Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘inspiration’

Quiet My Soul

We’re snowed in!

The four foot drift

Behind my car is tall;

Not looking very friendly at all.

The flakes still fall.

abstract blur bright christmas

Photo by Meve R. on Pexels.com

It’s too much to shovel

And once that’s removed

What about the three foot waves

Gathered here creating graves

In our long driveway?

snow covered rocky mountain

Photo by Orest Sv on Pexels.com

“I have composed

And quieted my soul”

Psalm 131:2 is a reminder

To take off the blinders;

Trust God, the Perfect Finder.

photography of person peeking

Photo by Noelle Otto on Pexels.com

He helps me find what matters most.

I trust Him to quiet my soul.

Help me not to implode in

This spot, but find the Jesus road in

Whatever place I am snowed in.

snowy pathway surrounded by bare tree

Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

The path isn’t blocked;

The wheelbarrow of tasks

May be inaccessible, but I can

Find His plan if I scan

 The land where I am.

So, compose my soul, dear Lord.

Help me find peace

And contentment. Just tuck me

In and channel me; don’t chuck me

Right where You’ve stuck me!

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Photo by Rick Otten on Pexels.com

Don’t let me get caught in

This web of cold and confusion.

You’re here to hold me.

You protect and you mold me.

I will trust what You’ve told me.
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Amen?
and Amen!

Sunday Morning Divisions

Are you in sanctuary or synagogue or temple or church today?
God Bless You!

 

In my quiet time this morning, Carol Mackey reflected on 1 Cor. 1:10 in which Paul wrote to the people of Corinth, “Now I plead with you… that you speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind…”

Carol wrote in Guideposts’ Mornings with Jesus, “Sunday morning at eleven o’clock is the most segregated hour of the week.”

 

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I was prompted in thinking about that statement to create this Haiku x4:

Sunday Mornings

Segregation thrives
most in Sunday morning pews.
Where’s our unity?

white tealight candles lit during nighttime
Race and culture,
Ideology and thoughts
Pull worship apart.

building architecture church old
It must sadden God;
It must grieve Jesus’ heart
To see divisions.

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Instead of focus
On our obvious fractures,
Focus on One God!

.

 

bible blur christ christianity

All Photos here are by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Many people are unaware that the first five books of the Bible are the Jewish Torah.

Everything on earth is created by our One God.
On that we who worship the One God can agree, right?


As we worship God,
how can we use that worship time
as a time of

UNITY
and not
DIVISION?

Happy Birthday Abe!

Nary a word

Did I hear

Of the President

I hold so dear

 

Next weekend will be

His birthday, I see

But today is the real

Day, don’t you see?

 

So Happy Birthday to Abe

To Lincoln take a bow

And honor his memory

Celebrate his life now!

 

In your home

Honor all, love dearly,

Let agape love reign

And share His message clearly.

Abraham Lincoln said, “The strength of a nation lies in the homes of its people.”

Renewing Creativity

Contemplate rhythm
Renew creativity
Establish practice

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Patterns of nature
Reminders of importance
Seek repetition

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Frisky animals
Reminders of  neediness
Practice playfulness

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Elegant creatures
Constant reminders to seek
Beauty in our lives

trees in park

Stillness in nature
Wonderful reminder, yes,
To find perfect rest

high angle view of lying down on grass

Rest is an essential part of renewing creativity.
In “The Book of Creation,” J. Philip Newell wrote,

“The extent to which we are divorced from the complementary
rhythms of restfulness and creativity is the extent to which
we are cut off from patterns of well-being
within ourselves and our relationships.”

J Philip Newell went on to explain,

“If we fail to establish regular practices of stillness and rest, our creativity will be either exhausted or shallow. Our countenance,  instead of reflecting a vitality of fresh, creative energy that is sustained by the restorative depths of stillness, will be listless or frenetic.”

Are you sometimes feeling listless or frenetic? 

J Philip Newell concludes,
“Creativity without rest,
and productivity without renewal,
leads to exhaustion of our inner resources.”


Want to renew your creativity?

  • Contemplate rhythms of nature
  • Practice repetition
  • Be playful
  • Seek beauty
  • Find rest
  • Count your blessings

 

Remember the Elements of Creativity

According to Christine Valters Paintner in her book, The Artist’s Rule,
“Creativity is an essential and life-giving practice that (in order to flourish) requires:

  • Spaciousness
  • Attention, and
  • Intention”

 

What will you do today to increase your creativity?

How will you give yourself
the spaciousness
to call attention
to your blessings, and
to your intention
to write your next blog
more creatively?

 

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Plan ahead… Give it a rest… Think about it…

 

 … and write a comment below, will you?

 

It helps me to know I’m not “blowin’ in the wind!”

 

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

 

 

I Wish You CAVU

I wish you CAVU.

Do you know what CAVU is?

I didn’t until today.

Mike Pence spoke eloquently at George H.W. Bush’s funeral today. I loved his reference to the letter GHW Bush sent last August to Pence’s son. In the letter former President Bush referred to his understanding of Mike Pence’s pride in the accomplishments of his son, and he mentioned his desire for the young Pence to adopt the “CAVU Spirit”.

I had not heard of CAVU before. As a Navy pilot speaking to a young Marine who had recently reached a new pilot’s landmark, each man understood the acronym from a personal perspective.

Like Geo. H.W. Bush’s wish to Mike Pence’s son, I also wish you CAVU today and always:

“Ceiling and visibility unlimited.”

AMEN

What’s Your Image of Afghanistan?

Last night Bob & I attended a documentary at the Emerson Theater in Bozeman, MT. The topic: “Angels Are Made of Light.”

What is your perception of the people of Afghanistan?

police army commando special task force

Photo by Somchai Kongkamsri on Pexels.com

Before the documentary, our response to that question was, “War-torn, depressed, aggressive, beaten-down, varied, down-trodden and fearful.”

 

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After seeing the documentary, our response is, “Resourceful, hopeful in the midst of what might look hopeless, tenacious, clean, basically healthy looking, and respectful of their elders.”

The newspaper review that prompted us to attend was glowing. We met Jason, the reviewer last night. Sorry I didn’t catch his last name. The newspaper page we have doesn’t list it. I’ll edit this and include it when I find out, because I will quote him:

“It is not a complete and objective telling of the country’s history, but rather a series of powerful semblances from those who lived through it. The imagery is vivid, and the contrast between the historic images of the city (Kabul), in times of greater prosperity, and those of the present day are stark reminders of how much the country has changed.”

Jason’s review hooked us in when he wrote, “The cinematography is simply exceptional. Langley is a true craftsman, and he works brilliantly with natural light.”

We were intrigued by the opportunity to  “linger up close with the film’s subjects for long moments… ”  The concentration of subjects was on the school children – – – especially a group of Afghani boys of about 10 -14 years of age. We wanted to “feel their breathing, see them thinking, working, watching the world go by.” And we did!

grayscale photo of group of children

“Over the course of the film,” Jason, the reviewer promised we would “accompany the students through lessons in history, poetry, social studies, and math.” And we did!

He wrote, “In the end, the film itself is a lesson in humanity, found right there, on the streets, in broad daylight.” And it was!

The documentary promised to “narrow the gap in our minds between us and them.” And it did!

It was indeed eye-opening.

We all are God’s children. Let’s do whatever we can to:

JUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

It begins with trying to understand one another. Set aside those prior perceptions, and get the real picture! I’m grateful for “Angels Are Made of Light” and the Bozeman Doc Series for bringing documentaries such as this one to our community.

man carrying toddler

Photo by Sandy Negative on Pexels.com

The Pleasure of Not Writing

 

Yes, take time to think

Think many positive thoughts

Then make time to write

 

But, write everyday?

Is that really positive?

How about a break?

 

Every other week I meet with a Writers’ Group. Our attendance varies between two and eight. We never know who’ll show up, but even if I am there alone, I enjoy going to that writers’ spot and sharing ideas with fellow writers via my blog.

When others attend (usually two or more join me), we begin with a prompt that we pull out of a hat (actually a little bag), and then we free write for 15 minutes or so. Each of us shares orally with one another what we’ve written during free write – and then we share something we’ve been working on at home, making copies for each other to look on and offer positive criticism.

During the free write, I get a kick out of how many different approaches we take to the same prompt. A few weeks ago the prompt was, “The Pleasure of Not Writing.”

Here is what my fifteen minute rambling produced:

 

Writing is an itch

That needs to be scratched,

But I can turn around

And grieve the time that’s snatched!

 

I can get so wrapped up

In getting words out of my brain

That it can be exhausting

And on life – take quite a drain!

 

I need to take a break

And not write for a day or two;

Do something else creative –

What would that be for you?

 

Would you watch TV and vegetate?

Would you fish or visit friends?

Would you clean, or sort, or gravitate

To some project without ends?

 

I take pleasure in my writing.

I love hearing from bloggers out there,

But I think there’s pleasure in not writing –

I’m just not sure I know where!

 

Oh wait – I know a place I’ll go –

To the kitchen where I’ll cook –

To the Food Bank where I’ll serve –

To Plain Jane’s to have a look.

 

I’ll bide my time at the mall

Or take in a concert or two.

What pleasure will you find NOT writing?

What other activities are happy for you?

 

A pedicure? Ah, it feels so good!

Time at the beach? Ah, so refreshing!

Quiet time with Jesus?

Ah yes, I’m headed to my lovely sanctuary now.

Join me!

Z = Zestiness

Day #26 of my A – Z series, “What Makes Me Happy?”

ZESTINESS

When life is full of zest,

Filled with gusto, liveliness and charm,

Your get-up-and-go keeps sprinting,

You own a zest-filled farm!

Your happiness factor explodes!

Your animated spirit dances, and DANG,

You’re contagious! Your zesty zeal

Infects all who are touched by your tang.

Do you need a new, effective zester?

Is your spice rack running low?

Start an A-Z happiness list today

And watch your zestiness grow!

 

What is your Z word that makes you happy?

T = Trust

Day #20 – T = Trust

It’s been quite a ride! My A-Z series on “What Makes Me Happy?” Is drawing near an end, but today I TRUST you’ll continue reading, and I’ll continue to be inspired with new, pertinent topics. Thank you for being here. The ability to TRUST makes me happy 😃

T rusting brings

R espect and

U nderstanding and

S afety to vulnerability

T rusting is essential

In a world where parents feel a need to teach their children NOT to trust, we must be the models of trustworthiness. We must exude the love 💕 and safety we wish covered the earth.

The opposite of trusting is mistrusting, of course, and that creates worry and anxiety. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could feel free as a people to just trust? To just teach trust?

It’s probably Pollyanna thinking… unrealistic, you say. But, can’t we teach caution without teaching fear? Without causing worry and anxiety?

My go-to guide is Scripture. Jesus shows us the way. He talks about the birds being clothed so splendidly, so why worry about what we’ll wear. He showed us how He fed the multitudes, and told us not to worry about where our next meal is coming from. “Do not fear,” He taught us.

Philippians 4:6-7 is Paul’s message to the people of Philippi in which he cautioned them about worry. “Don’t worry about anything;” he wrote, “instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

So, the way to live in TRUST is to read, study, and apply the TRUTH of Scripture. Trust in God. Trust in what Jesus taught us. Sounds simple, huh? No, it’s not.

In today’s world we worry about safety. We hear of innocent people being murdered all the time.

In today’s world we worry about international affairs, divisiveness, wars, prejudice, and how it’s tearing us apart. We feel helpless to create that peace Paul wrote about. God’s Peace. Where is it? How can we exude it? How can we be the change we want to see in this world? How can we trust those people and situations that seem so untrustworthy?

My only solution is to remember the words of Paul, “Pray about everything.”

And remember/think about the words that remind us of how our simplest acts can make a difference to those we touch… and to those whose lives are affected by what we do.

R. Buckminster Fuller wrote, “Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren’t any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about. So be that one person.

Like tomorrow, if you’re in the USA, we can each make a difference. Go vote (if you haven’t cast an absentee ballot already). Every vote DOES matter!

Reach out to your neighbor in love. Reach out with help to a friend in need. Reach out to a fellow blogger with affirmation. Tell them that the words you just read made a difference for you. They resonated. Trust that your small acts add up to big differences.

Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. In your shared weakness, you exhibit trust and you strengthen others.

Just TRUST!

He’s gotcha in the palm of His hand. Here’s my mantle in this season of Thanksgiving.  Remember to thank God for all the ways He loves and protects you. Trust Him!

May the peace of Christ that surpasses all human understanding be yours today.

O = Opportunities

Day #15 in my A – Z series of “What Makes Me Happy?”

OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities

Should not ever be wasted

Grab onto one now

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What opportunity might you take advantage of today?

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Share with me an “O” word that makes YOU happy.

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Oh, and Happy Halloween!