Thoughts on Faith, Church, Life, and a place to share my life through my favorite hobby, Digital Scrapbooking!
Monday, December 1, 2014
Round Robin Week 4
Friday, November 21, 2014
Round Robin Week 3
But it was a gorgeous drive and the Painted Desert was amazing!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Round Robin week 2
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Autumn in AZ
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Percy's Birthday
These were made with Jilbert's bits of bytes lovely kit- Gatherings I love the versatility of this kit! It's part of the Coordinated Collection at #theStudio and right now it's only a buck! :)
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Jeff
And then I remembered.
Jeff Schreiber, my first husband, father of my son, and still a dear friend, died in a car accident last November.
Every once in a while something like this catches me and it brings up all the emotion and memory surrounding his death. I know my loss is nothing compared to Kathi's (his widow), who lost a part of her soul that night, but in these moments I feel his loss so keenly.
So I will go see the movie, and remember the times we watched the show together, and pray for his soul in hopes that I will see him again one day.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Round Robin Week 3
Sunday, August 17, 2014
On Depression
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Link drop!
This batch is all Catholic ones, I'll have a link drop of Crafty and Scrapping ones later on.
Ok, here we go! :)
Pillars of Catholicism this is a 13 part 'crash course' on Catholicism from the John Paul the Great Catholic University.
Word Among Us is the web home of the Word Among Us devotional. Lots of great Catholic articles to read even if you don't subscribe.
Word on Fire is the website of Fr. Barron, who brought us the book and then the DVD study series Catholicism. Great resource!
Catholic Home Study Service One of my favorite study sites. FREE books with study questions to answer on a variety of Catholic topics.
What Catholic and/or Bible Study resources do YOU use online?
Mother Daughter Tea
I made this page from Jilbert's Georgia Peach kit and love how the colors all flow together so nicely!
Studio Round Robin- week two!
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Disneyland!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Corporate =/= Conformity
My friend was having trouble because she did not feel that she was given time to adequately present her point of view to the group, and mostly because she views corporate worship as contradictory to saying "I'm going to enjoy this no matter what the people around me think of it".
We discussed it ad nauseum in another forum, but I am still troubled by the idea that we must all conform to the same tastes in worship in order to be...what...community?
Corporate worship, that one hour a week where we gather as Church is a time to focus on the Creator, to WORSHIP Him. It's not a time to be focusing on the music, the homily, or the kid fussing two rows up unless these things bring us closer to God. If, on the other hand, they DO bring us closer to God as a form of worship, then they are very good. But you will NEVER get a group of more than 10 people together (and 10 is a stretch) who all worship the same way.
Unlike our protestant brothers who split off and form new churches because the pastor doesn't wear a tie, or over the music leader being a woman (two splits in my parent's church in the last decade), we have something that holds us together as Catholics~ the Eucharist. THAT is why we gather for corporate worship, and for no other reason. To receive Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity at Mass. Everything else is just to bring us to the Table.
Whether or not it was St. Augustine who originally said- In essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, and in all things, charity it's a good reminder that the essentials are what make us Catholic, and that even in corporate worship we have the liberty to worship God as best we can even if it is differently done from the person sitting next to you.
Now, having said all this, what my dear friend was describing, a corporate worship where we are all of one mind in how we worship the King of Kings is something that I long for. But I know that we will only sing with one voice on the other side of Glory. The Angels and Saints are doing it right now, and one day I will join them in that glad song.
But for today, I will gladly stand next to you and worship with you, praising God with all my heart even if we do it differently.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Round Robin Week 4- My Nana
Happy Birthday Nana, we miss you...
Font: CK Bella
#studioroundrobin #theStudio
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Mark resources for Chapters 3 and 4
http://www.bibleplaces.com/mounttabor.htm
http://www.bibleplaces.com/mtbeatitudes.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_4
http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8963
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11460a.htm
Monday, May 26, 2014
Mother-Daughter Tea
Font: Marketing Script
Friday, May 16, 2014
Rooter's big adventure
Kit: Destination Anywhere Collab by The Urban Fairy and Manu Scraps
Available here
Fonts: Calvin and Hobbes and Poplar Std
#theStudio
#studioroundrobin
Copyright 2014 by Kyrie Drake
Friday, May 9, 2014
finally....Spring!
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Divine Mercy Chaplet
http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
Monday, April 21, 2014
Sanctuary vs. Worship Center
It used to be that most all protestant churches, even 'low church' denominations called their worship space a sanctuary. More and more though I'm seeing them renamed as 'worship centers'. This bothers me as it seems to me that we lose some of the holiness of gathering as 'church' this way. It's a mindset. Sure, whenever two or more are gathered in His name He is there and all, but Church is more than gathering together.
Even before I was Catholic, I always felt there was something special about the sanctuaries of traditional style churches. The pews, the weathered songbooks, the podium, the choir loft, the baptismal area, and the communion table all gave the feel that this place was special, set apart specifically for the worship of God. That's the very definition of holy or sacred.
Today's 'worship center' has none of that. It could be any room with chairs and a stage. While, again, we can certainly worship God in ANY place and should be doing so in all times and all aspects of our lives I think we really lose something by getting rid of the 'sacredness' of our churches.
The thought that concreted this in my mind this morning was that when we do this we risk church being about what WE do for God, and less about honoring what God has done for us.
Just my thought for today!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Battle
The other day I started to pray the St. Michael prayer but in my mind I said, 'St. Michael the Archangel protect us from battle'.
But that's not how it goes, is it?
St. Michael the Archangel, DEFEND us in battle.
That is what we cry out in prayer. For the battle is here and now and all around us. God never promised us release from the battlefield, only that we could call upon His aid and that of His holy angels in our times of deepest need.
I do battle tonight, with my weakness, my anger, my desolation.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend me in battle,
Be my protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him I humbly pray.
And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
By the power of God
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
Who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of my soul. Amen
All you Angels and Saints, pray for me!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
The Resurrection
Today was all about preparing us for the Resurrection. I wonder how the Saducees viewed the passage from Ezekiel in today's reading. It's pretty clear on a bodily resurrection at the end of time. I don't recall ever having read or heard that passage before! I love seeing how the Old Testament and the New Testament mesh so beautifully.
I was also struck by the thought in the reading from Romans today about how we are 'in the Spirit' while still being physical beings...in the flesh. When Paul talks about living in the Spirit he is not suggesting that we give up our physical bodies. This meshes so nicely with the Catholic understanding of John 6 . There is no false dichotomy between the body (flesh) and the Spirit.
That's a thought I want to develop further, but not sitting here at Einstein Brothers this morning! ;)
Monday, March 31, 2014
Who Do You Say That I Am?
So, go here- Who Do You Say That I Am to listen to the song that keeps running through my head as the 'theme' song for the Gospel of Mark bible study I'm involved in right now.
It's by Tim & Julie Smith off their album A Eucharistic People available here (along with all of their other fabulous music!).
It's been going through my head for weeks, and thanks to my friends Andra and Tom Booth I was finally able to locate it!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Gospel of Mark Bible Study Chapter 1:29- 2:12
We pick up at Verse 28 in Chapter 1 where Jesus, having cast out the demon, to the astonishment of the crowds ("What is this?! A new teaching?!") IMMEDIATELY leaves the synagogue and goes to the home of Simon and Andrew. His fame is spreading, but he doesn't bask in it, or continue to teach, but immediately goes to the home he will use as his homebase. There he encounters Simon's mother-in-law who is sick. She is the first one that Jesus heals in Mark's gospel. This healing (albeit a private one) took place during the Sabbath, and begins Jesus's ministry of healing by TOUCHING the afflicted. It's not until that evening, after the Sabbath that the entire town of Capernaum comes to the house with their sick and possessed. How many people would that have been? According to Wikipedia about 1500!
The next morning he went out alone, to a solitary place to pray. We see this cycle throughout the gospels. Jesus dealing with the crowds; healing, teaching, and preaching and then going out alone to pray. How human of him! :) Taking time to be alone with God, to recharge, gather strength to face the next day, the next challenge.
When Simon and the others come to find him and tell him that everyone is looking for him, he says basically, 'Let's get this thing started, this is why I'm here, to preach the gospel throughout the land'. So they went, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons. Those two are linked often. Did the demon possessed gather around the synagogue? Were they brought there for healing? Were they drawn there by the demons? Interesting questions.
In 1:40 we see the first time we see Jesus heal some one who is considered 'unclean' by Jewish law. Jesus reaches out and touches the man to make him clean. Mark brings home the point later that Jesus' touch makes the other person clean, it does not make him unclean. The power of that touch. Likely the first human contact the man had experienced in years. It shows how approachable Jesus is, that he identifies with us. It shows his power over the Old Covenant rules, how that his holiness conquers the uncleanliness of the leper. He has the man still go through the proscribed steps to show himself to the priest so that he can again be part of the community. And...tells him to tell no one what he had done.
This is Mark's emphasis on the Messianic Secret. It's a thread that runs throughout the first half of his gospel. Why did Jesus do this? There are several thoughts on this-
1) He wanted to avoid the reputation that he was merely (merely!) a miracle worker or healer
2) He wanted to steer away from the popular ideas of the time of what the Messiah would be like- a military leader and great warrior.
3) He didn't want to give his enemies time until the appointed time to fire up their wrath.
(paraphrased from the Gospel of Mark Ignatius Catholic Study Bible notes)
(CH 2:1-12 will be added soon...hopefully!)
In looking at Chapter 2 through Chapter 3:6 we see 5 scenes in which Jesus' actions lead to encounters with the Pharisees. Here are a couple of links to more information about the Pharisees from both a Jewish and Catholic perspective-
Jewish Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
I think that reading about them from the perspective of modern Judaism is absolutely fascinating!
(More to come later!)
Monday, March 17, 2014
Thought from Mass March 9,2014
God knew that Adam and Eve would choose to sin, but He made them anyway. He had to give them the freedom to choose or they would be nothing more than the angels. He already had all the angels He wanted.
He wanted us, created us, to choose to love Him.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
The Gospel of Mark Bible Study Chapter 1- 1:1-28
Our Prayer today-
Here are some links we'll talk about in Bible Study Today-
Peter's home (Jesus' HQ) in Capernum
The Interlinear Greek New Testament
Here's a link to more about Lectio Divina, the method we used to read scripture at the end of our session- Lectio Divina
My thoughts and commentary to follow, after we meet today. I look forward to your thoughts, comments, and insights (even if you're not part of our Bible Study!)!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Project 52
This year it is my goal to take a photo each week of just something in my life. I'm using Instagram for this so that I can easily put them into a template for my Project 12 pages. I may not post them individually here...goodness knows I'm woefully behind on posting my 2013 scrap pages! But I will try to post the finished monthly pages, and you are welcome to follow me over at Instagram!