CHARISMATA! Coaching for Abundant Life

Your Gifts and Talents- Advent Reflection

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:50:00 +0000

If you think you are somebody without any particular talent… you are wrong! You DO have a particular, unique talent and God is calling you to use it right now, in your present circumstances. If you are not sure what your gift or talent is… it is that thing that fills your soul or activity that you engage in where time stands still and you could do it forever without getting weary. Cooking, building, listening, writing, organizing, negotiating, stewardship, teaching, running, cleaning, preaching… you name it.

Many times we think that God’s gifts are better expressed by others so we hesitate to bring forth our own; or we may depreciate the significance of who we are and what we have to offer simply because we have never been encouraged.

I know someone who was a beautiful painter but could never get past the voice inside her head that told her she was not as good as her mother, so her gift went “un- given” and she remained frustrated and challenged to find meaning in her life. The truth is that if we DON’T share our talents, they may dry up and leave us with that empty “desert feeling” throughout our lives. Have you neglected a gift because you have compared it to another’s?

I also know some people who think that if only they could get another job, have a higher level of education or more training or experience with their gift, then they could offer it. While all of that may be true, how would you know unless you started sharing your talents NOW?

God doesn’t require us to jump through too many hoops when it comes to sharing or expressing our gifts and talents. He enkindles a passion within us to create, give, and share our gifts with love RIGHT WHERE WE ARE. Changing our circumstances will probably only prolong and put off your ability to share your gifts and talents.

I can tell you that my life got so much less complicated when I finally realized that I didn’t have to put my dreams on hold or rearrange my life in order to feel that sense of fulfillment and purpose that comes from sharing my gifts. I just began acknowledging, accepting and expressing my gifts and talents instead of fighting with God about HOW and WHERE and WHAT I should be doing to express them. ( Read- Lord, if only I could be a stay-at-home mom, then I would have the time to write for you!)

And to my deep and profound humble amazement, He has used my gifts to bring glory to Him. It really doesn’t get much better than that so what are you waiting for?? Give Him ( and the rest of us) the gift of your unique and particular talents this Advent. ‘Tis the season to become who you are called to be!

JOYFULLY YOURS, ANNE

STAY AWAKE!!

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

"Therefore stay awake! For you know not the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:13)

There's alot of good advice for living in the Scriptures but the verse above from today's Gospel is probably one of the most important ones for our times.

That's because there is so much that surrounds us that can distract us or lull us to sleep in our spirits. Busyness, materialism, relativism, narcissism... all of these conditions are inherent to the culture in which we live.

Yet, staying awake means we are called to transcend all that. Here are some questions to ask yourself to see how you are doing...

* When was the last time that you had a real heart to heart talk with God ( that lasted more than five minutes and included time for listening)?

* What motivates you more and directs your actions: getting ahead here or getting to heaven?

*What was the last stance you took against popular opinion that was based on your beliefs as a Christian?

* How often do you consider/care about someone's elses feelings and situation before your own?

Answers to these questions may reveal how AWAKE you truly are and how ready you are for that day or hour when all of this will pass away. I pray that for you and for me that the door will not be locked.

May your soul thirst for the Lord this week, and may your bless him while you live! ( Psalm 63)

Joyfully yours,

Anne

Light and Dark

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:35:00 +0000

I have been studying St. Catherine of Siena of late and upon that reflecting a simple saying came to mind to sum up what has been on my heart for awhile... .It is:

Lamenting the darkness won't turn on the light.

I kinda think that if Catherine were here right now, she'd say something like that. All around me in many different circles people are beginning to notice that the world is in a bit of trouble. Even secularists and agnostics are sensing that there "is something in the air." Everyone from the sky- is- falling preachers to the new age infomercial gurus are saying essentially the same thing...

we can't go on like this.

I agree with them. I do believe that people are waking from their slumber, prophets are finding their tongues, and the average joe and jane are getting mighty restless with the way the world is going. But what we are doing in response is simply never going to change the direction of our times.

We are kvetching and finger pointing; we are grumbling and giving in to the heaviness and negativity that comes from “looking through a glass darkly.” But the truth will always be that

Talking about the darkness won't make it go away. Instead we have to find the courage, tenacity, interior wisdom and spiritual maturity to BE THE LIGHT.

In fact, Catherine said “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire!"

She’s talking about you and she’s taking about me. Your world is the people that you encounter every day at work, at home or at school. How will you be the light in the darkness of jealousy, confusion, competition and mistrust? I ask these questions in earnest of myself first and then I share them with you.

Remember that complaining undermines virtue and love isn’t possible without sacrifice. In our world today, we are called to sacrifice something that we covet most of all… our COMFORT. Yes, just like the Pharisees we covet our station in life, our going along with the status quo and ‘under the radar’ type of existence. Yet, the safety of our numbers cannot save our souls.

We are called as followers of Christ to bring others with us to the light-filled gates of heaven. How will we do that when we are fumbling around and grumbling about the dark? We cannot.

This week I say to you and me:

Step up, Step out and be the Light this world can’t live without!

My Next Book...

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:50:00 +0000

I am thrilled to share my second book with you. It is for anyone who has experienced deep pain in life and struggles with the need to heal while longing for the freedom of forgiveness... I think that is just about all of us!!

It's a deeply personal book in which I share my heart and experiences as well as those of others who were so generous and courageous in sharing their stories with me.

You can pre-order the book soon through Word Among Us Press and Amazon and other outlets... but here is a

Hot off the Press view of the cover right now! I love the painting the publisher chose!

Living, Loving, Letting Go

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:45:00 +0000

Where does the time go? The days can be long sometimes but the years are short, and getting shorter. Here I am in the middle of my life ( or somewhere thereabouts) … and contemplating what the next half ( or less) might bring. I know for certain that it will bring lots of changes and many chances to practice letting go.

Letting go of my teenage daughter, as she grows up before my eyes… a beautiful flower unfolding toward the warmth of whatever the Lord has in store for her. She has her wings and she is “in training,” testing (and testing some more) the limits of all the possibilities that lay before her.

I am also letting go of my mother, who is slowly fading, day by day, into the shadows and mind mist that is age-related dementia. I can still see her outline, but I cannot recognize the blank face that stares back at me. I hear her voice, but her words no longer hold the power over me that they once did. They are muddled words, repetitive and childlike. I wonder where she has gone, even while she is still here.

There is a part of me that wants to “pull the covers up” over my life and bury myself in the memories of yesterday: some of them good and some of them not. If I could turn back time to the night before my father slipped into a coma… that night when he called me from the hospital and asked me to bring him a candy bar, I would. Exhausted after five months of running back and forth and torn by the need to take my daughter to someplace important at the time, I begged off. It would be our last conversation before it was time for me to let him go for good.

I would love to go back and visit my 6 year old self. The one smiling and posing dutifully by the tree with the Nurse Nancy outfit on in a photograph I remember so well. One moment captured out of a long and lonely childhood. I can still remember the terror behind that smile. I would love to go back and tell her that she was a beautiful and precious girl, even though she didn’t feel like it and that the affirmation and love that she craved was nothing to be ashamed of. I would love to tell her, and I guess in a way I have, that everything would be ok in the long run.

And here I am in the midst of that long run, still living, still loving, and still learning how to let go. There is one thing for sure that I will never let go of, though, and that is the hand of God that has led me here. It’s a hand full of grace, mercy, tenderness and strength. It is a firm hand that has guided me and carried me and comforted me in ways that I could never have imagined. He is the reason why living, loving and letting go is even possible for me because I know where I am going next.

So time goes where it goes, I guess, but God is forever standing still…deep within my soul and yours. He is waiting, He is whispering and He is willing to love us without ever letting go. A few days ago I came across a very old and stale candy bar, hidden in the back of my desk, wrapped up in a tissue. It was a Milky Way, and I remembered. .. my father’s last request.

If you have gotten this far in reading this, I just want to say this: that God can even turn our regrets into something quite beautiful if we let Him. He can soften the blows in life that knock the wind out of us and He can heal the heartaches that threaten to pull us under. Don’t be afraid to trust him when it is time to let go.

Joyfully Yours... Anne Costa

Roles, Reversals and Revelations

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:10:00 +0000

I love my husband! As I am writing this he is on his hands and knees, painstakingly plucking out, one by one, each clump of crabgrass we have in our front lawn...

My husband: who to my knowledge hasn't picked up a broom in the last 23 years ( and counting)... Isn't it wonderful- the division of labor! I wouldn't know a clump of crabgrass from the normal, not so crabby, good natured grass if say, it were smack dab it the middle of my kitchen floor. The only thing I would know for absolute certain is that my husband wouldn't sweep it up!!;)

That would be my job. Yes, my broom and I have been faithful to one another over the course of my marriage, and we had a long courtship before that, at the urging of my mother who also believed in the whole division of labor thing. So the broom and I have been doing our dance for as long as I can remember!

Here she is! I keep her handy during the heavy shedding season....

Nevertheless, every now and then I like to shake things up a bit. I "forget" to do the dishes and go out and mow the lawn. Lately, we have been doing alot of these role reversals since my husband has retired and I am now the only one going out to work in the morning (fun, fun). He ends up making the bed and I take the car in for an oil change. It's kinda fun!

The whole reason I bring all of this up is to make a point:

That sometimes we get stuck in the notion of what it means to be something... like what it means to be a wife or a friend or a Catholic or a Christian. We limit our roles and get stuck in a routine.

As followers of Christ, we can get comfortable with our worship style and barely even notice when the people or scenery change around us or most tragically of all...that we are truly in the presence and consuming the very Body and Blood of our Precious Lord.

The sad truth is that we end up taking every beautiful piece of our faith for granted, every gift that God gives us with a sense of expectation or apathy. God gave us our divisions of labor and our gifts for a reason... to build up His Kingdom, each other and ourselves. Sometimes, in order to make the best use of our gifts and HIs gift of HImself to us...we have to SHAKE IT UP, change the order, trade places, and let the Holy Spirit throw us a "change up" once in a while.

This happened for me this week when I traveled to Philadelphia for the Catholic Writer's Conference

Suffice it to say that getting away was a very good thing and I learned once again that Jesus NEVER FAILS TO MEET US JUST WHERE WE ARE.

Just like Peter, I had to step out of the boat ( and the daily roles of my life). I hadn't realized how close I was to sinking and drowning in the abyss of my apathy. Yet, there was Jesus to renew me again. To pick me up and urge me on with his faithful words : do not be afraid!

He'll do the same for you. Just ask.

Decisions, Decisions

Sat, 28 May 2011 15:06:00 +0000

I recently had the experience of not being able to make a decision. I was filled with angst and ambivalence, trying to arrive at the best thing to do in a situation that wasn't yielding any great hints. It wasn't a major life decision, but it certainly had some important implications and the "what if" scenarios were swirling in my head. It seemed that the closer the deadline came for me to make the decision, the muddier the waters became. I literally felt torn apart inside as I mulled over my options.

But I had to make a decision, so I did. I acted on the decision and within 30 seconds I realized I had made the wrong one. I knew it was the wrong decision because it didn't bring me any internal peace, in fact, I felt worse than I did in my ambivalence. Everybody around me was quite satisfied with the decsion, but I knew it was wrong. So I had to reverse the decision and that is when all hell broke loose.

My final decision was an unpopular one with those around me, and even though I knew it was the most loving one. for me and others, it wasn't received that way. So while the storm of conseuqences swirled around me, in the aftermath of my decision, I was at peace inside. That is how I knew it was the right decision.

I think the moral of my story here is two-fold: First, sometimes it is better to make a decision even if it is the wrong one, than to make no decision at all because making the wrong one can get you that much closer to the right one.

AND

The most loving decision may not yield the most loving responses in others. In other words, the right decision for you might feel like the wrong one for others. Some examples:

When you make the decision to stop enabling an addict or give your teenager a dose of tough love or you say no to behavior that will keep you in the in crowd but compromise you spiritually.

My decision was not near the magnitude of the ones above, but it certainly got me thinking. Next time I will know that all will be well that ends well when I make the decision to mak the most loving decision I can.

Peace to you!

Here's a Quick Fix for Ya...

Sun, 15 May 2011 14:18:00 +0000

"I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly"~Jesus

As humans we often fall prey to the promise of quick fixes and magic formulas to solve our problems and make us feel happy and satsified. But today's scripture readings prescribe a promise and means to live a supernaturally abundant life compliments of Jesus Christ... and it just doesn't get any better than that.

Follow this formula and you won't need another one for all eternity:

1) Repent and be baptized

2) Recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit

3) Be patient in your suffering when you are doing good

4) Listen for and follow the voice of Jesus in your life.

These are the four steps to abundance outlined in the readings today. Try following them this week.

Start our by going to Confession, invoke and invite the Holy Spirit into your heart and daily activities. Make an effort to be extra patient and do what is good and right and spend sometime everyday listening for Jesus.

Repeat this the following week and the week after that and you WILL notice a change and transforming grace that will permeate your life and prove all those other "quick fixes" worthless.

Enjoy the abundant life that Jesus wants to give you!

Joyfully Yours, Anne Costa

Let me pray with you:

Lord, help me to distinguish your voice among all of the others in my life. Give me the grace to repent, receive and follow you. Help me Jesus to be patient in doing the right thing even when it costs me because I know that in doing so, I will live a life of abundance in your love! ... Amen.

How to Act in the Presence of the Eucharist

Sun, 01 May 2011 21:05:00 +0000

I am sharing this incredible video with you because it is the absolute TRUTH and full of wisdom that comes straight from above. I subscribe to this young man's you tube videos and his website is www.truefaith.tv

EASTER "UPLIFT"

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Easter is not just the cause of our joy but the cause of our hope, as well.

Because of Easter, we can "place all of our eggs in one basket" that is-- in the Risen Jesus-- with a fervent hope that we will someday be with Him forever in the hereafter. ALLELUIA!!

But Easter also means that our hope can be alive TODAY, in the here and now.

We can hope in the power of God's love to change us and make us brand new... We can hope for second chances and an end to our shame.

We can hope for freedom from our addictions and the enslavement of our sins or the effect of the sins of others upon us.

We can hope for complete victory to conquer our fears (because His perfect love casts out all fear!)

Nobody who believes in Jesus should be afraid to hope; it is our inheritance, passed on to us by the blood of His Holy Sacrifice of Good Friday.

So, let hope be the flame of the Holy Spirit( your HELPER) in your heart. Let it be the incense that lifts your prayers to heaven. Let hope carry you through the suffering and sorrowful times; let hope be God's strength in your weakness.

Hope is our life rope to all of heaven's promises here on earth. This Easter may hope fill you and cover you with the love of our precious Lord. Amen!