The feast day is on May 28th. She was born in Quito, Ecuador of noble spanish parents. She was an orphan but later on raised by her elder sister and her husband. She was very religous but became. very solitary in her sisters home. She started to eat very little amounts of food and would only sleep 3 hours a night for the longest time. St.Mariana had the gift of prophecy and performed miracles. She offered herself as the victim of the sins of the people and later died on May 26th.She is known as Mariana of Quito and is often called "the lily of Quito." She was canonized in 1950.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Pleading with God!
I. Sodom and Gomorrah- The wickied cities that God wanted to destroy.
Genesis 18:16-33
16 Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and [a]mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have [b]chosen him, so that he maycommand his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” 20 And the LORD said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD. 23 Abraham came near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not [c]spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do [d]such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth [e]deal justly?” 26 So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will [f]spare the whole place on their account.” 27 And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have [g]ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes. 28Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 He spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.”30 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said, “Now behold, I have [h]ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” 32 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” 33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the LORD departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
Genesis 19:1-29
Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and [a]bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” 3 Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people [b]from every quarter; 5 and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may [c]have relations with them.” 6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8 Now behold, I have two daughters who have not [d]had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them [e]whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the [f]shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in [g]as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against [h]Lot and came near to break the door. 10 But the men reached out their[i]hands and brought Lot into the house [j]with them, and shut the door. 11 They [k]struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” 14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who [l]were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law [m]to be jesting.
15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the [n]punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the [o]hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. 17 When they had brought them outside, [p]one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay [q]anywhere in the valley; escape tothe [r]mountains, or you will be swept away.” 18 But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! 19Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the[s]mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; 20 now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) [t]that my life may be saved.” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this [u]request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called [v]Zoar.
23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the [w]valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD; 28 and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the [x]valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a [y]furnace.
29 Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the [z]valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
Visited by Strangers!
I. Hospitality-a solemn obligation of Biblical times.
II. Isaac- Meaning "laugh" in Hebrew. He is Abrahams and Sarahs son.
Genesis 18:14
Is anything too [a]difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, [b]at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
A) I picked this verse because this shows how he is telling us we have to trust and believe in him.
I. Hospitality-a solemn obligation of Biblical times.
II. Isaac- Meaning "laugh" in Hebrew. He is Abrahams and Sarahs son.
Genesis 18:14
Is anything too [a]difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, [b]at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
A) I picked this verse because this shows how he is telling us we have to trust and believe in him.
Genesis 18:1-15
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord,[a] do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs[b] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he said.
10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
A) This shows how God can do miracles in life by bringing in another beautiful human being to this world.
Genesis 13:2
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.Genesis 17:17;17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
A) This verse shows how people might think stuff is impossible but everything is possible with God.
Genesis 18:12
12 Sarah laughed [a]to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
Lectio Divina
1. Lectio: "What does it say?"
- I personally think it says that we should follow God's plan for us. He has great things in mind for us and we shouldn't ignore him.
2. Meditatio: "What does it tell me?"
-It tells me that no matter how old/young you are or where you're at, If God calls on you to do something for him, do it. Let's say if God called on you to save all his people from a disaster and you do, something great could happen after that.
3. Oratio: "What does it make me say?"
- It makes me say we should all follow the word of God and please him. Don't deny him, because if you do, he'll deny you too. Denying God is like denying $1 million, even though God means more to me than that.
4. Contenalatio- "To think about."
- Now stop and think...Are you willing to give yourself to God when he calls on you, or will you reject him? Are you willing to sacrifice anything God tells you to? Just ask yourself "What would Jesus do?"
LISTEN TO WHAT GOD TELLS YOU IN YOUR HEART.
- I personally think it says that we should follow God's plan for us. He has great things in mind for us and we shouldn't ignore him.
2. Meditatio: "What does it tell me?"
-It tells me that no matter how old/young you are or where you're at, If God calls on you to do something for him, do it. Let's say if God called on you to save all his people from a disaster and you do, something great could happen after that.
3. Oratio: "What does it make me say?"
- It makes me say we should all follow the word of God and please him. Don't deny him, because if you do, he'll deny you too. Denying God is like denying $1 million, even though God means more to me than that.
4. Contenalatio- "To think about."
- Now stop and think...Are you willing to give yourself to God when he calls on you, or will you reject him? Are you willing to sacrifice anything God tells you to? Just ask yourself "What would Jesus do?"
LISTEN TO WHAT GOD TELLS YOU IN YOUR HEART.
The Sign Of The Covenant!
I.Circumcision- The removal of the foreskin of the penis.
The Covenant of Circumcision
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram[b]; your name will be Abraham,[c] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.[d] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
A) I picked this verse because this is a great example of how God wants us to work our way up to something and not just to expect that whatever we desire will come by itself.
I.Circumcision- The removal of the foreskin of the penis.
The Covenant of Circumcision
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram[b]; your name will be Abraham,[c] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.[d] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
A) I picked this verse because this is a great example of how God wants us to work our way up to something and not just to expect that whatever we desire will come by itself.
We're Each Called To Do Something In Life.
We are all special in our own, unique way. God gave each of us our own talents so we could all be different. "Some are born great. Some of achieve greatness. And some, have greatness thrust upon them." -William Shakespeare. Anyways, onto the point.
Acting means everything to me. I've been acting since 5th grade. When it comes to auditioning for plays, it's not as easy as it looks.
Since 7th grade, I've gotten all the main parts in the plays. I thought it was just luck, but it wasn't. Last year in 8th grade, I got a call back to go to Dallas to act in front of HUNDREDS of acting agencies. But in order to go, you had to pay $975. That's A LOT of money. So what I did was turn it down. Shocking right?
A few weeks later, I met one of my mom's friends. I told her how I was in love with acting and wanted to become an actress. The next thing she told me was that she works as a director/agent for actors. She told me she would love to work with me and be my agent. What a coincidence! I turn down Dallas for acting agencies, and then I'm talking to an agent without even realizing it.
See, God has everything planned out for you. If you don't get exactly what your aiming for as a goal, don't be upset. God has even BETTER things planned out for you. You may be good at a lot of things, but God wants you to walk down a certain path. I'm given the opportunity to live my dream, but look at me. I'm choosing to live my childhood in high school. Someday I'll take the chance though.
Acting means everything to me. I've been acting since 5th grade. When it comes to auditioning for plays, it's not as easy as it looks.
Since 7th grade, I've gotten all the main parts in the plays. I thought it was just luck, but it wasn't. Last year in 8th grade, I got a call back to go to Dallas to act in front of HUNDREDS of acting agencies. But in order to go, you had to pay $975. That's A LOT of money. So what I did was turn it down. Shocking right?
A few weeks later, I met one of my mom's friends. I told her how I was in love with acting and wanted to become an actress. The next thing she told me was that she works as a director/agent for actors. She told me she would love to work with me and be my agent. What a coincidence! I turn down Dallas for acting agencies, and then I'm talking to an agent without even realizing it.
See, God has everything planned out for you. If you don't get exactly what your aiming for as a goal, don't be upset. God has even BETTER things planned out for you. You may be good at a lot of things, but God wants you to walk down a certain path. I'm given the opportunity to live my dream, but look at me. I'm choosing to live my childhood in high school. Someday I'll take the chance though.
God calls everyone to do something. If you aren't meant to be a designer, maybe you're meant to be a model. All I'm saying is, do NOT give up hope on something you REALLY want to do. If Abraham gave up hope on God, do you think he would've became a great nation and a blessing to the world?
Something Inspiring...
Be the shining light in God's perfect world.
What I thought was inspiring was that one man, lead all of God's people into the promised land and was made a great nation. To me, that's inspiring. One man made a great nation. Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran. 75! At the age of 75, I probably wouldn't be able to walk across the heat of that desert.
And what else is inspiring is how God has everything planned out for you. He has your WHOLE life planned out. He knows what's going to happen next, and he knows the ending to YOUR story. I think it's inspiring how God can remember everything about everyone's life. He can keep track of a BILLION people's lives all at once. I may have gotten a little off topic, but I'm just writing the things that I think are inspiring to me. (:God is the only person who knows EVERYTHING about you and what you're going to do next. Only him.
You are God's world.
Live with it. Laugh with it. Love with it.
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