Updated: 2018-03-02T08:44:23.251-08:00
2013-02-22T12:52:18.418-08:00
When I'm an old lady, I'll live with my son,
and make his life happy and filled with such fun,
I want to pay back all the joy he's provided,
returning each deed. Oh, he'll be so excited
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
I'll write on the wall with red, white, and blue;
and bounce on the furniture wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, will he shout!
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
When he's on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, he'll snap his fingers and then shake his head,
and when he is done I'll hide under the bed.
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
When my son's wife cooks dinner and calls me to meals,
I'll not eat my green beans or salads congealed.
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
and when she gets angry, run fast as I'm able.
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
I'll sit close to the TV, thru the channels I'll click,
I'll cross both my eyes to see if they stick,
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
and play in the mud until the end of the day.
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
And later, in bed, I'll lie back and sigh,
and thank God in prayer and then close my eyes;
and my son will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
and say with a groan, "She's so sweet when she's sleeping,"
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
2010-07-19T14:00:22.163-07:00
Meister Eckhart
Source: The Eckhart Society
via inward/outward
2010-07-01T09:21:29.873-07:00
The Lord replied, 'My presence will go with you
and I will give you rest.' Then Moses said to
him, 'If your presence does not go with us,
do not send us up from here.'
Exodus 33:14-15
God promised to be with Moses and to provide him with rest.
But no doubt other people had made promises to Moses that
were like God's promise. People had promised to be with
him but had later abandoned him. So, Moses' fears were not
completely vanquished when God promised to be present
and to provide rest.
We are like Moses. We are facing a difficult journey.
If God goes on ahead and waits for us at the
destination, we will never make it. We need God to
make the journey with us. We will need God every day.
If God does not come, it would better not to go. The
dangers are too great. The pain, too overwhelming.
We will surely lose our way unless God comes as our guide.
Moses' prayer to God is a good model for us. It is not a
sign of doubt or faithlessness to pray for what we need,
even if our needs are things which God has already promised
to provide. Praying for what we need is good communication.
If we are afraid that God will not be faithful, we can
share this with God. God will not be shocked. God will not
punish. God understands that our capacity for trust has been
damaged.
Honestly communicating our fears to God, will build our
capacity for trusting God's promises. God has promised
to be present with us. And God has promised to provide
rest. We will need both to survive the transitions and
changes that come with recovery.
Thank you, Lord, for the promise of your presence today.
If you will not go with me,
please don't send me.
Because I can't make it on my own.
The journey is a difficult one.
The path leads through deep valleys.
And, I am sure to lose my way
without your presence to comfort and guide.
Help me to rest today in your promises.
Help me to rest in your loving presence.
Amen.
Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
2010-05-26T09:00:12.083-07:00
Isaiah 43:1
2010-05-12T08:57:29.064-07:00
Dawna Markova
We all have islands of fear inside us, but we also all have continents of wisdom and truth. How do we find our way to them when we are not educated in the interior dimension? These inner landscapes hold the patterns of our passion and purpose. Without knowing how to journey there, our lives remain unlived.
Source: I Will Not Die an Unlived Life
via Inward/Outward
2010-05-11T11:51:09.424-07:00
Lifting the Cup2010-04-15T09:22:05.668-07:00
You must be able to bear your sorrow; even if it seems to crush you, you will be able to stand up again, for human beings are so strong, and your sorrow must become an integral part of yourself, part of your body and your soul, you mustn't run away from it, but bear it like an adult.... Give your sorrow all the space and shelter in yourself that is its due, for if everyone bears his grief honestly and courageously, the sorrow that now fills the world will abate.2010-03-13T09:49:19.824-08:00
1. scrumptious2010-03-04T09:18:13.201-08:00
When I'm An Old Lady
When I'm an old lady, I'll live with my son,
and make his life happy and filled with such fun,
I want to pay back all the joy he's provided,
returning each deed. Oh, he'll be so excited
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
I'll write on the wall with red, white, and blue;
and bounce on the furniture wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, will he shout!
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
When he's on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, he'll snap his fingers and then shake his head,
and when he is done I'll hide under the bed.
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
When my son's wife cooks dinner and calls me to meals,
I'll not eat my green beans or salads congealed.
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
and when she gets angry, run fast as I'm able.
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
I'll sit close to the TV, thru the channels I'll click,
I'll cross both my eyes to see if they stick,
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
and play in the mud until the end of the day.
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
And later, in bed, I'll lie back and sigh,
and thank God in prayer and then close my eyes;
and my son will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
and say with a groan, "She's so sweet when she's sleeping,"
. . . when I'm an old lady and live with my son.
2010-02-03T19:16:27.922-08:00
The blog that my friend Dan writes has been mentioned as one of the top 50 ecumenical blogs.2009-10-25T11:07:00.678-07:00
I have a friend I grew up with who has been diagnosed with ALS.2009-07-25T14:45:40.941-07:00
2009-06-01T11:32:47.576-07:00
Elizabeth O'Connor
We can create the climate and nurture the trust in which a deep giving of ourselves can happen. Much more than the confession of our light or our darkness is involved. What is involved is the recovery of love, itself, the communion that is the deepest need of every life, the unlocking of that infinite capacity that each one has to be a friend and to have a friend. If the pilgrim journey is a journey toward freedom, then the liberating work is the freeing of love in me and the freeing of love in you.
2009-04-11T10:08:19.767-07:00
All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are.2009-03-31T11:11:50.786-07:00
If I give all I possess to the poor
and surrender my body to the flames,
but have not love, I gain nothing.
I Corinthians 13:3
We need to experience loving relationships in order to
heal and grow. In loving relationships we experience the
safety that allows us to face the truth. In loving
relationships we experience the support we need to
begin to change. And in loving relationships we learn
that we are lovable and valuable.
Because we have been wounded in relationships, our
instinct is often to run from relationships. We
don't want to be hurt again. This leaves an
enormous void in our souls. And it is this
void which we desperately try to fill with addictions
and compulsions of various kinds. This text focuses
on two manifestations of religious addiction
(compulsive altruism and religiously motivated
self-abuse) and sums up the result: I gain nothing.
The same could be said of all of our addictions. "I
deliver my body to be burned" and "I gain nothing"
are an accurate description not
only of a particular kind of religious addiction
but also of chemical addiction, work addiction,
sexual addiction and relationship addiction, as
well as many self-abusive compulsions.
We gain nothing for all the time and effort
we spend on trying to numb the pain. It does not
achieve the desired result. The void remains.
Although loving fellowship may be frightening for
us, it is the path to recovery. The vulnerabilities
of intimacy may remind us of earlier times of terror
in life, but there is no way to recover in isolation.
The net result of compulsions and addictions is "I gain
nothing." But the net result of recovery is very
different. There is something to be gained by all
the hard work that recovery requires. Recovery builds
in us a capacity to receive love and a capacity to
give love to others. And that is a real gain.
May God grant you the courage you need today
to pursue loving fellowship.
Lord, you see my guarded heart.
You see the fears that make me run from love.
What I fear is what I want most.
I want to love and to be loved.
Give me courage to open my heart to love today.
Amen.
2009-03-19T14:21:02.795-07:00
I'm broken.2009-03-17T12:28:01.620-07:00
Not Breaking the Bruised Reeds2009-02-25T08:33:59.918-08:00
A friend sent me this today after a discussion last night about how God first creates the desire within us and then works with us to fulfill it.He Makes All things New
Today's Scripture
"…and He who is seated on the throne said, See! I make all things new…" (Revelation 21:5, AMP).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
When God puts a dream in your heart, when He puts a promise on the inside, He deposits within you everything you need to accomplish that dream. He wouldn't give you the desire to do something without giving you the ability to fulfill it. In fact, the scripture tells us that God gives us the desires of our heart. In other words, He puts the desire inside of us and then works with us to bring it to pass.
Oftentimes, people set out to accomplish their dreams, but they face a setback or disappointment, and then they feel like their time has passed. But let me tell you today, no matter where you've come from, no matter what's happened in your past, God wants to make you new. He wants to give you a "do over," a fresh start. If you feel like you've missed opportunities in your life, if you feel like your time has passed, remember, today is a new day. You are a new person, and God has new opportunities in store for you. If one dream has died, it's time to dream a new dream.
A Prayer for Today
Father in heaven, thank You for making all things new. I give You this day and invite You to have Your way in every area of my life. I choose to receive all the promises You have in store for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen
2009-02-24T14:24:49.124-08:00
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.