life experience

Peaceful Protesting

Dawn Huberty

There is so much unrest in our nation. It started with Covid19 and and only five months into 2020, the world is once again fighting an invisible enemy. Racism and police brutality. There is a lot of opinion, but on this page, today, I’m not sharing mine. Instead I’m making some suggestions to change the narrative and how we, as believers can support hurting people.

1. Educate yourself on a particular movement.

2. Work on your own habits and beliefs.

3. Research the local presence.

4. Take action in your community.

5. Go to a protest or demonstration.

6. Use social media.

7. Volunteer your time.

Lastly, choose to have conversation in a calm manner. Many social injustices bring out anger and hostility in people. Pray first, maybe even ask to pray before the conversation begins. Show your faith, not your emotions. Be a guiding light. Keep it real.

life experience

Everyday Pieces

Dawn Huberty

In the every day, I find the various pieces of my life. There has been a lot of anguish for a hurting world, but in my own space, there is grief. At times, overwhelming. I am surprised that I have managed to survive the loss of a brother and sister in just a few months. A redeeming component is that I will see them again and secondly, Jesus walks with me every step. He reminds me with a beautiful sunset the ways in which my loved ones are still with me. He brings forward to memory, good times, special moments. And although I spend a lot of time sighing, remembering, grieving, I know it’s merely temporary. I will see them again.

Amazon.com: Death Leaves a Heartache no one can heal. - Vinyl Wall ...

Wherever you are in the various stages of grief, I can attest that some days are easier. And joy does occasionally visit! Hurt is a feeling. God reminds us that feelings come and go, but the light of our life, the salt of the earth, the comfort of a Fathers’ love is right here, right now. Not fleeting.

Amen!
life experience

New Pieces

Dawn Huberty

The Pieces book was written from scraps of paper (pieces).  Living through Covid19, we are learning all kinds of new words.  Social/physical distancing.  Stay safe at home.  Coronavirus.  Flatten the curve.  Pandemic.  Self quarantine.  Face mask.  Ventilator.  And my NOT favorite: PPE (personal protective equipment) i.e. mask, specialized clothing or equipment.

We have a friend living in Iowa, who’s neighborhood is a “petri dish.”  She has been in a serious quarantine situation for 9 weeks!

There is a prayer going through social media and many church emails for the end of this virus.  Would you like to pray it with me?  I’m sure you know it by heart, it’s The Lord’s Prayer:

Psalm 23 Scripture The Lord is My Shepherd Instant Prayer Scriptures, Bible Prayers, Faith Prayer, God Prayer, Prayer Quotes, Bible Verses Quotes, Powerful Scriptures, Psalm 91 Prayer, Serenity Prayer

There is also a specific prayer for people on the front line, medical staff, healthcare workers, support staff.

The Elevation Church on Twitter: "Today, we pray for frontline ...

 

life experience, Uncategorized

Saying I Love You

Dawn Huberty

We cherish our relationship with Jesus, don’t we?  We are absolutely certain He is the reason we are alive today.  He is why we have hope, more importantly; a heavenly home.

Have you ever told Jesus you loved Him?  I realized after this concept came to me in a morning devotion, that I really hadn’t.  Maybe when I was a kid, singing “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” But as an adult, no – I’m sure I never had.  I am thankful, grateful, appreciative.  I am in awe of His great works, and how He gets to the heart of even the most stubborn.  But this – no.

And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I ...When we have dinner together at home, I now end our prayer with “we love you.” And when I’m having my own prayer time, I am consciously aware of these words.  But there are other (and powerful) ways to tell Jesus you love Him.

1. Put Him first.

2. Talk to Him first.

3. Trust in Him.

4. Forgive and move on.

5. Be an open book.  (This one is harder because it shows the world who we really are in Christ.)

6. Show compassion to every person you encounter.  You simply cannot know how much they need Jesus!

Lifeway Church - Love Serve Give - Walking Out Your Faith - Week 7

Check out the entire book of James, walking in faith is the theme!

 

life experience

Spiritual Exercises

Dawn Huberty

As we continue through this “brave new world,” there are a lot of posts and suggestions on staying mentally and physically active.  I could surely use less couch time and more “crankin’ up the oldies to sweat.”  🙂

If your spiritual life could use a boost, check out these suggestions and feel free to add a few of your own!  Start your day with a new routine; I am!

inner soul work – Self Discovery Coaching with Sarah Seed

Ideas for strengthening your spirit!

  • Get reacquainted (Zoom, Webex, Facetime) with coworkers, family, friends.
  • Go outside as much as possible.
  • Reduce distractions; TV, Internet, news, etc.
  • Observe your thoughts about the people around you.
  • Step out in faith.
  • Be of service to others, make masks, help with deliveries, send cards to local memory care or nursing home.   Sign, “a friend.”
  • Make prayer and meditation a habit.
  • Spend time in the Word.  An online bible study, or do your own, pick a book in the Bible that has been hard for you to understand and research it.
  • Say “grace” with each meal.
  • Start a journal.
  • Write poetry.
  • Memorize scripture.
  • Sign up for daily scripture or meditation.

Quotes about Spiritual exercises (31 quotes)

 

holidays

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Dawn Huberty

This is one of my favorite childhood memory hymns.  Read the lyrics, enjoy and hum to yourself!  The video is below pic!  Happy Easter!

  1. Christ the Lord is ris’n today, Alleluia!
    Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
    Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
    Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
  2. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
    Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
    Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
    Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
  3. Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
    Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
    Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
    Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!
  4. Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
    Foll’wing our exalted Head, Alleluia!
    Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
    Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
  5. Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
    Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
    Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
    Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!
  6. King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
    Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
    Thee to know, Thy pow’r to prove, Alleluia!
    Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

He is Risen! | St. Michael Catholic Church

YouTube Video

life experience, Uncategorized

Breakfast for Dinner

Dawn Huberty

Throughout my lifetime, I’ve enjoyed making french toast & bacon or sausage with OJ for dinner.  “Breakfast for dinner.”  I’ve also had ice cream for breakfast!  These were usually times when I craved comfort food.

You may be feeling this way too.  Covid19 has changed all of our lives, across the globe.  No one is immune, everyone is at risk.  Granted, we sanitize and wash our hands and do more laundry than ever before (I never thought that was possible!!)…we attend church online, most of us are more active; walks around the neighborhood, maybe gardening, etc.

Where do we go for spiritual comfort cravings?  I’ve found I’m praying more; not just for the people I know or even my own community, but the world as a whole.  Being incredibly grateful for those in the healthcare field, hustling like crazy people to care for those affected by the virus, or have unrelated issues.  These people are overworked, underpaid, and I believe need much more cheering on.  If you see someone in a healthcare uniform, buy them lunch, thank them for their hard work, drop off cookies to their mailbox if you know them.

God is working through all of us to lean on Him.  Not just when the car breaks down or the oldest child is doing drugs, but ALL of the time, the good, the bad, the pandemic.  He is our only hope.  He is what we need.

leaning onWherever you are, you are safe in the arms of Jesus.  Lift your faith and soak up His Holy grace.

life experience, Uncategorized

Times, they are a changing

Dawn Huberty

It’s a strange new world.  Somber and oftentimes, lonely.  I am not in the camp that God is using this to bring people closer to Him.  I just don’t buy into that way of thinking.  Man creates these viruses, man is responsible for the unwinding of Mother Nature.  This was God’s paradise, until that fateful day when Adam and Eve realized they were naked and hid from God.  God always wants us to turn to Him.  In tragedy and joy.

But what about the people in our lives that we miss seeing and spending time with?  How can we reach out safely?  Our minister encourages us to make two phone calls a day to check in on friends and family!  Send pics of your kids or make funny faces!  A card in the mail is more of a treat than ever before!  I’m sending a package of cards I hand wrote that can be distributed at local nursing homes.  What can you do to stay connected?

Image result for staying connected when you can't visitTell your kids to “phone home” if they are under 30, they probably won’t get the reference!

May you be blessed, healthy, and sane during this time of separation from your tribe.

life experience

Influenza x 100,000

Dawn Huberty

This is the strangest post I’ve ever written.  The past three weeks have been a time of anxiety and fear for people across the globe.  Including me.  I have a suppressed immune system for medication I take and have recently (2 years) had cancer.  I’m 55, so not in the elderly group, but that’s about all I have going for me.

Well, that and tons of hand sanitizer.  Oh and an active prayer life.  Those two will hopefully save my sanity.

The Coronavirus ranks with school shootings and tsunami’s.  There is very little we can do after the fact, but a lot we can and must do now.

The obvious; wash your hands, sneeze into your elbow, keep six feet away from people, don’t shake hands or hug. 

But what can you do on a larger scale?  Volunteer with the local Red Cross, volunteer to deliver groceries for the grocery store (they are overwhelmed with deliveries right now).  Find out how to safely check in on your neighbors.  Don’t keep the momentum going on buying toilet paper, hand sanitizers, milk or food.  Buy what you normally need.  Share your overstock with the local food-banks.

And mostly, be kind.  Be the (helping) hands, and eyes that see (need) of Jesus.

Image result for be a kind person

Catholic, life experience

Conversation and conversion

Dawn Huberty

I like having a good conversation about why I became Catholic, it seems to be what people care about now days, and is the first topic we discuss when we haven’t seen each other for awhile.

What I dislike greatly is the morbid curiosity or judgment kind of conversation about my conversion.  Had one of those tonight at a pancake breakfast!  It was accusatory and put me on the defensive.  In the end I just said that it fed my spirit and let them push their nose up to the ceiling and sigh.  I did the latter and left the table.

Shared this theory with my SIL when we visited her last month, we agreed, it’s not like becoming Lutheran.  I mean – heck people don’t see that as admonishing.  Or Jewish; now I do have a friend that converted to Judaism and she’s functioning just fine and doesn’t seem to get hassled about her beliefs.  (Gypsy, I’m gonna need some feedback from you)!

Catholic is probably the most misunderstood religion on earth.  I should know, I had my high and mighty opinions too, when I was in RCIA (a class to learn more about Catholicism) I asked my many ignorant questions.  Why do you worship the Virgin Mary?  Why is she so important anyway?  What is purgatory all about (I still don’t buy that one)!  Why can’t priests marry?  The amazing thing is, all of my teachers were patient and gave me explanations that helped me understand.

I’m not an expert, trust me.  I attended mass tonight, my first Tuesday night service and felt like a 3 year old.  However, I was able to function and it was a lovely 1/2 hour. When you have conversation with people; whether it’s about lifestyle changes, religion, politics or child-raising, remember the other person is a human being and deserves the same respect you have for yourself.

Image result for human connection conversation

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.