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Archive for the In a nutshell Category
Ash Wednesday – Little Black Mark on Your Head Today
Posted in Catholic, Christ, Christian, Church, Culture, Faith, Holy Spirit, In a nutshell, Lent with tags Ash Wednesday, ashes, Catholic, Culture, Lent, Religion, Spiritual, Video on February 22, 2012 by JoannaIdentity Secured
Posted in In a nutshell on February 14, 2012 by Joanna
One of the great ironies of we Christians who struggle with our sense of identity in life is that, in Christ, we already posses everything we so desperately long for and crave. Because we are prone to forget constantly, we need to be reminded daily. Paul reminds the Ephesians, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing . . .” (Ephesians 1:3). Every blessing that we want or desire we already have in Christ! The list is inexhaustible, …
Great reminder of the great things of God.
Resting in Your Spirit
Posted in Catholic, Christian, Faith, In a nutshell, Thomas Sowell with tags adoration, altar, Eucharist, God, Jesus, Prayer on October 18, 2011 by JoannaI am witness.
I am martyr.
You are silence in action,
No moving parts,
Yet accomplishing Your intent,
While I keep watch.
You rest upon Your Altar.
I rest in You.
You are Son.
You are Witness.
You are Martyr.
You are Living Testament,
Covenanting with Man,
Promising me.
Draw me.
Give me Your vision of holiness.
Cause me to desire.
Infuse wisdom
As answer to my pleading desire.
O, Happy Cause.
O, Moving Spirit.
Be one with the essence of me,
That fallen nature might drink
Of Your Eternal Spring.
By Joann Nelander
Copyright 2011
All rights reserved.
Hallowed Steps
Posted in Catholic, Christian, Faith, In a nutshell with tags Catholic, meditation, online writing, Poetry on August 30, 2011 by JoannaLetting go, and letting God, still holds challenge.
A lifetime of learning hasn’t made it easier,
Just more imperative,
As my way just gets in my way.Like a little lamb, I follow,
Though the way be set by trial ,
My shepherd walks before.In hallowed steps
I plant my feet.
Surety and Covenant abiding
Your Way, my way, forevermore.By Joann Nelander
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AMENDING OUR LIVES
Posted in In a nutshell, Religion with tags Christ, growth, holiness, imitation, In a nutshell, Must Read, Reflections, Religion on May 9, 2010 by JoannaThe Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
From Book I – Twenty-Fifth Chapter
ZEAL IN AMENDING OUR LIVES
“One day when a certain man who wavered often and anxiously between hope and fear was struck with sadness, he knelt in humble prayer before the altar of a church. While meditating on these things, he said: “Oh if I but knew whether I should persevere to the end!” Instantly he heard within the divine answer: “If you knew this, what would you do? Do now what you would do then and you will be quite secure.” Immediately consoled and comforted, he resigned himself to the divine will and the anxious uncertainty ceased. His curiosity no longer sought to know what the future held for him, and he tried instead to find the perfect, the acceptable will of God in the beginning and end of every good work.
“Trust thou in the Lord and do good,” says the Prophet; “dwell in the land and thou shalt feed on its riches.” “
……………When a man reaches a point where he seeks no solace from any creature, then he begins to relish God perfectly. Then also he will be content no matter what may happen to him. He will neither rejoice over great things nor grieve over small ones, but will place himself entirely and confidently in the hands of God, Who for him is all in all, to Whom nothing ever perishes or dies, for Whom all things live, and Whom they serve as He desires.
Always remember your end and do not forget that lost time never returns. Without care and diligence you will never acquire virtue. When you begin to grow lukewarm, you are falling into the beginning of evil; but if you give yourself to fervor, you will find peace and will experience less hardship because of God’s grace and the love of virtue.
Cyber Liberary – Imitation of Christ
Tea Party – Albuquerque New Mexico
Posted in American, Government, In a nutshell, Photography, Political, United States with tags American, citizens, demonstration, Government, In a nutshell, patriotic, Photography, Political, protest, rally, taxes, tea party, United States on April 15, 2010 by JoannaThis slideshow requires JavaScript.
Prayers Honoring the 7 Times Jesus Spilled His Precious Blood
Posted in In a nutshell with tags 12 years, In a nutshell, promises, St. Bridget, Sweden on March 30, 2010 by JoannaThe 12 Year Prayers Given by Our Lord to St. Bridget of Sweden
O Jesus, now I wish to pray the Lord’s Prayer seven times in unity with the love with which You sanctified this prayer in Your Heart. Take it from my lips into Your Divine Heart. Improve and complete it so much that it brings as much honor and joy to the Trinity as You granted it on earth with this prayer. May these pour upon Your Holy Humanity in Glorification to Your Painful Wounds and the Precious Blood that You spilled from them.
First Prayer: The Circumcision
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:
Eternal Father, through Mary’s unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the first wounds, the first pains, and the first Bloodshed as atonement for my and all of humanity’s sins of youth, as protection against the first mortal sin, especially among my relatives.
Second Prayer: The Suffering on the Mount of Olives
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:
Eternal Father, through Mary’s unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the terrifying suffering of Jesus’ Heart on the Mount of Olives and every drop of His Bloody Sweat as atonement for my and all of humanity’s sins of the heart, as protection against such sins and for the spreading of Divine and brotherly Love.
Third Prayer: The Flogging
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:
Eternal Father, through Mary’s unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the many thousands of Wounds, the gruesome Pains, and the Precious Blood of the Flogging as atonement for my and all of humanity’s sins of the Flesh, as protection against such sins and the preservation of innocence, especially among my relatives.
Fourth Prayer: The Crowning of Thorns
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:
Eternal Father, through Mary’s unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Wounds, the Pains, and the Precious Blood of Jesus’ Holy Head from the Crowning with Thorns as atonement for my and all of humanity’s sins of the Spirit, as protection against such sins and the spreading of Christ’s kingdom here on earth.
Fifth Prayer: The Carrying of the Cross
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:
Eternal Father, through Mary’s unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Sufferings on the way of the Cross, especially His Holy Wound on His Shoulder and its Precious Blood as atonement for my and all of humanity’s rebellion against the Cross, every grumbling against Your Holy Arrangements and all other sins of the tongue, as protection against such sins and for true love of the Cross.
Sixth Prayer: The Crucifixion
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:
Eternal Father, through Mary’s unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You Your Son on the Cross, His Nailing and Raising, His Wounds on the Hands and Feet and the three streams of His Precious Blood that poured forth from these for us, His extreme tortures of the Body and Soul, His precious Death and its non-bleeding Renewal in all Holy Masses on earth as atonement for all wounds against vows and regulations within the Orders, as reparation for my and all of the world’s sins, for the sick and the dying, for all holy priests and laymen, for the Holy Father’s intentions toward the restoration of Christian families, for the strengthening of Faith, for our country and unity among all nations in Christ and His Church, as well as for the Diaspora.
Seventh Prayer: The Piercing of Jesus’ Side
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:
Eternal Father, accept as worthy, for the needs of the Holy Church and as atonement for the sins of all Mankind, the Precious Blood and Water which poured forth from the Wound of Jesus’ Divine Heart. Be gracious and merciful toward us. Blood of Christ, the last precious content of His Holy Heart, wash me of all my and others’ guilt of sin! Water from the Side of Christ, wash me clean of all punishments for sin and extinguish the flames of Purgatory for me and for all the Poor Souls. Amen.
Approved by Pope Clement XII
Our Lord made these promises to anyone who recited/prayed these Prayers for 12 entire years**:
1. The soul who prays them will suffer no Purgatory.
2. The soul who prays them will be accepted among the Martyrs as though he had spilled his blood for his faith.
3. The soul who prays them can choose three others whom Jesus will then keep in a state of grace sufficient to become holy.
4. No one in the four successive generations of the soul who prays them will be lost.
5. The soul who prays them will be made conscious of his death one month in advance.
** If the soul praying these prayers dies before the entire 12 years of prayers have been completed, the Lord will accept them as having been prayed in their entirety, because the intention of the soul was to complete them as directed.
If a day or a few days are missed due to a valid reason, they can be made up for later, at the soul’s earliest opportunity.
Value Added Tax Around the Corner
Posted in American, Charles Krauthammer, Conservative, Government, In a nutshell with tags American, Charles Krauthammer, Conservative, debt, deficit, Government, In a nutshell, Krauthammer, tax, VAT on March 27, 2010 by JoannaCharles Krauthammer prognosticates, “The VAT Cometh”:
American liberals have long complained that ours is the only advanced industrial country without universal health care. Well, now we shall have it. And as we approach European levels of entitlements, we will need European levels of taxation.
Obamacare was sold on the premise that, as Nancy Pelosi put it, “health care reform is entitlement reform. Our budget cannot take this upward spiral of cost.” But the bill enacted on Tuesday accelerates the spiral: It radically expands Medicaid (adding 15 million new recipients/dependents) and shamelessly raids Medicare by spending on a new entitlement the $500 billion in cuts and the yield from the Medicare tax hikes.
With the VAT, Obama’s triumph will be complete. He will have succeeded in reversing Reaganism. Liberals have long complained that Reagan’s strategy was to starve the (governmental) beast in order to shrink it: First, cut taxes — then ultimately you have to reduce government spending.Obama’s strategy is exactly the opposite: Expand the beast, and then feed it. Spend first — which then forces taxation. Now that, with the institution of universal health care, we are becoming the full entitlement state, the beast will have to be fed.
And the VAT is the only trough in creation large enough.
Decrease/Increase – Does It Matter to You?
Posted in American, healthcare, In a nutshell with tags American, healthcare, In a nutshell, insurance, Obama, premiums, promises, Video on March 24, 2010 by JoannaAcorn By Any Other Name
Posted in In a nutshell, Politics with tags Acorn, community organizations, congress, In a nutshell, Politics on March 23, 2010 by JoannaA rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and Acorn by any other name will still just smell!
Eric Shawn writes:
Critics point to a variety of new local organizations that are springing up to apparently take ACORN’s place. In Brooklyn, New York the ACORN office now has a new sign: “New York Communities for Change,” and in Massachusetts the president of the new group, “New England United for Justice” is listed as Maude Hurd, the president of ACORN, in its articles of Organization.
There are a growing number of such local groups replacing ACORN, according to Matthew Vadum, of the Capital Research Center. He says ACORN Housing has changed its name to Affordable Housing Centers of America, Inc., and that other ACORN connected groups include: Arkansas Community Organizations, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, and Missourians Organizing for Reform Empowerment.
“This is a trick, a public relations trick,” says Vadum, calling the move an attempt “to dupe Congress and the American people to think they have gone away and they have not.” He says “the same people are running the new chapters that have sprung up and in some cases, out of the same offices.”
Loved This!
Posted in In a nutshell, Lent with tags failure, Faith, grace, In a nutshell, Lent on March 18, 2010 by JoannaH/T the Anchoress:
Priest: ‘I think I’ve lost my faith.’ Cardinal Cushing: ‘Don’t flatter yourself; you’re just bored.’ — Sermon
“We are not meant to ’succeed’ at Lent, but to fail and know our dependence upon Grace.”
Holiness Consists In This
Posted in Christian, In a nutshell with tags Christian, holiness, In a nutshell, justice, mercy on March 16, 2010 by Joanna(Text: Edwin Hatch, 1835-1889
Music: Robert Jackson, 1842-1914
Act justly.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly
‘What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ Micah 6:6
Be Holy
Posted in In a nutshell with tags beatitude, Charity, In a nutshell, sanctity on March 16, 2010 by JoannaThe Lord said to Moses, Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. Revere your mother and father, and keep my sabbaths. I, the Lord, am your God.
Krauthammer – In Praise of the Rotation of Power
Posted in American, Charles Krauthammer, Government, In a nutshell with tags Afghanistan, American, Bush, Charles Krauthammer, democrats, Government, In a nutshell, iraq, liberals, Obama, policy, troops on March 14, 2010 by JoannaRealClearPolitics – In Praise of the Rotation of Power.
Charles Krauthammer praises rotation of power:
“Barack Obama is now commander in chief. The lack of opposition (to our presence in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan) is not a matter of hypocrisy. It is a natural result of the rotation of power. When a party is in opposition, it opposes. That’s its job. But when it comes to power, it must govern. Easy rhetoric is over, the press of reality becomes irresistible. By necessity, it adopts some of the policies it had once denounced. And a new national consensus is born.”
Krauthammer further explains:
“The rotation of power is the finest political instrument ever invented for the consolidation of what were once radical and deeply divisive policies. The classic example is the New Deal. Republicans railed against it for 20 years. Then Dwight Eisenhower came to power, wisely left it intact, and no serious leader since has called for its repeal.
Similarly, Bill Clinton consolidated Reaganism, just as Tony Blair consolidated Thatcherism. In both cases, center-left moderates brought their party to accept the major premises of the highly successful conservative reforms that preceded them.
A similar consolidation has happened with many of the Bush anti-terror policies. In opposition, the Democrats decried warrantless wiretaps, rendition, and detention without trial. But now that they are charged with protecting us from the bad guys, they’ve come to view these as indispensable national security measures.”
Democrats’ push for health care “bitter, destructive and endless.”
Posted in Economy, In a nutshell, Opinions, Politics with tags Americans, bitter, clinging, congress, Economy, healthcare, In a nutshell, Obama, Opinions, Politics, Scott Brown, Senator Scott Brown on March 13, 2010 by JoannaAlthouse: Senator Scott Brown calls the Democrats’ push for health care “bitter, destructive and endless.”.
H/T Althouse:
Well… you know, sometimes they get bitter, and they cling to health care…
Senator Scott Brown:
“An entire year has gone to waste,” Brown said in the weekly GOP radio and Internet address. “Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and many more jobs are in danger. Even now, the president still hasn’t gotten the message.
“Somehow, the greater the public opposition to the health care bill, the more determined they seem to force it on us anyway.”
We need to drop this whole scheme of federally controlled health care, start over, and work together on real reforms at the state level that will contain costs and won’t leave America trillions of dollars deeper in debt,”
“Courage and Consequence” Karl Rove
Posted in In a nutshell, Obama, Politics with tags Chris Dodd, consequence, courage, Government, History, In a nutshell, Karl Rove, Obama, Politics on March 12, 2010 by JoannaCourage and Consequence - Karl Rove
“the unwritten story of the whole affair is that if Democrats had granted the Bush administration the regulatory powers it sought, the housing crisis would no have been nearly as severe, the financial sector’s collapse not nearly as damaging, the economy’s slide not nearly as steep and lengthy, and global distress not nearly as widespread.
Among the Democrats who backed Dodd’s filibuster and opposed reform was the freshman senator, Barack Obama. He was the third-largest recipient of campaign gifts from Fannie and Freddie employees in 2004. Since winning the White House, he has pointed to the economic problems he “inherited”, but he has never owned up to his role in creating them.”
Constitutional Pledge of Allegiance!
Posted in American, In a nutshell, News with tags American, decision, In a nutshell, News, Pledge of Allegiance, Supreme Court, U.S. Constitution on March 11, 2010 by Joanna
A divided federal appeals court Thursday reversed itself, ruling that the Pledge of Allegiance doesn’t violate the constitutional prohibition against state-mandated religious exercise even though it contains the phrase “one nation under God.”
Also decided Thursday was a challenge brought by the same plaintiff, Michael Newdow, to the phrase “In God We Trust” printed on the national money. The same three-judge panel ruled that an earlier case had found the phrase to be a national motto and that its placement on U.S. coins and currency wasn’t required by any government statute.
Matt Lauer on the Attack – Rove Got it Right!
Posted in In a nutshell with tags In a nutshell on March 11, 2010 by JoannaMatt Lauer is a hatchman. Rove sticks to the facts and the timeline.
“Matt Lauer Gets Combative with Karl Rove on Today” by clicking here http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=Xd8znz4znz
