Accommodating Talent

Accommodating can be a nasty or lovely word, depending on the context. It means: fitting in with someone's wishes or demands in a helpful way. It can also mean: provide lodging or sufficient space for. In the first definition, the feeling or sentiment may have the flavour of obsequiousness giving relationship some imbalance. It is the second definition that we will enjoy together. 

I was coaching a client recently and while I was listening, I was really grateful for not interrupting her, mid sentence. There is a coaching skill called intruding and it is used in session when a significant point is made by the client and heard by the coach-it is not considered rude and it is agreed upon by both as part of the coaching relationship. I would like to say that I only use this skill strictly as a professional coach but this would be a lie-I not only intrude, I have been know to interrupt others, mid sentence...sometimes out of sheer boredom with what they are saying and sometimes out of necessity due to time constraints or I have to admit, irritation at the nonsense coming from their mouths (ok that was a lot of honesty, lets move on). So my client was speaking and I was about to interrupt, to intrude because I had an insight and instead, I remained quiet and listened and and, my jaw, it dropped open. I could barely sit in my seat and I had to ask, what do you mean? I was dumbfounded by HER insights, her deep gathering of brilliant observations and awareness and I was stunned into a state of gratitude and awe. If I had not provided sufficient space for her to share, if I had not accommodated her discernment, I would have failed her as a coach and only served myself and my ego, and we both would have known that an opportunity for growth was misplaced or lost somehow. I have to admit, accommodating someone else's talent is a lot of fun and I get PAID to do it! Oh, and the best part of all this is I am surrounded by talent, how cool it THAT? Happy New Year, I hope you and your talents are appreciated and accommodated greatly in 2016. 

Darkness

The situation is getting worse in this world of ours, with darkness pervading. God will only tolerate this for so long. There are lines being drawn in the sand, call them morals, values, ethics on one side and a blasphemous free for all on the other. I was raised as a Catholic and I am grateful for this upbringing. Honouring God and being reverent toward Him was taught experientially with much kneeling and standing, singing and corporate prayer. I did not realize this at the time and as a reflective adult, it dawns on me what early gifts were bestowed regarding my faith. Then there is The Cross...In the Old Testament, God established a sacrificial system of animals for celebrations, thanksgiving and atonement for sins. Animals without flaw would be slaughtered upon the altar, only the choicest animals were selected. He wanted His people to remember Him, to acknowledge Him and to praise Him for rescuing them from slavery in Eygpt. God wanted His people to be in relationship with Him and in exchange, He was present, spoke to them, was their Heavenly King and He filled the temple with His majesty, causing the people to fall face down in worship and awe. He was and is God Almighty and when people honour Him, He blesses abundantly. The sacrifices were a prelude, a foreshadowing of the final sacrifice. In church, above the altar, I see the cross, Christ crucified there, The Perfect Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world. Above the altar, the cross is ideally placed as a visual reminder of past requirements and current reality, that we, I, you, cannot possibly do or say or be enough to pay for what we have said and done to ourselves and each other. God in His mercy sent someone to take our place and we are beholden. In a darkened world, the way I speak, the way I love God is repugnant, nonsensical and ridiculed and I ask, how is what is happening ok, acceptable and laudable? Humans, left to their own devices, are inclined to self adorning, idolizations and exactly what is currently happening all around us, Godless fearless rape, murder, and vile Satanic indulgence. There, I said it, Satanic. Now let's distill this further and personalize it. You are insulted, You say I am NOT a rapist, murderer or Satan worshiper, how dare she Include me in her rant? What is your sin than? Are you a liar, a cheat, gluttonous, alcoholic, abusive, lazy even? Come on now, you know yourself, what is your brand of poison?  Evil, darkness, they are as I said earlier, pervasive. Am I speaking a foreign language here or do you comprende? Let's go back to The Bible. We are no different from our predecessors. Evil is ancient and we are perpetually in a loop of behaviours and it is only a matter of time before the stop watch button is pressed and the count down is on. God is long on patience and slow to anger giving us a Grace period of choice. The sky is falling, yes indeed it is and I am ok with being one of many sounding the alarm, time is short. If this writing stirs you, perhaps you too sense what I do? Dark is getting darker, Bright is getting Blindingly Bright...the line in the sand is drawn. 

Convergence

Convergence~the tendency of unrelated animals and plants to evolve superficially similar characteristics under similar environmental conditions; a location where airflows or ocean currents meet. Meet and blend, meet and become similar in characteristics because of environment? Astounding, to know that unrelated animals and plants "evolve superficially similar characteristics" in such marvellous ways and why not, isn't that what nature does, adapt? Let's jump in on the action and look at airflow and ocean currents, the kind that allows for people like you, like me, to converge, to meet and evolve. We are not plants and animals, we are humans, created after a higher order of being, existing for more than mere adaptation in order to survive. One. Water is water and all water regardless of current is but One. Air is air, with directional flow changing it, not One bit. Water is not air and the two cannot be confused with One another, they are separate and distinguishably different. I am not you, you are not me and yet, we are One. Now let's ditch the existentialism and go for the big news. I cannot direct natures air flow, waters current or where you and I may meet as we converge. I could stay at home and ensure that I control my environment and the people NOT in it, but as soon as I exit my home, I am subject to the winds of change, the possibility of soaking by torrential rain and lastly, meeting YOU. How come, I mean what makes this big news? 1 Corinthians 8:6 puts it this way "Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." I picture myself on the boat, one of His disciples, and Jesus walking through the rain, wind whipping at His hair and robe and Him beckoning me, "come, walk to me on the water". Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me." Convergence? Yes, I want to meet my God, the One and become soulfully similar by being in His presence. If we have met, it is His way, for His purposes and I am grateful...lets walk out to our Saviour, on water, together. 

Deference

Deference~polite submission and respect. Bow, curtesy and back away. There is something about the definition of deference that rubs me the wrong away, like I want to go back in there and do a rewind, mess up the order of things a little bit and not take myself or others too seriously. Here is what I'm thinking and what has me contemplating this idea of deferring to another. I will start with a question: have you ever been awed by someone, engaged in a little hero worship, and perhaps given them more consideration in decision making than was equitable, only to discover that your deference to their opinions and will was an error in judgement on your part? The confusion starts with a healthy respect for another who is deemed as accomplished and knowledgeable, capable of leading the way. The art of mentoring is experiencing a rivival of sorts and is an invaluable gift from the learned to the novice. In the context of mentor and mentee, their is a sense that politely sitting at the feet of teacher or might I say Rabbi, with awe and respect, is appropriate, and somehow sweetly submissive. There is an agreement, an understanding that the relationship is based on guidance with the mentee being led unto themselves. I'm not talking about a healthy agreement, I'm talking about unconscious submission, a giving way to another because it is somehow easier or perhaps even safer? When than, does it become something else, this deference? I'll tell you when, at least from my own experience. It is when insecurity is heightened in that persons company; it is when speaking to that person requires careful thought and consideration with many a polite detour in getting to a point; it is when you see them or hear their name and dread the thought of an encounter. How about this...your lip curls at the thought of their voice and their facial expressions. Above, I mentioned a rewind, a not taking myself or others to seriously and I meant this because I want equitable relationships with everyone I meet which means they don't have to change a thing, I do. I don't want to defer to another AND I definitely want for others to feel safe in my company without the urge to defer to me. Here is what the Bible suggests in its very centre Psalm 118:8 "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." I will sit at the feet of my Saviour in awe of His Majesty, submitting to Him only. Sweet liberty from human flaws and failings, God's love is Perfect and endures forever. 

The Chosen Ones

Christmas Eve morning, 2015. I had an early coffee date with a close friend, starting my day off just right. He is a chosen friend and I like to brag that I have excellent taste and I am inclined to taking credit for spotting the best chocolate in life's box. I am laughing at this because there is chocolate of the mundane give me a headache variety and than, there is tongue running over the lips in anticipation rich melt in the mouth mmmmmm variety of REAL savour the flavour chocolate. Which kind do YOU want? Ok ok, back to my excellent taste. My very closest friends have all been of the highest quality and variety of chocolates, they are the delectable ones. I can spot them and feel their gravitational pull within moments of being in their presence. A really astounding narrowing in on them feeling comes over me as everything else fades and disappears. In a room full of people, they end up being the only ones that I can see and hear, the chosen ones that get my full on attention and almost immediate affection. I am a good listener when it comes to hearing the internal cues that point me in the direction of go, speak with THAT one, you are meant to be friends with him/her. Big breath with happy sigh, I have some amazing friends and playmates. So my morning coffee partner, he is one of the chosen ones, lucky him! I am laughing again as I write this because to take me too seriously would be a mistake-I am not arrogant, I am confident. Confident that I am led by God, that He wants me to go see, go do, be with His matches for me. When I feel the inexplicable pull to another, it is natures push that sets me off in pursuit of something yet to be tasted, explored, savoured. If happy taste buds can be compared to soul satisfaction, it is the edifying of my soul and the expansion of another with me as witness that makes me follow Gods leading every time I dare to step out and toward another to capture some intangible delight that awaits me. You can wait to be picked and perhaps even rejected, or you can allow your homing pigeon like natural abilities to lead you to your own soul candy, your own chosen ones, the ones that God designed to be your playmates. Warning, your chosen ones will make you laugh, cry, spill your guts all over the table between you and make you want another coffee or lunch date immediately. Declarations of love may be in your future.  

Wanderlust

Bottom to top, this is how I decided to read an email from a friend. I have met people that read the ending in books before they start the book~they start at the end, final page, rather than from page 1. I don't really understand why and maybe I will by the end of this writing, but I'm sure they have their reasons. Today I scrolled to the bottom and read to the top of my pals email and this experience delighted me. My friend has a lot of joy and we have similar life approaches. We are sorters. We sort through our thoughts and feelings looking for meaning, hoping to make sense and understand what it is we are meant to learn, to know, from our experiences. Starting from the bottom of her email I got to the pot of gold, her gorgeous life affirming epiphanies and as I worked my way up, I had the delight of seeing how she had traveled through the muddied waters of her pysche, always knowing that she would find a soul refreshing waterfall to cleanse herself under after her travels. She has hope and faith and this is where her joy is generated. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. We have within us this great capacity for wanderlust, defined as: a very strong or irresistible impulse to travel; an instinctive motive; "profound religious impulses". In wanderlust, flying becomes soaring, breathing becomes inhaling the richness of life and having becomes abundance. As I explored my friends email, bottom to top, I saw her sky high, this followed her leap from a precarious perch. A gorgeous vision to behold. Where she wants to be is set in her minds eye and the vision is stunning...she is currently at a take off point, readying herself for the flight of her life. Most best selling books have a logical and uplifting conclusion. Perhaps the reading from back to front, from bottom to top is a search for evidence of things unseen and yet already known, through hope? Understanding it all isn't essential, because wanderlust is made of dreams and it cannot be pinned down, tethered to earthly substance. My friend, the sorter, gave me these wise words to finish this piece "...so long as we arrive at the conclusions He meant for us to arrive at~the ones He gave us in the first place." God knows the whole story, back to front, bottom to top and he reveals Himself in the mystery of faith as we live our lives front to back. It is Good to know Him, The Original Author of Life, trusting in His plan.

Triggers and Donald Trump

Trigger-a small device that releases a spring or catch and so sets off a mechanism, especially in order to fire a gun. Alternatively, a trigger can be defined as-an event that is the cause of a particular action, process, or situation. My husband and I have been entertained by Donald Trump. Watching this narcissist display his "extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of one's own talents and a craving for admiration" is both riveting and alarming. Look at the first definition of trigger above. What do you suppose the small device is in Donalds' brain that sets off his self serving spring, allowing him to shoot off his mechanistic mouth, with endless rounds of gibberish and non-sensical rhetorical bouts of stupidity? Now take a look at the second definition of trigger above. While watching this egomaniac it becomes clear that any threat to his self image demands a particular action and in his case, a verbal response in the form of attack and banishment from his Trump kingdom, putting an "end, an end to it all". The dictionary describes this type of behaviour as a personality disorder. I am not a clinician, I am an observer, dumbfounded by the complete lack of judgement of a man on rampage, running for President of The United States of America. More alarming than this, is the possibility of a popular vote for this strange little man...my natural inclination is to not watch, to not give him the time of day and yet, the world is a scary and scared place and I must watch this train wreck waiting to happen, if only in the high hopes of ultimately seeing a derailment, a full stop put on this one car driving without an engineer's license maniac. Thats my rant for the day, plus this: Proverbs 10:19 "When there are many words transgression is unavoidable but he who restrains his lips is wise." Oh and I can't resist this one while I'm at it: It is better to be silent and thought the fool than to speak and remove all doubt...yes, I wrote this while smirking. 

Favourite Toy

What is your favourite toy? Is it your iPad, phone, Fitbit, computer? For me, these are all distractions, my favourite toys are, forgive me for this, people! Now please don't misunderstand and hear me out on this one. What I mean by this is that when I am with certain people, they become characters, enlivened and playful, making relating to them pure joy. I can be rather intense, driven and dog on bone with concepts and points of interest and luckily for me, there are people in my life that are my joy activators. When I am with them, and I am with them now in sentiment, I get a lopsided grin, recalling the quirky brilliant unexpected things that come out of their mouths, or the crazy little things they do that make me laugh. Like wind up toys, they delight their audience, engaging the imagination. The movie Toy Story came out 20 short years ago, can you believe this news? One of the lines in the movie, spoken in exasperation by Woody to Buzz Lightyear is "you are a TOY". Buzz was all business and by contrast, Woody realized he was built for play and yet they both had comical and serious personality characteristics that made them irresistibly adorable, helping viewers connect with parts of themselves. I am focusing my gaze on this, that in relationship, we connect with the deepest parts of ourselves and ultimately, the Lightest Brightest who we really are parts. To all my favourite toy friends, the ones that like to play, even when it's all serious and we have to get down to business, I love you To Infinity and Beyond! 

Historical Condemnation

Historical condemnation of current adaptation~this intricate thought came to me after viewing a joke on the internet about the right to bear arms. In a satirical joke, President George Washington states (minus the swear words), "we were talking about musket balls, not 13.3 bullets per second." What seemed prudent and reasonable in a time gone by is now an anachronism, an out of time, out of date thing that no longer belongs. Before I get too philosophically messy, my simple point is this: for efficiency in killing, it is far more effective to have powerful weapons and for a gaurentee of safety for murders, ensuring that the people you kill have no chance of self defence or the capacity to save themselves or anyone else, surprise them...perhaps with their heads bowed in prayer during worship or even during a holiday celebration. Have you yet wept for the senseless destruction of innocent life? Have you indulged that part of you that horrifies the soul, rending it in half, mourning the grievous losses? 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." To deny that evil exists is childish and even those who are none believers are hard pressed to explain what is becoming common place in our lives, that is to say, we are becoming accustomed to rampage and mass murders. I am not inclined to offer any explanation for what has "gone wrong" in the lives of the vicious~they chose, they killed, they sealed there own fate. Judgement is a bad word in our society, if spoken of, it is condemned as a political faux pas. Here is what The Bible says about judgement: Romans 14:10-12 "Why do you pass judgement on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God; for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Is prayer, faith in God an out of date, out of time anachronism or shall we speed up the process, rapid fire, bowing before Him on our knees now, more than ever before? Evil kills, Love saves. Evil shoots bullets, Love commands faithfulness in prayer with Love as a verb, it is an action step. Judgement, justice, we all want this, don't we? My lip curls with the anguish of those that suffer, and I know that God is in control and He is watching. My hope is in Him, where do you place yours? 

Light

Siri tells me it is 8 degrees outside. While driving, I felt the warmth of the sun on my fingers as they wrapped around my steering wheel. The days have been dark and evening starts oddly and at outrageous times, darkness blanketing us by 5:30 pm. The appearance of the sun made me suddenly grateful and as it always does, it reminds me of The Son. I listened to a message today about all things being dedicated to Gods use, including pots and pans, all things useful to man. I thanked Him then, for the car I was driving, my to and fro vehicle. I thanked Him for my body, this well designed alive to and fro vehicle. I than thanked Him for my soul, every little piece of it and I gave it all to Him, dedicating myself to His purposes. If only I could remember to do this everyday? Mostly I am self occupied, can you relate? The whole idea of higher purpose and use to humanity, for the greater good, falls by the wayside when I get in the way, when you get in the way. Without God driving the bus (I took on passengers in this metaphor with humanity going along for the ride), the ditches have there allure, pulling self important passengers and would be drivers into their shallow trenches. Keeping my eyes on God is blinding, His brilliance makes me look away, lower my visor to keep the rays from penetrating my sensitve, only human eyes. While I drive, I am not the only one that benefits from the sons rays, they are available for everyone to soak up, savour, acknowledge. Luke 11:33-36 "No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light." Today, I gave myself to God. This sounds so strange even as I type it because but for Him, I would not be. The truth of the matter is that we can receive and never acknowledge the Giver, we can take and never thank the Benefactor, we can bask in the sun and never recognize The Son, the Source of all Light. We can forget that what we have is not ours to claim or to keep, they are all gifts from above. My work, whatever it may be, is not for me to decide or assess, it is to Him that I look for a map and travel plans and Light to illuminate my pathway. So this day, I rededicate and devote myself to God and His Son. Let there be Light. 

The Beginning of Evil

"The beginning of evil is the absence of God, sin cannot be in His presence". These are the wise words spoken by my friend Jason Palm. These words ring true because as feeling beings, sensitive to our environment and the humans we share time and space with, we know, we just plain old know when evil lurks, and, given the right circumstances, we fall in line with the devil's script and cues for behavior. Or more aptly put, cues for reaction. Consider Ephesians 6:12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. I love the arguments against God's existence; they entertain me. I remember watching my girlfriend's son for her after school many years ago. While sitting on the front porch, the little boy killed a rather large ant, squishing it under foot. I stated that he had killed the ant, letting him know that he had taken a life. His response was "no I didn't, no I didn't, look!" He poured water on the ant in an attempt to revive it, bring it back to its former-hard working search the world for food-self. We all know how that turned out. The ant lay lifeless, without spirit. Whatever enlivened the ant prior to the shoe assault was now missing in action, meaning that though body remained, action was no longer possible. Dead is dead and what this really means is lifeless. Yes, here I equate life with spirit, and why not? So let us elevate our thinking and accept that something within us moves us, gives us life force, energy, spirit. A dictionary definition of spirit is the non-physical part of a person, which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul. If spirit moves us, and I would argue it does, and it is the seat of emotions and character, it can express itself. Deny God, deny spirit and my argument falls flat. If you are grimacing at my argument, move along now, because the rest of it will not make sense to you either. The universal theme of good verses evil moves us constantly and sells many a movie ticket and novel of intrigue. It is the stuff of greatness and extreme pain, undeniably evident, just turn on the news. Kindness, mercy, love, forgiveness, these are the admirable traits of the spirit. Avarice, hate, jealousy, rage, these are the grimy, slimy admonishable traits of the spirit. We are, as humans, capable of all of these and many more. What my friend Jason pointed to in his wise statement is that evil exists and is separate from God and when we indulge in one set of traits over the other, we invite Gods presence (or perhaps He allows us in His), working through us, or we drive Him far and fast away from us, repelled by our evil indulgence. The devil made me do it, I laugh at this because there appears to be a hint of truth in the joke, and while accountability is our burden and gift in life, unseen forces are pressing in on all sides making them palpable and real. In my argument, God is good and cannot be present when evil and the devil play human puppet show games. Sensing evil and choosing to disengage and detangle takes some practice. With God's help, the spirit is capable of being set free. With the same mouth, I can speak love and hate, all in the same sentence. With these hands, I can calm and soothe, or tightly grip in a strangle hold. Free will gives me choice. And God? He knows what we-what you and I-are capable of. He is the incomparable God Almighty and He alone can judge the living and the dead. In the words of Jesus The Christ "Why do you call me good?" Jesus replied. "No one is good except God alone." Let's not make the mistake of believing otherwise.

The Beginning of Evil

"The beginning of evil is the absence of God, sin cannot be in His presence". These are the wise words spoken by my friend Jason Palm. These words ring so true because as feeling beings, sensitive to our environment and the humans we share time as space with, we know, we just plain old know when evil lurks and given the right circumstances, we fall in line with the devils script and cues for behaviour or more aptly put, cues for reaction. Look at Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. I love the arguments against Gods existence, they entertain me. I remember watching my girlfriends son for her after school many years ago. He was just a little boy and he killed a rather large ant, squishing it under foot. I said "you killed the ant", letting him know that he had taken a life and his response was "no I didn't no I didn't, look"...he poured water on the ant in an attempt to revive it, bring it back to its former hard working search the world for food self. We all know how that turned out. The ant lay lifeless, without spirit. Whatever enlivened the ant prior to the shoe assault was now missing in action, meaning the body remained, action was no longer possible. Dead is dead and what this really means is lifeless. Yes, here I equate life with spirit, and why not? So let us elevate our thinking and accept that something within us moves us, gives us life force, energy, spirit. A dictionary definition of spirit is the non-physical part of a person, which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul. If spirit moves us, and in my argument, it does, and it is the "seat of emotions and character", it, spirit that is, can express itself. Deny God, deny spirit and my argument falls flat. If you are grimacing at my argument, move along now, because the rest of it will not make sense to you either. The universal theme of good verses evil moves us constantly and sells many a movie ticket and novel of intrigue. It is the stuff of greatness and extreme pain, undeniably evident, just turn on the news. Kindness, mercy, love, forgiveness, these are the admirable traits of the spirit. Avarice, hate, jealousy, rage, these are the grimy slimy admonish able traits of the spirit. We are, as humans, capable of all of these and many more. What my friend Jason pointed to in his wise statement is that evil exists and is separate from God and when we indulge in one set of traits over the other, we invite Gods presence or perhaps He allows us in His, working through us, or we drive Him far and fast away from us, repelled by our evil indulgence. The devil made me do it...I laugh at this because there appears to be a smidge of truth in the joke and while accountability is our burden and gift in life, unseen forces are pressing in on all sides making them palpable and real. In my argument, God is Good and cannot be present when evil and the devil play human puppet show games. Sensing evil and chosing to disengage, detangle takes some practice and with Gods help, the spirit is capable of being set free. With the same mouth, I can speak love and hate, all in the same sentence. With these hands, I can calm and soothe, or tightly grip in a strangle hold. Free will gives me choice and God? He knows what we, what you and I are capable of. He is the incomparable God Almighty and He alone can judge the living and the dead. In the words of Jesus The Christ "Why do you call me good?" Jesus replied. "No one is good except God alone." Let's not make the mistake of believing otherwise. 

Storm

Is a storm coming your way?

Notification of an advanced nature
A crackle of thunder, a flash of lightening, off in the distance and yet close enough to stir warning signals, pre storm alerts of what might be rolling this way. A glimpse, a glance, an unbidden thought yet to be captured and understood, these have their own build in notification of an advanced nature, they are parts of a story yet to be told, of perhaps a storm yet to roll in.

Soulful sinew clawed and marked
Nature has its own rules. Wind can whip and tear apart with unseen hands, and brute force, limbs of magnificent girth, from ancient deeply rooted, and sweep the sky trees. Humans have the same force of nature capacities, with thoughts and words ripping and shredding the soul of another invisibly, soulful sinew clawed and marked. Inside a storm, there is intensity and committed passion. The storm does not hold back, it lets loose and lays bare, all that attempts to stand before it, it taunts, Try to stand, try to resist me, you haven't a chance. 

Taking shelter is a naturally protective urge, and yet there too, the wind can blow and claw, finding the hidden. A whisper of wind can turn into gale force, with sometimes little to no warning. Nature does not consult with man, it is not made to explain.

Looking for shelter, weathering the storm alone
Now let's look at the hissing whisper of doubt, lies that stir up a soul to question and distrust, ultimately misleading two or more so that each look for shelter separately, weathering the storm alone. The aftermath of storms great and minor, can look about the same or completely different. Clean up may or may not be required and the sun, well it does what it has always done, it comes out and with its rays, says today I dawn anew. 

Coming out of hiding into the light, destruction can look like a well needed pruning, and an opportunity for much needed new growth and renewal. Storms serve a purpose, and we all must weather the storms of this life, which brings me to:

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.  And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! (Matthew 8:23-27)

A storm can be a "direct and violent assault on a stronghold". I leave you to ponder what this means in your life.

Confidence & Competence

Confidence & Competence. One without the other makes for a weak link in personality presentation. Insecurities can wreak havoc and when they are closely examined, they are like a horde of broken and war torn soldiers, waiting for marching orders and pushed by the spears of fear. The voices say things like: what makes you think you are good enough; who cares what you think; no one will listen to you; you have it good, can't you just appreciate what you have; why bother, it won't make a difference anyway; and my personal favourite..."it's" not worth the effort. How is it that an outside observer can see me/you in all my/your glory, glowing halo and all, and all I/you can see is tarnish, the pitina of time dulling the shine? I think of competence, the capabilities that are acquired with practice and how confidence often times needs to catch up, be in evidence too. You want a point from all this ruminating? What purpose does it serve for me, for you, to be competent and lack confidence? The impact of a powerful perhaps life changing message can be lost in the shuffle when the emotional deck is stacked with insecurity. It is like armed emotional robbery, the messengers tongue is tied in knots, held hostage by some unseen bandant. I recall English class in high school~our task was to memorize and recite a poem to our classmates. My turn came and I stood, unable to utter a word. I can still see the discomfort of my classmates, they too, felt helpless and the pity on their faces was uncomfortable and somehow a comfort all wrapped up in one. They WANTED me to succeed, they WANTED me to deliver...we ALL would have felt better off if I had just spoken, delivered my four lines (the bare minimum for the assignment). I could not enjoy my assignment or anyone else's because I was absorbed with my own lack, my confidence was in my belief I should not be front and centre, that I could, should, hide from public display. Here I am, laid bare, soul exposed...does my message speak to you? What does it say? I am confident in my competence for message delivery and it is in writing that I am truly free. What do you need to be set free from the bondage of tongue, pen fear captivity? Speak, write, who knows what heart needs your words today? One love, one life, all yours to claim. 

Intensity

Intensity matched and love made stronger...yesterday I was invited to fully express my emotions with a close friend. The emotions were anger, fueled by hurt, and my anger is frightening to me. I have a laser sharp tongue and what I speak in blind anger, others recall long afterward. Generally, I control myself, withdraw as a form of protection, preservation for the other~my fear is that I will wound them or, to be more honest, my fear is that they cannot handle my intensity and that they will pout, hold a grudge, be unable to accept at least a part of the responsibility for the fray in our relationship, leaving me holding the reigns, as though I am the one accountable for the breach in trust. Trust is strange, isn't it? I mean isn't relationship predicated, declared in trustworthiness? I think of my wedding vows and the man I hold hands with in public, fight with and love in private and I am grateful for it all. The current challenge for me is to love others even when I'm red hot mad, even when I want to scream at them and perhaps trust them enough with my truth, my intensity. They can see it anyway, I cannot hide...I am what is none as OBVIOUS! I laugh at this reality and it saddens me at the same time because without expression of inner workings, misunderstanding is inevitable. While I hold my tongue, bite back irritation, it builds and bubbles, surfacing acid like and lava pours out, scathing. What I didn't want to happen, injury to other, happens. Blink...what I haven't been taught is conflict with resolution. I mean this sounds rediculous because of course I have had conflict and resolved it. What I mean is I have been taught avoidance by example, until yesterday. My friend is intense too (I laugh as I write this). She has a temper too (thank God). She is sensitive too (sweet understanding). And we fought, then we were silent, then one or the other of us offered peace in quiet words, then we fought some more and as she says, it got messy and we both stayed to clean up the mess. I know she is not holding a grudge, using my words as weapons against me, holding our friendship hostage with hurt feelings. I know she knows my heart, that my intentions are never to hurt another and she loves me more than enough to invite my intensity, the full expression of my dark and ultimately Light feelings. What next? I mean really, what is next? Let's be honest, we all have some work to do and it is in the realm of human relations. What are you willing to fight for? When intensity is present, will you stay and love, for the sake of you and the other across from you? How honest are you willing to be with yourself and those with whom you share your life? Grace is the unmerited favour of God...sometimes we give it and more often than not, we get it, without ever noticing. Today is your day~you get to be obvious and chose to invite someone into the healing process of conflict for the sake of relational resolution. This is dedicated to my Grace sister, thanks for the gloves off fight and hardy hug that followed, I love you more now than ever before. 

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is an interesting concept closely associated with spirituality. The soul grieves, aches when it feels the sting of judgement and betrayal. The body sends messages of this painful throbbing with shortness of breathe, tight chest as though a hand clenches the heart. Perhaps there is a sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach? Racing, the mind searches for understanding, explanation, some form of relief and solution from what the soul shutters from acknowledging, unwilling to face the horror of truth. Some truths are so cruel, so darkened with basement of the soul horrors that to face them feels like certain death. Feeling sensitive? Appalled perhaps by those who lie, use others for their own gain, hurt YOU because they couldn't see past themselves? Grievous, we must grieve us. Yes, grieving is a must, an essential.

The epidermis is the bodies shield, protector from outside foreign entities that can threaten life. When penetrated by a spear, a wound opens the body to a microscopic world of invaders~without medical care, the invaders are capable of take over and can cause severe perhaps life threatening damage. The body is a natural fighter, designed for healing, for recovery from attack AND it must get what it needs in the form of care for restoration. So too the soul, when under attack, becomes resilient in self preservation efforts AND deserves care, healing balm and medicinal spiritual salve. Restoration starts with acknowledging injury, grieving the pain, and closing the wound...I do not dare simplify forgiveness. I cannot and will not make it an easy effortless you can do it three step process. I can leave aside my human incomplete understanding and turn to The Authority and quote Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." If you have felt the sting of hurt or worse yet, the mortifying of your soul through rejection, being ignored, maligned and or misunderstood, you deserve some tender loving care, you deserve healing. Forgiveness is heroic, it is other worldly, it is, of God. An adaptation from an old Shakespearian quote goes like this: "To err is human, to repent divine, to persist, devilish", Benjamin Franklin. Forgiveness is Grace filled and cosmic, inconceivably vast...a gift modelled by Christ and DNA designed into the human soul~we are, after all, created in His image. 

Club Penquin

Years ago I remember being traumatized after watching a documentary called March of the Penquins. I have always loved these little stiff armed comical shuffling tuxedoed soldiers. What got me frightened and nightmarish is how programmed they are as creatures, compelled by the forces of nature to complete an annual trek to produce, care for and protect their babies only to have many of them freeze to death. Sometimes a parent is so grieved over their loss that they attempt to steal a babe from another parent. My son used to play a game many will recognize called Club Penquin. In the game, the penquins are humanized with clothing, homes and electronics as purchasable items with up grades available~in game games allowed for some cheap item purchases while real parental dollars enriched the faked up fowl with extravagant costumes, larger igloos and colourful pets. My son and his girlfriend reminisced last week about this game~it was an obsession for many and a place to virtually meet friends, a safe environment free from adults, except of course, the brilliant designers of The Game. The Game, you know what I'm talking about. The striving, the climbing, the efforts we all make to get somewhere, be someone, DO SOMETHING important for goodness sakes. I take these juxtaposed real verses virtual penguins and see humanity in all its glory and fakery. Penguins marching across glacial expanses risking life and limb for the sake of propagation, for the continuance of their breed. The love of their babies so evident that it is heart wrenching. The thought of self is foreign, un-introduced, impossible for these driven adorable ice walkers~they are simply unaware of their bravery and commitment to life, even when it is threatened and at risk. In today's venacular, these penguins have a "compelling why" for their existence. In The Game, the compelling why is competitive, comparative, condescending and oh so humanesque. The Game is a replica of the masses, clamouring for stuff and like the real penguins, awareness of self is not evident. Inexplicably moved by forces unquestioned, uninvestigated, in The Game a compelling why is a none purchasable item. Here is where we have arrived, at the hugest question of them all. WHY DO YOU EXIST? Want another? So WHAT? I mean what kind of penguin/human are YOU? There isn't a penguin in the world that will read this so I guess it's just you and I. YOU are here for a reason, WHAT IS IT? What is your "compelling why?". One life, one love, let's make it count. 

Wait

Two years ago, I selected a theme word of surrender as a marker, a reminder of allowing rather than making things happen~the subtlety of watching for clues and being moved rather than trying too hard and forcing~this was my evolutionary soul desire. During the course of the year, my word transformed and I travelled from surrender to follow Spirit, the Holy Spirit residing in me, given as a gift of faith from Christ to His followers. Sounds so delightfully easy, doesn't it? I am a willful person, submission through surrender, trusting God instead of me? Tough pill to swollen as an automated emotionally independent and stubborn human creature. Following Spirit rather than my own self serving wants and childish demands has not been easy and yet, the abundance of blessings bestowed as I connect wholeheartedly with God as my Three in One are astounding. This year, my theme word started out as patience and while everything in life moves, shifts and changes, I too have moved and as before, my word has changed from patience to wait...I will wait. This speaks to my not knowing what, how, when and who? My wise still young son said to me recently "it's none of your business who you coach". He reminded me that I do not work for humans~they are my delight, my joy to engage. My employer is God Almighty and my work is to Glorify Him, work for His praise and acknowledgment. Psalm 39:7 "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You." What is your soulful theme, your growth area for the coming year? Where does Light need to shine in the darkness of your soul? I surrender as I follow Spirit, patiently waiting for The Good Shepard to lead me. What is your soul statement this very day?

Linchpin

Linchpin is defined as: 1 a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position; 2 a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization. Without the linchpin, a wheel is dangerously unstable and at risk of falling away, putting anyone in the wheels path in jeopardy. Taking this theme a little farther, a human linchpin is the make or break vitality of an enterprise or organization and without the linchpin, there is a dead in the water feeling, a no go, not going to happen sentiment. Distilling this idea further, we have linchpin attitudes and perspectives. Let's use a highly charged example from a relational viewpoint. If you do what I want you to do, say what I want you to say, behave the way I have commanded you, I in turn will drop in the safety linchpin in our relationship by rewarding you with kind gestures, a sweet demeanour and disposition and happiness between us will abound. Now let's explore what happens when the opposite is true. Test me, go on, go against what I have dictated as acceptable word, deed, thought and like a hand grenade, I will pull that linchpin and you WILL feel the excruciating pain of having to live in negative space relationship with me. I speak of the linchpin in the negative, as a manipulative tool of possible destruction. This is not the intended dictionary definition and yet, it works in my example. The forces of good and evil, they live within us. We get to choose how we weild or weld, rip apart or melt chocolate like together. We have this power to help or hinder, heal or hurt and we are pivotal in the lives of those who cross our paths. Being pivotal is defined as: of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else, in other words, it is much like a linchpin. Now let's look at you, what kind of linchpin are YOU?

Individuation

Individuation. It's a word that has stayed with me since university days. It is the process of separating oneself out from others, a normal natural self discovery time of who am I? It goes something like this: babyhood to eighteen the child is led, taught, guided, advised by parents, adults with influence in their lives; eighteen to twenty one, young adult begins to question what they have been taught and starts to throw away what does not make sense, what seems illogical and biased on the part of the misguided adults they have been unduly subjected to. Resentment for being tricked, lied to may show up and this causes tension between the young adult and the parents or adults of influence in the child/young adults life. Attitude is tell me the truth, I can not tolerate less than the truth, life MUST make sense. At about twenty to twenty one, there is a dawning, a knowing that the world is complicated, it is never black and white, right and wrong, it is a confused jumble of what ifs and wherefores and the young adult tail spins and realizes, to quote Socrates "All I know is that I know nothing". Twenty one to twenty five, young adult has taken from youth and from new adulthood learnings and decides what to keep, what to throw away~pruning their belief systems. These are the hallmarks, the rights of passage for many a thoughtful life traveller. Change inevitably leaves marks, little nicks and their resultant scars on the relationships that started out with babe in arms and at some point turned into something new, yet to be investigated, new terrain to travel with some construction, yield, bumpy roads ahead signs warning the travellers to proceed with caution. Parenting, the only job in the world that can fulfill & frighten all at the same time with the knowledge that doing it right is virtually impossible. Young adulthood, the exciting and unsure place of what is next and does it matter? Love is the only forever glue that heals all, knows all and can see around all the corners and turns in life. Flowers can be seen bursting forth through concrete, walls and sidewalks constructed to keep nature at bay and under control...each human is a wild flower with the seed of greatness within waiting to burst forth in glorious brilliance, unencumbered by man, undaunted...the flower can't help itself, it does not know any better, it simply must BE, do what comes naturally. I dedicate this to my son, Matthew Ryan Byers. My gift from God, my little King, you are a changling. I see the man you are becoming and I await further instruction from our Heavenly Father on this next, new part of our relationship. Faithfully devoted, your mum, LGB

Risky Business

Change is risky business little lady: this is a joke I made the other day with a friend. I know what I'm talking about because I have gone out on many a limb and it is the reaction that I observe in others that can make the limb feel thin and ready to drop me or wide and broad enough to hold my weight and even the weight of many others, who may want to come on out there one join me. 

Entrepreneurial world 

Risk is emotionally charged and can feel life threatening and yet, without taking risk, life is a dull lack lustre day in day out merry go round trip, rotating in a tiny self contained world. By contrast, the entrepreneurial world is rich with risk takers. They boldly go where many dare not: there is a life and limb (using our tree metaphor again) feeling whenever business ideas are conceived and then put into place.  

• Who will come? 
• How will I pay my bills? 
• Is this a good idea? 
• Am I CRAZY? 
• Maybe I should just get a real job? 

Work the heart

Angst can keep the faint at heart in a holding pattern and yet, taking risk is a way to strengthen the heart muscle. I read an article that inspired me to action, about strengthening this vital organ. Work the heart, like any other muscle, to the point of failure. So I did:

I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could and nearly passed out from the effort. (Please note: I am not giving running advice or suggestions here~I am a trained professional and know my limits, I have no idea about yours). 

Effectively more powerful and confident

My point, you ask? I'm here to tell about pushing limits, going as hard as possible, taking the risk of potential failure for the benefit of living through it all, stronger and effectively more powerful and confident in our capacity as human beings than seemed possible before the push: prior to the risk taking. In testing limits, we find out they are much further down the road than we first anticipated. It is this push practice that heightens our desire and drive to achieve, to accomplish, to make our mark in the world. We tell ourselves that we were created for much when we choose to live past perceived limits. 

Your heart

Now let's take a good look at your heart: 

• What risk do you take in the breaking of your heart when you don't allow it to work at full capacity?
• In other words, how weak to the point of breakage, has your heart become from disuse?
• Have you become faint of heart?

There is an inverse relationship to this scenario. When we do not take risks, when we remain status quo, when we acquiesce to a worldly laziness, we become inept, incapable and decomposed, rotting from the inside out with wasted potential. 

Willingness to show weakness

Change is risky business because emotions feel like they might suffocate, drown, and ultimately kill. Many a heart aches with longing for release and is never given the freedom to express and this too, becomes a risk as the heart threatens to explode from the chest, rupture from lack of acknowledgment, lack of attention, lack of exercising what it was created for. The willingness to show weakness by exposing oneself to potential failure can and often does, result in strength gains:

But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Run in such a way that you may win

Choose strengthening your heart

You are currently in a position, aren't you dear reader? to choose strengthening your heart in the face of risk. You don't have to do this alone, in fact, you simply cannot: but you can choose to run as fast as your heart will allow, to the point of fainting, of failing, of tripping and skinning your knees. The rewards far out way the risks and the badge of honour that you will receive for breaking free from mediocrity, will shine brilliantly forth from that on fire heart of yours. 

Answers come with asking questions

• What does your heart need today? 
• What risk are you willing to take in order to strengthen this vital organ? 

Lastly, we have these words:

Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind (Psalm 26:2). 

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win (1Corinthians 9:24). 

GPS

Blah blah blah is what I hear when given detailed instructions. Making plans to meet someone somewhere for the first time is painful, especially when directions start pouring out of their mouth. Invariably, I interrupt them, not wanting time wasted on shared information that refuses to enter my stopped up ears. An address is all I need and gps or my own experienced Global Positioning System will be activated to get me there, wherever there happens to be. General Patton suggested "If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you'll be amazed at the results." I have had a slow dawning of realization and with it came a recent verbalization of what I am and am not with regard to my intelligence. The freedom that flooded me in acknowledging my natural skill sets was a refreshing washing clear of the nonsense of judgement that came when I just couldn't understand details. I have emotional intelligence, defined as "the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically."  I have joked with several of my friends that while they are Mercy, I am Justice. I have a knack for cutting through extraneous emotional nonsense and getting to the heart of matters. I am empathic and feel the pain of others and with this power, I have an extreme capacity that is becoming highly attuned to deception, fraud, masked emotions and sentiments. I am a justice seeker, truth teller, intolerant of being led down the garden path to dead ends. I have desire that burns for what is good, pure and right and I chase this relentlessly to the point of bloodied feet and torn hands as I grasp and attempt to hold it tightly. It is the desperation of the chase that causes a disruption In my judgement, my perceptions...time to listen and learn is essential for course correction. (I give credit for the clarity of my current understanding to having recently finished reading the book Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell). Freedom comes from The Light of Truth and yet, we are sinners, we are wanting in the categories in which God reigns supreme. This is why I cannot rely on little itty bitty me, He is my Grand Daddy GPS. God Personal Saviour. When I listen to Him, the message is never garbled, confused, staticky. His voice is clear and His guidance takes me through unchartered territories with a path opening up before me as I take each faith filled step. His voice becomes my Commanding Officer and I need not chase, run, become bloodied and torn in my persuing. The Truth needs not prove Himself, He is, was and always will be~in saying this, I am set free. I need not prove, explain what I am, am not capable of, I need only joyfully accept, embrace, and celebrate the gifts He chooses to bestow, to the Glory of His Name. Your turn, what are you ready to declare about who you are, what you are naturally good at, what direction you WANT to take guided by your own GPS? One life, One Love, All of it yours to have, go get it. 

No Guts, No Glory

Forlorn is the feeling when I don't know, when you don't know, what we are here for, what purpose it serves to exist? The age of reckoning is at your doorstep when these questions begin to knock on your heart, stirring your soul. Looking for purpose is a process of self discovery and while the digging around for meaning and worth is consuming, persistence pays off dividends when the moment comes, the sun breaks through the clouds of doubt and THERE IT IS, your REASON for being. Here are some starting point questions for you: What breaks your heart? What makes your heart sing? What would your perfect work day, look and feel like? You can know the answer to these questions by taking the time to figure out what gets your blood pumping and what drives you to action? These are the clues to your purpose and destiny. Here is a quote from General George S. Patton. Jr: "A man must know his destiny, if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder, if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it." Tap tap tap, destiny is trying to get your attention. Our eyes and ears are naturally attuned to what is valuable and important to us. I don't like Opera music, in fact I find it excruciating to endure~it sets my teeth to grinding. I do like music and my ears and imagination perk up when their is a beat, a chorus I can sing along to and a meaningful story that moves me to feel. I got the music in me, it isn't just any old music that will do. You too, have the music in you, your own brand of get you going sound, sights, sentiments. They draw you inexplicably and when you allow the pull, you allow the sweetness of your purpose to come alive. A job, work, a pay cheque, is that all you are worth? NO WAY! You live with a built in Divine Destiny. Now picture the fork in the road that you face. Which path do you choose? We only get tapped by destiny "at the very most, three times"...do you have the guts to claim what is your destiny, and live fully? No guts, no glory.

Growth via Discomfort

How afraid of pain are you? Do you avoid it, deny its existence, run like you are being chased at the idea of being with your pain or the pain of another? Growing pains are a metaphor for the life of the fully actualized adult. I know I'm on the verge of a life lesson when I become impatient, harsh, irritated. These soul sandpaper indicators are my early warning signs for a bumpy spiritual growth spurt ahead~a rebuke of some kind. Reading the signs of my internal weather system is becoming easier and with 10 000 hours of consistent investment in my learning, I have heard mastery will be mine. Mastery of what, you ask? Awareness, I want to be aware, awake, available to hear, see, feel or perhaps, more accurately, sense and trust that what I am observing makes "sense" in a way that I just don't have to always explain or understand. Let's get practical, shall we? Have you ever listened ad nauseam to someone and felt your ire grow as your time is wasted only to discover that this happens to be one of your annoying tendencies? I am grinning as I write this because words are precious AND in the mouths of the unconscious speaker, they become worthless, tasteless and like a junk food meal with no nutritional value. Awareness serves the listener and in this example, the speaker. The discomfort comes when I know, you know, that something must change, some learning and ultimate growth must occur to ensure that connection remains intact. Distilling this further, there is a time to ask, what is the point? Where are we going and how come? Pain has a place, it requires attention. There is a message and a point to pain and to ignore this is to reject the growth that comes from reconciling. Soul sand paper is necessary to smooth off edges and prepare the soul for Peace and Joy, the desired inner weather system. You can run but you cannot hide, pain pursues relentlessly and demands attention and the unwilling will and do show signs of soul sickness when avoidance is the pattern. Growth is uncomfortable, so what? The benefits of acknowledging and working through the pain far outweigh the cost of ignoring and avoiding. I dedicate this to Dana Candy, my wise, faithful forever growing and learning friend and hairdresser. Dana~you shine brightly in a darkened world, Gods Light guides many through you, one of His very own, you are a Beacon of Truth. Thanks for the inspiration Dana, I love you! 

Quarantine

Quarantine~"A state, period, or place of isolation in which people that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed". A quarantine is protective by nature, preventative in the attempt to contain a known disease from spreading. Epidemic causalities comes to mind when contagions are not taken seriously, dealt with appropriately and in a timely fashion. What about the people who have been closed off, the people who carry potentially life threatening disease, the ones who are at risk of early death themselves? What dangers were they exposed to, putting their lives precariously in the hands of fate? Toxins are everywhere and yet, the majority of us live rather care free, healthy lives, never having been separated out from the herd for their protection from our nasty microscopic bugs. I have yet to meet a previously quarantined person and I am grateful for the wellbeing and physical safety I have thus far enjoyed. I am prepping you for an idea I have, of some self directed, protective quarantine like choices that are readily available that may feel life threatening and so foreign as to make you feel like you just don't belong, that you have put YOURSELF out of the herd. It's daring, I warn you now...its, it's, being...alone, by choice. I'm gonna go crazy here, and make another idea known~make being alone a habit, a defined, boxed off, protected from the socially infected dis ease of a world gone mad with imposition and demands on your time, your energy, your life force. Choose to stay healthy and whole by keeping contagions at bay with less exposure. Want to protect your family life? Choose time dedicated to being with them. Want to grow your business? Draw lines of demarcation that cannot be crossed. Want to have a loving partnership with your mate? Be with them and let nothing keep you from them. What do you want more of that you haven't got the "time" for? What has infected your thinking and kept you from what is truly important to you? Actions always speak louder than words. If you long to be somewhere other than where you are, how can you quarantine yourself, protect what is valuable to you? Be alone first, give yourself the gift of quiet so that you can hear your own voice, speak your longing. Than choose, how do I want my life to look? Who gets in, past the protective doors to the inner chambers of my heart? Will exposure make me/ keep me well, or like a nasty soul infestation, will I be sickened from the exposure? I know, I know, it's not that simple you say? That's the fun part, you get to figure out how to get where you want to be, it's all you my friend, you are capable and wise. 

Strength

Strength for the day. Ever wake up groggy and wondering how you will be of use, of service today? It's a disconcerting awareness and makes me think of an old cartoon, the one where Fred Flintstones bloodshot eyes are held open by toothpicks, the only thing keeping him from falling asleep. Sleep is a mysterious blanket of vulnerable unawareness and as I write, I consider sleepiness as a similar state of being too dull to notice, being unaware. Perhaps it can be the opposite? Perhaps in a slightly subdued state, human striving and accomplishing can give way to a quieting of the spirit, an openness to hearing without searching for answers...as the earth prepares for the deep sleep of winter, rhythmically we too become drowsy, readying ourselves for the still. As I write, the wind becomes audible with the rustling of the drying leaves on the trees. I hear the seconds being clicked and counted on the wall clock and I wonder what the day will bring? I have a schedule with names in slots, appointments with real people who have their own scheduled lives and I realize how important it is that they are a part of my life, not my schedule. For this day, my prayer comes from Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint". God gives me strength, awareness, a keen desire to be available, especially when slumber would steal from His glory. 

Judas

I have been pondering the relationships Jesus had during his short ministry here on earth. Jesus selected his twelve apostles and with a come follow me wave of the hand, followed closely by multiple miracles including healing of the blind, diseased, demon possessed and raising of the dead, many more became disciples. Within the twelve, Jesus had his trusted three and within the three, Jesus had what is called, his favourite, said to be John. Jesus knew his disciples and could read what was on their minds, their hearts. Some would call it intuition and yet it is far more than this, far more than what the average intuitive, the regular empath can pick up...he saw into a person's past, their present condition and their future, including what would amount to their eternal fate and he would speak it, predicting what was, is and would be. God is like that, he just plain old knows. My curiosity has been revolving around Judas Iscariot, the one who's name is infamously associated with betrayal. Jesus said in John 6:70 Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the devil. Jesus was not a lamb to slaughter, make no mistake, he knew what his purpose was, what he had come to do and what was required of him. He was the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. He knew how, when, where, who~the unfolding was for human understanding, not a flip of the script for The Christ. He knew. Bringing us back to Judas~he too knew, what he was doing, why, what the out come would be. He was one of Jesus' friends, a close companion, trusted apostle, breaking bread and drinking wine with God himself. Despite his knowing, seeing, experiencing Jesus in the flesh, he ultimately denied him. It seems beyond crazy to me and in the sickest sense, the extreme and perfect example in narcissistic behaviour and thought. Hanging out with God, following him around, being given the ability to heal JUST LIKE HIM, HOLY COW, that sounds like Heaven on earth to this tiny wannabe like God human! Judas, I shake my head, being with God and just NOT getting it. How about you? He is by your side, do you too, deny him as your God? King James Bible John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed. God chooses, walks along side, invites us to join him and than leaves the rest up to us, come, follow Me is the offer. What will YOU do?

Company

What happens when you are expecting company? In my house, there is a flurry of activity starting with menu planning, grocery shopping, food preparation and some major house cleaning. I love what having company represents to my family. This is when we function optimally, bees readying the hive for royal guests. This got me to thinking~what if we were ALWAYS ready for company? What if hospitality defined who we are? There is a sparkling welcome, deliciously scented air, warm hugs and a smiling invitation to enter~it is intimate sharing of space, food, home. The very best of who I am, who you are, shows up when valued company enters my/your dwelling place. There is a readiness to receive and a willingness to share that makes the experience extraordinary. Readiness, being prepared makes ease of entertaining enjoyable for guests and hosts alike. There is a graciousness in the shared experience. Now what about unexpected guests, you ask? What about them? It depends on you...Here is what the Bible says: Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. How prepared are you, to welcome and receive? Whether the company is of the human or Heavenly Host variety, we are called to be hospitable. Kinda wonderful this Thanksgiving day!

Eyes of the Heart

It occurs to me this day how much fear has ruled the roost in my life. I pray~in prayer, I ask for Gods protection over my loved ones, people that are dear to me. My prayer this morning changed from a protective nature to a request, that my people see miracles today. After all, life abundant is about more than survival, it is about thriving. The spirit of fear and The Spirit Of Faith, diabolical opposition to Heavenly Affirmation. I am a Christ follower and as a Christ follower, the Holy Spirit dwells within me. King James Bible 1 John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world". NKJV 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind". All arrows point to despair, worry, hopeless helplessness with a world tipping sideways while innocent blood is shed and people are being shoved, trodden upon, murdered and pushed out of this world. It is God that gives life and God alone who is entitled to decide our earthly death date and it is heinous to witness man against man, a perversion of His plan...we are to love Him and show this love by loving one another. It is not a safe world because humans have their hands on each other's throats. I will look for God in the clouds, I await Him..."The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil"...In fearing no evil, I am taking a stand to faithfully follow the Good Shepherd. The eyes of my heart seek His face and where there is God, His love is evident and miracles abound. This day, I pray you see miracles, feel them, and than look around to see Gods hand in all the good you receive. 

Resentment

Resentment, grudge holding, have you ever had these sentiments? They are active emotions, sometimes behind the scenes bit actors and more often than not, they can perform the leading role, cast as YOU, in life's play. Recurrent thoughts of having been done wrong can become a sticky plaque, a bacterial deposit attaching itself onto the soul. The resentment, silent or otherwise, can become the reason for distrust in relationship and for as long as the active feeling is alive and well, fed life giving oxygen, it will grow and become. This brings me to you, and I. Have you ever offended someone? Hurt their feelings, betrayed a trust, told their secret? Have you treated someone with impatience, been unkind? How about cruelty, unjust and biased behaviour, favoritism, exclusion, mean spirited gossip? How about hoping someone would just get lost? Ever wish a person would disappear? Have you banished someone with your thoughts? What is in there, that heart of yours? Resentment, grudge holding, they can bring out the very worst in us AND help us justify the awful inclinations of emotional retaliation. You hurt me, I hurt so and so and so on, and so on. The plaque becomes plague, coating us all in the ichy oil spill of a blackened leaky heart. Forgiveness is a bold step, an affirming yes to healing of self and often times, a confirmation that I too, am guilty of the wrong doing for which I resent and accuse others. Mark 11:25 "And if you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Easier said than done you say? Well of course, forgiveness takes awareness. A conscientious awareness precedes all the kind and loving stuff that forgiveness is made up of. Just like resentment and grudge holding, loving forgiveness requires feeding, life giving oxygen. You get to work on the plaque that has coated your heart. You get to chip away at it and give yourself the gift of wholeness, the healing that comes from recognizing that since you are imperfect and require and request forgiveness, that you too are capable of forgiving others for their flawed ways. Hard work, yes indeed. Can it be done? Go find out, it may be the best day of your life followed by many more. 

YOU

That's good, but it would be better if...I like it, why don't you try this next time...what do these statements mean to you? Have you ever heard them directed toward you? Have you ever heard them, coming out of YOUR mouth and directed towards another? Perfectionists everywhere, beware, these are the words that strike at the heart of the receiver and I'm wondering, how often are these words turned inward? Don't mistake my message. Excellence is valuable and attainable~aspiring to excellence is well, excellent. The point I am making is that the above statements are insults robed in subtlety and supposed helpful tips and hints and the message is that whatever has been delivered is not quite good enough and with a few touches from an expert, vast improvements can be made. Where does that leave the corrected one, the person who's efforts and product or service lacks a certain something? I don't know, you tell me? I'm not a perfectionist and I am thankful for this because I have much delight over kind gestures, imperfect compliments and the sincerity wrapped up in strange and wonderful gifts. I am forgiving of mistakes because I make them all the time and ask for forgiveness all the time, how sweet for me! No room for perfection around here and I'm happy about that because of the head and heart space it affords me to think and be this way. It's fun being me...it took some time to not take myself too seriously and now that I'm here, I'm a good time. How about you, is it fun being YOU?

A Touch of the Eternal

What gives you "a touch of the eternal"? I'm reading John C. Maxwell's book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth and I picked up this theme from his book. His question is "why do you do what you do?" In his book he speaks of gaps, the idea that where you are and where you want to be may be far apart. How come? I mean if this is the case for you, what answer(s) do you have for this great divide, this gap of you here and your dream being wayyyyyyy over there? Give yourself a five minute meditative gift and ask: does my day feel like an endless eternity, a trap of never ending sameness, a repeat OR is my day like a reaching forward, a swishing past the thin veil that separates the real from the surreal, a brushing shoulders with the heavenlies, the ones that see past the here and now into the great eternity of the beyond? I took myself to the other side in the later part of that picture question and I hope you did too. Here are the facts...money, it comes and goes and there is lots of it out there to be had. Time, well that's a whole different animal, it goes and never seems to come back. What you do, what I do with time, energy, interests is of supreme importance because it can and does shape the world we live in and the lives we touch or more poignantly, the lives we DON'T touch when the gap between where you are and where you want to be remains an abysmal chasm. Every person has a purpose, a job to do. Ultimately, we are all in a service industry and what I do for a living should be, could be, is, just that, I do it to live and to be advocate for others to live fully too. I get paid AFTER I speak life, share life and hope with another, this sharing of life is my "touch of the eternal", it stays with me long after the money I earned is spent. Loop time, why do you do what you do? What would a touch of the eternal look like in your life? Be bold now, how do you close the gap, build a bridge to the other side? Time is not on your side, tick tock, tick tock...what will you do? 

Time in a Bottle

Death, dying, the edge of them both. How to live knowing that death is eminent? Do you face it head on, say hello death, I see you lurking there in the shadows, waiting for me, a thief ready to steal what is not yours. How about this, I see you not death, you do not exist in fact, I will cheat YOU, you have no say, no hold on me, I AM and I CHOOSE. Sigh, both weaken me and feel like a fight, bravado, a human approach to a supernatural extravaganza. Dying truly is a solo act in many ways because our souls are attached to our bodies and we each travel independently of one another in these vehicles of pain and pleasure. Heavy on my heart is death too soon for the many who suffer the persecution of a body that has turned against them, like an army of enemy soldiers who have breached the wall of protection and freely ravage and destroy~this is an unbelievably cruel living hell, one perhaps that only death can free a person from. Then, does death become welcome friend? I have not yet visited that threshold and can only wonder, even marvel at it from here. I am not afraid of death AND I am well aware that life is my greatest God given gift. I read recently that time is everyone's most precious commodity~the song Time in a Bottle comes to mind and makes me long for more of it, with those that have gone before me, across to the other side. You have someone you love that you miss and haven't seen for a while, spoken to? Tell them now, you miss them, love them, pray for them, that you care. It may be the gift that heals you both.

Feel It To Heal It

You touch a hot pan and instantly, you feel the burn and using good sense, you reach for ice or some other remedy to stave off blistering. You touch a hot pan, you feel the burn and make a mental note that there will be a blister later, you continue cooking, company is coming and you put off dealing with what will be an evident injury soon enough. In your preparation frenzy, you can feel that spot on your arm, demanding attention. The arm is not impeding your progress, you carry on and as planned, dinner is served. While sharing your wonderful food with good friends, you lift a glass, toasting your company and there it is, for everyone to see. You had forgotten about the burn and now the person across the table from you says "ouch, that's quite the blister, that must have hurt!". Suddenly, it does hurt, or maybe it hurt all along...you dismiss the injury, it's nothing, it will heal, "anyone for dessert?" you cheerfully ask? Company leaves, you are alone and somehow, the blister hurts more than it did beforehand, and you wonder how that is possible? Distraction served a purpose and now here you are, you and your pain causing burn. What will you do to heal the hurt you feel? How will you take care of yourself? You know what I am driving at. You may bury your pain, the hurts and injuries that life and people have caused and yet, they are still there, wanting you to turn your attention to them for the healing they deserve. You may believe that no one can see your pain and I am here to tell you that like a blister, pain eventually leaks out and discerning care filled eyes and ears look for see and hear your masked pain. You are the one, the brave and bold soul that must acknowledge your injury, pay attention to the healing remedy you require and take hold of your own wellness~you've got to feel it to heal it, know it's there to show you care, about YOURSELF. Once you acknowledge your hurt, there are people who want the very best for you, waiting to be by your side as you take steps to fortified strength. You are wondrously made and healing is available, help yourself today. 

Half That

Half That. I read an article years ago that stated we consume 50% more calories than we think we do in a day. For those of us who have tried to lose or maintain a certain weight, the suggestion of count your calories is familiar as a dietary tool. The purpose of this becomes evident when food is considered for consumption and then the decision is made, worth it or not worth it? The ultimate goal is awareness, being on task with an established goal requires attention to the details, in this case, every little calorie and all the little friends it hangs out with that want to make your butt or belly their new home. So, here's my logic, if we consume 50% more than we think we do and we want to lose some weight (we are in this together now), than one easy way to do this is to half that, that's right, fill your bowl with pasta & your moms meat sauce (mine is cooking right now), and than be bold and brave, put half of that back in the pan from whenst it came! How much do you need? Half that is the answer. Maybe half THAT is the next answer in the que. Half that may mean a whole new you, where else can YOU use Half That? To be more direct here, what you need and what you want may be two different things and unawareness can lead you down the path of never never get there land. What do YOU want, figure it out and let someone know, accountability is a beautiful thing. 

Protective Custody

Protective Custody started long ago, it was a mandate from God, an instruction to Moses for those who accidentally killed another, a person that may be pursued by a relative of the deceased, seeking to avenge the loss of loved one. It worked like this: I throw a stone and unbeknownst to me, the trajectory of said stone is in direct line with the body of another, that person dies. I have killed, I am not innocent of killing and yet, I am innocent of murder, my stone throwing was never to have resulted in hurting or killing another. Witnesses can attest to these facts and yet, there may be an angry, hurt relative that cannot accept this truth and in their emotional state of shock, pain, grief, they seek to retaliate. The stone thrower, in this case, me, is told to go to an established safe place, a town dedicated as a haven of protection where a priest, a man of God, becomes my shield, until he dies. I am not to leave the town until the priest dies and than I am free to return home...think of the pain of loss for all. The family of the dead loved one must live with memories, no longer able to have and to hold the person they loved. The stone thrower must live with knowing that they caused death and that despite their lack of malice in killing, someone out there may want to make them pay for having taken what is precious from them. God knows hearts, the hurt and pain that lives there, the inability to right wrongs that we wish desperately to make amends for. It is not humanly possible to fix, glue back together, turn back clocks or undo a stone that has been thrown. Our only protection and shield from what has become, is God~He alone provides a safe haven, a refuge from...what do you need refuge from? What is it that can't be undone? To whom do you turn for safety? Notice, the stone thrower is not innocent of killing, only innocent of the intention to kill. We are not innocent, because for every stone we throw, there are countless ones that have malice enrobing them. Gods mandates, the ones that He gave as law to His people, the Isrealites, are the very same laws that govern us today. His instructions were protective and instructive, covering us with how to'es for living. Most importantly, He wanted us to know that it is He that judges, protects, saves, that man alone is just that, alone and wide open to attack. Knowing human frailty and inclination to reaction, God governs for the greatest good of mankind and His only request is that we abide, honour Him and have reverence for His governance. The Priest in the Old Testament is an archetype, a foreshadowing of Christ. Curious? Read it for yourself, The Bible as all time best seller makes sense, it is the precursor of ALL books worthy of reading. 

Splinter & Thorn

A splinter in your eye, a thorn in your side...a vexation to your spirit. What vexes your spirit? I am in a state of admiration for the clients I have the privilege of working with, the brave souls that almost willingly bear and bare all for the sake of the people in their lives, the relationships that are valuable to them. I say almost willingly because when a coaching relationship starts, clients aren't too sure of what is in store for them. Coaching is uniquely wonderful and when client and coach are magnetically drawn to work together, everything is possible. It is in relationship that trust and truth are mutually shared and in this environment, vulnerability and soul exposure become glorious expressions with sunrises and settings...there is newness in the learning and a putting to bed of the old ways. Seeing wonder and hope in the eyes of another is one of the greatest gifts available to mankind, it speaks to renewal and the shedding of old dust coated clothes. Getting help is a character statement~clients want for themselves and are willing to do the hard and sometimes painful work of looking firstly at themselves and then out into the world. Who am I is the question? What do I want, believe? What is most important to me? How will I show the world who I am? Ask yourself these questions, they are the ones that are rarely asked and when they are asked, the deep soul searching begins. Staying the course to being who you say you are is the work after the work...digging into the ground, uprooting rocks and trees and roots, these are the splinter in the eye, the thorn in the side. Pouring the concrete for your foundation, that is the who I am part of your structure. Building the frame and walls, these are your protection from the elements, the outside influences that threaten to change the you you have discovered. The inside of the house, the haven, where many or few are invited in to see who you are, this is where what is most important to you shows up. What kind of house have you built? How have you decorated it? Who is welcome there? What does your house say about who you are? Can it (you) be blown over with one hardy puff? Is your structure, your character sound? 

What needs be plucked from your eye, your side, in order to free you? What vexation of the spirit holds you captive? I dedicate this to my clients, the brave, the bold, the courageous builders that heal themselves for the sake of others~I am beholden. 

Fine Lines

I have been thinking about fine lines and when and how they get crossed. One of mine is when I travel sideways and over the thin line from being discerning to being judgemental. Discernment is a gift of the spirit and means the ability to judge well. Judgemental is defined as having or displaying an overly critical point of view. I can feel when I am crossing over to the dark side because I have a strong need to be right, to justify my opinion or take on a given situation. Being judgemental is a red danger zone for me because in relationship, it leaves very little room for autonomy and freedom of expression for other. Discernment, on the other hand, presents as a gift for both parties, information that can be shared, observed that is clean and pure without the taint of human muddying. With discernment, truth can be shared in safety, even if the truth is painful. The gift part of the discerning are the options that become available to choose what is next, to judge what is prudent, wise, beneficial. Discernment is knowing a truth, being judgemental is having an opinion and it may very well be far far from the truth. What are your lines? When do you cross over to the dark side? What excuses do you make for "going there"? What brings you back into The Light or is darkness your perpetual keeper? What lines are you willing to draw in the sand...oh wait, that's a whole other topic. 

To Be

To Be or not to Be, that is the question...Shakespeare. Here in lies the huge question of our being, our existence. Sometimes being in this world is painful, a challenge, a struggle. Being can also be a joy, a delight, a glorious expression of aliveness. Perhaps you identify with all of the above with a penchant, a leaning in one direction or the other? The way I am writing this, it's an either or and I ask that you consider which perspective you are most inclined toward~struggling in this life or experiencing joy. Simplistic, yes, and the question is how do you "be" whilst you still "are"? My aim is not to limit human expression, I am targeting YOU, asking that you self assess and ask what is my view, from inside this shell, this soul that is housed in the vehicle of my body? I recall hearing these phrases growing up: born to suffer; born alone, die alone. I laugh at writing these phrases, a sardonic reaction to the messages in the phrases. Being cynical is a harsh reality, one born from pain and suffering~it is a tainted view that can colour a personality, relationships, a life. It is also a chosen perspective, to see life and relationship this way, a self defence mechanism gone haywire. To die alone means that you also lived, alone, separated from other, isolated unto yourself. If you were to die today, what word would people use to describe your departing? Who would people say you were, what life meant to you, what your gift to the world was? When remembered, would it be fondly or with unresolved troubled mixed emotions? Were you a struggler or joyful? Pain is a transformative gift and we all must experience it, I'm grateful for every pain filled aware moment in my life, it helps me appreciate pain freeness and resultant joy extravagantly. It's like going to the osteopath with a stiff neck and not realizing how painful it was until I'm in my car backing out of my space and realizing I can turn my head, pain free, woohoo! Now, here we get to the point, the tough spot, the choice part of all this nonsense. How much of miserable and or joy are YOU responsible for? How much struggling in life can be attributed to your own inner messaging system? Were you born to suffer, is that your modus operandi? Do you complain far more than celebrate? Come on, you know the answer, what is your inclination? Grin, I hope you choose joy, celebration, LIFE, celebrating all the special little offerings, small yet to be unwrapped gifts that surround you. Do your own soul a favour, get an adjustment if misery and difficulty with resultant struggling are the only tunes played in your head and heart, invest in a new tune and listen as life begins to play a melody, right before your very ears. 

I Might As Wells

I might as well...have you ever said these words, like a nonchalant word shrug attached to some form of self indulgence? You want an example you say? The might as wells go something like this as it pertains to food or drink, of the alcoholic variety: I'm on vacation, I might as well; its a holiday, I might as well; we have company, I might as well; I'm bored, sad, mad, I might as well; lastly, I'm already too far gone, fat, miserable and beyond hope, I might as well. Wait, yes, wait...who teaches just wait? I remember reading about fitness results and bench marks. Three months of consistency with workouts and healthful eating shows up at this point and results are visible, measurable, appreciable. At six months, changes are undeniable. One workout added to many workouts is transformative. The incremental changes are significant and the payoff for persistence can change health status and ultimately, longevity. The same is true with every indulgent shoulder shrug of I might as well...over time, the changes are visible, measurable, undeniably evident. Evidence is representative of habit and cannot be hidden, at least, not for too long. So, at this point there is a directional challenge. Hitting the mark is impossible without an established target, the challenge is finding the target and determining what a bullseye looks like. Once this is established, the how to parts of aiming can begin. I used fitness as an example and you get to choose your own target. You can't get there without knowing where there is...I learned this question technique today from two great friends who learned it from a pro~what's up, so what, what now? Don't let the might as wells determine your direction, you get to choose what, when where with whom and how, it's your life.