Stick with Love

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Is Sunday School Destroying our Kids?

   For me and my story, this is one of the most powerful quotes below: "The Beast isn’t loved because he has changed; the Beast is changed when he is loved. Joy doesn’t come when he’s loved for his beauty; joy overwhelms him when he is loved in his hideousness."
   God LOVES us FIRST.  Again and again it is made clear that we learn how to love because we are first loved.  Just like language, and reading, and taste buds, we learn from others teaching us, showing us, demonstrating to us.

   Ultimately, yes, become the type of men and women that Abraham, Joseph, David & Esther (& Ruth, and Mary, etc.) BECAME.  And they became that way because God saw them (and you; and me) as GOLD and allowed them to be refined and purified to become their pure, authentic, true selves and to go shine and be the beautiful treasures he designed them to be.

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http://beliefsoftheheart.com/2013/07/23/i-wonder-if-sunday-school-is-destroying-our-kids-2/

I Wonder If Sunday School Is Destroying Our Kids

July 23, 2013 — 344 Comments

Several years ago I met with a woman distraught by her son’s rejection of Christianity.

She said, “I did everything I could to raise him right. I taught him to be like the ‘heroes of faith,’ with the faithfulness of Abraham, the goodness of Joseph, the pure heart of David, and the obedience of Esther.”

She wondered why he rejected Christianity.

I wondered why it took him so long.     

Here is how we destroy the gospel message

Look at almost any Sunday school curriculum. You’ll find:

• Abraham was faithful, and God made him the father of a nation. So be faithful like Abraham.
• Joseph was a good little boy (unlike his “bad” brothers), and God made him Prime Minister of Egypt. So be good like Joseph.
• David had a pure heart (unlike his brothers), and God made him King of Israel. So have a pure heart like David.
• Esther was an obedient girl. God made her Queen of Persia and she saved God’s people. So be obedient like Esther.
• Finally, if we fail to be good, Jesus will forgive us (a “P.S.” tacked onto the end).

What’s so bad about these Sunday school lessons?

Nothing really. Except that they lie about God, they lie about these “heroes of the faith,” they lie about the Bible, and they lie about the gospel. Apart from that, they are pretty good. Oh, they also create “younger brother” rebels and “older brother” Pharisees.

Is the gospel our central theme, or is it a “PS” tacked onto the end?

The gospel storyline

The message of the gospel—the entire storyline of scripture—is God’s loving pursuit of people who run from him as fast as they can and who live lives unworthy of his love.

That’s why it’s called grace.

But our Sunday school lessons teach us to be good little boys and girls, and God will love us and use us. It’s the total opposite of the gospel. It’s a counterfeit of the worse kind.

The inside out of the gospel

The wonder of the gospel is not the love of the beautiful; it’s when Beauty kisses the Beast.

The Beast isn’t loved because he has changed; the Beast is changed when he is loved. Joy doesn’t come when he’s loved for his beauty; joy overwhelms him when he is loved in his hideousness.

If the Beast were loved for his beauty, it would be an unbearable burden. Any day he might be scarred, and soon he will certainly be a wrinkled old man.

So why do we burden our children with the unbearable load of “being good little boys and girls like the heroes in the Bible”? We wouldn’t load a pack mule with the burdens we place on our children.

There’s gotta be a better way

Let’s teach the wonder of the gospel. Let’s show our kids that God loves us … simply because he loves us. In our beastliness. That he loves us before we are good.

That his love isn’t vague sentimentality, but it cost him his most precious treasure to turn us into his prized possession; that the storyline of the Bible is God’s Search and Rescue mission to find the dying Beast and kiss him into joyous life.

• How Abraham was an idol worshiper and God loved him and pursued him;
• How Joseph was a narcissistic boy and God loved him and pursued him;
• How David was a murdering adulterer and God loved him and pursued him;
• How Esther had sex outside of marriage with a non-believer and God loved her and pursued her.

Our heroes weren’t loved because they were good; they were good because they were loved.

We may believe in the innocence of youth, but our children know better. They see the children in the schoolyard (and they see us at home!). They don’t need the counterfeit gospel of pack-mule-moralism; they need the kiss of the Beauty.

Maybe we do too. Besides, it’s what the Bible in fact teaches.

Sam

(Reposted from Beliefs of the Heart, June 26, 2012)

:-/

The Desire for Safety

"The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise." ~Tacitus

via Troy Anderson

You are Created to be Free

Are You Worthy? (Yes)

"Those who struggle & wonder if they're good enough?  They don't believe they are worthy.  That is the difference between those who feel worthy and those who don't: BELIEF.
  Those who believe are whole-hearted."

"Courage: to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart."

"The willingness to say i love you first.  To do so something where there are no guarantees."

You can't numb bad feelings without numbing good ones.

"You're imperfect & but you are worthy of love & belonging."

"We pretend that what we do doesn't have an effect of people."

"Let yourselves be seen, even with no guarantee.
Practice gratitude, lean into joy.
Believe you're enough."

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

"We love because he first loved us."

1 John 4:7-21

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
19 We love because he first loved us.
20 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Conquer Yourself

"You don't conquer the mountain.  You conquer yourself.  You are the variable."  ~Steele

"You are the variable. Great quote from a man who conquered North America's highest peak.

Still reflecting on this... for me: the mountain resembles marriage/life/whatever you feel is a challenge. Terrain, environment, weather, altitude... and you and your partner are climbing this mountain... you need a rope and you need to keep adjusting. There will be bad days, but also good. Stay tethered to one another and continue to adjust. The second you untether yourself you not only risk yourself, but your partner. Third.. if you're not married and the prior sentence doesn't apply as much.. you still need partners.. i.e. community.

Something I can't get out of my head is a story they told of a blood stained trail of others who were also climbing the mountain. Altitude sickness caused others to cough blood. But Steele (the climber) and his partner stated that their strategy was to camp high and sleep low.. meaning, they hiked up a ways, camped high, then skied down lower to sleep - allowing their bodies time to adjust. Sometimes you have to step back, slow down and take time to adjust.

How often are you plowing through unaware that you've become untethered? Are you coughing blood and lost?"

~Renée Wong Mytar

Never lose your freedom

It's never bad to start (or finish) one's day listening to this:

http://youtu.be/lEOOZDbMrgE


*Because an enemy may try to take our lives, but they can never take our freedom unless we give it to them.

Looking for new eyes

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2011

What I Saw

When I was a child, I had a vision of myself in the future.  

It was a sunny afternoon in Montreal.  I was in the back seat of my mom's Ford. I must have been really little because gazing out the window required looking up. We were driving down Montrose, and then it happened. 

Just as we passed Westhill, a film began playing in my mind. I saw myself before a crowd of people, but I'm not sure how large it was. I stood before them, but I stood for them, and I yearned for justice.  From my mouth came six words, and now that I understand who Martin Luther King Jr. is, I was a little bit like him.

"Do we not have the rrright???..."

The people knew exactly what I was talking about.  There was energy, emotion and urgency.


And then it ended.  


Mom and I drove on towards Windermere. 

Today, I still don't know what I was fighting for.  Today, I wonder if what I envisioned was destiny whispering itself into my being and preparing me for my mission. Today, it feels a lot closer to destiny unfolding.

What was your vision?  Are you living it?

http://rosannatomiuk.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-i-was-child-i-had-vision-of-myself.html


"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Here are my eyes. Show me yours.

The Risk of Loving is Always Worth Taking

    “Every time we make the decision to love someone, we open ourselves to great suffering, because those we most love cause us not only great joy but also great pain. The greatest pain comes from leaving. When the child leaves home, when the husband or wife leaves for a long period of time or for good, when the beloved friend departs to another country or dies … the pain of the leaving can tear us apart.
Still, if we want to avoid the suffering of leaving, we will never experience the joy of loving. And love is stronger than fear, life stronger than death, hope stronger than despair. We have to trust that the risk of loving is always worth taking.” 

~ Henri J.M. Nouwen

Saved by Love

"Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love."
-Reinhold Niebuhr

(thanks Lesley Dial Pierce!)

Searching for Freedom

Freedom (Andrieas d’Andres Vetu)

Pain.  Immense pain and shame.  And guilt.  Unforgiven.  Unforgivable.  Hands clutching.  Tearing at a mind that bears no semblance of what it hopes to be.  And what it is is pardonable.  Human.  Waiting for that next chance to learn to do what is right though all else might feel wrong.  Consolable.  Waiting for love.  Undeserving but created for it all the same.  Face down in fear of the one that rules.  Unsure of how he will respond but knowing all he has done and what should occur in light of such.  But a man can change.  He will change.  He does change.  And the love he will know will bring dawn to a new day.  A new life.  A new world.

David Sandler © 2004

Burghers of Calais (Andrieu d’Andres)

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Signed-Auguste-Rodin-Bronze-Statue-Burghers-of-Calais-Andrieu-d-Andres-Sculpture-/00/s/NjAwWDQyMA==/$(KGrHqF,!hUE6ccwGLG-BOrqIgnHpg~~60_35.JPG

Law is made for man, not man for the law; so why are humans regressing???

http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/07/18/zimmerman-verdict-and-resurrection-old-jim-crow#.UehNP0Mnhqw.facebook

The Zimmerman Verdict and the Resurrection of the Old Jim Crow

by Lisa Sharon Harper 07-18-2013 | 2:16pm

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The acquittal of a person who is not black for the murder or beating of a black person is nothing new: Remember Yusef Hawkins. Remember Rodney King. Remember Amadu Diallo. Remember Alex Moore. Remember Latasha Harlins. Remember Sean Bell. Remember… remember… remember.

Sign at a rally for Trayvon Martin. Photo courtesy Steven Ley/shutterstock.com

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  by Jim Wallis
• 'As You Sow, So Shall You Reap'
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Many of us can recall these names without much effort. So, why is the death of Trayvon Martin so different?

It’s different because of the law — and the timing.

First, the law. This may have been an unavoidable verdict, under a three-part set of unjust Florida laws.

Before 2005, Florida’s self-defense laws mirrored those of the rest of the country. A person had no duty to retreat if being attacked inside their own home, but outside the home they had the duty to get the heck out of dodge, if possible, before using deadly force.

In 2005, Florida became the first state to expand its self-defense laws to include any spaces outside the home and encouraged people not to retreat, but to “stand their ground.”

Ta-Nehisi Coates broke down the irony of Florida’s “stand your ground” principle:

“I don’t think the import of this is being appreciated,” he said. “Effectively, I can bait you into a fight and if I start losing, I can legally kill you, provided I ‘believe’ myself to be subject to ‘great bodily harm.’”

So, it follows, Zimmerman’s jury was given deliberation instructions that used language from the “stand your ground” principle verbatim: “Zimmerman... had no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he reasonably believed that it was necessary to do so.” (Italics mine.)

Juror 37 said this principle imbedded within the instructions played a key role in the jury’s verdict.

Since 2005, more than 20 states have followed Florida’s lead and enacted their own versions of expanded self-defense laws. That means nearly half of the country lives under the legal authority of “stand your ground.”

Now, couple these expanded self-defense laws with the proliferation of concealed carry laws, which legalize the carrying of guns in public. Today, every state in the union has passed some degree of concealed carry laws.

Add this to the fact that there is no precedent for the prosecution of racial profiling by ordinary citizens. It has always been assumed that racial profiling is something that happens under the authority of those who have broad permission to “carry and kill” — an authority which until recently rested squarely on police officers and the military. Now, in states with stand your ground and concealed carry laws, “authority” comes in the form of “immunity from prosecution.”

Broad self-defense laws, more guns, and immunity from prosecution for profiling are the proverbial Molotov cocktail that brought us the murder of Trayvon Martin and Zimmerman’s subsequent acquittal under the law.Now, for the timing.

When I think of the accomplishments of the Civil Rights era I imagine a proverbial three-legged stool: The first leg represents the protection of civil rights — think the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The second leg represents protection of voting rights — think the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The third leg represents economic empowerment — think anti-poverty legislation of the mid-late 1960s, such as the Food Stamp Act of 1964.

Now consider this:

· Three weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of its enforcement power. Down went leg number two.

· Last week the House GOP voted to eliminate 100 percent of funding for food stamps from the Farm Bill. As a result, food stamps are currently unfunded in the federal budget. Leg number three is currently a stump of its former self.

· Finally, last weekend, George Zimmerman was found “not guilty” and black America realized a web of laws have been hacking away at our civil rights to live and expect equal protection under the law.

The old Jim Crow is back.

Not to be confused with Michelle Alexander's New Jim Crow, the old Jim Crow was a web of laws designed to affirm and reinforce the spiritual lie of colonial and antebellum antiquity; that some people were meant to be slaves and others were simply meant to be masters and only whites are fully human. In today’s terms, we might understand it this way: The lives, souls, and livelihoods of white Americans are worthy of protection more than others.

When I listened to the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case that is what I heard the state (through its application of law) telling me about my life, my soul, my livelihood—my father’s life, my father’s soul, my father’s livelihood—my brothers’ lives, my nephews’ souls, my grandfather’s livelihoods. We are not as worthy of protection as that of white folk.

I was in shock. I have never lived in that reality. I have watched Eyes on the Prize countless times with distant wonder at how black people living in a sepia-toned world could bear it. I woke up on Sunday morning, July 14, 2013 and realized: now, I am bearing it.

I wept and couldn’t stop weeping on and off throughout the day.

This is why Trayvon Martin’s death and Zimmerman’s acquittal are such a big deal.

The verdict may have been lawful, but it was absolutely unjust. There is human law and there is higher law. Man’s law may require an acquittal for a man who provokes a fight and kills an unarmed child because he presumably didn’t belong there, but God’s law says “Thou shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13), and Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Mark 9:37a)

And like me, many of the nearly 66 million people of African descent and many others of non-European descent in the U.S. woke up from a dream on Sunday morning and realized we were living in a nightmare. We are living in a pre-1964 world. We are no longer protected by the law.

Sign Sojourners' petition today. Tell the governors across the U.S.: “Following Jesus' call to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), I urge you to repeal your state's 'stand your ground' law!"

And read our ongoing dialogue on race and the reconciliation at Remembering Trayvon: Race, Faith, and Truth.

Lisa Sharon Harper is Director of Mobilizing for Sojourners, author of Left, Right and Christ: Evangelicals Faith in Politics and a member of Emerging Voices.

Without Silence Words Lose Their Meaning

   “Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.” 
~ Henri J.M. Nouwen

http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/07/08/creation-groaning#.Udu18QqCElE.facebook

Creation is Groaning

by Lisa Sharon Harper 07-08-2013

Have you ever heard someone groan? I mean really groan … from down deep in their bones. Have you heard someone groan like they were trying to push something toxic out – to let something surface that had been buried beneath a façade of wellness? Like they were just hanging on in the present until that day comes when things are right again? That kind of groaning comes from deep grief and profound longing. Grief is born of loss — the loss of something good. Longing envisions a time when what was good will be restored.

Oil spill illustration, fish1715 / Shutterstock.com

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I know a woman whose ministry is to pray. That’s it. She is paid to pray. Once at a conference for Black students from all parts of the African diaspora (including Africa, the U.S., the Caribbean, and Europe) the topic of slavery came up. Speakers analyzed the effects of it and talked about how devastating it was — this institution that pilfered the largest and naturally richest continent on earth of its human and material resources and robbed African descendants of human dignity from that day to present. The speakers talked, and as they did, my friend — this prayer woman — discerned that the group needed to bend to its knees.

She suggested that we pray. As she led us she explained a kind of prayer that skips past words and connects with the heart of God. It is a prayer of lament and a prayer of longing. It is the prayer of the Spirit of God that Paul refers to in Romans 8:26: “Groaning Prayer,” she called it.

The conference attendees sat silent as my friend began to pray: first with words “Oh, God! Heal us of the stifling effects of loss, never given the chance to be truly grieved! Help us to see ourselves as you see us — to imagine a world where we are seen by all as you see us.” Soon one student groaned. Then another … and another. After some time, the room heaved as a generation mourned the trauma, loss, fear, and humiliation that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade levied on nearly 10 generations of their ancestors and dared to imagine a world where they and their descendants might be healed.

In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul writes: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God …” (Romans 8:18-19)

And who are God’s children in the immediate context? Paul explains the “children of God” are those whose spirits cry “father” when referring to God. “For,” according to Paul, “all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” (Romans 8:14) If this is true, then why is creation longing for the children of God (those led by God’s Spirit) to be revealed?

In Genesis 1, the author writes, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” The Hebrew words for “very good” are mehode tobe. Mehode means “forcefully” and in the Hebrew context tobedoes not necessarily refer to the object itself. Rather it refers to the ties between things. So, when God looked around at the end of the sixth day and said, “This is very good,” God was saying the relationships between all parts of creation were “forcefully good.” The relationship between humanity and God, men and women, within families, between us and the systems that govern us, and the relationship between humanity and the rest of creation — the land, the sea, and sky and all the animals and vegetation God created to dwell in those domains—all of these relationships were forcefully good!

Then in Genesis 2 we have a more intimate story of creation in which humanity is created from the earth. We are not separate from creation, but made from it. We are placed in a garden and told to “till and keep” it (Genesis 2:15-16). The Hebrew word for “till” is abad, which means “to serve.” The word for “keep” in Hebrew is shamar. It means to “protect.” You see? God intended for humans to serve the needs of the rest of creation and to protect its integrity.

Then the story of humanity turns in the span of one chapter. And it all hinges on how the first humans interact with a tree — a part of God’s creation.

In Genesis 2, God tells humanity not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil because it will lead to death. In Genesis 3, the man and woman choose their own way to wellness, wholeness, and peace. They eat the fruit of the tree and, indeed, gain the knowledge of evil — the experience of not trusting God. Their relationship with God is broken, but it doesn’t stop there. One by one, every relationship that God declared mehode tobe just a chapter and a verse before — they all fall down.

Among the fallen lay the shattered relationship between humanity and the rest of creation. Animals are cursed because of our sin (Genesis 3:14). For the first time in the story of creation we see an animal sniping at a human being (Genesis 3:15). Then, the land is cursed as a repercussion of our sin (Genesis 3:17). The earth produced vegetation and fruit in Genesis 2:9. Now, for the first time, the ground will produce thorns and thistles and humanity will have to beat the earth to eat and live (Genesis 3:17b-19).

“For creation was subjected to futility,” Paul explains in Roman 8, “not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it.” Who subjected the earth to futility? One might say God did, since God laid down the curse. Another might say humanity subjected the earth to futility by not trusting God’s command in the first place. Thus, the curse is not levied by God, but rather is the natural outcome of humanity’s rebellion.

And so creation groans.

It groans under the pain of the futility of trying to live out its purpose — to produce life-giving vegetation and oxygen that all animals need, including humanity — and, for animals, to enrich the earth and produce enough carbon for plant-life to breathe.

Creation groans under the weight of futility of trying to reproduce vegetation at a sustainable rate when humanity is determined to secure its own wellness through increased deforestation, agribusiness that exploits the land through monocropping, and creation of genetically modified crops, which increases the need for pesticides that compromise the well-being of human consumers and the land.

Creation is groaning under the futility of trying to reproduce natural gas and oil at a sustainable rate when humanity is intent on getting its energy fix right now. As the seas warm and rise, and the climate is altered, animals and humans alike — especially the poor — are at risk.

And creation groans because humanity cannot avoid the repercussions of its addiction. Think “BP oil spill.” Think “pipeline break in Utah, Arkansas, and Nebraska.”

And so creation is groaning for the revelation of the children of God. It longs for those who will follow the Spirit of God, those who will follow God’s ways, those who will work for reconciliation between humanity and God, as well as humanity and the rest of creation. For the revelation of God’s children is a sign that restoration is at hand.

Here is the question for the church today. Will we continue to argue over whether the earth was made in 7 days or 7 million years? Or will we be the children of God we claim to be? Will we humble ourselves and pray as God calls us to pray in 2 Chronicles 7:14? Will we seek God’s face and let our Spirit groan with God’s spirit, and will we be reconciled to the rest of creation? Maybe if we do … God will heal our land.

Lisa Sharon Harper is Director of Mobilizing for Sojourners and a member of Emerging Voices. 

Image: Oil spill illustration, fish1715 / Shutterstock.com

distant

sept 18 2006DISTANT

Does one hear the betrayals sounds at the coming of
pattered feet? Speak softly and beware curious words that tell not what
burns desires but crushes the bones. Echoes resound softly in pale
moonlit skies, determined to rationalize histories that are not to be
repeated, but the downward spirals so ensure – to what end? Creation
dawned and so must set – does not all life give birth unto death itself?
No beginning does not have an end – so this heart surely recalls,
remembers, and resounds in the hollow chambers of sweet sadness where tears
are never dried, where laughter is never heard, and smiles are distant
memories in distant places in distant lives.

Self-rejection

   “Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection. Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection. As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, "Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody." ... [My dark side says,] I am no good... I deserve to be pushed aside, forgotten, rejected, and abandoned. Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.” 
  ~ Henri J.M. Nouwen

Wash Away Barriers

Drops of water will wash away even the greatest mountain in due time.

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it" ~rumi

"Making amends isn't about our past so much as it is about our future. Before we can enjoy the heart felt relationships we desire, we need to clean out the guilt, shame and pain that caused many of our past relationships to fail." ‎~Celebrate Recovery

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsqbY4jp2ocS6SBPlUghiAq8SI9aiBE-Gp8SFsKDS5t-DgoNMr 

Discipline helps yield strong character

http://elitedaily.com/life/why-discipline-is-so-important/

why do people want things so easily nowadays without working for it?  I don't want to see anyone suffer, but doesn't overcoming struggle help make us better?

----------------------------------------------------

Why Discipline Is Essential To Your Character
WELLNESS • ASHLEY FERN • JUN 14, 10:35AM

Discipline is a concept everyone is aware of, but few truly understand. The most successful people in life exert discipline on a daily basis. It is vital to every living being and without it, the world around us would be chaos.

To be a great and inspiring leader, you must constantly display restraint. Not giving into something you truly want is a sign of strength. Making the right decisions in life can make or break you, and this type of person tends to make the right decisions. Regardless of where you exert this self-restraint, it will help to promote achievement in your life.

“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.”

Discipline brings stability and structure into a person’s life. It teaches a person to be responsible and respectful. The observance of well-defined rules is the basis of society. If there were no discipline, people would do whatever they wanted and make mistakes without putting the consideration of others first and foremost. It promotes good human behavior to better society and make it a more enjoyable place for everyone to live.

The ability for an individual to have self-restraint allows them to behave in a consistently stringent and controlled manner. A lack of this ability can have disastrous results. Do you think a company is going to tolerate a person who is consistently late to work or who procrastinates in doing their work? It is evident how these behaviors will weaken the image of a business.

“Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It’s a state of mind — you could call it character in action.” — Vince Lombardi

Think of athletics: discipline is the fundamental aspect on which sports have been created. Every player must adhere to the rules of the game. This is why umpires and referees exist. Whoever does not follow these guidelines will be penalized for violating the rules of the sport.

Persons in high authority must demonstrate high levels of restraint constantly; they cannot just speak however they see fit. A smart leader knows when to hold his tongue and when to speak. Discipline helps to train a person’s mind and character, building a sense of self-control and the practice of obedience.

“Self-discipline is a form of freedom. Freedom from laziness and lethargy, freedom from the expectations and demands of others, freedom from weakness and fear — and doubt. Self-discipline allows a pitcher to feel his individuality, his inner strength, his talent. He is master of, rather than a slave to, his thoughts and emotions.”

There are two types of discipline: internal and external. Internal discipline is your self-restraint and your ability to differentiate right from wrong. External discipline is according to societal norms, such as following the law. It is not sufficient enough to possess great qualities; we need the ability to manage them.


Too many people are susceptible to instant gratification. People lacking control are unable to look at the long-term effects of their actions. This further demonstrates why this is such a crucial skill to have in life. It is probably the most crucial factor when trying to achieve a goal. It allows you to choose from different options and by following these options you can garner the success you sought out for. It additionally gives you the authority to overcome any obstacles that come your way.

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

This ability can be developed or strengthened at any given time if you put your mind to it. Make promises and make sure you deliver. Make the genuine effort to align your actions and behaviors with your thoughts. Exercise; get your mind and body into shape. Resist the urge to give into negative behaviors, instead focus on all of the positive attributes.

Today

"Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has yet to come. We have only today."    ~Mother Teresa

Rising

   Loved just because.  These words below were spoken at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  Words like these carry people along the way to do things out of an outpouring of simply being one WITH God.  
   "That is ALL He wants from us. US! Not doing good, serving and sacrificing (not that doing good is a bad thing)…  To just BE with Him."
   And every day for the rest of his life on earth, Jesus was with God.

"Immediately coming up out of the water, Jesus saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: 'You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.'"
~ Mark 1:10-11 (NASB)

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© Tara Thorn

Never lose Integrity

"Gravity never loses its integrity."
~Isla Rose Forgeron

Different

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." -- E.E. Cummings

Love: the 1st commandment (and 2nd; probably 3rd, 4th, 5th and so on...)

  I was giving a talk a few years ago about the Good Samaritan, and how he took care of all the needs of a dying man on the side of the road just because.  Just because he loved.  There is nothing more important than doing the right thing not because it's the right thing to do but because it is the love we have inside of us leaking out to others.  When our hearts are full of God's grace, love & mercy, how could we not pour out those same things unto others?
   The 2nd half of the discussion had to do with "Loving your neighbor AS YOURSELF."  It is a reminder that we - in a mode of self-preservation and/or love - want ourselves to be as happy and whole and complete as possible.  We want the best for ourselves in all things: clothes, home, comfort, peace, etc.  God wants these things for us as well.  He would not deny us good things, even if sometimes we do not have them (and therefore there can be no blame or judgment for not having or receiving any of these things; sometimes life is life and things (good or bad) happen and it is how we respond that is of importance).  He loves us.  We wants us to love ourselves for who we are.  And then He wants us to pour out to others as an offering - a redeeming free gift - of love so that they would know God's love also.
   If we know He loves us, and we are full of this truth and love, then we could never empty ourselves or detach ourselves from true & the greatest love.

The Greatest Commandment (Mark 12:28-34)   "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
   The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a]  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]  There is no commandment greater than these.”
   “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
   When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
[a] Deuteronomy 6:4-5, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
[b] Leviticus 19:18, “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."

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7-11

The Twilight Zone of our Hearts

   “There is a twilight zone in our hearts that we ourselves cannot see. Even when we know quite a lot about ourselves-our gifts and weaknesses, our ambitions and aspirations, our motives and our drives-large parts of ourselves remain in the shadow of consciousness. This is a very good thing. We will always remain partially hidden to ourselves. Other people, especially those who love us, can often see our twilight zones better than we ourselves can. The way we are seen and understood by others is different from the way we see and understand ourselves. We will never fully know the significance of our presence in the lives of our friends. That's a grace, a grace that calls us not only to humility, but to a deep trust in those who love us. It is the twilight zones of our hearts where true friendships are born.” 
~ Henri J.M. Nouwen

Context (visualized... sort of... :-)

I see everything around me: past & present... it doesn't matter, but it shapes all things in my mind.  And then I pray to make sense of it all.


Melissa Lynn.

If you can't forgive your neighbor, can you love them?

   I know in life there are things that are difficult to forget; God knows in my past there have been many who have done things that were hard for me or hurt me - stories that deserve a book more than a paragraph.  But bitterness and anger allowed to fester can (and for me, for a long time, did) tear a soul apart.
   Love requires the ability to forgive.  If you can't forgive someone, can you love them as God says is the greatest commandment???

Forgiveness:

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." ~Mark 11:25

"When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.  Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'" ~Luke 23:33-34, 

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." ~Matthew 6:9-15

Love: 

   "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
   The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”
   “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ~Mark 12:28-34

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