Tag: peace

Is God the CEO of your Business
Running a business is more than making profits, building teams, or reaching goals. For many entrepreneurs and leaders, business is also a spiritual assignment. The question every business owner should ask is this: Who is really leading the company? Is it driven only by human wisdom and ambition, or is God the true CEO?

God Gave Us Authority — But the Power Belongs to Him

From the beginning, God gave mankind authority over the earth, the animals, and the plants. He entrusted humanity with stewardship and responsibility. Yet while we have authority, the ultimate power still belongs to God.

Many business owners work tirelessly trying to carry every burden alone. They make decisions based only on trends, emotions, or financial pressure. But true success comes when we surrender our business plans to God and recognize Him as the Senior Partner.

A successful business is not built merely on strategy — it is built on obedience, wisdom, integrity, and faith.

God as the Senior Partner

When we invite God to be the CEO of our business, we acknowledge that He leads and we follow. We stop asking God to bless our plans and begin asking Him to reveal His plans.

Jesus demonstrated this perfectly during His ministry on earth. He continually submitted Himself to the Father’s will. Jesus said He only did what the Father showed Him to do. His ministry was powerful because it operated in complete partnership with God.

Jesus Christ showed us that surrender is not weakness — it is the pathway to divine power and direction.

What Happens When God Leads Your Business?

When God becomes the CEO of your business:
- Decisions are guided by wisdom instead of fear.
- Integrity becomes more important than shortcuts.
- Employees and customers are treated with love and respect.
- Peace replaces constant anxiety.
- Purpose becomes greater than profits alone.
This does not mean there will never be challenges. Every business faces obstacles. But when God is leading, you are no longer carrying the vision alone. You are operating under divine guidance and authority.

Surrender Brings Strength

Many people want God to be their helper, but not their leader. Yet partnership with God requires surrender. A CEO has the final authority. If God is truly the CEO of your business, then His values, His timing, and His direction must come first.

That may mean walking away from dishonest opportunities, treating people fairly even when it costs more, or waiting patiently for God’s timing instead of forcing open doors.

Real faith in business is trusting that God’s way produces lasting success.

Final Thoughts

Your business can become more than a source of income — it can become a ministry, a testimony, and a tool for God’s purpose. When you surrender your plans and allow God to lead as the CEO, you position your business for spiritual and practical success.

The world teaches self-reliance, but God teaches partnership.

The authority may be in our hands, but the power still belongs to Him.

Please bring God into your business as the CEO. The Senior and desiding partner for every decision. Every indeaver. Make your business, your life a ministry to bring people closer to God.

Rick
thmjmj@gmail.com
May 14, 2026
My Life is My Message

When Mahatma Gandhi was asked what his message to the world was, he answered simply:

“My life is my message.”

Few words have ever carried such depth.

Gandhi understood something many of us spend our entire lives trying to learn: our true message is not found in what we say, but in how we live. Our actions speak louder than our intentions, louder than our opinions, and often louder than our prayers.

Whether we realize it or not, every one of us is sending a message to the world every single day.

The question is: how happy are you with your message?

Not the message you post online.
Not the image you try to project.
But the message your daily life reveals.

What does your life say about what you truly value?

Does it say kindness matters?
Does it say people matter?
Does it say faith, honesty, compassion, and love are worth living for?

Or does it reveal something else entirely — fear, anger, selfishness, pride, or indifference?

These are uncomfortable questions because they force us to look honestly at ourselves. It is far easier to talk about goodness than it is to live it consistently.

Most people want to be remembered well. They want their lives to mean something. Yet meaning is not created in grand moments alone. It is built quietly in everyday choices.

In how we treat the waiter.
In how we speak to family.
In whether we forgive.
In whether we help someone who cannot repay us.
In whether we choose bitterness or grace.

A life becomes a message one decision at a time.

The beautiful thing is this: no matter what your message has been up to now, you can begin changing it today.

A harsh person can become gentle.
A selfish person can become generous.
A lonely person can become a source of encouragement.
A wounded person can become a healer.

Every sunrise offers another opportunity to live differently.

Saint Francis of Assisi is believed to have said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

The world does not only need more opinions. It needs more living examples. More people whose lives quietly radiate peace, integrity, humility, and love.

Your life may never be written about in history books. Most of ours will not be. But every life leaves fingerprints on other people. Every conversation, every kindness, every act of patience or cruelty echoes farther than we imagine.

Someone is learning from your life right now.

A child.
A friend.
A stranger.
A neighbor.
Perhaps even someone silently struggling.

What message are they receiving?

At the end of our lives, people will not remember most of the words we said. They will remember how we made them feel. They will remember whether our presence brought light or darkness, hope or discouragement, peace or conflict.

“My life is my message.”

Perhaps the real challenge is not admiring Gandhi for saying it, but asking ourselves if we are willing to say the same.

And if not today, what must change so that one day we can?

Click Here is a way to make the message of your life truly dianamic and change the world begining with you.

Rick

thmjmj@gmail.com

May 8, 2026
Lead Me in the Way You Desire
Trusting God When We Do Not Understand

There is a prayer so simple, so humble, and so powerful that it can change a life:

“Lord, if this is not Your will, take it from me. Lead me in the way You desire.”

Those words are not words of defeat. They are words of surrender. They are words of trust.

In a world that teaches us to cling, control, and chase our own plans, this prayer invites us to open our hands and let God lead.

When Our Plans Are Not God’s Plans

We often pray for what we want:
- A door to open
- A relationship to work
- A dream to come true
- A burden to be lifted
Yet sometimes God whispers, “I have something better.”

Scripture reminds us:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord…
— Book of Jeremiah 29:11

And in Book of Proverbs we are told:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

Faith is not always knowing where the road leads.

Faith is trusting the One who leads.

The Courage of “Take It From Me”

Sometimes we hold onto things God wants us to release:
- Worry
- Pride
- Old wounds
- Fear
- Even dreams that are not His will
To pray “take it from me” is brave.

It echoes the prayer of Jesus of Nazareth in Gethsemane:

“Not my will, but Yours be done.”

That is not weakness.

That is holiness.

God Leads Through Closed Doors Too

Some of God’s greatest mercies come disguised as unanswered prayers.

A closed door may be protection.

A delay may be preparation.

A “no” may be guidance.

Many times we understand only later that what we asked God to remove… He removed out of love.

And what He asked us to surrender… He replaced with grace.

Following the Way He Desires

When we ask God to lead us, He often guides in gentle ways:
- Through prayer
- Through Scripture
- Through silence
- Through wise friends
- Through unexpected opportunities
- Through peace in the heart
Often His leading is not dramatic.

It is daily.

One faithful step at a time.

As Book of Psalms says:

“Your word is a lamp unto my feet…”

Notice—a lamp, not a floodlight.

Enough light for the next step.

That is usually how God leads.

A Prayer for Today

You may want to pray this slowly:

Lord,
If this is not Your will, take it from me.
Remove what keeps me from You.
Close doors I should not walk through.
Open the ones You desire.
Lead me in Your way,
Shape me by Your wisdom,
And help me trust even when I do not understand.
Not my will, Lord—
Yours be done.
Amen.

Final Thought

Surrender is not losing your way.

It is finding God’s way.

And there is no safer place than being led by Him.

When life feels uncertain, pray simply:

“Lord, if this is not Your will, take it from me. Lead me in the way You desire.”

That prayer can change everything.

Thank you for reading this blog. Please share it with others.

Rick Herring
April 27, 2026
Together we Grow

To build Community we must share. We must care for those around us. To be a blessing we must truly be a blessing.

You are my community. We truly have a community of love and sharing, joy and peace. The time has come to add a sustainable income source so we can help those that have no income. Those that are struggling. Those that need a helping hand. a hand up.

This is the community we are building. A community where we share, care, lift up, become one with God our Father. To be fill with and guided by the Holy Spirit.

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” Psalm 34: 6
Together we can build a community that has the resources to reach, while building our resources, our email list, our income.

These are just a few of the short Bible verse videos I ha ve posted on YouTube and other social media. Many are getting over 100 views their first day.

To be part of that community, click Here.

Thank you for reading and watching. Please share with others.

Rick Herring
thmjmj@gmail.com

April 15, 2026
Promises Attached to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
OUR LORD’S PROMISES ATTACHED TO THE
PRAYING OF THE
CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY
AS REVEALED TO ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA
1. “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image (of Divine Mercy) will not perish. I also promise victory over (its) enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory.” (Diary, 48)
1. “The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (Diary, 754)
1. “When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.” (Diary, 1541)
1. “When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as a just Judge but as a merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1541)
1. “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death.” (Diary, 687)
1. “Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy…I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.” (Diary, 687)
1. “To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak.” (Diary, 1521)
1. “The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion for sinners. Know, my daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.” (Diary, 1397)
1. “At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony…I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” (Diary, 1320; also, cf. Diary, 1572)
1. “Souls who spread the honor of My mercy…at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1075)
1. “The two rays denote Blood and Water…These two rays issued from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father…I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy…whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.” (Diary, 299-300)
1. “I desire that the Feast of Mercy…be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter…The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion (in a state of grace on this day) shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary, 699)
1. “Through this chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.” (Diary, 1731)
1. “My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world.” (Diary, 1485)
Note: Excerpts taken from the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, titled Divine Mercy in My Soul, ©1987, Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263.

Spirituality

About Fr. Wade Menezes

Fr. Wade L. J. Menezes, CPM is a member of the Fathers of Mercy, a missionary preaching Religious Congregation based in Auburn, Kentucky. Ordained a priest during the Great Jubilee Year 2000, he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Catholic Thought from the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Toronto, Canada and his dual Master of Arts and Master of Divinity Degrees in Theology from Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. His secular college degrees are in journalism and communications. View all posts by Fr. Wade Menezes →
April 11, 2026
We all Live in the Disgration of God

In the Discretion of God

Last night, I was speaking with my sister about a priest who had planned to retire at the age of seventy-five. He had given years of faithful service and, by all expectations, was ready to step away from ministry. Yet, because he served at the discretion of his bishop, his plans changed. Instead of retiring, he was assigned to pastor a startup church—beginning again when he thought he was finished.

That conversation stayed with me.

This morning, I woke up with a deeper realization: we all serve at the discretion of God. Not at our own timing, not according to our own carefully arranged plans, but according to His will. And if we are honest, that truth is both humbling and unsettling.

Scripture reminds us of this reality in powerful ways. When Judas left the Last Supper, it is written that the devil had already entered him as he went out to betray the Lord. Even in that moment—dark, painful, and seemingly out of control—God’s greater purpose was unfolding. Nothing was outside His authority.

This truth became even more personal this week.

My sister had planned to retire after thirty-six years of banking. It was meant to be a joyful milestone. After decades of working alongside the same people, there were surely plans for celebration, reflection, and closure. But life had other plans.

Her husband suffered a heart attack.

Instead of enjoying her final days at work, she spent her next-to-last day driving to Oklahoma City and sitting in a hospital room through the night. He received a stent, and by April 2nd, they returned home to Atoka, Oklahoma. What was supposed to be a week of celebration became a week of crisis, care, and uncertainty.

And yet, in that disruption, there was a greater truth revealed: no matter how much we plan, God is in charge.

We map out our lives with timelines and expectations. We anticipate milestones and transitions. But in a moment, everything can shift. Not because God has lost control—but because He never relinquished it in the first place.

Even Jesus Christ Himself lived in complete submission to the Father’s will. He did not act independently of God’s purpose. He walked a path that led through suffering—His Passion, His crucifixion, and ultimately His resurrection. From a human perspective, it may have looked like tragedy or defeat. But in God’s plan, it was redemption.

If Jesus, the Son, lived and served according to the Father’s will, how much more must we?

We may not always understand why our plans are interrupted. We may not see the purpose behind sudden changes or painful circumstances. But we can trust that nothing is wasted in God’s hands.

The priest who thought he was retiring found himself beginning anew. My sister who expected celebration found herself in a hospital. And in both stories, there is a common thread: God’s authority overrides our expectations.

We do not serve at our own discretion.

We serve at His.

And in that truth, there is both surrender—and peace.

Rick Herring
thmjmj@gmail.com

April 3, 2026
🌿 Palm Sunday: Triumph, Paradox, and the Beginning of Holy Week
Palm Sunday, formally known as Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most sacred time in the Catholic liturgical year. It is a day filled with both celebration and solemnity—a powerful contrast that captures the heart of the Christian mystery: Christ as both triumphant King and suffering Savior.

This sacred day commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, where crowds welcomed Him with palm branches and cries of “Hosanna!” Yet, within the same liturgy, the Church invites us to hear the Passion narrative, where those cries shift dramatically to “Crucify Him!” This tension invites deep reflection on faith, human weakness, and divine love.

🌿 The Symbolism of Palms

Palm branches are central to the celebration of this day. In ancient times, palms symbolized victory and triumph, and in the Church, they represent Christ’s victory over sin and death.

During Mass, palms are blessed and distributed to the faithful, who often take them home as sacramentals—visible reminders of spiritual realities. Many Catholics place them in their homes, behind crucifixes, or in prayer spaces as a sign of protection and devotion.

In a beautiful liturgical cycle, these same palms are later burned to create ashes for the following year’s Ash Wednesday, linking Christ’s triumph with our call to repentance.

✝️ The Liturgy: Joy and Sorrow Together

Palm Sunday Mass is unique because it contains two distinct and contrasting moments:

1. The Procession of Palms

The celebration often begins outside the church with a procession, recalling Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The faithful carry palm branches, singing hymns of praise just as the crowds did centuries ago.

2. The Proclamation of the Passion

Later in the Mass, the tone shifts dramatically as the Passion narrative is read—often with multiple voices representing different characters. This reading recounts the suffering and death of Christ.

The priest wears red vestments, symbolizing the blood of Christ’s sacrifice. The liturgy intentionally holds both joy and sorrow together, reminding us that glory and suffering are inseparably linked in the Christian life.

📖 A Story That Defines All Stories

Palm Sunday is not just a historical remembrance—it is an invitation.

The Church presents this day as a “defined story”—one that shapes how believers understand love, sacrifice, betrayal, and redemption. As we hear the Passion, we are not passive listeners; we are participants, called to reflect:
- Where do we stand in the crowd?
- Are we praising Christ one moment and turning away the next?
- How do we respond to suffering, both our own and others’?
This day challenges us to confront the reality of sin while embracing the hope of salvation.

🕊️ Humility and Kingship

One of the most striking elements of Palm Sunday is how Jesus enters Jerusalem—not on a war horse, but on a donkey.

This detail is deeply symbolic:
- A war horse represents power, conquest, and earthly authority.
- A donkey represents humility, peace, and service.
Christ reveals a different kind of kingship—one rooted not in domination, but in self-giving love. He is both King and Suffering Servant, a paradox that lies at the core of Christian belief.

🌿 Entering Holy Week

Palm Sunday opens the door to Holy Week, leading toward the profound events of:
- Holy Thursday – The Last Supper
- Good Friday – The Passion and Crucifixion
- Holy Saturday & Easter Vigil – The Resurrection
It is a day that asks us not just to remember, but to walk with Christ—through praise, through suffering, and ultimately, toward new life.

✨ Final Reflection

Palm Sunday is a mirror of the human heart and a revelation of divine love. It reminds us that faith is not just about moments of joy, but also about fidelity in times of trial.

As we hold our palm branches, we are invited to follow Christ—not only in celebration, but all the way to the Cross… and beyond it, to the hope of Resurrection.

“Hosanna in the highest!” — and may those words echo in our lives, not just today, but every day.

If you liked this article, pleAse share your feedback, share with others and come back for more stories.

Rick Herring
thmjmj@gmail.com
March 29, 2026