SUMMER THOUGHTS -5  - “Life Is About Choices”

   Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

   Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood, or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood." Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or ... I can point out the positive side of  life. I choose the positive side of life.

    "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line

-It's your choice how you live your life."

   Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and  weeks of intensive care, Michael was re-leased from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
    I saw Michael about six months after the accident.   When I asked him how he was,   he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. I asked him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

    "As I lay on the ground,” he said, “I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live. When they  wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed  to take action.   A nurse asked   if I was allergic  to anything. 'Yes,  I replied.'  The doctors and

nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."
    Over their laughter, Michael told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is so important.
    “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:24).  After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

           
Service Hours: Sundays and Feast Days: Orthros at 9:30 am; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am

Evening Services as Announced

2^nd  SUNDAY OF MATTHEW

GOSPEL ENTRANCE AND OTHER HYMNS

Dismissal Hymn of the Resurrection - 2nd  Tone

   (Sing in Greek before the Entrance) ("Ote katelthes").Hymnal,  81-82.

   (Sing in English after the Entrance) ("When you descended"). (Same)

Dismissal Hymn of the Presentation of Christ - (Sing) From sheet in the pew.

Kontakion “Prostasia ton Christianon”(Sung in Greek by Leaders)

   (Read) O never-failing protectress of Christians / and their ever-present intercessor before the Creator: / do not be heedless to the prayerful voices of us sinners, / but in your goodness extend your help to us / who call upon you with confidence. / Hasten, O Mother of God, / to intercede for us. / You have always protected those who honor you!

                        Return to p. 26 of the Hymnal, to sing “Holy God . . . .”

   EPISTLE – Romans 5:1-10 (3^rd  Matthew) + Brethren, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man -- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

   GOSPEL – Matthew 6::22-33 (3^rd Matthew) + The Lord said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."

   FOR THE RECORD: July 3 - Attendance 55; Candles $93; Stewardship $909; Visitors’ Offering $10. Many thanks for the generosity of all!

   PROSFORON BAKERS: Argyris and Carol Gymnaos 7/10; Connie Mourgides 7/17. Fran Triantafilon 7/24; George Nikas 7/27 (St. Panteleimon); Presbytera Emily Harakas 7/31;; You, too, can make Prosforon Bread. Call George Nikas, Prosforon Bakers Chairperson at 597-1375.

   HOSPITALIZED: Oak Hill: Anna Lee. Leo Karpie, Costas Panou. Tampa General: Michael Zoumberos. We pray for a rapid recovery.

   NEW STEWARD FOR 2005: We have received the Stewardship Declaration for 2005 of Vera Mae Fondulas this past week. We thank you for your continuing support! Welcome! We are now 71 2005 Stewards of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church.