Begin with the Father, Go in bravery with the Son, Live in boldness with the Holy Spirit!

I mentioned living a Trinitarian life in the last post, promising to unpack what it means to our daily lives!

Well, for starters, turning to God meshes so well with Lent!  Look at the Baptism of Our Lord (following Christ's 40 days in the desert--the First Lent!) to see the Trinity so marvelously present.  He, the Holy Spirit, as a dove, is there above Our Lord, God the Son, with the voice of God the Father proclaiming who Jesus is!

But Jesus said, "It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires." So John agreed to baptize him.

And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him. 

And behold a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

Matt 3:16-17

First, Lent has begun, and you have begun to brainstorm about how to "come back to Me with all your heart; don't let fear keep us apart."  God has that all covered.  In the Trinitarian life, the concept of the Holy Trinity is not just a theological idea; it is the way one can live one's life:

for God the Father,

in Jesus the Son,

through the power of the Holy Spirit!

I grew up with the Sign of the Cross, with the Trinitarian formula in prayers, yet not realizing that it was the key to living each moment for God, with Christ, relying on the inspiration and grace from the Holy Spirit.  That is it in a nutshell.  Simple, but hard to walk into.

Great, that is fine: He helps us be clear about our goal:  Himself! Start with the end in mind.  As I like to tell the children:  "We come from God, and we go to God."

Next, make it happen with bravery, with the confidence that you are called by Him! Jesus is reaching out to YOU.  That will carry you forward!  We do not need to be sin-less.  We need to respond to being loved and offered His assistance.  That is why He is there, to show us the Way.

And, finally, boldness in the Holy Spirit to tackle the obstacles and setbacks one finds in this Wilderness of Lent--go on the journey and reap the benefits for yourself  and others!  There are many inspirations you and I get.  I like to tell Him that I want to listen so He doesn't have to use a 2 X 4 on me--a whisper will suffice to get me moving in the right direction...

Keep me in your prayers!

Let's help each other through this Lenten journey so that our love with be fine tuned, be larger, be more on display, and be more like Christ's by Easter Sunday!

Colors rising out of ashes!

I am about to go wash my face, and the ashes will come off.  Today the lyrics in one song stood out for me:  "The ashes of the good we fail to do."

So, this Lent, I feel compelling to look at the good I can do!

I am aware that my time goes in looking for books and clothing.  That could just be life.  As a homeschooling mother, I do need books!  As I woman, I enjoy mixing and matching outfits, and it is great for my students and husband :)

Plus, a functioning wardrobe helped when I went out with Bridegroom Press Stations of the Cross Masterpiece Art

However, honestly, we have enough, so now I can go to visit friends or take Bridegroom Press on the road, go to exercise, go to Adoration, clean up the garage, walk outdoors, write personal emails, do a journal.  Basics.  Do what needs doing.  Do the good you can do!

It becomes Truth Time!  What are my priorities, and am I willing to put time into my real priorities instead of things that keep me from reaching out of my comfort?

Those ashes on my forehead make me realize it is not about comfort; it is about being present and available.

Thankfully, it can also be about taking small steps, consistently.  It is changing to have that change in place after Lent and beyond.  Today I am not going into the following Him part explanation, but in putting order into my life, I am letting Him in.

It is in my being honest, for instance.

We all have our weaknesses.  Mine is looking at things realistically, honestly.  For instance, I do not allocate enough time for things.  I want to sugarcoat the process and not face that it really does take that much time.

So, in His Mercy, He gives me time.  May I be a good steward of it...

Here is one of the ideas I have to deal with this during Lent.

I have a sheet  with 40 Crosses from Loyola Press to mark down when I do these things in a color-coded way:

...brown for "visiting/inviting friends" is brown for knocking on their door or opening mine!

...blue is for "exercise" since then I breathe in more oxygen.

...red is for Adoration as it shows love.

...black for the garage cleaning since it is a black hole for things when I do not decide and find a place as I put it in there,

...green for walking outdoors amidst trees and grass.

...orange for personal emails to share my passion and bright ideas.

...pink for the journal writing to symbolize soft and vulnerable.

...purple for almsgiving since it is penitential and is a way to treat others as the royal family of God they are!

...yellow for using humor instead of frustration in a noteable way.

...gray is my wild-card--for writing, blogging, emailing, journaling, autobiographing, --passing on what I have learned and keep learning from you all!

You are part of my colors!   

I actually pulled out my color pencil carrier today to have the colors available!

May He help me put order into my life as I put Him into my life more, serving, praying, doing!  That will color things up in a way books and clothes do not!

Colors!  May we light up the world with Him, in HIm, and through Him.

More on living a Trinitarian lifestyle in the next post!

On to a fresh face!

Love God, do good, just do it!