A Catholic Prayer Meeting of the Light of Jesus Family

Saturdays at SMX Convention Center Sundays at Alexian Brothers March 16-17, 2013

From the Feast Builder

Focus Guys! Focus!

FOCUS is the second handle of our emotions which we are going to discuss. As you heard at the last Feast, dont follow your feelings, let your feelings follow you, now you dont manage your feelings directly. That wont work. That has never worked. In the book Being Happy By Andrew Matthews, he writes about how whatever we are thinking, it defines who we are. If we think happy thoughts we will be happy, if we think depressing thoughts we will be depressed. ..your mind works on pictures. When you say to yourself i dont want to forget my book, you get a picture in your mind forgetting. Although you say i dont want that, your mind still works on that picture and the result... you will forget your book. When you tell yourself i want to remember my book you will have a mental picture of yourself remembering, and you will be in a far better position to remember. Your mind simply does not, cannot and will not work on the reverse of an idea Positive thinking works because positive thinkers dwell on what they want. They then necessarily gravitate toward their goals. Always think about what you want. The principle is Think about something and it. Even if you are thinking about something you will move toward it. This is because your toward things, never away from them. If I say to think about a big pink elephant with big ears spots and wearing shades, what will fill your elephant! you move toward you DONT want, mind moves you Dont and purple mind? An

In this Issue

And lastly, when someone tells you that he cant control his feelings, one thing sure is that person is someone who cannot control his focus. Focus is the master switch of your entire life. Thats why the Bible says, Think of what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8) In other words, focus on the good. Why? Because FOCUS YOUR REALITY. CREATES

Have a blessed Feast today!

Celebrating with you, Jing Sto. Domingo

Celebrating with you,

Jing Sto. Domingo

At Last Weeks Feast

What Is Eating You?

I remember one old movie of Woody Allen. Diane Keaton was breaking up with Woody but Woody wasnt angry. Diane asked him, Why arent you angry? I dont get angry, Woody replied, I grow a tumor instead. People KNOW theres an indelible connection between their feelings and their body.

At Feast North, Bro. Jing Sto. Domingo gave the first talk on the brand new series entitled EMO while Bro. Cromwell Castillo gave the same talk at Feast South. Here are the main points of last weeks talk: Talk 1: Rules of Happiness of the series Emo: From Sadness to Gladness. We learned that our happiness largely depends on how we act on our feelings. There are people who are unhappy because they are unable to handle their feelings properly. The speakers emphasized that if you want to be happy, dont follow your feelings, let your feelings follow you. As stated in 2 Timothy 1:7: For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power, love, and selfcontrol. They compared our feelings to a suitcase. Imagine a big, bulky, heavy suitcase-- without a handle. It would be cumbersome to carry that suitcase! The same goes with our feelings. If we dont have a handle to our feelings, we would be carrying so many burdens. In the EMO series, we will learn three handles to our feelings: Rules, Focus, and Gift. Rules of Happiness We each have our set of rules -conditions, requirements before we give ourselves the permission to be happy. The more we complicate our rules, the more difficult it is to attain happiness. But when we simplify our rules, happiness can be achieved easily.

This is the reason why when you were a kid, and you went home with a headache, your mother would ask you, Do you have problems in school? And when you have an upset stomach, a wise grandmother would ask, What did you eat? Or what is eating you? The psychosomatic connection is very real. Emotions like PROLONGED fear, guilt, worry, anger, and sadness make people physically sick. And regular doses of joy, hope, and love can heal people and keep you healthy. Today, my message is simple: Dont manage your feelings, manage your focus. You actually dont try to control your emotions but your imagination. Have a joy-filled and hope-filled Feast today! May your dreams come true,

Statements that define peoples rules to happiness: 1. Journey vs. Destination Im happy when I arrive at my destination. Most people tend to focus more on the destination rather than the journey itself. For them, happiness is a situation. Im happy when I take a step to my destination. Unlike the first, these people enjoy every step they take. Their journey is equally important and exciting as their destination.

2. All vs. Some Im happy when all things go my way. Bro. Alvin challenged us to discern when we would express our feelings because they may lead to undesirable consequences. The way to happiness, Bro. Alvin added, is to Do what you love and love what you will do. Im happy when all things work for my good. Sometimes, our plans fail because of things we cannot control. But remember: these bad occurrences might serve a divine purpose.

How the Apostles Died for the Sake of their Faith

By Bro. Ed Bahala
Have you ever wondered how Jesus disciples like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and all the rest, died? The Bible says nothing about their deaths but we know that they never waivered in their faith after the resurrection of Jesus. It was Jesus rising from the dead that galvanized their faith in Him, their Lord and Savior. Let me share with you these little known facts about the deaths of the apostles sent by a friend. I share it with you today in the hope that it will also lead us all to be grateful to these great men of faith, who were once a bunch of cowards who left their Master at the time when He needed most their presence and support. In the end, they gave their lives for the Church which we recognize today as the true Church first led by St. Peter, the Rock, These are the pillars of the Catholic Church. 1. St. Matthew - Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia; killed by a sword wound. 2.Mark - Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through the streets until he died. 3. of Luke Hanged in Greece as a result his tremendous preaching to the lost. 7. James - the Great Son of Zebedee; a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian. 8. Bartholomew -also known as Nathaniel; was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in the present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip. 9. Andrew - Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it. He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired. 10. Thomas - Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Sub-continent. 11. Jude - was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. 12. Matthias - The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot; was stoned and then beheaded. 13. Paul - Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67; he endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament. During this Lenten season, let us reflect and pray that by the deaths of these apostles for the sake of their faith, we will see that all our sufferings pale in comparison with their intense persecution. Jesus already warned them what costs Christians would pay for following Him: And ye shall be hated by all men for my names sake: But he that endures to the end shall be saved. @

4. John - Died a martyrs death when he was boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome . However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos where he wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation. St. John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully. 5. Peter - crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died. 6. James- the leader of the church in Jerusalem, thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fullers club. (This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

TODAY
Talk 2: Focus
Dont Manage Your Feelings, Manage Your Focus
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirableif anything is excellent or praiseworthyTHINK about such things. Nehemiah 8:10 Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. John 10:10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance. Psalms 81:2-4 Start the music and beat the tambourines; play pleasant music on the harps and the lyres. Blow the trumpet for the festival, when the moon is new and when the moon is full. This is the law in Israel, an order from the God of Jacob. Luke 19:37-40 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, rebuke your disciples! I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.

Personal Reflection and Group Discussion: What negative emotions do you have difficulty managing? How can you manage your focus more?
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