~~~Been thinking a lot about Leaping this week: what to leap away from and what to leap into. And the timing of not leaping away too soon or out of fear and flight.
So, dear girl, even if it is scary, scarier than you could ever even explain,
DO IT ANYWAY
~~~My focus verse this winter has been Philippians 4:8. Here is a delightful printing page of this verse to use for notes, journaling, devotionals, reminders…anything! It can be downloaded from this link.
~~~And included with my uncertainty and thoughts of leaping, this post from Jody’s Devotionals offers reassurance. “The enduring promise of God is that He will never leave me. God is the perfect Father. He loves His children. He has been there, watching and waiting, all the time. From the moment I said “Yes” to Jesus, He moved into my life. Through the times of unlimited joy, my LORD has been there with the biggest smile, dancing over me (Zephaniah 3:17). Through the darkest, loneliest of nights when my face is flooded with tears, my Jesus is there to hold me and comfort me (John 14). When I cannot find the words, for whatever reasons, I can go to Psalms and find the outlet for my feelings. God has heard them all before. He’ll hear them again. God will sustain when I am too weak, too tired, too confused. When the path He asks me to walk is long and steep, He will walk beside me every step. He will even pick me up and carry me.” ~Jody Neufeld
With prayers for you to land in love after you leap…
This week found me in the middle of questions…things to be decided once and for all…
~And there seemed to be questions in blogs too… “In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?” The answer is in this post and video….Kindly read more From Paul, The Gratitude Guru
~Why Do I Suffer? I Suffer because…Sometimes the obvious question is the one worth asking. This post by Cheri Huber contained a new, favorite quote for me:
Now I am curious about what it feels like to live in Technicolor instead of monochrome – to be the picture instead of the negative.
~The Upside of Moving: “When God moves us out of our comfort zones, it is a gift. We are being given a gift. These hard places give us the gift of intimately knowing God — in ways that would never be possible in our comfort zones.” Ann Voskamp is this post of thoughtfulness
~This is the best medicine for me to take right now…Remember, sweet friend, that so much of the best wisdom we will ever earn will come from learning things the hard way. Please don’t beat yourself up over things that didn’t go the way you had hoped, over steps that were wrong, over roads that were dark. from Brave Girls Club, Read entire sentiment by gently clicking here
A special thought of love right before Valentine’s Day: Love lets go of it’s ultimatums — to ultimately hold a person Ready to let go of pain of the tearing apart of what was. Ready to take the ripped scraps, stitch them together, to make a sail from what’s dead and catch the wind ahead. Ready to take wind blowing in beyond my control, and just make water of it. I’ve been thirsty too long and I am desperate to drink. Sometimes letting go is how to find out He holds. Ann Voskamp, When the Wind Blows and Love Tries to Hold On
~How are you doing on your focus word for the year? Can you find the word “Affirm” in this word cloud by Bonnie Grey @ Faith Barrista?
~Still loving the images and languid pace of Winter’s description by David Arms: Just like no two types of trees grow the same leaves, no two types of trees grow their branches in the same formation. And when the trees are bear, the intricacy of these patterns is beautifully displayed against the grey skies of winter. ~David Arms
~It really is time because “There is no time left for hesitating, protecting our hearts, or living in fear of doing the “wrong” thing, not pleasing others, rocking the boat. That way of living simply is not working. It’s an old paradigm whose days are numbered.” ~Alia in the Inner Bliss Blog post you will appreciate… Breathe and Read this post. Breathe and Read
~Ok, I have put on my big girl smile and adjusted to the announcement that April is the end of Picnik. Thanks to Ann Voskamp for providing these alternatives to Picnik
Most of us are looking for happiness in all the wrong places…Here’s Rachel’s road-map for increasing your levels of happiness…a blog pep talk shared by my friend Garrett at We Love Gratitude
Releasing a grudge is not only about making things right with the other person, but rather it’s about freeing your heart from the bondage of past hurt and lingering bitterness. Read more at this encouraging post by Melanie Moore
New Favorite Daily Email: Every morning a new verse on victory over fear http://365fearnots.com/
Video of the Week:
Sit back and just take in the beauty of Yosemite in this time lapsed video
~The longer we spend dwelling in doubts, the more powerful that story becomes, and we lose our power to change. ~Belle Pirri in this interview at Purposeful Women. This article also includes Belle’s How to Set Yourself Up to Make Choices You Love
~Is anyone else as jazzed as I am every time David Arms writes, creates, or expresses his ideas out loud? In this post he wrote, “I think it’s important to live this life looking from many perspectives. It’s important to observe from many angles. It’s important to see what others see. It’s how we learn, how we expand – even if we end up liking our own view better.And sometimes there is no ‘better’. It’s simply two different views.”
~I want them but…Sometimes there are no “You Are Here” indicators in life, but sometimes we knock on a door of opportunity but remain outside. We do not move through the door and enter
Video of the Week:
Somethings Gotta Change by Josh Wilson
“‘The more of us we swallow, the more we become hollow until we don’t know how to feel’. That line is so true. The more that we try to please ourselves and our sinful desires, the farther away from God we’ll be, and the more empty we will feel. Only God can fill that empty space inside of each of us. Oh God, forgive me for my pride.” ~Josh Wilson
~When you are ready to match your situation to your soul, you will find that you feel a new sense of harmony and increasingly connected to the ebb and flow of the universe. Subtle changes in your values, goals, or emotional needs can motivate you to distance yourself from one group of people in order to reassociate yourself with individuals that are better able to support you. Read more by The Daily Om and be Affirmed
~I learned a new, sinister phrase: proxy-killer in How Stress Affects the Body. Did you know a typical stress reaction involves 1400 biochemical responses…learned a new phrase “proxy-killer”
~As the angels have shown me again and again: Every encounter is an opportunity for Grace. Open your mind; open your eyes, your ears and your heart to what comes. From (((hugs))) at Kind Over Matter
~Laughter is an Instant Vacation–In preparing for an upcoming talk on the therapeutic health benefits of laughter, I saw this jolly video.
~Receiving mega benefits from bringing growth inside. You might want to be greeted every morning by green. If so, this post is helpful too: http://tipnut.com/nifty-food-plants/
~This week was especially significant for me. I let go of some things and embraced some things. When this post from Alia arrived in my Inbox, I felt the hug in the timing.
“How often do we stuff pain and sorrow within our hearts, never to see the light? We carry this baggage around with us, paying a huge price for it every day. It eats away at us with its constant presence. We often forget it’s there.” ~Alia, Inner Bliss Blog
If you are struggling to trust in God I urge you to let go of your desires and focus your whole attention on Him because holding on to your longings will only bring you pain and despair. Holding tighter to our desires than we hold to Him will being us no where in life. We MUST let go and fully trust in His process for our lives.
The truth about trust issues is not because of the other person, although that is a factor, but the deeper reason for trust issues is that we are unsure of ourselves. Our fears cause us to undermine and discredit the people in our lives. Failure is the inevitable result.
I have trust issues. They are the thorns in my side. Trust is so hard for me. I am learning that the reason I have trust issues is because I have self-perception issues. The reason I think that people are going to abuse my trust is because deep down I think I am worth the abuse.
To be honest, the more intimate a relationship gets for me the more I play defense with my heart. The more intimate a relationship the more I tend to play out the potential pain in my head. This creates tension and hurt in my relationships.
My trust issues set up failure in a lot of ways. Somewhere in me is the voice that says, “You are worth leaving. You are replaceable. You are not worth your value. You are worth hurt.”
Most conflicts related to trust begins with our own self-perception.
Tracee writes, “I am so thankful for a God who is patient, gentle, and unconditionally loving. He makes all things new in me.”
…the last Saturday Digest of 2011…Happiest Beginning to your New Year!
~Great Advice for the New Year: Let EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF BRAIN BAGGAGE GO and starting over with fresh hope, fresh faith, an open mind and endless possibilities. Brave Girls’ Club
~Make a Not-to-Do List for 2012: Ask God to clarify the things he wants you to do this year, and then ruthlessly move everything else onto your list of things not-to-do. Then, press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called you (Philippians 3:14).
God will never say to you, “I’m sorry, I would like to help you, but I can’t.” He is here inviting us to a courage-filled life. Read Five Reasons to be Courageous with a steaming cup of cider.
His grace grips our hearts and we fall to our knees~~humbled and oh, so grateful.
In the middle of the most hectic time of year and with a focus on the newness of the year ahead, Andrea Olson writes about giving herself permission to quit . Wow! Did I need to read this at the exact moment my eyes met Andrea’s words.
Life isn’t how you see it; YOU ARE how you see life. Life and our relationship with it is a mirror of ourselves. Look into the mirror with Mastin Kipp in this post.
All this goodness that we strive for everyday starts with one love. A beautiful Christmas message from Amanda at Kind Over Matter
Video of the Week O, Come All Ye Faithful by Anne Murray
~~~ Why do you need to remember the painful times in your life? Because someone in your community of faith needs to know you were healed ~by Steve Ridgell on his blog
~~~ Fifty-three hours…by anyone’s standards, that’s a long, hard workweek. So, are you sitting down? Fifty-three hours is the amount of time each week that the average American young person spends on some form of electronic entertainment. Connection is good, but our lives need quiet space also. Click here to finish reading this post and view the accompanying video.
The holiday season is just around the corner and it’s time again to start thinking about being part of the 2011 American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes. For a fifth year, American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are partnering to ensure all Americans have an opportunity to send a touch of home this holiday season to members of our U.S. military, veterans and their families, many of whom will be far away from home this holiday season.
Sending a “touch of home” to American men and women who serve our country is the perfect way to express your appreciation and support during the holiday season.
Starting this fall and throughout the holiday season, the Red Cross is working with Pitney Bowes, a mail stream technology company, to collect and distribute holiday cards to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world.
The process is very simple and takes no time at all – All you need is a pen and piece of paper to share your appreciation for the sacrifices members of the U.S. Armed Forces make to protect our freedoms The Holiday Mail for Heroes mail box is open and ready to receive for your cards. Please send all mail to:
Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
~~~Really appreciate the concrete steps at the close of this post at Creative Spiritual Women and especially this thought:
When we spend too much time thinking and not enough time with the Thinker, the clouds obscure the sun and we feel “dark.”
Love. As I fill myself up with love, all those thoughts lose their value. I imagine myself emanating love and the light shines forth brilliantly in the present. This works whether I’m doing dishes, having a tough conversation, driving, eating, anything. When I switch my thoughts to “What can I love? How can I love more? Who can I love? What is loving about this person? How can I appreciate them more?” All negativity, all clouds, all the fog clears. The Light is truly Love- they are one in the same. ~Belle Pirri in How to Clear Your Mind
~~~A post intended to “leave you feeling hugged and safe and warm” Please be your own best friend and read these thoughts from Kristin Noelle
~~~Please don’t beat yourself up when you have to say no, or even when you have to walk away. Remember, that what you are ACTUALLY doing is saying YES to what is most important, what can never be replaced and what is meant for you and for your life…and sometimes saying yes to all of those things leaves room for nothing else.
From the Brave Girls Club
~The more present I become and clearer I get with what I love…
It’s hilarious how often we’re led to believe we should do something just because ten other people believe it’s a desirable goal. ~Belle Pirri in this encouraging post in Creative Spiritual Women
~I know this—the labyrinth of life has the ability to lock us up and throw away the key. It attempts this through varying degrees of heartache, dependency, tragedy and an endless array of distractions. I also know this—Christ is the key to topple this house of cards and expose the illusions this maze presents. by Michael Cartwright in The Inner Doors of Faith
…Anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. 2 John 9
~~~Revolving back to Enoikeo…Remaining…Abiding…Standing
~Saying “Yes” to Walking in the Way of Love The Holy Spirit presses us toward the realm of grace, where we are transformed into seeing opportunities to love where others see wasteful sacrifice. Instead of the odor of waste, we learn to breathe deeply within God’s bouquet of grace…
~~And…during your second cup of cider (really, cider is best for today), consider building trust muscles.
The whole concept of “Yes, and…” boils down to one word: trust. ~Brian Kessler
Video(s) of the Week: Trading My Sorrows, Say YES, Lord!
and, be sure to listen for the bass solo toward this end of this video:
~~From Amy Palko~Everytime Amy writes, I find myself nodding and welcoming tears of relief.
This is for you, dear one, for when you feel rejected, unappreciated, unseen. For all those times, when you feel like your light has been overlooked, your specialness unacknowledged, your worth ignored. These words are here to remind you, my sweet, are luminous, cherished, and, yes, loved~loved beyond all measure. Shine, baby girl. Shine! For too long now you’ve been content to live in the shadows sitting in the back row, blending into the background, believing that this was where you belonged. But you were meant for so much more. Your voice which you keep so small and contained, barely breaking above a whisper, was made for singing arias so sweet that the hearts of all those listening cast off their armour and melt into the loveliness of you. It was made for speaking out when others were too meek. It was made, my darling, for howling at the moon.
Hold still in your loving. When the world feels a little topsy turvy…when the ground is shaking…when chaos is reigning…hold still.
Find the quiet voice of you that resides with. It is there. Breathing. Loving. Intoning messages of truth.
It is calm. It is centered. It is whole. You won’t find it rebelling. Or reacting. It will be holding a space for you to enter. There is not formal invitation…no lights flashing to show you the way. Simply an open door into a palace of sweetness and love.
Finding it is as simple as a breath…and holding the trust that you know who you are. Listen for the space. Feel for the quiet pulse of loving. Subtle as it may be, it is there….
~~Video of the Week: Free Hugs! contributed by Sue G. Thanks, Sue!
~All of our Prisons: We’re all imprisoned by something. Whether it’s tobacco or alcohol or shopping, food or work or regret, we all stand in some short of shadow. And while that shadow is comfortable and familiar, while it even offers some sort of strength, we’re not meant to dwell in darkness. We were all made for the light. ~Billie Coffey in PickingYour Poison
~Emotions are not scary. They are part of us and although not a source of permenant direction, give a summary of where we
are. What are some things we can all do to keep our emotions flowing freely? Click here to read Alia’s suggestions
~From my dear friend, Beth: “I’ve learned not to ignore pain, suffering and sadness. However, I’ve also learned that when I read the 23rd Psalm, it says, “walk THROUGH the Valley of the Shadow of Death” – don’t build a condo there!” Click here to read Beth’s entire post
~Are you building up, or puffing up? Creating a bridge or a barrier? It’s not the Words that are wrong, but how we use them. by Jennifer Slattery
~A thought about Grace: When someone does something that irritates or angers you, take a deep breath. Stop your mind
from diving into perceived motives and the injustice of it all. Breathe and ask yourself, “How would I want someone to respond to me if I did this same thing to them?” – and do that. From Daniel Collinsworth in this post
Favorite Video of the Week:
“Rise” by Shawn McDonald
Through prayer, we can transcend the physical by connecting our minds to our hearts. When you pray, simply acknowledge the truth that lies within your heart.
Today: A Prayer for Reassurance
God, thank You for Your comforting promise that
You will never leave nor forsake me. In times like today, I need that assurance.
You are my Rock and my Salvation. I trust You, even when I feel like I cannot
trust anyone else. I look up to You, because I know You will always be there for
me, even if the whole world forsakes me. Thank You, so much, for Your love and
dependability. You are awesome! With love and appreciation in my heart,
in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Picture a hopeful, smiling little red heart, tattered but mending, the “sticky” from old bandaids still visible on a few scars from old wounds. “He healeth the broken in heart.” Psalms 147:3 From Chris Shea @ LifeSighs
A New Concept for me: FaithgazingWhen I focus on my own abilities and my circumstances, I easily get locked into fears of the bad that could happen. The stars of faith disappear right along with the city lights of fear and self-reliance. It’s times like these, we remember the art of faithgazing . From Bonnie in Faith Barrista
Question of the Week for me: Is it ok to confront another? “It is God’s plan to use each of us to speak His truth, His healing words, His comfort to a world that is spinning out of control.” By Jody Neufeld in this thoughtfully crafted post
After a particularly troubling night, I clicked over to the Faith Barrista blog and read the following, written, it seemed just for me: There’s no shame in feeling soul-weak when we find ourselves in the crossfires of life’s traffic. But, I don’t stop there. Start Focusing I tell myself to start focusing. Remember God’s benefits. Remember God’s goodness. Have a talk with Jesus. Really get into the details. And tell Him you really need Him. Perhaps you might minister to yourself and read the entire post?
A Stunning Movie, sent to me in email by my childhood friend, Donna:
Video of the Week by Skillet, One Day Too Late
a little louder than the usual videos posted here but so necessary to blast this message in to my head.
BecauseOfGrace
