put out into the deep

A torn edge, shaky, incongruent lines and an uncentered piece of calligraphy is all I may see but the words are a different thing altogether. The idea is true. God can use us and asks for our participation in this life. We are not perfect. He is. But He lets us help out.

Jesus called out to Saul on the road to Damascus. At that point, Saul's conversion was so dramatic that it didn't seem like God didn't need to do anything else, much less, use someone to help Saul, now Paul.

Whenever I watch the Passion of Christ movie, one of the scenes that really tears at my heart is the part where Simon the Cyrenian carries the cross with Jesus.

God doesn't need us. We need to help out. It's for us that He calls us to be used for good things.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

"He does not ration His gift of the Spirit" John 3:31-36

As time passes, I've learned that God is waiting to bless us and that He has no limit in the things He wants to give us.

When my husband and I were looking for an apartment, we started discussing the things that were most important to us. Since we live in Japan, where people live quite closely to each other, I was concerned that we would not be able to play our guitars. People in Japan who want to play their instruments go beside the river, out of consideration for their neighbours.

My husband mentioned that there were sound-proofed apartments but that they were out of our budget. I silently prayed to God to give us one!

After a while, my husband found a nice, compact place for us to live (with a view of Mount Fuji on a clear day!) and, it did not have any soundproofing. This didn't bother me one bit. It was ok if God didn't answer my prayer but I didn't withdraw it. It was just there. I was very happy (and still am) living in our apartment.

A few months later, someone came knocking on our door. It was the building manager. He said that since we live near an airbase, they wanted to ask us if we wanted them to soundproof our apartment FOR FREE. Wow this was it!

Of course we said yes.

It was really amazing to me that this team of well-organized construction workers put in so much time without us paying anything. They replaced the old air conditioner with 3 new ones, replaced our door and practically all the windows - even replacing our wallpaper (when it was practically new).

Now we can sing to our heart's delight. Did I mention that both my husband sing worship music! Well, I think that's why God okayed this project. Despite my croaky voice and inept strumming, I believe that God still likes to hear music for His glory.

"God lives in the praises of His people." Psalm 22:3

So if it is good for us, He will answer our prayers. Just wait.

Jesus Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

"Many indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: God hanging from a Cross, the sun made dark, and again flaming out; for it was fitting that creation should mourn with its Creator. The Temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from His side: the one as from a man, the other as from What was above man; the earth was shaken, the rocks shattered because of the Rock; the dead risen to bear witness of the final and universal resurrection of the dead.

The happenings at the Sepulchre, and after the Sepulchre, who can fittingly recount them?

Yet not one of them can be compared to the miracle of my salvation.

A few drops of Blood renew the whole world, and do for all men what the rennet does for milk: joining us and binding us together."

– St Gregory the Theologian, 6th century church father

My husband and I started today by listening to this talk from Sensus Fidelium and it is a journey with Jesus throughout His passion. It got me thinking about a lot of things. It answers the question, "was it easier for Jesus to endure all the sufferings because He was God?"

It also made me more grateful for all He has done for us. One thing that struck me was how it was said that Jesus' greatest pain in the garden of Gethsemane was the lack of gratitude from Christians for what He has done. It hit me to the core that if we started saying, "Thank you" repeatedly from the moment we were born until the moment we passed away, it would not have been enough.

I only wish that I can remember not to complain anymore because nothing we go through can ever compare with what Jesus went through. May I live each day in awe and phenomenal amounts of gratitude for Jesus' personal love for me.

I made a free dingbat for Papemelroti.  You can use these on your art projects! Yay! (free for commercial or personal use!)  

(Note: Dingbats are just like fonts but they're actually little drawings)

Find it here!  

Hurry!  This offer is only until March 8!

So our plastic bin was getting out of hand so i thought that some recycling was in order.

Yup this heart is made of plarn. Ever heard of it? It’s strips of plastic cut and joined together to form a yarn like material - but it’s free!

If you google Plarn, a plethora of projects will emerge. But never have I seen a project like this.

They’re actually plarn coasters connected to make a large shape. Since Valentine’s day is coming up, I thought a heart might be appropriate.

Photo by Aaron Burden

Did you know that Valentines Day this year coincides with Ash Wednesday?

It doesn't seem all that different as it's all about love! And...

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."
John 15:13

Ash Wednesday is the time we take to get back to the basics of our faith life and to remember that He loved us FIRST. It's the perfect time to turn towards God who is the Source of all LOVE!

So I was searching for some materials I could use this coming Lenten season and came up with some links. I thought I would share these with you as you might find them helpful. Pick one or 2 and see what happens!!!

Best Lent Ever

I don't know ... why shouldn't I give us chocolate for Lent? Check out Dynamic Catholic's site as they have a fun, fresh look and a lot of resources (not just for Lent). Their reflections are bite-sized so it's great for the busy Catholic.

The Pray More Lenten Retreat

Learn how to have a holy, prayerful and transforming Lenten season. Slow down and reflect on your walk with Jesus and how you can strengthen your relationship with Him and get to know Him and His word better.

Let Yourself be Shaped by God

The Carmelites have made this online retreat available for all. Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (1614-1691) lived most of his life in the convent of the Discalced Carmelite Friars in Paris. It was there that he discovered and then taught what he called "the practice of the presence of God. Brother Lawrence "helps us to live our most ordinary everyday life experiences under the gaze of God. Prayer is no longer reduced to specific times. It is our whole existence that becomes a living relationship with the Lord. During this Lent, we will let ourselves be shaped by this Mystery!

Living Lent Daily

This Lent, come to know Jesus as a friend, and experience God’s unbelievable love and generosity toward us. Living Lent Daily is a daily e-mail series designed to help you grow in friendship with God.
Read more

When You Have the Time Online Retreat

These days, everyone is being tugged in a million different directions. Even finding time to pray and feed one's soul has become difficult. Carving out a weekend for a spiritual retreat is nearly impossible. So, this Lent, the Lynnfield Catholic Collaborative is offering an online retreat that can be done wherever and whenever you have a few minutes to spend with God.

You are invited to interact with the Sisters of Charity Federation live on Facebook to reflect on the themes of the Lenten season—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Ask your questions about the season or discernment and learn more about the 13 member congregations. For more information, contact Sister Maryanne Tracey, SCNJ at contactus@sistersofcharityfederation.org

February 18 at 9:00pm EST | Prayer
February 19 at 9:00pm EST | Fasting
February 20 at 9:00pm EST | Almsgiving
February 21 at 9:00pm EST | Wrap-Up

Lenten Retreat in Daily Life

We are not always able to take a concentrated amount of time out of our schedule to make a retreat. This Retreat in Daily Life allows you to incorporate prayer into your busy schedule. The retreat helps you form prayerful habits and the discipline to be able to “find God in all things” in the context of your daily routine, relationships, and activities. Retreat materials will be emailed daily, and all are welcome to join the Loyola University New Orleans community in this Online Lenten Retreat.

Let me know what your plans are this Lenten season and if any of these online resources have helped you!

"You cannot enter here!" they said to King David. But David did take the stronghold... and he grew steadily more powerful, for God was with him." 2 Samuel 5

David was told he couldn't do it. But he did.

Jesus was told He couldn't heal on the Sabbath and He did.

The Lord wants me to believe in order to receive. He wants me to work on seeing the impossible happen because in His mercy, power and grace - ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

My brother, who conducts arts and craft workshops, starts by telling all the participants to deaden the voice of discouragement even before they pick up a pen.

Before today starts, replace the voice of negativity and oppression with the voice of positivity and encouragement that comes from above!

When we do something against God, we are saying, "I can do it better than God!" which is an utter lie! No one does it better than the Maker of heaven and earth! So we must also be aware of those voices that cause us to be deceived into doing wrong.

Let's create something beautiful and good today - and be free from the voices that wish to hinder us! Start creating! We can do all things if only we believe!

If you're like me, you have a lot of unwritten goals for the new year. I want to become good at speaking Nihonggo, want to have more time to develop my skills at design, want to be a good cook and learn more recipes, want an apartment that looks like it came out of an Ikea catalog and grow herbs in our balcony and so and so forth...

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the things I want to do and looking at such a small space of time to do them. Since getting married, I have had a much simpler lifestyle but somehow I still feel frenzied at the tasks I face each day.

Someone else I know was super duper busy every day. He hardly had any sleep. He would wake up well before dawn and have a talk with His Father. Then he would need to go on a boat just so he wouldn't get crushed by the crowds! He would have to see each person in line (the whole day) in order to heal them of all their ills (physically as well as spiritually). His overall goal was to save the world... talk about a lot of things on your plate!

Still you never see Jesus getting fidgety or stressed out in the bible (of course there was that one time when He sweated blood - but that would make anyone get a nervous breakdown). Jesus took things one day at a time and put first things first. He took the time to pray (sometimes the whole night through) and then He did His daily work.

My hope for this 2018 is that I be still and know that God is in control and that I don't have to stress out. The battle is the Lords (2 Chronicles 20:15) He's got this!

Christmas is such a special time. It's when family and friends get together, exchange gifts and express their love! It's just the best season in all the year!

Just because it's Christmas, it's time to prepare for it and make it all the more meaningful. I'm sharing with you one of the things I've worked on to make our home decorations more unique!

When my husband came home yesterday, the first thing he saw was this manger scene and he said it was such a beautiful sight!

Here's the downloadable face you can trace if you don't want to draw freely on the cloth. Just right click on it and save on your computer. You can use tracing paper or use these alternative ways to trace the image.

How to Make your own Manger

Here's a closeup of the dolls. You can make them more colorful for sure!

Just to let you know, I used mostly recyclable materials just lying around our home. I only bought the lights and nothing more! So this project doesn't cost much!

Let me know how you made your Christmas decor special in the comments below!

Find more crafts at

“Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:19

There story goes where there were ten lepers. In today's terms, these would be ten outcasts as people would never go near lepers in those days. These ten people would have been suffering physically as well as emotionally.

But they asked God for healing and He told them to show themselves to the priests. They did as they were told and started to head towards the direction of the priests. But along the way, they were miraculously healed!

It occurred to me that life mostly happens along the way. Students long for graduation, pregnant women long for the birth of their child, some hope for riches, others for beauty or fame... But many forget that the magic happens along the way.

God rarely answers our prayers in a finger snap. He allows us to wait. The waiting is an essential part of life. All of nature waits.

I heard of a man who was asked by God to move a boulder. He started to push. A day passed, a week passed and the months turned into years. In anguish he asked the Lord why the boulder has not moved an inch. God told him to look at his arms which had grown strong and muscular through time. What God wanted was actually taking place.

I get really frustrated at not being able to speak Nihonggo yet after more than a year here. Arrggghhh. Sometimes you just want to give up. But there are so many things I miss out when I want things over and done with. I am getting to know my teachers and classmates day by day and appreciating their uniqueness - and the different cultures from whence they came. I would miss out on all the laughter and learning and songs and fun we have in class if I didn't need to come.

So take care not to miss the healing and the strengthening and the waiting in the journey. Don't hurry into the future and don't despair when your dreams seem too far off. Keep moving in the direction God wants you in and you will experience all you seek along the way.

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