{"id":268,"date":"2012-12-12T01:01:48","date_gmt":"2012-12-12T01:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=268"},"modified":"2012-12-03T19:13:13","modified_gmt":"2012-12-03T19:13:13","slug":"advent-2012-have-you-found-your-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2012\/12\/advent-2012-have-you-found-your-voice.html","title":{"rendered":"Advent 2012: Have You Found Your Voice?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Advent Day 11:\u00a0 Have you found your voice?<\/p>\n

John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness to “Prepare the way of the Lord.”<\/p>\n

Christmas songs spill one after the other from radios, televisions, and loudspeakers all around us.<\/p>\n

Have you found your voice in this Advent season, yet?<\/p>\n

I know some people are terrified of singing, even if it is familiar carols they have heard and learned since childhood. Others hesitate to even gently evangelize, for fear of offending others. And still other people are at a loss for words, not sure how to articulate the profound emotions that bubble up inside of them.<\/p>\n

Proclaiming our faith, expressing our joy – these are marvelous gifts that we can use each day, beyond Advent. We do not need to attract a crowd, like John the Baptist, or have “high production values” as with professionally produce music. But the more we explore and find the voice that is us, that expresses our individual style and faith, the\u00a0more enthusiastically\u00a0we can join in the chorus of, “Gloria in excelsis Deo!”<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Advent Day 11:\u00a0 Have you found your voice? John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness to “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Christmas songs spill one after the other from radios, televisions, and loudspeakers all around us. Have you found your voice in this Advent season, yet? 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John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness to “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Christmas songs spill one after the other from radios, televisions, and loudspeakers all around us. Have you found your voice in this Advent season, yet? 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. 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