friendship rules we make ...

I had this quest to find my best friend when I was a little girl. I blame it on 'Anne of Green Gables'! Anne the orphan found her best friend and so could I. Oh, I think I was caught up so in that magical book world. I found out that it is a mystical beast. I became an adult and my childhood ended when my so called best friend decided that she didn't need me because now she was all about her new family. With broken pieces in my hands, I made my formula and it goes something like this:

my friendship scale est. 1992?
LEVEL 3 :: favorite or great friends :: strong ties
LEVEL 2 :: good friends :: minimal ties
LEVEL 1 :: peers & aquaintances
0 :: people I don't trust
Always treat everyone with warmth, poise, and respect . Everyone deserves respect, but trust is earned. No force or persuasion! Friendship just happens.

I know I probably shouldn't think so hard on this, but it is something of a mystery I would love to crack open. So it is a favorite question to ask. Here is what a deep friend of mine has as his friend formula:

LONG TERM... I decide whether it's in my interest, or has a higher purpose, if I work toward getting on with this person... either yes or no is fine. And my behavior... while ALWAYS curteous... is guided by that decision.

SHORT TERM... by this I mean the individual periods of interaction... I draw a line in my mind and decide what's the least I want out of these interactions, to walk away feeling good.  If you like, it's like a bottom line in accounting terms, where by it's the least amount of progress you want to achieve from that little bit of interaction.  The line will always be different each time I speak with or interact with that person.
~ PreciousGift \ fr: Nov 28, 2003 email

I have to admit I raised my eyebrows at his short term guidelines! That is scary! Just maybe we have taken it too far or maybe we have been hurt a bit too much. { hurt is more like it }

So where do I stand today? Have my wounds healed up? Can I make an attempt to reach out with out care of the response in return? Meaning can I reach out and the reaching out is enough?

I still feel the need to label so that I know where I stand and how I want be with others. However, as of now there are no levels. Just different areas friends and everyday people fall into and how my outflow and connection will be.

My favorite type of friendship is a deep friend. I crave living in the deep so being able to dive into the stuff that makes us tick is like immercing oneself into a vat of dark chocolate. Divine! What makes it deep? Being intimate with someone in at least one or more of these areas: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Note of caution: This type of friendship is NOT one where you can go away and come back and go on like there was no break. To take from PreciousGift this is a long term friend. If you are going through something, this friend is going to journey with you. No, they can't get into your HolyMud for you, but they can take off their shoes, and kneal on this SacredGround. Guarantee that both will come through this experience in the same place. Hand holding hand.

What types of people should fall into this place? You better make sure your significant other is a deep friend. In fact they had better be deep with you in all areas of your life! Or major guarantee that your relationship won't have longevity. The other people that should fall into this place are those who push you towards God and towards being a fuller you. Oh, don't forget that your relationship with God should be deep and it should be deep physically, mentally, emotionally and not just sectioned off in the soul. He is your Keeper so you better keep Him.

Another type of friendship is the great friends. During my college years was the time I gleaned many a great friend. These are long term friends too. You may share deep stuff and you will have a shared time in this life. Yet, there is a natural coming together and going on. My college girlfriends are scattered all over yet when we come back to each other, we can talk and carry on like old times.

Here I think sharing our lives is key but the glue that holds is the staying power. These friends are much easier to lose if you don't keep each other close not just in your thoughts but you must cultivate connection. You must reach out and double insurance if they reach back. (Mental note: with gas prices cutting into my savings, I still must stop pinching pennies long enough to at least call or write. Emails are too slow. I am the only one who is actively on the web a ton. ) You must keep their backs. You must be dependable. You are on call if trouble should arise and they have need of you.

Next comes good friends. You have shared time together and you get along great. But when life moves you, you know that this friend can't go with you. You may meet up again and say hi and do some catch up. But life moves way to fast to actively hold on to them. It is a natural short term connection. You still cherish these friends for you need them. They are your allies.

While my good friends tend to be the ones I make at work, there is need of a professional behavior. Think boss or those you work with. Work is what funds your life, but on the broader scale, work is a teamsport. Now there are those who treat it like a dog fight so this comes in real handy. Basically, behaving professionally is being respectful and helpful. Doing your best work. No backstabbing or undermining someone else to get ahead.

Finally and the most surprise to me, is the what I call sunshine. I am huge on keeping a balance. I realized I was way to far into my deep side. No wonder I was mislabeled as being someone I wasn't. Something had to change so I divided my life in half. One side was depth and I quite mastered that. The other side was my surface. I wanted my surface to match who I was deep down. I could never be outgoing just not in me, but I am 'bubbly shy'. There is power in greeting people. It opens up doors of communication and they carry away with them the smile I give them. It is my goal to make sunshine to all.

Now you must be thinking that I have totally lossed all my marbles! That's ok cuz I am in a much better place.

Before I go there are still friendships that go belly up. There are many times you give out your best sunshine only to get harsh storm clouds back. There are times when endings are violent to your very being and heated anger takes hold of you. There are some that leave without warning. No goodbyes or reasons. There are some that change before our very lives and what was real wasn't and you wonder at your own truth. It is a wonder that with all the bumping and chaffing people do to each other that we could ever hold onto a friend. Labels don't carry the same definition from one person to the next. And no label can defend you against those who harm you. I am finding that the friendship journey is refining your outflow and with this struggle I am realizing to be a good friend to myself. I'm not going anywhere and if I claim to be tenacious, then I need to tenaciously treat myself with love. If I cannot love and enjoy the person I am becoming, then what will flow up from my deepest parts will not be well received....

I still have to believe in friendship. It isn't good for man to live alone...

to hold hands after the storm ...

"Real love is when you go through the toughest storm & find yourself still holding hands when you come out."
fr: some lovebirds

I know I have some personal trials on my life journey. No one will be able to take the experience from me. It is God-Designed. However, there is always a flip side to that personal storm like prayer, love, presence, loving kindness, ... To journey along side in this way can insure that you both will end up in the same place and not apart. I hold to this strongly. It is the scariest time for me when a deep friend pulls away. I fear we will not end up in the same place. My heart is heavy with fear ...

My Husbandman,
My little hand feels so secure in Your Almighty Hand. I cry out to You. I so want to be in the same place when his storm is over. I wonder if he had a thought of or sent prayers for me. Does he miss our thought~scapes?

My feelings are so strong here. Are these feelings true to Your Design? I feel it true. Ah, yes! I will move to what I can control. love! My outflow... to serve with love ....

Thank You for being with me not only through my storms but on the other side as well. I love You!
~ always your little girl

where two or three travel

crack filler (verb)

a quote I gathered along my way ...

Give what is precious:
your time,
your compassion,
your strength,
for giving is the salve that heals humankind,
the caulk that seals the crack.
fr: ''A Crack in Forever"

Lean in ... hear the whisper? ah, LOVE !
one more thing... He needs of you!

word slueth: second hand stress
b/c he had need of you
word slueth: comfort

well rounded education ...

I was having a discussion about education and was enlightened. There are many concerned about America's schools like Bill Gates. With all the cracks our kids are falling through, the solution seems to be modeled after the business world. I loved the improved buildings. I loved the excitement of kids loving the learning process. I have to admit some of the things look great but after seeing it through another's eyes, I am not happy about the direction some are taking.

In one case they are making freshman in high schools declare their course of study. Then they are stuck in that learning track. It is like the business world is selecting out certain qualities and then making them into clones to work without real thought. Talk about discrimination! What happens when you change your mind and want to study something else? What happens if you have an original idea?

Yes, I am all about dreams. Creativity & Art are essential to the inventors that made America great. A well rounded education makes a better thinker than a one track rut into work boredom.

b/c He had need of you ...

I am a dream~keeper. I love to get to the core of you and know your dream and your passions because that is the deep parts of you. Those dreams fuel your actions. Those dreams bring a spark to your eye and a smile to your lips. It is what is beautiful and wild about you.

Of late I have been kick'en about 2bit jobs, connections, and dreams here. It amazes me over and over that when I am searching, God brings me little nuggets. As I build them together, what a heap of gold I've got!

I was given a quote today that I must share with you. Be encouraged!!!

The most secret, sacred wish that lies deep down at the bottom of your heart, the wonderful thing that you hardly dare to look at, or to think about -- the thing that you would rather die than have anyone else know of, because it seems so far beyond anything that you are, or have at the present time, that you fear you would be cruelly ridiculed if the mere thought of it were known -- that is just the very thing that God is wishing you to do or to be for Him. And the birth of that marvelous wish in your soul -- the dawning of that secret dream -- was the Voice of God Himself telling you to arise and come up higher because He had need of you.

~ Emmet Fox
'Your Heart's Desire, ca. 1922

God needs us!!! Did you hear?
The Creator who made your very being tucked those dreams and passions in your heart. It is your purpose to carry out, your gift to give this world. No dream is too small. He needs every one. He created humans to connect and have relationships. Man cannot live alone. Those dreams are the very connections He is in need of. Are you keeping the dream? Are you connecting others to Him?

Oh, sure I do believe that God is Mighty and carries out Awesome Works. He does not need us, but the neatest part is that God chooses to need us! So He put in the foundations of this world and into every single human being the need to connect and to dream!
Wooohooo! What an Awesome God!

directing the unknown in a 2bit job

a blessing for her ...

*I know of someone who is in the midst of divorcing her alcohalic husband. Her only child just graduated from high school and now is in training for the army. She let him go for his dream even as she hides her mother's ache. Her house with the prcious little pond she loves so is up for sale. She is boxing up all her belongings and crashing at familys who are also in the process of selling their house. She has three dogs minus one and a cat. Over the 4th her one dog tore her ACL tendon and with a $1200 price tag with no guarantees, she put her Julie to sleep this weekend. She has an older dog with heart issues, but he is still ticking. Now the cat won't eat. All of this over a simple question, 'how was your weeekend'. She is asking what else can go wrong.

¡! I shed tears for her and my heart still aches. I know she must want to curl up in a ball and hide. I know she must feel so devalued. I keep wondering what to do. I know for sure that when I search and ask God to light up the way, He comes through for me every time. I wonder if God is calling her name. I wonder if God needs me ... I am here ... listening ...

I know of someone: God divorced Jesus, did you know?

Rusty update V ...

Rusty has been able to make some home visits to get a feel of what he will be needing to work on in his theraphy. He isn't fully discharged from the hospital yet, but will be coming home this friday. Then he will be going to his local hospital for theraphy. Robin (mother) isn't keen about this hospital because of word of mouth that it isn't the best place.

Rusty will go back to his parents to live for now. Martin (father) made some ramps to handle the wheelchair but had to redo to be in code. So even though the family knows about how to adapt things for Corey (bro), there is still a lot to work out. I asked about Rusty's house he recently got. They are going to keep it maintained. Their hope is that Rusty can make a transition back into a life on his own.

Rusty has a real good spirit about his accident and injury. A victory is that he can go the the bathroom with any help. When this victory was accomplished , he rolled out of the bathroom and annouced to his mother, 'Mom, I went to the bathroom like a big boy!' How precious is this young (22) man's spirit!

There are limits for Rusty and it is 'Mom, help me with this or that'. It can wear you out. With two sons with challenges, it will take a lot of patience and endurance.

prayer:
to honor this trial and life lessons happening here...
a great spirit
coming together and not tearing apart
salvation & faith

Rusty update IV

directing the unknown in a 2bit job ...

He could not believe the job assignment! He was to go into a evil foreign land. This would be committing suicide for they surely would take his life! The daily abuse he would receive was more than he could handle. The atmosphere would suck all life from his spirit. What was the Boss thinking???

Instead he hopped on a boat going the other direction. Time for him to take matters in his own hands. This was asking toooo much. Oh, what was his job? To be a light, to connect people in need with the Almighty, to preach the Word.

Uh oh, you do not mess with the Boss. His plans are way above ours and His Everlasting Arms can direct such havoc on our lives when you fail His plan. He is allllll about connections and relationships especially the relationship with Him. He created in the dna of the human being that they cannot live alone. Insular behavior is not part of His Divine Workings.

So He made a storm soooo huge and violent that the men of the ship became desperate for their lives. They cast lots and on the short end was Jonah. There Jonah had fessed that he served the God of Isreal who made the sea. "Toss me overboard and your sea will quiet down," he said. After much debate and prayer, they did so.

A huge fish swallowed up Jonah. After crying out to his Maker and repenting, God had the big fish vomit him on shore. Jonah went to that foreign land and gave the Word to the people. The people were sooo moved they repented and followed God.

To bad the story doesn't end with Jonah rejoicing. Instead he cops a real ugly bad attitude. He is angry and would rather die for that anger. Here is where you want to question Jonah or maybe you even feel like Jonah and want to question God. So let us have at it...

beginning with Jonah ...
Can't you see deeper into your prayer? Isn't what you pour out to God the same for people of Nineveh? Can't you see the evil water engulfing these people? Where the deep had them surrounded and seaweed wrapped about their head? Can't you see the Lord remembering these people as their life was ebbing away? Do you really believe what you cried out that Salvation comes from the Lord? Doesn't this salvation belong to all who take part?

Jonah, I understand anger. I have had it and it still comes to me. Most of the time anger comes from feeling out of control and my power grubbing hands wanting to still the storm. Thankfully, God is the Master of the sea and of the storm.

Dearest Master of the Divine Plan,
Once again you met me here in my search of those times when it is more chaotic than peaceful. Questions of why seem to overcome my quest to live out the how. Here You answer why You might take us through some rough patches, why You might have a 2bit job for us to carry out in joy and not in the bad attitude.

I am seeing deeper into Your Divine Plan. It is not just about what is going on in my life, rather it is about the outflow of my life into others. There are others in this Great Plan of Yours who need salvation, who need love, and who need to see You. No matter how I look at it, I cannot help but see that all of us humans are interconnected. We cannot hide ourselves away. We must have an outflow.

Thank You for the depth of this Window to Your very Soul! How brilliant are Your Masterful Ways.
~ always seeking for depth

Funny but amazing how God meets me! Here are some sermon thoughts that fit here:

' Awe '
- something we are born with but we tend to lose it as we grow older.
- When we have lost our awe, we lose God's Presence in our lives!

Spiritual Growth is simply encreasing our sence of God's Presence .

Are you living fully?

Are you a resistor or a conductor?

'When an artist is a servant of the Work, the Work is better than the artist.' { love this! }

Cannot limit God! Jonah tried and God brought about a storm, a whale of a fish, and a withering vine to break out of Jonah's box.

2bit jobs
directing unknown circumstances

2bit jobs...

'God has given me my 'road to Damascus' experience. But I'm not yet in Damascus speaking to Ananias. The scales have yet to fall off. I can't see yet what it is I'm saying. God has made me for more than working in two-bit jobs. But what? I know the sole purpose of man is to love and serve the Lord. So how can I do that and still earn a living?
fr: PreciousGift (in an email conversation last wk of jun 2001)

I was going over some email with a deep friendship I once had taking stock of a connection. I came across a recurring thread in his life. I saw my younger self responding and I wondered what I would say now as I am striving more to make my passion my profession. I encourage him with thoughts that had stirred me at the time like the sermon title...

Going to have to refer to the sermon on Sunday,  the title was 'When God has a picnic'  referring to the little boy w/ the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.  With what little amount given freely by the little boy, look what Jesus did -- He fed 5000 people.  Meaning that it is all about what God can do with what little we have to offer.  Too much for this small brain of mine. ~k

A good thought but I wanted to stir up the pot again to see what was clear and what was not. See, I really had no answers back then. I was sitting on a dream. A dream to write was squashed so little it was 'oh, wouldn't it be nice to write a song and have some great male country voice sing it?' I was too afraid to write a novel because poems where more my speed. etc ...

One thing that is really loud to me over the years was to dream and passionately go for it. Yet, for some reason I was doing my share of 2bit jobs. However, in these 2bit jobs there was something for me to learn. Though I wished for easier passage, I carry the gifts of sensitivity, confidence of my brain, Joy, a sunny surface, and love service into my dreams. In fact my dreams are richer because of my dark passages and 2bit jobs!

One of my biggest lessons was my sence of balance. I have divided my life in half, one side my professional side or the giving outward side and my personal side or my inward side. As of now my professional life contains a job that is a good fit and the atmosphere is much improved over the previous job. It provides a home, food on the table, healthcare, and gas for my jeep. To balance myself my personal life is all about painting, writing, and all things creative. It feeds my heart and soul. Even though my passion is not yet my profession, I am hungry and full all at the same time. I am Joyful. My journey is more focused now to moving in the direction of my passion.

His purpose is not to save us from pain and suffering,
but from meaninglessness!

We need to let ourselves become the unique individuals that God created us to be.
fr: the Barbarian Way

I believe soooooo strongly that our passions where tucked there when we were Created by God in the womb to be unleashed and given to this world for this very passion is needed by the world.

I am very keen on knowing what fills your love tank.

I realized that not only does God speak our primary love language to show His Love to us, but we speak our primary love language in showing our love to God.

The tragedy is that people who choose not to love are never happy people. Their lack of love hurts not only the other person, but it atrophies their own souls. People who refuse to love live on the edge of desperation.

The opposite of connection is abandonment. The opposite of acceptance is rejection, and the opposite of nurture is abuse - physical or verbal { absence! } {yeah, I am not the only person screaming this! }
fr: the Love Languages of God by Gary Chapman

We must know what is love is. To me it is words of affirmation. I am much more at peace and in love with my God because of exhaling and inhaling here on my llj blog. Here I bring what I hear from His Voice and then I return my voice back to Him. Sundays are not a day of rest unless I can talk to Him here. Once my love tank is full from His Fountain, I can fill their love tanks with their brand of love (words, quiet time, service, gifts, & touch). Here in this place I can delight in Him and walk tall in this peaceful love. Our connection it vital.

I feel PreciousGift's dreams and profession. I would like him to see the need to keep a Day of Rest. It was God-Designed and a God-Given gift for us to live a fuller life. At this time when his profession is far from his passion, I feel he should visit a health care home where he can go and visit other people in need of physical touch. Oh, I know this would fill his love tank so and his visits would be the most coveted in the place! He would feel God in this place. Then when he is finished long after visiting hours { wink } , he could spend some time near Nature like the ocean.

With his professional side being full of 2bit jobs like farming, waitering, and other hard labor, his salesman skills are wasted. I would like him to see that he still can be a salesman. I remember him telling me that he didn't want to write the book with me because in order to sell the book, you must be 'naked' meaning transparent and that I wasn't. So here is 'naked'! He really needs to take a look at all that is precious to him and really get himself immersed in it. He needs to see his profession as a place to show his brand of love-giving and a way to connect (touch) to others. When he sells what he knows is True to his own heart and soul, others will see the joyful PreciousGift and not the angry one.

One day he will be able to say, 'My passion is my profession'. One day he will look back and see his life history and be able to trace all the good gifts God had provided for his journey...

I also know that this is PreciousGift's journey and his decision... I will always cheer him on towards his passions and dreams...

One parting thought about 2bit jobs...
Atmosphere is huge when it comes to our jobs. It can break us or make us grow. My past job has made me very conscious of this ... We can make an atmosphere good and then there are times when the atmosphere is so heavy that it begins to eat away at our very soul & you will need to know this is God leading you in a different direction... Well, this is my naked 2cents on 2bit jobs...

"All men die.  Only a few really live." 
(Braveheart) 
"What you do on earth echoes through eternity." 
(Gladiator) 

... our connections do ripple outward with no end ...

UK 7/7 reflections ...

jul 07/06 : London o London
jul 08/06 : soak in the beauty in the midst of terror
jul 09/06 : dark vapor or brilliant blaze
jul 10/06 : personal light journey
jul 11/06 : meaning of black riders
jul 12/06 : man's calling in this new age of terror
jul 13/06 : resist you are not alone
jul 14/06 : light

Or link up here for the a whole months reflection with Jul 7 -14 being the UK reflections : July 05

Violent death of the masses seem to be gathering on the horizon once again and not that it really ever went away. It makes my job more forefront in my mind. I am here on this earth to reflect borrowed Light, make sunshine, spread beauty, fill love tanks, create passion, and delight in the Almighty. I must admit there are times when pulling the covers over my head is the only thing I can do to hide. But I must not. I was tought to make connections (wise childhood lesson) so I must...

from the Boss

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: THE BOSS
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it.  Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic; Don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend;  Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!
fr: PreciousGift - a fwd of encouragement

called to be free ...

You, my brothers, were called to be free.
But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature;
rather, serve one another in love.
Gal 5:13
Free to do good things not evil. Free to love .. Love by affirming words, by quiet time with others, by acts of service, by giving gifts, and by tounching others. Free to be full of joy & delight. Free to live our lives to the fullest with all of its adventures and mysteries! Free to live out our passions to give to our world.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
history lessons:

The Declaration of Independence was approved this day, July 4, 1776. John Hancock, the first to sign, said: "the price on my head has just doubled." Benjamin Franklin signed saying "We must hang together or most assuredly we shall hang separately." Of the fifty-six signers: 17 lost their fortunes, 12 had their homes destroyed, 9 fought and died, 5 were arrested as traitors, and 2 lost sons in the War. As Samuel Adams signed, he said: "We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come."

Washington, D.C. was in a panic as 70,000 Confederate troops were marching toward it just sixty miles away. The furious fighting lasted three days. As General Lee found his ammunition running low, he ordered General Pickett to make a direct attack. After an hour of murderous fire and bloody hand-to-hand combat, the Confederates were pushed back and the Battle of Gettysburg ended this day, July 3, 1863, with over 50,000 casualties. President Lincoln confided: "When everyone seemed panic-stricken...I went to my room...and got down on my knees before Almighty God and prayed."
~gathered by Bill Federer
for American Minute @ crosswalk.com
or check his book, "America's God & Country"

I tried to write this qoute word for word and get the author too.
It seems I have failed somwhere but what I have I will write here:
"When people forget God, others will forge their chains."
the 4th: fireworks display!

230 yrs!

Rusty update IV ...

Rusty :
The neck brace is off. He did break his neck and has lost 20% of his neck movement. He can feel his legs and they are still saying he won't be able to walk. However, there seems to be the hope that with therapy he can defy the odds. They will soon send him home in a wheel chair where he will go to his local hospital for therapy. No, Chicago for rehab is out of the discussion.

He had a bladder infection and they treated him like he had an infectious disease!

Robin & Martin :
(parents) Robin was very upset by the hospital's care of Rusty over the bladder infection. By the weekend though her mood has shifted to a better state. What do you expect? You want the best care for your child!

Corey :
My little bro has been caring for Corey on Tuesdays. They have been hitting it off quite well. Corey trusts him. The attention span is quite short and that is a challenge. Like playing outdoors, it is a minute on the swing and inside they go. Walks seem out of the question. Corey likes to ride in cars. So little bro might take him for a spin in his jeep. But with gas prices and carrying precious cargo, this is a pray request.

other thoughts :
Salvation and building of faith ...
Bringing together of family and marriage not tearing apart ...
Rusty just moved into his own place. Now what ? Redesigning the place if not renting, look for another place, or move back home ...
Rusty's spirit ... that is ready for this battle ahead and that he can keep upbeat. 22 yrs old ....

Tuesdays w/ Corey

The Lord Himself goes before you
& will be with you.
He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged.
~ duet 31:8

dark side of opinions, feelings, & needs ...

t/f? Conflict arises from expression of opinions, feelings, & needs.
What a statement! I happen to believe it is true and it makes me twinge inside. I also would have to add instincts into the mix of conflict.

I truly hate conflict but to be the unique person we are created to be, our lives produce in us edgy opinions, raw emotions and feelings, sharp or dull instints, and those achy needs. Maybe by knowing this we can approach conflict as a sacred place. We have the ability to kneel and keep soft peace.

What will you do?

directing unknown circumstances ...

"God Works the Night Shift'' by Ron Mehl is a book that I most recently have been treasuring. I have been using it to pray and to see more deeply into our lives. I want to chatter on about his chapter he named 'He Is Directing Circumstances I Know Nothing About'

Ron does a great break down of how God orchestrated Christmas and he uses a few personal stories. I read this particuliar chapter as I am dealing with the mysteries of my own pageant. I love how God meets me in the very place I am searching. Sunday morning sermon gave me a little girl's pageant to tell here. How seeming misfortune for a little girl led a man right to the feet of the Almighty God. But before I retell the story, I want to use Ron's words to introduce how God's Plan is directed out in our lives:
''The Zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.''
Isaiah 9:7

Webster defines 'zeal' as ''intense enthusiasm, as in working for a cause; ardent endeavor or devotion; fervor or passion."

God's zeal is His relentless, tireless, uncompromising commitment to accomplish His will. Nothing in this universe will stand in the way of the Lord's zeal! ... Nothing high or low, big or little, living or dead, visible or invisible will hinder or impede His work. Nothing, nothing, nothing. He will accomplish what He sets out to do. He's passionate about it. ...

Sometimes I wish we could look behind the curtain of our lives and see God's zeal at work. How He moves and arranges people nd times and circumstances to accomplish His will. Nothing catches Him short. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He'a anticipated everything. ...

I'm so thankful God is a Father who has thought of everything. He's pre-planned and pre-arranged ever step of our journey. He's prepared to fund the whole project -- and even the incidentals. He'll get us from here to there and throw in a few nice surprises when the miles get long and the spirit grows weary.

His zeal will cheer us all the way Home.
fr: ''God Works the Night Shift'' ~ by Ron Mehl

The is a little girl around the age of 10 or 11 living in Old Isreal. She probably had a doll nestled on her bed. She probably had a garden place along side her mom. She probably had a favorite herb or veggie. She probably had a favorite olive tree where she would climb up and pick olives to make oil. She probably had a pet lamb she cooed over and cared for. She probably played with sibblings and neighborhood kids until dusk when she heard her momma call for her. She probably could get lost in a bed of wildflowers enjoying the fragrance. Maybe that is where she was when a raid happen.

A warring neighboring country came in and raided the town. This little girl was plucked from her loving home and given to Naaman's wife as a maid servent girl. I am sure there was saddness in her heart for her loving mother who shooed away all her aches and pains, and for her ever protecting father who had the best bear hugs around. Yes, sadness for her brothers and sisters. Oh how she missed her garden and her beloved pet lamb! But as you peek in her pageant, you don't see tears or tantrums! You sence a little girl serving her mistress with real peace and faith. She probably is reciting the 10 commandments and the God-Stories she was told by her father around the fire before bedtime as she did her service. Ahh, treasuring she was.

You see Naaman has this really bad skin condition and this little girl tells Mrs Naaman, her mistress, that she knows of someone who can heal him! Look at her faith! She is in a strange land with strange gods and she pipes up that she knows of a Healer. Realize that if there is no healing, she could pay for it with her own life. No matter. She knows what is hidden in her heart. What faith!

Naaman does go to see the healer. After a bit of misbelief, he does as he was told and is healed. Then Naaman makes a life commitment then and there to bow his knee to the Only One True God.

God took a small girl and plucked her out of her loving home and placed her in Naaman's home so that Naaman and his house could have God's Love transform them. Here we got to see the curtain pulled back. The Mystery Reveal!

So when our lives seemingly have run amuck and the Plan is invisable to our feeble eyes, there is a human element out there besides our own. We are connected and in those connections, God is zealously working His Pageant ....

another pageant piece revealed : at the end of the spear ... see thought #2

Polar Express ...

Yup, I watched this movie on a hot July day!!!! and it is a Christmas movie. I rate this movie a 10.

My mother bought the movie to watch with her grandkids, but felt mislead. 'The movie is about believing in Santa Clause,' she said.

Then I told her my take on the movie. Sure, there was a Santa Clause in the movie, but it was more about your journey. Each child that got on the Polar Express had a unique journey. The punching ot the ticket was uniquely theirs. That was pretty funny in itself! The ticket was punched at the beginning of their journey and it was a bit cryptic but at the end of the journey a whole word was punched out on their ticket. Learn for one, Lead for another, and Believe for the main character. Isn't that true for each one of us? Our lives circle around and around a particuliar design.

The movie wasn't about the gift getting even though gifts was apart of it. The boy from the other side of the tracks who never had Christmas at his house received a gift. You felt the tears well up inside as he clung to that gift. You know he treasured the receiving.

How often do we adults give up on this life we have? We lost the joy and delight. We trudge through our God-Given life as with lead boots! It is a privilege to receive this life and live out its adventure!

Mom is going to rewatch this movie with new eyes... she is beginning to see the journey part peek out around Santa Clause.

movie review : End of the Spear

End of the Spear ...

I watched this movie last week. There are movies out there that I refuse to rate because they deal with real life issues. There is a reason for making these movies... to tell a story ... to tell truth. This is one of those movies.

I have two thoughts:
1) the strength of a woman
It does not matter what tribe you are from, look to the woman there is in the very fiber of her being is a strength that is unmeasurable. It is a mystery but a truth. God designed woman as a beautiful creature and it is without fail how this world loves to crush that beauty. To all the evil and death in this world, be it known that this strength you find in a woman is stronger than any man made metal when woman is tapped into the Almighty Rock of Ages.

This movie was a precious picture and a reminder to me a stubborn girlchild to keep the faith in God burning strong. No matter what bleak days are ahead, beauty can lay her life out for others...

2) some God-Mysteries do come full circle and are revealed here on earth
The movie goes on to tell the story full circle. You are not left with the four young fathers murdered on the shore of this death hungry tribe as I was told as a child. The Mystery is revealed to the young son left fatherless as a young man. This son meets face to face with his father's converted killer. He had to come to terms with the fact that at the End of the Spear his father died so at the End of the Spear a death hungry man found New Life!

What an embrace it will be that Day when this tribesman is welcomed to Heaven by Jim Elliot. Tears will flow as the Son of God embraces them both and they see how the Author and Finisher intertwined their life events ...

movie review : the Lake House

fireworks display ...

I have skybox seats for the anual fireworks display every 4th. I have to say best seats and at no cost! No rude behavior or quito bites ruin my patroitic flare. In fact a more thankful emotion washes over me as I look out my bedroom window.

With the bursts of colorful sparks and pops of sound, I thank God for living in a free country to worship in the way I choose. I love the national athem because I am right there with Francis Scott Key seeing explosion after explosion light up the night sky and to have morning break to see the flag was still there is an amazing picture for me as I cherish this land my forefather's gave their lives for ... for me!

It truly helps to be in love. Yes, the old saying something that everything is better when you are in love. I love my home, a quiet retreat. I love my family, a place to connect and a place to love. I love my puppers, a warm tangable gooy unconditional love. I love creativity, a place to express happy sunshine. I love God-Created Nature. The lightingbugs where glowing in the fire auroma filled night. It makes me smile to think God created such a bug to glow for my sheer delight. So yes, fireworks are best enjoyed in love and gratitude.

the 4th : freedom thoughts

peace for an agitated heart ...

Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord my rock;
be not silent to me: lest, if Thou be silent to me,
I become like them that go down into the pit.
~ Psalm 28:1

A cry is the natural expression of sorrow, and a suitable utterance when all other modes of appeal fail us; but the cry must be alone directed to the Lord, for to cry to man is to waste our entreaties upon the air. When we consider the readiness of the Lord to hear, and His ability to aid, we shall see good reason for directing all our appeals at once to the God of our salvation. It will be in vain to call to the rocks in the day of judgment, but our Rock attends to our cries. "Be not silent to me."

Mere formalists may be content without answers to their prayers, but genuine suppliants cannot; they are not satisfied with the results of prayer itself in calming the mind and subduing the will-they must go further, and obtain actual replies from heaven, or they cannot rest; and those replies they long to receive at once, they dread even a little of God's silence. God's voice is often so terrible that it shakes the wilderness; but His silence is equally full of awe to an eager suppliant.

When God seems to close His ear, we must not therefore close our mouths, but rather cry with more earnestness; for when our note grows shrill with eagerness and grief, He will not long deny us a hearing. What a dreadful case should we be in if the Lord should become for ever silent to our prayers? "Lest, if Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit." Deprived of the God who answers prayer, we should be in a more pitiable plight than the dead in the grave, and should soon sink to the same level as the lost in hell. We must have answers to prayer: ours is an urgent case of dire necessity; surely the Lord will speak peace to our agitated minds , for He never can find it in His heart to permit His own elect to perish. fr: 'Morning & Evening' by Charles Spurgeon

Dear Heavenly Father,
I was feeling so excited about the stirrings of my soul about prayer until the one subject matter I find a no answer or an anwer of silence. I know we must pray as to Your Will and Design.

My prayer has changed and maybe has been a bit silent on that one subject matter. I can't go on asking for something for this. It hurts tooooo much. I am not sure I can live in delight and joy if I am always boohooing on and on over this matter. And yet as I read this, I am set to wondering...

My hope and faith rests in Your Voice to speak peace to my agitated mind and heart. I pray for this peace and I thank You, my Rock.
~ always your wondering girlchild

Swindoll : reroute

eyes ...

Here are a few tidbits for you to nibble on from the Idiot's guide to Body Language. Very interesting! But the one thing about body reading, you cannot be conscious about it. Your intuiative part of your being best reads and feeds your gut instinct!

* You cannot not communicate.
Ah, see even if you aren't present you are communicating no-worth.
'If you aren't saying hello, you're saying good-bye.' ~k

*Listening requires looking.
No wonder I feel frustrated when I wax on about something sooo important and I catch their eyes wonder to the tv or some other commotion!

*Eye contact is an invitation for communication.
This is a keeper. Turning from a shy person into a bubbly shy and my eyes being my greatest asset, bright eyes looking intently is rewarded with a smile back. I like that. brilliant...

*Eye contact and eye aversion regulates the conversation.
Whoa! Get this --> If you do not want some one to interupt your speech (and you may need to take a breath), just look away! I am a person who isn't a gab-hog, so this is a juicy tidbit! Now if you would like to pass the conversation back, you make eye contact. Pretty simple!

*Eye contact establishes warmth, intimacy, and friendship.
Yup, I agree. However, I remember an eye contact I made where my eyes were steel. I was being wounded and all I could do was pin them with my eyes ... no speech could come. Didn't matter anyway. My eyes said it all. So a real smile makes perfect bright eyes.

*Pupil dilation makes you more attractive to others.
So is that why dark brown eyes to almost black eyes feeeeeeel so warm and inviting? and why blue eyes and other light colored eyes seem so cool or scary?

*Eye movement means mental activity.
Oops, I should have checked this one out more. I don't think my eyes move when I am daydreaming or zoning out. Or maybe that isn't thinking? Wait, do you find it hard to think and see if your eyes are moving? impossible!

*Dogs are the ONLY animals who can READ FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, which explains our close connection with them.
I believe that, but I think I am going to be checking to see if my puppinators can. They are sometimes self absorbed in their need for attention or cookies, I wonder if they are paying attention to my face expressions.

*In communication the US tends to put more importance on talk where Japan puts more on body language.
Hmmmm, interesting.... Ok Americans, time to listen more, watch more. Only 7% of communication is verbal. The rest (93%) is non verbal.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wow, I can't wait to go discover some people listening. I thought I would add some 'people reading' things to watch for when you are out and about this fine 4th holiday.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
* ' withs ' = pairs, trios, etc

* ' frames ' = people together as a closed unit

* ' leads ' = boss, host, etc

* ' leakage ' = exposing inner feelings

* ' terminal marker ' = behaviors indicating its's time to go

* ' insider ' = one who knosw most of the people gathered

Share if you have some personal people reads that you have created ... or create your own ...