Pray, Fast, Give Alms

Is it seriously March 1 already? I can't believe how fast 2017 is flying by. Be sure you slow down and get into the word by READING and/or LISTENING to our readings today.

It makes sense that on Ash Wednesday our Gospel (Mark 6:1-6, 16-18) would hit on alms giving, praying and fasting.

Jesus is telling us that praying and fasting and giving alms are about our heart and not for show. If we are giving just becuase we are looking to check something off a list or in order to look good to others, we are missing the point. Our giving needs to be between us and God. When we make it about anything else, it is not from the heart.

When we pray, we must pray from our heart and to God. We aren't to pray for show. We aren't to ramble on and try to be fancy pants to impress others, our prayers need to be personal and heartfelt.

Finally, Jesus talks to us about fasting. Fasting is an important spiritual discipline that we must not overlook. We also must keep it a heart matter and not for show or to appear righteous to others. Jesus even tells us that when we are fasting we should freshen up and appear as though nothing is going on. We shouldn't be constantly talking about it or looking all doom and gloom because of it. That brings attention and not the attention God wants. It becomes about the outward act and not what is going on inside.

Jesus specifically talks about alms giving, prayer and fasting because they are important spiritual disciplines that we must not neglect. They must be done to bring honor and glory to God and not attention to yourself.

Is it worth it?

Happy Tuesday. I am so thankful and excited for today. Depending on when you are reading this I am either en route or made my way to WY to spend time with one of the most amazing women I know who is my success partner and one of my very best friends ever. God is GOOD!

Even though I am traveling, I know I need to make sure I stay in the word by READING and/or LISTENING to our readings today and every day.

Our Gospel (Mark 10:28-31) starts out with Peter sounding almost defeated. They were just told about how difficult it is to enter the Kingdom of God and asked "who can be saved". They probably feel like they are getting a raw deal by leaving behind their homes and families to follow. Why are they doing it?

Jesus reassures them that those who obey and follow will be given far more than they have given up.

We must remember this point when things get hard. We must remember this point when we wonder what this life is about and we must remember this point when following Jesus feels hard.

Nothing is impossible for God and we WILL be rewarded!

What do I need to do?

Happy Monday. I can't believe a new week is upon us again already! Get your day going in the right direction by spending some time in The Word by READING and/or LISTENING to our mass readings for today.

Our Gospel (Mark 10:17-27) has many of us face a tough truth in our life, are we really willing to do what it takes?

A rich man encounters Jesus and wants to know what it takes to get into heaven. 

Jesus first asks the man if he knows the commandments, which the man says he does and has kept since he was a boy. Then Jesus lays the bombshell on him. "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 

Jesus knew the heart of the man. It wasn't that the man was rich that was the problem, it is how he allowed his wealth to come between him and God. 

The commandments aren't a check list. If you don't have the right heart and intent for doing what you do and not doing, you are missing the entire point.

Jesus says that it is hard to enter the Kingdom of God. I think sometimes we forget that this is not easy and there will be struggle. We must make sacrifices, submit and be obedient. Yes, heaven is a gift and God wants us all to enter, but it is still difficult.

The disciples get a little bummed thinking this is impossible and who can possibly be saved. Jesus agreed that for man it is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible. On our own we are nothing and can do nothing! With God and His mighty power, we can do all things.

Can you separate what God put together?

It is another Friday. Don't let the week end without digging into The Word. READ and/or LISTEN to our readings today.

Our Gospel today (Mark 10:1-12) speaks to marriage. Biblical teaching on marriage and divorce is so contrary to what the world teaches. In the world, if you aren't happy or think you have "fallen out of love" you should just get divorced.

In the world, if you are married and find yourself attracted to and having feelings for someone else, it's ok to leave your spouse to go pursue your "true love."

God intended marriage to be forever. Moses gave us some concessions and ways out, but they weren't a free-be or a do over. If you divorced you were to remain single.

This is such a difficult teaching. I would be lying if there were times in my marriage that I didn't want to "bail" or maybe wanted my husband to bail so I wouldn't feel like the one who gave up, but I know that's not God's will. We made a choice, and we must honor that choice. We chose to become one flesh and one body, making the other "the one, the only one."

This is such a difficult teaching because I have seen friends and family who have been remarried and it seems so right. I have known people in marriages that they should have gotten out of, yet is that God's will?

The most important thing to keep in mind is that we belong to God. We are His. If we choose to Marry, we need to live that marriage for God. We must work at that marriage and give it to Him.

I won't pretend this is easy at all, but I do know we can do all things through Christ. I do know he hears our cries and can change the desires of our hearts. He will walk through the struggles and the challenges with us if we allow Him to. Who has the right to separate what God has put together?

Don't lose your flavor

It is another wonderful day to be alive. Don't take any day for granted. Get in The Word and READ and/or LISTEN to our readings for today.

In today's Gospel(Mark 9:41-50) , Jesus has some pretty intense things to say about sin. He is telling us not to sin and to avoid the temptation to sin. He seems to be over exaggerating to make His point, but even if he weren't, he would still be making complete sense!

One of the very worst things we can do is cause one of His children, who believes, to sin. He is telling us that it is like death and we should basically drown ourselves. That death is nothing compared to the punishment we will face at the final judgement!

He then tells us if our hand causes us to sin we should cut it off! Again, I believe that Jesus is over exaggerating to make a point, however, sin separates us from God and wouldn't we be far better off without a hand than separated from Him? The same goes when he says if our foot causes us to sin we should cut it off and if our eyes cause us to sin we should pluck them out.

Being thrown Gehenna is far worse than than entering God's Kingdom with both eyes, hands and feet!

Jesus ends today's Gospel telling us to have salt in us. Salt was used as a means to purify and preserve food while also giving it some flavor. We are called to be salt in this world. We must remain pure and bring Christ to others.

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. ~ Matthew 5:13 (NABRE)

I pray every day for Christ to create a clean and pure heart in me, I don't ever want to lose my flavor!

Are you a rock?

READ and/or LISTEN to our readings for the day and let's thrive through this Wednesday together!

In our Gospel (Matthew 16:13-19) today, Simon declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God! This isn't something that he figured out on his own, it had to be revealed to him by God. He is the first of the apostles to see Jesus as the anointed one! 

This is the also moment that Jesus renames Simon to Peter. Peter mean's "rock." 

Today, I am not sure how many people would want to be named "rock." For whatever reason, the only thing I think of as being associated with a rock is being dumb. Certainly, Jesus was not calling Peter dumb. 

Jesus was calling Peter a rock because he would be strong and solid and not moved in his faith. 

Through Christ we can all be rocks. We can have unshakable faith and an unwavering love. God can reveal Christ to us if we seek Him with all our heart. He can increase our faith daily if we ask Him to and allow Him to do it. 

He offers us the gift of His love, mercy and grace every single day, be open to them!

To Be Great, Serve Great...simple as that!

READ and/or LISTEN to God's Word today by starting with our daily readings.

Our Gospel today (Mark 9:30-37) has two pretty significant parts to it.

First we see Jesus privately teaching His disciples about what will and must happen to Him while they are traveling. He explains how he will be hated on and then be turned over for death!

As they get to where they are going, he questions the disciples about what they were arguing about on the trip.

Remember, Jesus just spent time talking to them about his awful death and the terrible things He will go through leading up to His death, and all the disciples wanted to do was argue about who amongst them was going to be considered the greatest! For realz! Talk about missing the boat.

How hurt and disappointed must Jesus have felt. Talk about wanting to face palm!

Jesus didn't freak out on them or blow up at them, He taught them. He showed them what it takes to be great. Service. To be great you must serve. You must put others and the needs of others before yourself. You must welcome and love on everyone the way you would a child. When you reach out to others with open arms, you will not just be received by Jesus with open arms, but by God as well.

If you want to be great and welcomed by God, serve!

Walk the Talk

Happy Monday! Let's get rocking and rolling this week and dive right into The Word of God. READ and/or LISTEN to our readings for today.

There is so much to learn in our Gospel (Mark 9:14-29) today.

At times I sit back and marvel at the Disciples and then other times I see how totally human they are. They had been performing great miracles and service in Jesus name, yet when it came to driving out this particular spirit, they couldn't do it.

The scribes and the crowd of people were arguing with them and when Jesus shows up they tell Him that His disciples couldn't drive the demon out.

I can only imagine how frustrating and possibly embarrassing this was to the disciples and how potentially disappointing this was to Jesus.

Jesus replies to the arguing "oh faithless generation, how long will I be with you?"

When this miracle wasn't performed, the faith of the people and the disciples seemed to waiver. Their faith was tied to the miracle, not to Jesus.

I feel like the disciples had started operating on auto pilot and not on their faith. This happens all the time, especially in ministry! I actually found myself farther disconnected from Christ when I was in youth ministry than when I wasn't. I was becoming more concerned with teaching and planning and being present for the youth that I wasn't allowing Christ to be present in me. I was talking the talk but was not intentional in my walk.

We also see people lose faith when something bad happens. We immediately start blaming God or thinking He didn't show up because we don't like the outcome.

Our faith can NOT be tied to the miracles we expect to happen. Our faith can not just be about words and actions but must be in the depths of our heart!

Jesus was not going to be physically present for much longer and He was trying to teach the crowd and the disciples that they must rely on their faith and grow in their prayer life. No matter what is going on around us, we must continue to have an expectant faith and know that all things are possible for God, whether He acts the way we hope or not!

Regardless of any outcome in this life, God loves us. We must never lose sight of that. We must remain strong in our faith and always trust in Him.

Costs and Investments

Great Day to you! It's another Friday, don't let it get by you without READING and/or LISTENING to our readings for today.

Our Gospel (Mark 8:34-9:1) for today is incredibly powerful and very clear. If we want to join Jesus and see Him face to face in Heaven, will must follow Him. We must do the hard stuff, face the persecution that will come our way, deny ourselves the temporary and worldly pleasures that present themselves to us and follow His lead.

We are being asked to count costs. We are asked to look at what really matters. Are the temporary things of this life worth more than the everlasting, and if not, isn't it time we start acting that way!?

How are you spending your time, talent and treasure? Who are you spending these with and on?

Are you working all the time, miserable to the people around you and just trying to become rich? Where is that really going to get you?

Jesus wants us to examine our hearts and consider what we are investing in. What are the things that matter most and are most worthwhile? Spend your time and energy there! Spend your time and energy on the things and people that truly matter and bring you joy! Spend your time and energy on the things and with the people that help you know Christ better and bring you closer to Him. Spend your time and energy on the things and with the people that will make you a better person!

Figure out what truly matters in this life and the next before it's too late.

What dat?

Take a few moments to READ and/or LISTEN to our Mass Readings today.

Our Gospel today (Mark 8:27-33) has 2 different focuses.

1. Who is Jesus?
2. What is His mission?

Jesus ask the apostles who they say He is. We know others saw Him as a prophet or even John the Baptist or Elijah come back from the dead! But, who did the apostles say He is, who do YOU say He is? 

God revealed to Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah the Anointed One! Yes, they saw miraculous things, but John and Elijah did amazing things as well. God had to reveal Jesus to them. He will reveal Jesus to you too if you seek to know Him!

Once the apostles knew and understood who Jesus was, it was time for them to learn what His mission was. Jesus told them all the awful things He must go through up to His death and then glorious resurrection, but they didn't want to hear or understand it! Peter even tried to rebuke Him because He didn't understand that this was the will of God. 

There will be times of suffering and many challenges we will face in this life, but our time on Earth is temporary and any suffering in Jesus name will be worth the eternal rewards we will receive. If we want to truly follow Christ we will have to submit to God's will, all of it, not just the stuff we like! Jesus didn't want to suffer, be humiliated and die the most painful of deaths, but He knew it was God's will and God's will and plans are bigger than anything we can see or understand. 

Continue to seek Jesus, find and know Him! Submit to God and know that our eternal reward is worth any temporary suffering and pain on Earth.

Fuzzy at First

Take a few moments to READ and/or LISTEN to our mass readings today.

Our Gospel today (Mark 8:22-26) is the same story we read last week, but from a different author with a few more details.

A blind man is brought to Jesus begging for his sight back. Jesus takes the blind man away from the crowds to heal him. He puts a little spit on his eyes, laid hands on him and asks if the man can see. The man can see shapes, but they are still not clear ("I see people looking like trees and walking").

Jesus puts His hands on the man a second time and the man can see clearly!

Why does the man's sight not get restored on the first shot? What are we suppose to be learning or gaining from this story? Perhaps we are to understand that things may not always seem clear at first but if we continue to trust Jesus and have faith, things will be made clear.

The more time we spend in prayer and in The Word, the more clearly we will begin to see and hear God's Word. He will continue to show himself and open our eyes, but we have to keep seeking and continue to have faith through the process.

Don't ruin the loaf

Happy Valentine's Day. Be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to our readings today.

In our Gospel (Mark 8:14-21), the apostles find themselves so concerned that they forgot bread for their trip that they totally miss the message Jesus has for them. They are super concerned about only having one loaf of bread, it is as though they totally forgot they saw Jesus feed over 5,000 people with only 5 loaves (with a bunch leftover), and they saw Jesus perform a similar miracle for over 4000 people! Do you do this? Do you forget God's amazing provisions for you?

Jesus warns the apostles to guard against the "leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

Leaven can transform dough. It doesn't take much to make a big impact. We don't want to allow ourselves to be ruined by a little bit of the wrong influence.

When I worked with youth we talked about baking brownies and adding just a teaspoon of dog poop to the mix. Not one of the students said they would be willing to eat one of those brownies (the truthful ones anyway). They recognized that just that little bit of dog poop would ruin the entire brownie!

Be on guard! Be aware of the influences around you. Don't allow yourself to be ruined! Don't lose sight of Jesus and His constant provision.

Do you need a sign?

It's another Monday and another fresh start if you need one! Get in The Word and READ and/or LISTEN to our mass readings today.

In today's Gospel (Mark 8:11-13), the Pharisees were arguing with Jesus and wanted to test Him by demanding a sign from God. It seems a little absurd that they were demanding a sign from our ultimate sign, right?

How often do we do the same thing, though? We want a sign, yet miss them every day. There is proof and evidence of God and His love all around us, yet we miss it? We don't see or feel His presence among us. Why? Are we not seeking it? Are we not allowing ourselves to get quiet and listen?

He makes His presence known to us in many ways. He reaches us through His Word, when we read it and when we hear our priest proclaim it. Sometimes He makes His presence known through the people He puts in our lives.  We don't get to pick and choose How He will show himself, we just need to have faith that He is there and will show Himself when we seek Him with all our heart.

You will not be turned away

It's another Friday! READ and/or LISTEN to our mass readings today.

In our Gospel, Mark 7:31-37, we continue to see Jesus perform miraculous healing!

Jesus takes a deaf man with a speech impediment, who was brought to him for healing away from the crowd. When they are alone Jesus puts his finger in the man's ear, and spitting, touched his tongue, then prays to God in heaven and the man is totally and completely healed! He can hear and speak with no difficulty.

We continue to see over and over and over again throughout scripture that Jesus doesn't turn away anyone who earnestly seeks His help. Do you approach him with an expectant faith? Do you boldly go to Him with confidence?

Nothing is impossible for God, "So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help." ~ Hebrews 4:16 (NABRE)

Testing Faith

READ and/or LISTEN to our mass readings for today!

Gosh I dislike saying that I don't like a passage of scripture, but man do I struggle with this one!

Our Gospel is found in Mark 7:24-30. I don't like this passage because it feels like Jesus is putting off or ignoring a woman desperate for His help. Part of what makes this feel even ickier to me is that the woman is a Gentile and not one of the "Chosen" people. Then, to top it off, he compares her to a dog!?

Was Jesus just testing this woman's faith? That is the best I can come up with, because this is not characteristic of Him. I know the dog reference would have been one understood in it's time, but I still don't like it.

Through this, the woman did not lose faith. Even though it appeared she was being put off and not heard, she persisted.

Do you persist when you feel like you aren't being seen or heard? Do you lose faith because Jesus doesn't answer right away or doesn't answer as you expect Him to?

This woman's love for her child and faith that Jesus could heal her child brought about true and everlasting healing! This woman was rewarded and honored for her faith. Jesus will not turn away those who earnestly seek him, so keep seeking, even if you feel like he doesn't hear you.

Desires of the Heart

It's Wednesday! Let's thrive though today and rock the rest of the week. Start by getting into The Word by READING and/or LISTENING to the mass readings today.

What makes us dirty? It's not what goes in us, but what comes out of us. Jesus explains this in our Gospel today (Mark 7:14-23). What comes out of us has come from our heart. The heart is what matters, our heart is what makes all the difference.

Sinful desires don't just come upon us by outside influence, they start inside our thoughts, which in turn, move into desire. Our thoughts matter far more than we realize!

Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceived and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. ~ James 1:14-15 (NABRE)

When you are struggling with a desire you know is wrong or sinful, you must fight it. You must not fight it alone but with the help of God! 

For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ and we are ready to punish ever disobedience, once your obedience is complete. ~ 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NABRE)

We must not allow out thoughts to lead to desires that are going to defile us and make us dirty.  We must ask God every day to be filled with the Spirit. We must ask for and seek to have clean heart every day!

Tradition, Laws and the Heart

Great day to you! I pray your week got started strong and you are ready to continue into today. Be sure you READ and/or LISTEN to our Mass readings today.

Do you even know why you are doing what you are doing sometimes? Have you ever found yourself doing something out of habit or tradition, but somewhere along the way your forgot the importance or the reason for it?

In our Gospel (Mark 7:1-13) we see a little bit of this taking place. It was customary for the Pharisees (and all Jews) to follow the tradition of their elders and wash their hands before eating, and if they had been out first, there was an entire purification process they had to go through. I am not suggesting that washing your hands before eating is wrong and we shouldn't do it, but why were they doing it? This wasn't about germs anymore.

The Pharisees observed Jesus disciples not keeping with this tradition. They were more concerned with their tradition and man made laws that they missed the whole point of their religion!

The Pharisees were really good about keeping rules that they could check off, but when it came to the real laws of God and the heart of what God wants for His people, they missed the mark completely.

Jesus pushed them and pointed out their hypocrisy. How can you claim to love and honor God because you washed your hands before you ate, yet, you don't honor your mother and father?

We have traditions in the church and they are important for various reasons, but if they take you away from the heart of God's law and commands, they need to be carefully considered.

I saw people who would tithe to their church without even thinking twice, yet when it came time to take care of or assist a family member, they wouldn't even consider it. I see others who would tithe because they were "suppose" to, yet, didn't demonstrate a love for God in their lives at all.

There is a fine line between following tradition and legalism. Ultimately, everything comes down to God's law, His intent of the law, and your heart toward it!

Do you recognize what's right in front of you?

Happy Monday! Let's be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to the mass readings today 😀

At first glance, Today's Gospel (Mark 6:53-56) may not look like a whole lot, but there sure is an important message!

When Jesus went to Gennesaret, people quickly recognized who He was. They "scurried" about and started bringing all the sick in the town and nearby area to Jesus. All the sick were being brought to the marketplaces where they begged Him to let them touch even just a tassel on His cloak.

The people recognized Jesus and His power to heal! Do you recognize Jesus when He is right in front of you? You you see and understand His power to heal? These people went to Jesus with an incredible and expectant faith...do you do the same?

This small passage that doesn't look like much has 3 major points for us and our faith:

1. Recognize Jesus (especially when He is in your midst)
2. Go to Him
3. Expect Him to do amazing and powerful things

Haunted by Guilt

Wow, it's Friday already! Time to get into the Word by READING and/or LISTENING to our mass readings today.

In our Gospel (Mark 6:14-29) we can learn a lot about many things!

1. Be careful for the promises you make
2. Sin is sin and will be brought to light
3. Hatred and Jealousy can cause far worse sins to happen

I want to take a slightly different focus though. Let's look at Herod. He hears about Jesus fame and all that He is doing and Herod's first thoughts are that John must be back from the dead. Really? Herod feels so guilty and has such a dirty conscious that this is the only explanation he has for Jesus.

Herod had a deep respect for John even though he is the one that ultimately had John beheaded. John had shown bright light into the dark places of Herod's life. John lived a righteous life and spoke truth to Herod about the great sins he was committing. Herod was fascinated, fearful of, yet, respected John because John was clearly a man of God.

Herod has a very dirty conscious, and I can't imagine the guilt that hearing of Jesus must have magnified in his heart.

Have you ever felt so guilty about something you have done that you start thinking and believing things that just aren't true. You believe things that don't even make sense!

This would be a terrible way to live. I know when I have felt guilty of something I had a hard time focusing, eating, sleeping and carrying on with daily activities.

We must approach the throne of grace and repent of our sins and change our ways!  God is there to forgive the most terrible of sins if we are willing to offer them to Him and accept His compassion, mercy and grace.

Don't allow the mistakes of your past to keep coming back to haunt you. Repent, seek forgiveness, change your ways, allow Jesus to transform your heart and move on!

Seek and be receptive to receiving

Great day to you! Let's crush a Thursday by getting into the Word. READ and/or LISTEN to our readings for today.

The Gospel today is a nice chunk of scripture from Luke (2:22-40). We see the obedience of Mary and Joseph taking their new baby, Jesus, to the temple for the purification process according to the law of Moses. While at the temple they meet Simeon who has been waiting to see the Messiah. He had been told he would not die until he had seen the Christ of the Lord.

When Simeon saw Mary, Joseph and Jesus, the Spirit revealed to Him that Jesus was the Christ. The spirit made known to him that he had seen the God's salvation.

I think it is so cool that scripture tells us that Joseph and Mary were "amazed" by what Simeon was saying. I feel like at this point in their lives, nothing would amaze them. Mary was a Virgin who gave birth for goodness sake!

Simeon prophesied that Mary would experience joy and heartache. Her joy would overshadow her sadness because of the hope that only comes from Jesus. God gives a crazy and supernatural Joy to those who put their faith, hope and love in Him. A Joy that can't be taken away by anyone or any circumstance. It is a Joy in the hope of what is to come beyond this earthly life.

My biggest take aways from this passage today are:

1. The Spirit reveals Jesus to those who are seeking Him and receptive to accepting Him.
2. Even the pain and sorrow of Jesus death can't take away the Joy we have from God.

Seek Him, be receptive to Him and receive Him!

Can you really go home again?

Holy smokes, just like that and it's February! Start the month off right and READ and/or LISTEN to our readings for today.

I graduated with a Masters degree in Social Work. I specialized in geriatric care and had an internship at the VA Hospital in Albany, NY as well as a nursing home. After getting my degree I worked as a social worker in an acute and subacute rehab center (where older people would go to get physical rehab after illness or surgeries in preparation to either go home or a new level of care). I knew my stuff! I performed many intake evaluations and facilitated transitions home, to assisted living facilities and nursing homes. I spent a lot of time working with patients and families around end of life issues and so much more.

When it came time to start transitioning my great grandmother to a new level of care, it's like no one had any idea that I might know what to do. I remember my family taking her to the doctor for a mini mental status exam and hearing all about how agitated she was to go. Following the visit I had a long discussion with my mother and grandmother about how there was no need to agitate her and bring her to the doctor, I could have done the exam in 10 minutes from the comfort of her home. I literally conducted them several times a week! I was able to easily make recommendations and assist in determining the next level of care, but it fell on deaf ears.

They knew me as a pain in the butt kid. They knew what I went to school for and did for a living, yet it was like that just didn't understand. They couldn't comprehend that I would know what to do or could even help.

That is what I think of whenever I read this Gospel Mark 6:1-6). Jesus performed miracles all over the place. He healed the sick, forgave sins and he raised a girl from the dead! What happens when he goes home? They were "astonished" at his teaching. They couldn't figure out where he gained his wisdom, then they started focusing on the memories of the kid they knew. Jesus was just that neighbor kid, that carpenter down the road, what does He know? They were offended at the idea He could teach them anything. Because of their lack of faith, He was only able to lay hands on and heal a few sick people and then left town.

Have you ever returned home and people can't seem to take you for the man or woman you have grown into? They can't get past who you use to be or who they remember. Have you responded this way to others? Have you not been open to the idea that someone you knew having something special to offer you now?

The people in Nazareth pre-judged Jesus, and by not being open to Him and refusing to accept Him and His teaching, He was unable to do the good work He was capable of doing for them.

We must stop pre-judging people based on what we knew of them or think we know about them because we are missing out on so much in this world when we do!