J.O.Y. Photography: 2009

It's turkey time!

It's time for turkeys, change in weather, shopping, hot cocoa and embracing life!

Take the time to do what your heart desires. You deserve to live a fulfilled, happy life!

Please pray for guidance for all those who focus on the material things in life. Life is about love not things!

The awesome works of Colin Ashbaugh - Race for the Cure 2009

Talk about great talent! Colin Ashbaugh is quite the talented artist in many areas. I have had the honor of working with him and wanted to share some of his work.....Enjoy!

Race for the Cure - October 2009

The month of August is typically the hottest month out of the whole year here in Arizona. It is also a month for appreciation....our monsoons are not hurricanes, our heat is not partnered up with humidity and our state is so diverse you can head north, south, east or west and find different scenery to enjoy. It's a gift for those who love to capture natural beauty in pictures.

Thought for the month: Live life intentionally! Live life with integrity! Live life fully!

Please pray for all those who serve in our country's military forces. Especially all those who have and will give their lives as they serve. We thank you and appreciate you!

Fun in the AZ Sun!

You've got to love the joy and laughter that comes from playing in the cool water while obsorbing the Arizona sunshine. What a great way to enjoy family!

Celebrate Independence

As we celebrate the independence of this wonderful country, let's also look at and celebrate our individual independence. Let's be true to who we were created to be. Let's focus on Health and Wellness and stop abusing our bodies. Let's become or remain independent of all unhealthy elements that may take away our power to be phoenominal human beings.

You are a child of God, let this reality to settle into your bones. Allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love in all things.

Please pray for all those who are living on the streets during these scorching summer days. Pray that those that have places to go reconnect with their loved ones and that God send someone to love those that don't.

Happy Birthday America!

This June, don't forget to Pray for all those who have asked you to pray!

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11 NIV
P-R-A-Y!
To help you remember the four parts of prayer, think of the acrostic P-R-A-Y: P – Praise the Lord! Not sure how? Think you’ll run out of words? Not if you use the Scriptures. David gives us a beautiful example in 1Ch 29:11-13. It’s one you can use: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor…Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom…In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.” R – Repent of your sins! Just as heat forces impurities to the surface so the metal refiner can remove them, your prayer time will reveal attitudes that must be changed, habits that must be broken, and barriers to blessing that must be removed. It’s not enough to tell God about your sins. He already knows them. You must ask Him to help you turn away from them. This is true repentance. A – Ask for yourself and others! Your prayers invite God into the situation, and your faith activates His power to change it. There’s no distance in prayer, no culture or language barrier it can’t overcome. It’s like throwing on a power switch – things begin to move when we pray. Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven…whatever doors you open on earth shall open in Heaven” (Mt 16:19 TLB). Y – Yield yourself to God’s will! Declaring the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life is like signing your name to the bottom of a blank check, and inviting Him to fill in the amount.

University of Phoenix - Class of 2009

Congrats! Class of 2009
Way to go David!!!

I loved the patriotism shown during the National Anthem!

So many graduates! Very impressive!

IT'S ANOTHER PRECIOUS GIRL! WATCH OUT BOYS!

Clinging to Daddy!

Sweet Dreams Little One!

Pretty in Pink!!

IT'S A GIRL!

Isn't she a beauty!

What a little flirt, already????

One eye is all you need to find mom!

What a sweet little foot!

More on Miles Jesu

Pull Rope to Ring Bell, Then Enter the Patio
This is the invitation for anyone at anytime who is seeking reconciliation, counsel or direction to enter and be welcomed.

Check out http://www.milesjesu.com/
To quote their web page.....
"Like no other time in the history of the Church, the role of the laity in the Church's salvific mission is greatly being emphasized. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has helped the laity to see more clearly that we have an obligation to be holy and an obligation to help the Church fulfill Her mission. What is the mission of the Church in the world? To teach the one true faith to the world and bring others to know Jesus and live according to the model He has set out for us. Miles Jesu is leading countless lay faithful to the fulfillment of their role in God's great plan.
If we look at the history of religious orders we find that God raised them up according to the special needs of their times. God raised St. Benedict to found his monasteries to bring stability and peace and to preserve learning at a time when the Roman Empire was falling apart. God raised St. Teresa and St. Ignatius to preserve and advance the Catholic Faith at a time when the Church was being torn apart from within by the Protestant Revolt. Today, because of the growth of secularization in the world, much of the work which must be done to make the world conform to Christ belongs to the sphere of the laity. God has been raising up institutes of perfection for lay people because many will not find Jesus Christ unless they find him in their neighbor or co-worker. We look like them, we work with them, we are their neighbors, and at the same time we are apostles for Jesus Christ. We can enter through an opening that is not typically there for priests and religious. This is one important reason why lay institutes exist.
We take to heart serving our Lord to the best of our ability with the talents He has given each of us.
We call ourselves a faith family because our membership includes men and women; laity and priests; celibate, married, widowed and single people, all united together as a large family under one General Director. Miles Jesu adapts itself to the vocation each one of us has received from Jesus and helps each one to be faithful to that vocation. Although there are priest and bishop members of Miles Jesu, the lay members comprise the majority of the overall membership. Miles Jesu is not a Third Order, that is, a lay addition to an existing religious congregation. Nor is Miles Jesu a religious congregation. Miles Jesu is a Catholic Institute of perfection for the laity officially approved by the Holy See.
"The originality of the new communities often consists in the fact that they are composed of mixed groups of men and women, of clerics and lay persons, of married couples and celibates, all of whom pursue a particular style of life. These communities are sometimes inspired by one or other traditional form adapted to the needs of modern society. Their commitment to the evangelical life also takes on different forms, while, as a general rule, they are all characterized by an intense aspiration to community life, poverty, and prayer. Both clerics and lay persons share in the duties of governing according to the responsibilities assigned to them, and the apostolate focuses on the demands of the new evangelization." (Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, Vita Consecrata, n. 62)"

I was first introduced to this community a few years ago. Although I have not been an active member or consistent worshiper at the beautiful chapel, I have received many blessings, spiritual direction, a deeper love for Holy mass and tradition, much healing and a ton of LOVE through Miles Jesu. I thank God for the work of His servants in this community. Please keep them in prayer and stop by for whatever your soul may be needing.

Romans 8:9

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.

Come Holy Spirit, instruct the hearts of us your faithful and kindle in us the fire of Your love. Send forth your spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen

Please pray for our children, that they be raised to know and embrace respect and love for themselves and others.