A Kiss on the Cheek, by Geri L. Phillips

I saw a friend one day that I haven’t seen in a while. I greeted him with a hug and one big smile. He kissed me on the cheek, in a very gentle way, Somehow this friendly kiss really made my day. I thought about his gentle kiss and appreciated the love. There was nothing sexual about it, just a nice gift from above. I saw my best girlfriend and I told her how much I care And that I appreciate her true friendship and how she’s always there. A kiss I did not give her, a hug would say it clearly, That you matter to me my friend and that I love you dearly. On the telephone with my brother we spoke about our dad. He told me that one day, my daddy was real sad. My brother had kissed his small child while my daddy had watched it all, Then with a tear in his eye, my daddy said to him “I wished I had more often kissed you all.” My brother told him that it wasn’t too late, that he could start today. Now my daddy greets each of us with a kiss and we know what he’s trying to say. I grabbed my mom one day while she was busy in her usual way, I kissed her on the cheek and said momma thank you for everything, and she said “Oh, it’s okay”. She seemed to pull me back towards her as I pulled away. Thank you for that show of love is what she seemed to say. Sitting with my daddy, who then had 82 years of life, I noticed that he seemed to be a little bit in strife. The words he shared with me indicated that he was in a spiritual bind, So I got up, kissed him on the cheek and embraced him from behind. I said Daddy you are good and he agreed that he was blessed. He has a wonderful family given to him by God, with conviction he confessed. As I looked into his eyes, I noticed that they began to be filled, With tears of love and joy from a moment of gentleness that could never be killed. There are some people that I think about, I wish I would have kissed more, Like my grandma in heaven that I can not embrace anymore. So show your love I say to you and with conviction I do say, For gentle moments do not come unless they are given away. Written by Geri Lynn Phillips September 12, 1999

Under the Sun by Geri Phillips (a poem nerd)

My inspiration for this poem was The Book of Ecclesiastics

In my life I have loved, laughed and cried.
I have partied with drink; and I ran with the crowd yet,
they did not fill me and so I sighed.

Under the sun did I live and dwell;
Under the sun; I am here to tell.

There were times of mourning; there were times that I dared to stray;
There were times of excitement but that too just faded away,

Under the sun in this worldly place;
Under the sun; I ran the race.

In an empty place therein my life I knelt to pray;
In that moment came joy unlike that of any other day.

More and more did I draw from His grace and my emptiness was filled.
A faith I had all along grew, as was God's will.

And even nowadays as somedays are hard and I get a bit down,
I am reminded that I am God's daughter. I am heaven bound.

I look up and out on the horizon and  find joy and love; peace and forgiveness. Yes I look to the One.
And I will always be reminded look above and never focus my attention under the Sun.

My Catholic Faith

I am a cradle Catholic. Therefore I grew up doing all the so misunderstood things that other Christians question. When i grew up i didn't think too much about it until i began going through trials and turning to God for strength. As my relationship with the Lord grew i started asking questions myself. I now know a lot more about my catholic Christianity yet have more to learn.
Scott Hahn is a wonderful resource for learning more about the faith.

I have found that when you go to mass
You are actually closer to heaven on earth than you can get. Everything about the mass celebration comes from scripture, from the old testament and the new. In celebration of the new covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ we Catholics believe that we are indeed partaking in what Jesus had intended and that we are taking the body and blood that is of Jesus and that of God's new covenant. In the old testament when God called for a lamb's sacrifice, He called for the lamb to be eaten. Likewise Jesus called the same of His sacrifice.

"Then Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. And so, Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you." (John 6:35, 54 CPDV)
Mass is beautiful!

I. Grace Is Not Withheld Because of Demerit- Lewis Sperry Chafer

I. Grace Is Not Withheld Because of Demerit, by Lewis Sperry Chafer




This fact about grace is more evident, perhaps, than any other. It is the sense of demerit more than anything else which impels a soul to cry out for the kindness and benefits of grace. So, also, grace finds its greatest triumph and glory in the sphere of human helplessness. Grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to withdraw it in the presence of human failure and sin. In fact, grace cannot be exercised where there is the slightest degree of human merit to be recognized. On the other hand the issue of human sin must be disposed of forever. Christ the Lamb of God, having taken away the sin of the world, has by His cross forever disposed of the condemnation of sin. He has by the cross created an entirely new relation between God and man. Consequently, men are now either accepting or rejecting Christ who has borne their sins. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18). There is no middle ground. All questions of demerit have been banished. Thus God is righteously free to exercise grace in every case. Salvation is by grace alone.