Routines always with Testimonies

Within a week I had a strong focused schedule, prayer, exercise, bike, yoga, mass, and class. It was a busy morning, but it was effective in getting me centered in spirit and my own health again. Now, essentially focused on Jesus from 4am to 9am. I guess it was more often 3:30am or earlier to get my coffee and fruit before the first call on the prayerline. Then I’ve realized these phone calls were very powerful testimonies for Jesus. Anyone who calls at this time, in the middle of the night, is stressing-out about something, can’t sleep, or is simply, as directed by Jesus, trying to reach me very specifically.

I've told the story before about when everything crashed in Tampa. I sold my Seminole Heights house and was staying in my dad's empty Land 'o Lakes house, while he was buzzing across the country in his RV. I wasn't sure what I was doing and started to exercise regularly. I remember how excited I was to be doing sit-ups and push-ups everyday. My dad said it was required in High School. Yes, but if they got me to do it once they were lucky, doing it everyday might have happened two days in a row, but never a full week for me. It was really powerful for the weeks of doing the same exercise everyday. My dad told me about the weights he used under his bed, when I first spoke to him. So I did more, included weights, bike rides and even swimming laps in the pool.

Yes, Lent got me back into this important exercise routine and I always knew it was critical for me. I also have found that I wrote in my journal again with Lent. Saying how Lent was about Jesus teaching me to just "Be Flow." I would get into very strong testimonies for Jesus each morning with the Prayerline. Then I also realized how important it was for me to write here in the blogs. It's almost like the world stopping with Covid wasn't enough to get me focused, I needed to have more trauma and stress to get me focused.

Yes Testimonies, as a 4am call for a prayer would usually be people who are in the middle of some serious struggles. I do get calls from California, which is still in the middle of the night for them. I have received calls from Africa, New Zealand and Australia where it's their afternoon. Even those have always been people going through major challenges. I am always deep in discussion and helping people find their Source and Love in Jesus, always being lead back to the same places.

After Mass I even have stayed for the Rosary. Wow, not done that since I was a freshman in college. I cried doing it again, remembering doing it, or not doing it for so long. I don't think I ever did it with Ely or Joyce: my mom and second mom. I am sure they both have done it before, so I wonder if we did together as well. 

Start LENT 2022

This is where I started my story with my experience of LENT.

The Woodlawn Presbyterian Church had this little pamphlet in their bookrack about Lent that I picked up . . . Yes ===>

My mother was Catholic, so I knew Lent is primarily a Catholic tradition. The very next morning I went to Saint Paul's next door: https://stpaulstpete.com/. Yes, I love walking around my block and stopping into the Lady of Lourdes garden that is next to the St Paul's Church. The experience I AM is so present and real for me here in the Euclid Saint Paul's Neighborhood that I live in. Knowing I need to learn how to Pray, Knowing I need to SHARE, again deep in the vibrations of what I hear and know as Jesus all the time:

Temptations beats us slowly as knowledge is power, remember the temptation is not a sin, two James: Shape of Lives by Joys of the Heart, How Jesus lived by the Joy of His Heart to endure that God takes sin very seriously—far more seriously than we do. We either obey God or disobey him, there is no other option, and he holds us accountable for our choices. We make our choices, and then our choices make us. Those choices put us on one of two roads through life, the easy way that leads to destruction or the hard way that leads to life (Matt. 7:13–14). Temptation and testing are intimately bound up with these decisions . . . .

1. Deception
2. Attractions
3. Desire
4. Conceptions
5. Subjection

I have learned to accept the guidance of Jesus that I receive in every moment. Yes, I accept that Jesus is always with me, and I really try to Pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ). Like hearing this quote above on the Radio now, and recognizing my temptations to leave this posting incomplete. I already had signed up volunteering for a two hours monday morning with the Prayerline. I know my responsibility to complete my tasks before God, this is my responsibility to follow through and complete the opening and Graces that God shares with me.

Yes, when I arrived at Saint Paul's for the 7am Mass, I found this prayer guide by Alice Camille: "Lent 2022 Daily Reflections, Contemplations and Prayers." I have purchased these new one's pictured here, after my own was rained on, marked up, and is a complete mess. As I started Lent at St. Paul's, I was delighted to find this book at the entrance. 

After mass as I was walking out, and I looked around to see if I could find anything more to help, teach, and guide me in prayer. A sweet woman noticed me looking around and asked me if she could help. I told her I was trying to learn about Lent and how to pray. She told me to go to see the new young leader, Father Curtis at Saint Raphael's on Snell Island: https://st-raphaels.com. 

She told me they had Mass at 8am. I had time to race over on my bike and jumped right then. After Mass at St. Raphael's, I spoke to Fr. Curtis, who told me to speak to their administrator, and introduced me to her that moment. She invited me to join a new class about prayer starting this week after the morning Mass, and gave me this workbook immediately ====>

This set my focus very clearly, as all God’s Work comes easy for those who listen and I needed to take this very seriously. I started going to St Paul's at 7am and then St Raphael's at 8am, doing the reading from the Lent Prayer guide between. I soon learned about doing alms for Lent and changed my volunteer PrayerLine time from 4-6am Monday, to 4-5am M-F so i could get a serious schedule and habit started. Next on my new schedule was that I Listened to Family Focus at 5am on TheJoyFM.com and then the 5:30am InTouch Christian message that was followed by the Moments with Charles Stanley and the JoyFM Morning Devotional and Prayers at 6am.  I found this morning devotional time from 4am to 6am was very clear to get me focused, including making my bed, exercises lifting weights, and the morning bowl of fruit.

This allowed me to make it to Mass at St Paul's by 7am and then again at St. Raphael's by 8am which I did for most of Lent.