie next to me in bed while I watch television – yes, she has me well trained.

Everyone has rituals, whether they are spiritual or not. One of my spiritual rituals is to read my Bible each morning and pray for my friends, family, and those with special prayer needs. One of God’s rituals is to show me how much He loves me. In return, I thank Him for the blessings He bestows on me. And yes, one of those blessings is Sasha.

May God’s blessings be upon you, your family, friends, and any furkids you may have. This is the High Holy Week in the Christian religion, where God showered His blessings upon us through Jesus’ crucifixion. This was God’s ritual to show humanity He sacrificed His Son, Jesus for our forgiveness of sin. Hallelujah!

Michelle Rose

God and the Beasts of the Earth

My cat Sasha, one sweet but spoiled cat.

God and the Beasts of the Earth
April 16, 2011

"If all the beasts were gone, man would die from loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beast, happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth." Chief Seattle

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi

I am your servant, LORD, and you have kept your promise to treat me with kindness. Psalm 119:64-66 Contemporary English Version

Be Still and Know that I AM GOD. Psalm 46:10

So much goes on today that is sad, but that is the world – there cannot be joy without sadness. What makes me the saddest is abuse of women, children, and animals. The abuse of the last two in this group not only makes me sad, but also very angry, since they are the most helpless. I think about the commercial on tv for the largest animal organization in the US. One of the segments has a scraggly looking dog, shivering and looking very sad saying, “Why won’t they stop beating me.” And there are a multitude of animals in equally disheartening situations.

So, what do the above quotes above I know what it is and that is kindness. They are all tied together with a common thread. I’ve always heard the saying, “Practice random acts of kindness.” Well, I believe it’s not just a saying, but a directive to be kind where ever and whenever we can. It’s what God wants for me. I know Jesus treats me with kindness and love? He died for me so that I could be forgiven.

Ok, so many of you know how much I love animals. Why would God create animals if we weren’t to live in harmony with them? Yes, times have changed, but I don’t think God wants us to abuse animal. Notice I said abuse and there is more of that than even I realize. It’s frightening to hear all the news about the way many people treat animals. The destiny of people is inherently tied in with animals and nature. That’s not just my belief. Evidently God believed it to, otherwise why would the Lord have saved all the animals (alive at the time) on Noah’s ark when He destroyed the earth with the Great Flood?

May God rain his blessings upon you, your family, and any furkids you have. I almost sent this God’s Tug out last night, but I was in quite a bit of pain and had to get away from my computer. I’m glad I didn’t. This revised message is more in line with what I wanted to say, than last night’s blog.

Michelle Rose

Haste

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Haste

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~Lao Tzu~

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”
~St Francis de Sales~

I want(ed) everything quickly – to grow up, to get thin, to meet someone to share my life, to make money… etc… Life doesn’t happen that way. When I picked out the first quote, I thought about flowers blooming. I see their beauty revealed as the blossoms open slowly. Right now, my haste is that I want to conquer this eating disorder immediately and it isn’t happening that way.

I overcome one part of the addiction, only to replace it with something equally as annoying or harmful. Yet, I know all the while change happens and my life improves. Just this week, I even had a victory over the extreme pain I had by doing something illogical. I stopped all pain meds. Maybe I think I will find some magic key and the eating disorder will disappear – POOF! Nope, it’s not going to happen that way. It will take every ounce of energy and hard work I can put into my recovery – the hardest of the ones I have. Face it, food is a necessity and tastes good. This isn’t an addiction I can put behind me like alcohol, drugs, inappropriate sex, or smoking.

All I can do is be patient and work to conquer this eating disorder with my focus on the Lord always. My day goes much better when I keep my focus on the Lord. How awesome!

Michelle Rose

A Vacation from the Computer

Lessons from Life, Saturday, April 11, 2009

A Vacation from the Computer

“Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is the work of the other.” ~Henry David Thoreau~

I spend so much time on my computer, often not really accomplishing much, so today I was happy to take a vacation from it. I spent all day with the Pasadena Humane Society Mobile Adoption Unit. Of course, I took care of a Chihuahua most of the day.

What did I accomplish today? I was outside in lovely weather, I gave a sweet Chihuahua love and helped people see he needed a forever home, and I came home feeling tired, but happy.

My gratitude is that I was able to be the Chihuahua Whisperer one more day.

Taking care of God’s Creatures, Michelle Rose

Nature Around Me

Lessons from Life, Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Nature Around Me

The butterfly is a flying flower,
The flower a tethered butterfly.
~Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. ~Maya Angelou

How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! ~John Muir

All the quotes are from http://www.quotegarden.com
God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther

I am not only a quot-a-holic, but a nature-holic. I find things to express how I feel in quotes. Nature provides me with what life is all about – the Supreme Being who created it; the fact that He watches over me; the lessons I learn from animals; inspiration for my writing; the beauty my eyes can behold, and every other reason in the world.

Even living in the city, nature surrounds me. One night, when I came home, I saw two raccoons, possibly juveniles, walking from my yard to the one next door. I love raccoons, but stay away from them as they can be dangerous. I wondered that night why they had come down from the hills, since I don’t see them too often. They must have had some need to come into the city. I just hoped they found what they needed and returned back to their territory unharmed.

My gratitude today is time to do my laundry to prepare for work at my favorite high school tomorrow and a mild day where it rained in the morning and is now clear. I also have gratitude for the Lord who created all I see that enriches my life – the beautiful and the not so beautiful.

Living in My Father’s World, Michelle Rose