Behold The Pupcycle

Today marks our 50th Gracieland webstrip.  Thank you for all of your support.  Please click on the Gracieland icon on the bottom right of the home page to see this week's strip.  Also please feel free to "share" Gracieland.  We really appreciate it when you do.

Ask Ellen: Can you give me a resource I can use with my family to engage in Mass more fully? Kris

Great question!  And I happen to have a very timely answer.  My friend, Emily Cavins, produces a great resource every year.  It takes the Sunday readings for a year and creates activities and prayer that you can do as a family.  I have done it with my kids at Sunday dinner and I was pleased to see how much more they understood what was read at Mass after engaging in the activities.

Cycle C begins in Advent so this is the perfect time to buy it and begin.  You can find it at: catholicfamilynight.com.  You can download it and be ready to go when Advent rolls around. 

If you decide to use it with your family, please let me know.  I’d love to be able to share with Emily how it has enriched your family.

Reliance Is A Dirty Word?

Reliance is a touchy subject in today’s world.  We are told that it is a negative thing to be reliant on others.  We are told to be self-sufficient.  We are told we can be who we want to be and have what we want to have without any help from others.  In fact, we are encouraged to do so.

The dictionary describes reliant as “dependent on something or someone, contingent upon, subject to.”

The truth is we are all reliant on people and things.  But where does God fit into the equation?  The Bible gives us an excellent example of a reliant king. His name was Hezekiah.  Hezekiah did many great things including sparking religious reform, he made Jerusalem the center of worship again and he listened to God’s prophet, Isaiah.

Let’s look closely at 2Kings 18:14.  Here’s some background.  Hezekiah just received a threatening letter from his enemy telling him that God was deceiving him.  It said that he and his people would not be delivered from Assyria.

Let’s look at what Hezekiah does with this information.  Read verse 14.  What would be different if we spread our problems before the Lord?  On a personal note, I had a dear friend do this very thing last week.  Although the answer wasn’t immediate from God, there was a sense of calm and peace that accompanied just laying it down.  Hezekiah shows us in this one verse a life strategy.  When it is too much to bear (or better yet even before it is) lay all your problems, failings, concerns and hopes before the Lord.  Allow Him to help you sort out where to go next.

Continue to read verses 15-19.  This is a great example of reliant prayer.  You can use this same model in your own prayer life, especially if you haven’t done it in a while and unsure of where to start.  Hezekiah begins by praising God.  All too often we rush in with our concerns and forget to acknowledge all the blessings we do have.

Hezekiah then makes his request known to God.  He actually says it.  Yes, God know what we want and need before we do.  But actually saying it out loud, helps humble us and gives us clarity on what exactly we are asking.  God honors that.

The key to Hezekiah’s prayer is the next part.  He trusts that God heard Him.  Notice I didn’t say he was sure God would do what he wanted.  He was sure that God heard him.  Many times if our prayers aren’t answered exactly the way we want, we feel that God ignored us when we needed Him most.  Hezekiah shows us that this is not the case.  God hears you the same way you hear everything your child says to you.  You heard him ask for five more cookies, but you might not grant his request.  You heard him because you are his parent, you love him, you value him and you appreciate that he came to you for help.  It is no different for God.

If we believe that God truly heard us, we focus less on the outcome.  This is how you successfully lay it before the Lord.  You ask and leave it there for Him to sort out.  He will.  And He will resolve it far better than you could.

Finally, Hezekiah concludes by returning all the glory to God.  We can do this in prayer.  But we also do it by leaving our troubles before the Lord.  We allow Him the freedom and room to move in our lives and show His power.

Examine your prayer life in light of Hezekiah today.  If you don’t have one or haven’t in awhile, use his example to start to today.

Ask yourself the following questions:

How do I pray?
Do I praise God for all He has done in my life?
Do I ask God to hear what I need?
Do I simply make my request?  Or do I seek to justify it?
Do I trust immediately that my prayer has been heard?
When the request is granted, do I return the glory to God?

Who or what am I reliant upon?  Why?

Have I bought the myth that I should rely only on myself?

Where Did She Go?

Wanted to update you on the status of things at AGOG.  As I mentioned I took some time off to be with my family at the end of August.  That turned into the month of September, which has been a blessing for us.  I hope to resume our biblical character study in October.

In the meantime we have been working on some exciting changes to Gracieland.  Gracie now has her own Facebook page.  You can find it here: http://www.facebook.com/greetingsfromgracieland

Right now we are uploading the strips one each day until they are all there.  Check it out and "like" the page.

You can also follow our work on Gracieland on her webpage: http://greetingsfromgracieland.com

We will continue our journey with our biblical friends and their issues soon.  We will complete our Old Testament friends this year and look at the New Testament in 2013.

I appreciate your understanding while I take some much needed time off.  I am eager to resume in the next few weeks.

Friday Fun...Hey Jude

Cut and paste the following link to see this week's song.  It's all about redemption.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCwQiIqWpRY

Ask Ellen: I am currently pregnant with our first son and I was as well a teacher (before now)in my previous life, like you. I just wanted to say that I admire your vocation to motherhood, as I find myself constantly praying for wisdom as I embark in this new role. I guess that I was just wondering if you felt like that too when leaving teaching behind.

Thanks so much for getting in touch with me.  Congratulations on your pregnancy.  It is one of the most exciting and terrifying times of your life, I assure you.  I also had very mixed feelings about leaving teaching behind.  I loved my students and coworkers and was very afraid of the isolation of new motherhood.  The first few months were very difficult as I learned about my daughter and adjusted to life away from the workplace.  But I will also tell you that even now, more than 12 years later, I look back on the first few months as the best of my life.  Even though I had a son later and I love him dearly, those first few months of just my baby and me were priceless.

I have not regretted my decision to stay home once.  Sure, some days were lonely and the world doesn't value my choice as much as I did.  But for me and my children it was the right thing to do.  You are ahead of the game as you see motherhood as a vocation.  A life-long one at that.  I will be praying for you as you make the transition.  I hope you will keep in touch and let me know how it goes.

I appreciate your kind words about my work.  I am blessed to be able to do it all from home.

That's A Solomon

We have spent the last few weeks talking about David and Bathsheba and the trouble they got themselves into.  This week I want to focus on what pulled them out of this trouble (besides God of course)- Solomon.  The name Solomon is a Hebrew variation of the word for peace, Shalom.  I imagine that David and Bathsheba didn’t object to naming him that because after all of their struggles, Solomon somehow brought them God’s peace.  God explains this in 1 Chron 22:9.  Think about that in terms of your own struggles and sin.  Out of it, God promises peace.  Wow!  That just speaks volumes to me.  In fact, I feel like we should stop right here but that wouldn’t be fair to Solomon.

I am going to give a brief overview of Solomon’s life.  There is much to read and absorb and I encourage you to do so.  But this week’s focus isn’t so much on the man as it is the redemption he provided.  So here goes.  Solomon built many things in Israel.  He organized his monarchy.  He imposed heavy taxes on the people to support the construction.  He had many marriages to foreign women which allowed pagan influences to creep in.  He was responsible for vigorous trade for Israel.  His greatest accomplishment was building the Temple, a place for God to reside.  Remember that God told David that David’s son would build this.  Voila!  He was a priest and king like his father.  He was noted for his wisdom.  Probably the most famous story of his wisdom can be found in 1 Kings 3:16-28.  Read that now.  He is believed to have written over 3000 Proverbs as well.

But it wasn’t all good news for ole Sol.  See his 700 wives and 300 concubines proved a bit much for him to handle.  They led him astray with their pagan beliefs and eventually he turned away from God.

That is Solomon’s story in a nutshell but I am struck by how Solomon was David and Bathsheba’s redemption.  Now before you get your knickers in a bunch, I am clearly aware that our redemption is in Jesus alone.  But Solomon has shown me that God sends these “Solomons” into our lives after periods of struggle and sin.  They keep us holding on.

The dictionary defines redemption as, “to offset or compensate for a defect.  Release,  bless, cleanse, restore”  Solomon did all of these things for David and Bathsheba.  God took a complex and sinful situation and brought forth Israel’s greatest king, the wise Solomon.

Think about the times of sin and struggle in your own life.  Have you been given a Solomon? Have you struggled with work, only to be given a promotion?  Have you struggled through marriage, only to be given a fresh start?  Have you gone through divorce or a death only to be offered new hope?  Those are your Solomons!

The other thing I’ve noticed as I studied Solomon for this week is God didn’t just give him to David and Bathsheba.  He gave him to all of Israel, with wisdom to spare.  He expects the same from the Solomons he’s give to us.  If he has redeemed you and given you something good, use it to bless the world.

On a personal note, this week really hit home for me.  I have been through my own period of sin and struggle with God for years now.  As I looked for my Solomons this week, I didn’t have to look far.  I realized they are right here.  They are AGOG and Gracie.  Through it all, God has given me the ability to bless people.  He has provided my redemption through it.  These are my Solomons.  What are yours?

We have a new phrase at AGOG.  It is, “that’s a Solomon!”  I’d love to hear about yours when they happen.

Ask yourself the following question:

Where are my Solomons?

Do You Have A Solomon?

Click on the Gracenotes link above to hear this week's podcast all about Solomon.  It might not be what you think.....

Somebody's Hero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_uMQTw7v2g">Somebody's Hero

Ask Ellen: You mentioned that you practice Lectio Divina in your podcast interview. Can you tell me more about that? Jay.

Firstly, Jay, thanks for taking the time to listen to the podcast.  I really enjoyed being a guest on Among Women.  If you didn’t get a chance to hear the interview, it can be found here:  http://amongwomenpodcast.blogspot.com/2012/07/among-women-139-conversation-conversion.html

In the interview, I said that Lectio Divina is one of my favorite ways to pray.  Lectio Divina is an ancient Catholic tradition that brings to mind the fascination with New Age mediataion.  Catholics have been practicing meditation for centuries with one major difference fro the New Age stuff that is so popular today: Lectio Divina is centered on God.  In the process you prayerfully use Scripture to enter more deeply into prayer with God.

Before beginning the process, it is important to set aside the space and time.  As I mentioned in the podcast, silence is essential.  That was very difficult for me in the beginning.  There are four stages to Lectio Divina.

The first is simply reading.  Choose a passage of Scripture that interests you.  Read it slowly and prayerfully.  Read it as if God is speaking just to you.

The next step is to meditate on the passage.  Focus on a word or phrase that jumps out at you.  As I mentioned in the podcast, I will often write the phrase down and carry it with me all day.

Next, speak directly to God.  Tell Him what you understood and what was over your head.  Be honest.  Reveal your thoughts and emotions.  Unload what is bothering you.

The last step is to contemplate.  Just be in God’s Presence.  Be open to what HE is saying through the passage and how He is speaking directly into your life.

This is a powerful way to center your day on God and your relationship with Him.  I encourage you to give it a try.

You Can Always Blame Your Mother

Last week we met David and discovered he had a heart like God’s.  That can be disturbing to realize if you know about David and Bathsheba.  It is such a big thingsthat we will need to unpack it some more this week.  Let’s focus in on how the affair happened and what the consequences were.

Look at 2 Sam 11: 1-5.  Skip ahead to verse 15 to see how David just made matters worse.  Verse 17 tells us that “Uriah the Hittite died.”  Let’s get a few things straight.  David stayed in Jerusalem when all the other kings were off at war.  Talk about wrong place, wrong time!  He had an affair with Bathsheba and proceeded to have her husband killed.  We don’t read much about Bathsheba’s feeling on the matter here.  I imagine she fell in love with David almost immediately.  With a heart like God’s, how couldn’t she?  So know she finds herself an adulteress, in love with her King and her husband dies.  Could things get worse?  Yes!

Read verse 27.  She was also pregnant.  So now she moves in with her King and they live happily ever after, right?  Nope.  Let’s look at 2 Sam 12:1-7.  “You are the man.”  Such chilling words!  Can you imagine how David felt?  But, David has a heart like God’s so God lets them off the hook right?  No.  Look at verse 10.  All sin, including guys like David’s, has consequences.  Look at verse 14.  David pleaded with God, did everything he could think of to spare the life of his child, but to no avail.

Many would believe that is where the story should end.  Two people sinned and hurt people and they ended up getting what they deserve.  That’s not how God works, thankfully.  Cause I don’t know about you, but I could use a story with a happy ending for us sinners.  Look at verse 24.  Bathsheba bears another son, Solomon.

This is where Bathsheba’s story turns around.  I hope mine does too.  Don’t you?  Throughout it all, all of the sin and heartbreak, David and Bathsheba have hearts that long to serve God and bring forth goodness.  That is exactly what happens, they bring forth Solomon, possibly Israel’s greatest king.  We will talk about him next week.

Bathsheba is redeemed by God through Solomon and by David’s love.  Theirs was not a neat and tidy love story, but it was one of power.  One that brought forth much good in the end.

When David died and Solomon took the throne, Bathsheba became the Queen Mother.  She advocated for her son in 1 Kings 1:11-14, 16-21, and 28-30.  This is the role Bathsheba played for the rest of her life.  God forgave her sin and granted her a position of power, that of mother.

The role of the Queen Mother in ancient Israel cannot be understated.  She advised her son.  She had a throne right next to him.  She was an advocate for the people.  In fact, the Queen Mother was one of the most important members of the King’s entourage.  Bathsheba is the Old Testament Queen Mother.  Can you think of the Queen Mother of the New Testament?

The dictionary describes a mother as “a woman in authority, the ultimate example of its kind.”  Bathsheba was that person, even though she sinned.

As mothers we can learn a great deal from Bathsheba.  She was a sinner and she was forgiven.  She was given many wonderful things even after she sinned.  Bathsheba shows us that we can’t outsin God.  She loved, protected and defended her son.  She advised him.  She sat right next to him.  I’m not advocating that you get on the school bus and sit next to your kids.  I am saying we should be very present to them.  She advocated for his needs and the needs of others.  She was the most important influence on her son.  Are you?

I am so thankful that Bathsheba didn’t get written off.  She gives us such a story of hope.  Embrace forgiveness and move on and create wonderful things.  When you do, think of Bathsheba and love those entrusted to your care fiercely.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I believe I have outsinned God?  If so, what can Bathsheba teach me?

Where are my Solomons, the good things that come, even after I sin?

What can Bathseba teach me as a mother?

Am I the most important influence on my children?  Do I use that to bring them to God?

And Snow Is Angel Dandruff

Please click on the Gracieland icon on the bottom right of the home screen to see this week's webstrip.  To see all of the strips, please visit: http://greetingsfromgracieland.com/

Tuesday Table Talk

Ask your children the following questions about the strip:


Are you afraid of thunderstorms?

What are you afraid of?

What parts of nature do you find most interesting?

What does Gracie mean by God needing shoes that big?

Gracenotes: Bathsheba

Gracenotes: Bathsheba

Click on the podcast link to hear about  this week's character Bathsheba

Friday Fun Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCbTICNAwxM

Ask Ellen: Who is the patron saint of art? Anna.

I have to admit, Anna, I had to look this one up.  Officially it is St. Catherine of Bologna.  Her feast day is March 9th.

I think she was named the patron saint of art because she painted the many glorious visions she saw.  She also drew lovely pictures that were contained in manuscripts.

She lived a very private and simple life.  She died when she was 49.  Eighteen days after her death, the people reported a beautiful fragrance around her grave.  It was discovered that her body remained untouched.  It is now housed in the Chapel of the Poor Clares in Bologna.  You should get your dad to take you there.  Get some spaghetti while you are there.

A great way to honor St. Catherine would be to have an exhibit of your art on her feast day.  You could have some fun party foods and celebrate the gift of art in your life.

A Heart Condition

When we talk about David, we must talk about heart.  Let’s start by thinking about what heart is.  The dictionary describes it as, “personality, disposition, compassion, the innermost character, feelings, inclinations, the fiber or core, the essence or root.”

To a Hebrew the heart was essential.  It was the emotional center of their being.  They considered it the seat of life.  It included your state of mind and moral condition.

The Bible tells us that David had a heart like God’s.  Therefore, we can understand more of the essence of who God is by looking at David’s heart.  There is so much written about David that we could spend the entire year just studying him.  We could spend another year just looking at the Psalms he wrote.  I encourage you to read about David’s life in 1 and 2 Samuel and the Book of Psalms.  But for this week, I will provide an overview of the highlights of David’s life that I think reveal the heart of God to us.

David was humble.  He was a simple shepherd who was made a king out of the blue.  He never forgot his beginnings and always kept his humble spirit.  Sounds like a carpenter from Bethlehem that we all know

David loved music.  He played to soothe Saul’s troubled soul.  He set poetry to music in his beautiful Psalms.  This matters to me as I love to be surrounded my music.  I like to think that God does too.  Music can soothe, it can excite and it convey emotions hidden in our hearts, sometimes better than we can vocalize ourselves.  If David’s heart was like God’s, then God wants you to enjoy music.

David was a warrior.  We all know the Goliath story.  But throughout his life, David was God’s warrior.  God must value that.  He must want us to fight our demons and slay our dragons.  Of course we know that David was successful because he relied on God.  We are called to the same.

David was a friend.  He made a covenant of friendship with Saul’s son, Jonathan.  Theirs is a wonderful story to read.  It is like an ancient version of Beaches.  This must mean that God wants us to have friends.  Not the people you gossip with in the school parking lot.  But friends like Jonathan.  Friends that when you are running for your life, have your back.  Friends that circle their wagons when times get tough.  You are blessed if you have a few throughout your life.  Know that God wants you to have them.  In fact, He placed them in your life for that season intentionally.  I love that about God’s heart.

David was patient with Saul.  David had to run for his life from Saul.  Twice David could have killed Saul but wouldn’t because David would not harm God’s anointed.  This tells us a great deal about David.  He was not out pushing his own agenda.  He was waiting on God’s timing.  God likes that, if he has a heart similar to David.

When David discovers that Saul is dead, he has words of praise for him.  Even though Saul wanted nothing more than to take David out.  David remembered the good in Saul.  This is less fun for me…..a heart like God’s loves his/her enemies.  Ouch!  That is tough.  David gives us a great example.

David centered his life on God.  The first thing he does after becoming king is to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.  One of the most powerful scenes of David’s life is of him leaping and dancing before the Ark.  He wanted Jerusalem to not only be the center of his dynasty, but also the center of worship of God.  God wants our lives centered on the worship of Him too.

These are all great examples that show us the essence of who David was.  Sometimes it depresses me because I think, “if that is a heart like God’s , I’m not even close.”  But let’s not overlook another important part of David’s life, Bathsheba.

David was consumed with desire for Bathsheba.  In fact, he committed adultery with her.  As we know all sin has consequences.  David ordered Bathsheba’s husband Uriah killed in battle and takes her as his wife.  She was pregnant with David’s baby at the time and the baby dies.  Unfortunately, for David, the consequences continued throughout his life.  His own son, Absalom, betrayed him.  David’s grief over Absalom is palpable in 2 Sam 18:28-33.  Surely anyone who has experienced the death of a child can relate to those words.

You are probably saying, “Now wait a minute, this guy commits adultery and has people killed….and has a heart like God’s??  I know it may seem off on the surface.  We have to ask ourselves, “why didn’t God abandon David since he sinned?  The answer….David never turned away from God.  Even when he was sinning, he had a heart to love God.

What a message of hope for all of us!  Here’s an update, we will sin.  At times, we will do things we swear we weren’t even capable of doing.  When you find yourself in times of sin, remember David.  Keep your heart searching for God.  You will find Him.  And in the end, your heart will be more like His because of it.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Am I humble?

Am I creative?

Am I warrior?

Am I a friend?

Am I patient?  Do I wait on God’s timing?

Do I love my enemies?

Is my life centered on God?

Do I allow sin to remove me from God or shape me into who He wants me to become?

Fish Out Of Water

Click on the Gracieland icon to see the week's strip.  To see all of the strips, please visit:  http://greetingsfromgracieland.com/

Share the strip with your child and ask them the following questions:


Tuesday Table Talk

What is Gracie's problem?

What picture do you think is the most funny?  Why?

What does Gracie end up doing?  Why?

David's Heart

Click on the Gracenotes link above to hear this week's podcast on David.  

Best Of....Ask Ellen If I am divorced, that means I can’t receive Communion, right? Lisa.

Thanks for the question, Lisa.  This is one of the most misunderstood things in the Church today.  Yes, you can receive Communion if you are divorced.  You may not receive if your marriage hasn’t been annulled and you are involved with or married to someone else.

In the eyes of the Church, a legal divorce does not end the marriage.  It is still a sacramental marriage (meaning a sacrament took place)  So you can receive Communion as you did in your married life. (assuming you are free from any other mortal sins).

The problem becomes when you are involved with someone or remarry without an annulment.  See, cause in the eyes of the Church you are still married to person number one.  Therefore, you aren’t free to marry anyone else.

In order to do so, you must seek an annulment.  This is a process the Church uses to decide whether or not a sacramental marriage occurred.  Many times and for many reasons it might not have been a sacramental marriage and it is annulled.  This means you are fee to remarry and to continue to receive Communion.  Does that make sense?  If not, I encourage you and anyone else with questions about annulments to ask your parish priest.  If you are unable to do so, contact me and I will put you in touch with someone who can help.

The Best Of...Boaz

We have met Naomi and saw how she dealt with her bitterness.  We have also met Ruth, an outsider who truly understood the meaning of family.  This week we meet the hero of the Book of Ruth, Boaz.

Ruth is sent by Naomi to glean in Boaz’s fields.  When you gleaned, you gathered grain from a field that was already harvested.  The Torah said that the far corners of your fields should be left for the poor.  This included widows, which means Ruth.  Strangers, orphans and foreigners we also given the right to glean.

Look at what our hero Boaz says to Ruth in Ruth 2:8-9.  This is a great example of the kindness of Boaz.  Look at 2:14.  Here he goes over and above what was required of him.  He offers Ruth her fill of food.  Look at verse 16.  Here he tells his workers to drop some grain for her, making it easier for her to collect.

Ruth goes home to Naomi and tells her of Boaz’s kindness.  Look at what Naomi says in verse 20.  Boaz is their kinsman redeemer.  The footnote in my Bible says “One of our next of kin literally means our redeemer.”  If a male relative died, it was the duty of the next male kin to restore his land, marry his widow and bring sons forth to carry on his line.  This is what Naomi is telling Ruth about Boaz.

The exchange in chapter three is somewhat confusing if you don’t understand that the kinsman redeemer was a common practice.  Let’s read Ruth 3:1-11.  “Uncover a place at his feet” means stake your claim as his.  Naomi was confident that Ruth and Boaz were virtuous so she was not afraid to send Ruth to him like this.  “Spread the corner of your cloak over me” means marry me and protect me, which is your duty as our next of kin.  I love what he says in verse 11.  Remember Ruth is struggling with feeling like an outsider.  Here Boaz tells her that he will restore her reputation.

The story takes a turn here as they have to clear the marriage with another family member.  Read 4:10.  Boaz agrees to marry Ruth.  They have a son, Obed who is the grandfather of David.

Boaz’s issue is that he is “Mr. Right.”  Many of us have spent years searching for Mr. Right.  If you are married to him, Congratulations.  Thank him today.  If you are not, pray he becomes like Boaz.  If you are still searching for him, use Boaz as an example of what to look for.

Boaz was Ruth’s redeemer.  Now, we know that we only have one Redeemer, Jesus.  But let’s look at what a redeemer does.  The dictionary says “saves from danger or destruction, defender, protector, release from blame.”  Sounds like Mr. Right to me.

Boaz is what men are called to be.  He showed kindness to Ruth.  In fact, he saves her from starvation.  He went over and above what was required.  He had virtue.  He didn’t take advantage of her.  He defended her.  He protected her reputation.  He committed to her and married her.  He released her from the shame of being a foreign widow.  Does the man in your life do that for you?

I am not advocating that if he doesn’t you should kick him to the curb.  You need to pray for God to introduce him to Boaz.  I am mainly speaking to those women searching for Mr. Right.  Boaz doesn’t have the qualities our society tells you matter in a man.  But, who wouldn’t want what he gives Ruth?  Accept nothing less, Ladies.  And for all the men listening, step up to the plate and treat your woman the way Boaz did.  Neither of you will be sorry.