Dance

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw "G: I thought of God, followed by "U" and "I". "God, "U" and "I" dance." God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life. This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached. If God has done anything for you in your life, please share this message with someone else, for prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive. There is no cost but a lots of rewards; so let's continue to pray for one another. And I Hope You Dance

God's Tool Box

God's Tool Box

I dreamed I saw God's tool box
In Heaven on a shelf.
I asked if I could look inside,
He answered, "Help yourself!"
I lifted the lid up slowly
And peered inside to see
What kind of tools He uses
To work on humanity.

But when I looked inside,
I was surprised at what I saw;
After studying each of them,
I looked at Him in awe.
"This is what You use, Lord,
When dealing with Your own?
I expected tools more gentle,
Not chisels and grinding stones."

"Yes," He said, "My work requires
That I use tools like these --
To smooth the jagged edges
Left by selfishness and greed.
Nothing works like hardship
To bring men to their knees,
So they will turn from self and sin
To seek fellowship with Me."

"That one over there is pain,
But I use it only when I must;
It makes the spirit stronger
By building faith and trust.
And I call that one affliction;
I must use it from time to time
To soften hardened hearts
And make them more like Mine."

Then He reached inside once more
And pulled out a satin glove.
"This one is my favorite," He said,
"For I call this tool Love.
I use it to soothe the heartaches
Caused by your fellow men;
So you'll remember that I love you
And share that love with them."

"Now do you see, My child,
Why I choose to work in this way?
I'm only making you stronger
When I whittle sharp edges away."
Then He gently closed the lid
And I woke up from my dream.
But after looking inside His tool box,
How different this world seems!

Copyright ©1997 by Jan McIntosh

fr everett corvera, corvera everett, everet corvera

GOD LED ME TO YOU

From Daryl
The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.
"Leave me alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling - her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader.
Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" The man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone."
Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!"
Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.
"Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table.
"What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference."
She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "I think so - I mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be alright."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business, that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus. He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And ... And thank you for the coffee."
If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing. If you have missed some of my emails, you have missed a laugh. But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST,you have missed everything in the world










fr everett corvera, corvera everett, everet corvera

The Parable of The Twin Boys

Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived in the same womb. Weeks passed and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy and said, Isn't it great that we were conceived! Isn't it great that we are alive!â
Together the twins explored their world. They found their mother's cord that gave them life, they sang for joy, "How great is our mother's love that she shares her own life with us".
Weeks stretched into months, and the twins noticed how much each was changing. "What does it mean?" asked one. "It means that our stay in this world is drawing to an end," said the other. "But I don't want to go," said one. "I want to stay here always." "We don't have a choice," said the other.
"But maybe thereâs life after birth," said the one. "No, we will shed our life cord. How is it possible to live without it??" replied the other. "Besides, we've seen evidence of others who've come before us and gone on. Yet none of them have come back to show that there is life beyond. No, this IS the end."
And so, the one fell into deep despair saying, "If conception ends in birth, what's the purpose of the womb? It's meaningless! Maybe there's NO mother at all. "But there has to be," protested the other, "how else did we get here? And, how do we remain alive?" "Maybe she lives only in our minds."
"Maybe we made her up, because the idea made us feel good," replied the discouraged twin. And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear.
Finally the moment of birth arrived! And when the twins had passed on from their world, they opened their eyes and cried. For what they saw - exceeded their fondest dreams!!!

fr everett corvera

st michael's parish, remuera, auckland new zealand

God waiting for us as a Father

The boy walked along the ocean shore . . . trying not to stray. He looked up to his father saying, “Dad, I want to play.” His father looked upon him, with love showing in his eyes. “Do what you want to, my son . . . but do not leave my side.” “I would never leave you Daddy, I love you way too much.” But the boy took a step away, out of his father’s range of touch. He walked through the surf, the waves tickling one toe. “If I take one more step in .. .” he thought, “Father will never know.” His father called out to him, “Son, remain close to me!” The boy thought . . . “At the moment I don’t need you!” His father felt a sadness, but he held his tongue. Sometimes lessons need to be learned . . . even when so young. The boy stepped out a little further . . . the water covering his waist. His father spoke with urgency . . . “My son, come back to me,” he said, “The day is almost done!” “Not yet, Dad,” the boy yelled, “I’m having fun!” The boy did not have his father’s insight . . . so he could not yet tell, the tide was coming in fast . . . there would be no time to yell. “Father!” he tried to scream, as the water covered his head. “I need you now, Daddy!” was what the boy had said. And in a single instant his father was by his side. “I thought you left me, Daddy . . . I thought you went to hide.” The father looked upon his son . . . a tear streaming down his cheek. The boy looked upon his father . . . and cried the sobs of the meek. “I would never leave you son . . . for I love you just the same.” “I was only waiting . . .for you to call upon my name.”

Author Unknown

visit St. Michael's Parish, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand

JUST TRYING TO BE LIKE THE FATHER

The Reverend Bob Stamps is a delightful man with a good sense of humour. He is also bald. One night Bob and his wife decided to go out to dinner. So they hired a babysitter to take care of their little children. While they were gone, the babysitter got interested in a television program and wasn't watching the children very carefully. Their little boy Peter, got into his father's electric shaver and shaved a big landing strip right down the middle of his head. When Bob came home, he was furious. He said, "Peter! I told you never to play with my shaver. Now you are going to get a spanking that you will never forget!" He was just about to administer that spanking when Peter looked up at him and said, "Wait until you see sister!" Bob said that he and his wife were horrified when they went into the next room and saw their little four-year-old daughter with all of the hair shaved off of her head. She looked like a little skinned rabbit. By this time, Bob was really furious. He grabbed up Peter and said, "Now you are really going to get it." Just as he lifted his hand and started to bring it down, Peter looked up at him with tears in his eyes and said, "But Daddy! WE WERE JUST TRYING TO LOOK LIKE YOU!" There was one little boy who didn't get a spanking that night. Instead he got an explanation and a hug.
Adapted From a sermon by Dr. Joe Harding, quoted in A New Daddy, from Eight Habits of Highly Effective Families, copyright 1997 by Seven Worlds Corporation.

The Parable of the Sower by Fr. Tommy Lane

Lord, I don’t want to be smart but did that farmer know anything about horticulture? I mean, throwing seeds on the edge of the path, throwing seeds on rock and throwing seeds among thorns, how could he expect to get a result?

My child, when I taught that parable in the boat that day with the crowds listening to me from the shore I did not intend to give them lessons in horticulture. Those people were closer to nature than you are and they didn’t need me to teach them about sowing and harvesting.

Were they surprised at the parable?

Of course. Parables are meant to surprise you because they contain something that you would not expect. A parable challenges the normal human way of thinking about life

That parable certainly provokes one’s thinking. What point were you trying to make?

Let’s work it out. Who does the sower represent?

The sower stands for God.

Precisely. The sower who is my Father or who also stands for me scatters seed all over the field even in the places where you would not expect to get a result? This is because my Father and I are generous. God does not ever give up on anybody, never.

That’s good to hear. But since it is God who is doing the sowing, admittedly a very generous sowing that we humans would not normally do, why does it not produce a better result? What type of seed are you sowing?

The seed is our Word, the Word of God. The seed is my preaching in parables during my three years public ministry, it is also my ministry to the outcasts of society in Palestine. The seed is also the Bible, the Gospels that were written about me in the years after Pentecost. The seed is the ministry of the Church, the ministry of priests and religious, preaching and Church teaching. The seed is also sown by parents when they try their best for their family and teach them by love and example and encouragement. The seed is sown by teachers when they encourage children and teach them wholesome values for life.

That is a lot of sowing. Why is there not a better result among the different types of environment?

The reason is because the Word of God is sown among human beings. The four types of environment where the seed fell stand for different people or different stages in a person’s life. My Father and I sow good seed everywhere but it is up to people to respond. We knock on the door of peoples’ hearts but we never break down the door. It is up to the person on the inside to turn the handle and allow our Word to germinate and grow.

Tell me about the seed that fell on the edge of the path and was eaten up by the birds.

These are the people who have been taught about God but have no time for God or prayer. These are the men who say they let their wives do the praying for them. These are the people who have given up on me in order to be in with their friends. These are the people who are afraid to talk to their friends about me because it is uncool to talk about God or religion now. What pain they cause me. I died for them.

I am sorry Lord. (….pause…) Lord, tell me about the seed that fell on patches of rock, found a little soil, sprang up straight away but got scorched when the sun came.

These are the people who love me at first. They are religious for a while. But when they receive a cross in life they give up on me. I said if you want to follow me you must take up your cross after me. These are the people who follow me to Calvary but will not die on the cross with me. Last Sunday I asked those who labour and are overburdened to come to me for rest. After rest I ask them to shoulder my yoke but these people will not shoulder my yoke. They want roses without thorns. There is no resurrection unless there is a cross first.

I am beginning to understand more and more why the seed of the Word of God in that parable didn’t produce an outstanding result. What about the seed that fell among thorns and was choked by the thorns.

These are the people who believe in God and unlike the first type of soil these people are not afraid to let it be seen that they pray to me. But I am not number one in their lives. Their hearts are elsewhere really. The gifts that I have given them have distracted them from me the Giver. These gifts could be the gift of money, the gift of someone close to them, the gift of success or promotion, the gift of prosperity, the gift of full health all life long, the gift of an inheritance. They are enjoying gifts from me but forgetting about Me who gave them. How easy it is for some people to become independent of me.

Lord, I see more and more how generous your sowing is. I feel like breathing a sigh of relief as I ask you tell me about the seed that fell on rich soil and produced a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

These are the people who make it all worthwhile. But don’t get me wrong, there is a harvest in everybody’s life even if it is small sometimes. But these last people are a consolation to me when I suffer because of the indifference or lack of love or faith in the other people you asked about. I said my Father and I never give up on any person. I can tell you that the other three types of soil often become rich soil as life goes on because they learn more and more what life is about, knowing, loving and serving God. They realize more and more that we are only passing through, that this life is preparing for eternal life.

Thank you Lord. The parable makes more sense now.

Good. You have asked me a lot of questions. Now its my turn to ask you. What type of soil are you? Are you the edge of the path where birds come when you have no time for me, are you a patch of rock with shallow soil that was religious but gave up when asked to carry a cross, have you got thorns that can choke my Word making you forget that the gifts you have are from me the Giver, or are you the rich soil that produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty?

Lord I think I understand the parable quite well now. We don’t need to discuss it any further.

Oh yes we do. And if you don’t want to discuss it any further aren’t you allowing the birds to come and pick the seed from the edge of the path?

I didn’t mean it like that Lord. Its just that it requires a lot of honesty to admit which type of soil I am. And being honest Lord, I would have to say that as I look back over my life I have seen some of all four types of soil in my life sometimes. There were times when you sowed the seed but it fell on the edge of the path because I thought it was uncool to be religious or I left other people to pray instead of me. There were times when I was a patch of rock with shallow soil because although I believed in you when crosses came my way I was tempted to abandon you. There were times when you sowed the seed in me and I choked it with thorns, the gifts you gave me in my life, the very blessings you gave me and I forgot about you who gave them all to me. But there were also times when you sowed seed in rich soil in my life, when your Word produced a harvest in my life. In fact I see that as I grow older the type of soil of my life changes so that I have richer soil and am more ready to listen to your Word to me and let it yield a harvest.

Thank you for letting my Word take root and germinate in your life.

Thank you Lord for your generosity in continuing to sow your Word in our lives despite the poor results we produce.

I am God not man, I will not give up hoping that you will yield a harvest from all the seed I have sown in you. I will continue to sow my Word generously in you. Let my Word germinate, take root and yield a harvest in your life.

(Both together) Amen