Insurance, Donations and More

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A recent discussion on our Little Flowers Girls’ Club Facebook page was about groups needing insurance to operate. Unlike other organizations like Girl Scouts or American Heritage Girls, Little Flowers is not a national organization that you need to have a charter, chartering fee, or individual girl registration. The materials are there to use as suits your group best. This can look different ways in different situations.

In a parish or school, the program would be considered a ministry of the parish like a Bible study, youth group or Vacation Bible School. That would mean that you would be covered under your parish’s or school’s insurance and be able to use their tax exempt status to purchase items or receive donations. You would also need the leaders to follow any parameters set by your diocese, parish or school to comply with child protection training in place.

In a private home situation, your home insurance would typically cover any meetings at your home. You may still ask for donations, but your donors would need to know that the donations would not be tax exempt. You could apply to the IRS for tax exemption under an association, but it does take time, people who are willing to keep books, file the tax forms on a yearly basis and keep consistent records.

In a homeschool group setting, your group may have a different look altogether. Back when I first started homeschooling 25+ years ago, we were frequently looked upon with suspicion and confusion! Now, our homeschool group is a ministry of our diocese and covered under their insurance. Our homeschool group has its own tax-exempt status. I realize not all homeschool groups have the same advantages, but many more across the country are striving for that. It is becoming more of a viable option and perhaps one that your homeschool group could look into. If your group is not quite to this point, you should still be covered under private home insurance and you can still accept donations, although they would not be tax exempt.

As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email ([email protected]) or call (afternoon is best) toll free: 1-866-305-8362.

God bless you in your work for His work!
Joan

Choose Life!

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Lent has begun and we are already being challenged through the day’s readings. In today’s first reading, Moses sets forth the challenge to the Israelites:

“I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Choose life, then,
that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God,
heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.” Dt. 30: 15-20

Choose life! Life?! Of course, we choose life, how absurd is it to think otherwise. In my world, choosing life is clearly obvious from the # of children I have, the mound of laundry I do everyday and the fact that my car is a 15 passenger van! We are the ones who march in DC every January and pray for an end to abortion. Some of us have adopted children, accepting children both healthy and those with complications. If anyone doubts our willingness to choose life, we are insulted. Nobody chooses life like we do!!

But, then we breathe deep and realize that Moses just might mean something more than babies. This chapter in Deuteronomy is entitled, “Compassion for the Repentant”. It is calling all of us to look at all the areas – especially beyond the babies – where we might be choosing the world – choosing death – over the life God is calling us to. It is asking us to look at areas of our life where we have let sin creep in; almost undetected.

Where does your life need some attention?

Lent is a time when many of us step away from social media, stop checking FB every few hours. Others do the 40 days and 40 bags challenge whereby you declutter your home with a bag a day; reducing the amount of stuff you own and strive instead to focus on the life you lead. Lent is great time to get some extra spiritual reading done. My parish gave away copies of Matthew Kelly’s Rediscover Jesus, while I read With God in Russia by Walter Ciszek last year.

I will admit my path to Easter than my family does each year, http://www.catholicicing.com/?s=lent isn’t quite filled out but I’m committed to having it done before I go do bed tonight.

So, in Lent 2017, what are you choosing?

 

 

Ready to Go!

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Blessed 2017 to everyone! We hope everyone has had a beautiful, relaxing and holy Christmas season. We at Behold Publications were working on moving website files to a private server. We do apologize for any inconvenience the downtime that occurred during the migration.

Great news! We have finished mapping the 50+ new Little Flowers Girls’ Clubs that registered this year. If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time. Registration is FREE and quick, too. Register at http://www.beholdpublications.com/RegisteredClubs

We are still working on mapping the Blue Knights Clubs!

God bless you in your work for His work!
Joan Stromberg

The Seasons Have Changed

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Did you notice? I am not talking baseball to football, or Thanksgiving to Christmas or even Fall to Winter (as that won’t happen until Dec. 21).

I am talking about the seasons changing from Ordinary Time to Advent. It’s a new season for us to celebrate our faith and oh, oh there is just so much to celebrate.

Now is when we can begin to think of Jesus not as the Good Shepherd, the lamb of God or even the vine to our branches but as a baby; and aren’t babies just wonderful?

Babies are just so cute – each one of them. How many of us still smile at the memory of our babies laughing for the first time or have seen the videos of baby laughing at tearing paper or a bit confused when they see see their parent’s twin? Those can always lift my mood!

Babies remind us of God’s wonder. His ability to create a new and unrepeatable soul with each and every baby. And babies remind us of His great love for us that He sent us His only son, His only child to save us.

In Advent we can reflect on the wisdom of GK Chesterton who wrote in his The Everlasting Man: “…the hands that had made the sun and stars were too small to reach the huge heads of the cattle.”

This book, available on-line, is the one that transformed CS Lewis from an atheist to a believer; pretty powerful stuff.

A more recent writing has transfixed my heart. In a recent Magnificat, I received a card highlighting a work from Stephanie Morris. She had painted a lovely picture of Mary holding the Christ Child along with a poem that says in part:

“My beloved child, you are so beautiful!
Do you want to hold my Baby?”

Think about that – we are God’s own children, the children of Mary and we are being asked to hold Her child, Emmanuel, God with us, in our arms and in our hearts.

As a Mom whose youngest is approaching 10, I miss babies. I miss how they smelled, how they felt so soft and helpless in my arms. I miss how they laughed and how they absolutely trusted me to take care of them, even when I didn’t believe I could.

Christ is a child again during Advent. Am I taking the time to hold Him? Am I allowing myself to be trusted with Jesus?

As the seasons have changed, I am realizing that I need to as well. Jesus is relying on me to take care of Him, to hold Him safely in my heart.

Miss Morris considers this as she writes from Mary’s perspective:

“I call you to love Jesus with all that is in you!”

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Little Flowers

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Both big and small!

As we look back at all we have to give thanks for this year, 2016, as well as what 2017 has in store remember:

Phillipians 4 – 6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I will be sure to remember all of you at tomorrow’s Mass and my family’s prayers around the turkey, crab casserole, German potato salad and other yummies that make a Watkins’ Thanksgiving dinner delicious.

A Queen and A King

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Today is the feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary – we all know her story don’t we??

We can see King Ludwig approaching the Queen; her apron filled with bread for the poor only to have him pull it aside to see a shower of roses fall?

But, there is little to prove this actually happened. Instead we have a loving husband who supported his young wife’s love for the poor. He is quoted as saying, ‘So long as she doesn’t sell the castle, I am happy with her.’

Born in 1207, married at 13-14 and dead by 24 and yet we know her to this day! Oh, that our lives would be as fruitful as hers in such a short period. St. Elizabeth, pray for us.

As for the king? Why, Christ the King!! This Sunday is that marvelous, yet often overlooked feast day. It will mark the end of the Year of Mercy and a wonderful opportunity for us to talk to our family about what it means to have Christ as our King!

Think of life in a castle, feast and fireplaces, long dresses, the princesses and princes, and allegiance to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. This Sunday is a great day to have your own little feast – cake and ice cream, construction paper crowns and a recitation of a prayer like this:

Christ Jesus, I acknowledge You King of the universe.
All that has been created has been made for You.
Make full use of Your rights over me.

I renew the promises I made in Baptism,
when I renounced Satan and all his pomps and works,
and I promise to live a good Christian life
and to do all in my power
to procure the triumph of the rights of God
and Your Church.

Divine Heart of Jesus,
I offer you my efforts
in order to obtain that all hearts
may acknowledge your Sacred Royalty,
and that thus the Kingdom of Your peace
may be established throughout the universe.

Amen.

Take a listen to this lovely song by Natalie Grant as it so clearly speaks of how we love to think we are in charge when we have a loving and merciful king who wants nothing more than the very best for us.

King of the World

Knock, Knock….

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heartsdoorsmall

Who’s there?

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, who?

…..Well, there’s really no good punchline to this is there?

Today’s first reading is from Revelation (3:20) which inspired this image. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.’

Considering Thanksgiving is right around the corner we can easily imagine inviting friends and family and those same people knocking and coming into our homes to dine and be with us. So it is with Christ. He awaits the invitation.

This is an invitation we need to extend every single day. Of course, as baptized Catholics, Jesus never departs from us but He will always await an invitation from us to be a part of our day. He wants to be welcomed to accompany us as we drive the kids hither and yon. He wants to sit on the couch as we watch TV and cruise the internet. He wants to be there when we make dinner or change a baby’s diaper.

Take a closer look at this classic image – notice one important fact – there is NO doorknob on the outside. Jesus cannot enter into our hearts and our lives without us opening the door ourselves.

While modern renditions of this painting have added doorknobs or latches on the outside, that was not the original artist’s (Warner Sallman) intention. He wanted to remind us very clearly, very visually that we are called to be directly involved in our own salvation and life.

Come on, get up and open the door, can’t you hear Jesus knocking?

Warner Sallman Collection Information