tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12523907168715218562024-02-18T19:34:17.289-08:00(a modern-day) Margery Raves OnRandom ravings from a saint whose halo slips more often than not.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-13862511185819805692019-02-21T08:55:00.000-08:002019-02-23T16:50:58.995-08:00The Strength in Weakness<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday, I ran into another person at the grocery store who gave me a bear hug and told me how “strong” I am.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">Throughout our family’s life-and-death health crises, loving people have encouraged me by telling me this. Those votes of confidence are helpful and healing… they actually do imbue me with a little more perceived strength for a time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">But the truth of the matter is that I am not strong at all…. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">just an average quivering mess of doubts, fears, and insecurities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">Surely not physically strong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">Nor emotionally.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">Many times, not spiritually, mentally, or morally.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">This is very important for me to acknowledge, and for you to understand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">When I was a young mother, I’d occasionally hear horror stories about family tragedies. At that time, I could not have imagined surviving similar circumstances. I thought that those people who ‘carried on’ must be super-heroes of fortitude, faith, and virtue. Or just naturally wired to be brave and stoic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">Not me. I knew I could never handle it if something awful happened to one of my loved ones. Especially my children. <i>Just let me jump on the funeral pyre and call it a day.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">No, I am not wired to be brave and stoic. I am not a paragon of faith or fortitude. There’s not much super-hero strength to be found around here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia";">But I know where to get some</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia";">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">In case you haven’t already heard this, I want to let you in on a little secret:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">God does not “help those who help themselves.” He helps those who <i>cannot </i>help themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">He helps those who have no strength left.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">He helps those who are at the end of their ropes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">He helps those whose faith is weak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">He helps spineless, sobbing messes like me…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">when we <b>ask </b>for it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">That takes a bit of humility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">You have to admit that <i>y</i>o<i>ur best isn’t good enough.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">You realize, at last, that you can’t go it alone. You can’t pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You can’t mindfully ascend to a higher plateau. You can’t just “close your eyes, and think of England!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">You are stuck in the pit, with no way out. Way too weak to climb up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">So you must humble yourself enough to ask for help.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">And it always, always comes to those who ask in simple trust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">******<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">I have to confess that not a single one of my pregnancies was planned. They were all great surprises. Two out of the three were actively being prevented. The other was kinda/sorta being prevented. (I am a poster child for abstinence before marriage.)<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">My first two girls were 23 months apart, and as opposite as two humans can be. (<b>Kids </b>are like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re going to get.) They loved (love) each other fiercely, but fought in equal measure. Everyone in our family has a big personality… some have been labeled ‘larger than life.’ Passionate. Loud. Sensitive. Extrovert. Funny. Into everything. And those children were. They were into playing creatively and dramatically and dressing up and hiding in the woods. They were into ballet and gymnastics and theater and choir and a gazillion other after-school activities. They were into fierce fighting and dramatic making up. They were intense. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">I was tired.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">When they were 5 and 7, we found out that a surprise was on the way. My husband and I had pretty much decided that we had our hands full with the two large, but diametrically different, personalities God had already given us, so the thought of a number 3 was daunting. It turned out to be the roughest pregnancy yet. I was horribly nauseated for all 9 months. In spite of that, I gained more than twice as much as the previous pregnancy, and developed toxemia. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">I associated every inch of our house with extreme nausea, so my loving husband booked us all reservations at a resort in Highlands, N.C. for a change of venue. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">By Sunday I was vertical, so we decided to go to a local church.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">As we were walking in, an older man stopped me at the door, and spoke a ‘word’ over me and our family that unsettled me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">I got away from him as soon as I could, and sat down and prayed: “<i>Okay. </i><i>I’m a little freaked out</i>. <i>What does any of that mean, if it means anything at all? <b>Does </b>it mean anything at all?? I'm barely coping as it is.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">At that moment, a totally unrelated scripture came into my mind as distinctly as if I’d heard an audible voice:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">It was like a thunderclap. A warm chill emanated from deep within, flowing up into my heart. I knew immediately and definitively that the baby was going to be another girl, contrary to everyone’s predictions, and that her name would be Grace. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">(And she has been. Grace upon grace.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">That scripture has been the key to <b>everything</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">When you have nothing left, Christ comes to fill.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">When you are powerless, the Holy Spirit sends power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">All you have to do is ask… and believe you will receive. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">(Sometimes, it comes as a gift even when you <b>don’t </b>believe.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">There is much more <b>strength in our weakness </b>than there is in our strength.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">For when we are weak, then He is strong for us.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">No, I am not "strong" at all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">******<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">so that Christ’s </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">For when I am weak, then I am strong.”</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";">“</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";">He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="sc">Lord</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";">(Isaiah 40:29-31)</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i><sup><span style="font-family: "georgia";"> </span></sup></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";">“</span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia";">For I can do everything through Christ, </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia";">who gives me strength.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Phil 4:13)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">*For those of you who are new here and wondering who the heck Margery is, I apologize. It’s too long to go into today. This is an old blog of mine that was ransomed by Photobucket, along with thousands of other blogs and websites. Evidently, there must have been a class action lawsuit, because they have removed the huge banner that covered everyone’s heading. In doing so, they have also wiped out all the introductory material concerning crazy old Margery. In a perfect world, I’d hire an expert and create a whole new blog. <b>In the meantime </b>(the name of another old blog I used to have), I hope to occasionally publish some random thoughts on life and faith on this broken little vessel. Which is appropriate in many ways… because we talk a lot about brokenness here!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks for understanding,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kim</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-20670845580498971362017-10-09T14:41:00.000-07:002017-10-09T14:41:44.680-07:00Holy Ground<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They enter singly and in groups, laughing and chatting. Hugging me and each other. We </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">grab something to drink and start settling down. We look like any average group of (oldish) girlfriends getting together, some fixed up for work, some in our workout clothes. It is a relief to be finally be together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My house is a war zone, but they don’t care. There was a time when that kind of thing mattered. Not so much anymore. They ignore the peeling 1980’s wallpaper, boxes of Mother’s stuff we’ve never dealt with, stacks of books everywhere. We head into the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">family room</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and sit on furniture with shredded upholstery, thanks to Ziggy, The Demon Cat.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whatever.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is Holy Ground.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have found each other... mothers whose hearts have been broken for our children. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you ran into any of us at the grocery store, you might not guess what lay behind our lipsticked smiles and sunglassed faces. We’ve experienced more pain than we could have imagined possible in our former lives. Sleepless dark nights of the soul. Life has not turned out as we expected. Our dreams for our precious children have been derailed, if not destroyed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But we’re still here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And we still laugh.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most of us have known each other for years. We’ve drifted in and out of each other’s lives with changing seasons. Some of us were in Bible Studies together in our 30’s, mothers of happy little children, full of life and infinite potential. We prayed countless promises of protection and provision over those little ones. Naively, we imagined (or at least hoped) that a good God wouldn’t allow our ‘sweet Christian families’ to be touched by tragedy. We read all the books. We played by all the rules. We followed all the recipes.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In spite of that, each of us has been dragged kicking and screaming into the sorority no one wants to join… the Sisterhood of Suffering. Every situation is unique. Each sister has a different story to tell. But we are drawn together like lone shipwreck survivors on a forgotten island, brought together by an unseen hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each of us has grieved in isolation: waterfalls of flowing tears, anguished sobs echoing in empty rooms.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But when we come together, something holy happens.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alone, we are cracked clay jars, brimming with liquid pain. Together, the heartache spills out, runs together like unstaunched blood, and is lifted up as a communion cup. Holy wine, poured out in a sacrifice of praise and surrender and hope. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is no condemnation or judgment here in this shabby, holy place.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are free indeed.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recently, I was asked to name a female role-model.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I couldn’t think of just one.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These are my heroes:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Beautiful Brave Brokenhearted,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">who won’t give up, no matter what.</span></span></div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-54211964820842035592017-08-28T15:59:00.000-07:002017-08-28T15:59:07.031-07:00Eight Twenty Eight<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I woke up too early this
morning. I tried to think of happy, pretty things to get myself back to sleep,
but worries kept buzzing like bees around the flowers in my head. So, I decided
to do something I haven’t done in far too long: mentally recite my favorite
passage from the Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It begins with Romans <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">8:28</b>: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">For we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him…</b>”</i> and ends with Romans
8:38-39: “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that is in Christ Jesus our Lord</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.</b>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I finally gave up on sleep and dragged
myself out of bed for coffee. With the consciousness of day, it suddenly dawned
on me: Today <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">is</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">8/28. </b>One year ago on this day, my second child almost died. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I’ve been having some PTSD-ish symptoms
for a couple of weeks now. Anxiety, depression, a sense of impending doom. Amie
has been struggling, too. Although the majority of her physical injuries have
healed miraculously well, pain remains. The physical part often heals
more rapidly than the emotional, spiritual, and biochemical. But she’s a
fighter. Always has been.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When Amie was in 8<sup>th</sup> grade,
we decided to home-school her. I’m not sure how much she learned that year, but
we managed to have some fun ‘field trips.’ The highlight for me was Scripture
Class. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mwaahaahaa! Mama’s got you now!)</i>
Yes, that fidgety little thing was forced to memorize scripture for homework.
Of course, it meant I had to memorize it as well. Our longest passage was
Romans 8:28-39. We made colorful flash cards and funny mnemonics to help us
remember. For example, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">t</b>rouble
or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">h</b>ardship or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">p</b>ersecution or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">f</b>amine or
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">n</b>akedness or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">d</b>anger or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">s</b>word?” in v.
35 became “the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">h</b>appy <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">p</b>eople <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">f</b>ound <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">n</b>ew <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">d</b>ance <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">s</b>hoes.” At that time, I could not have imagined what trouble and
hardship lay ahead. I’m grateful for that blissful ignorance
now. But I’m even more grateful that those life-giving words were implanted
deep within our brains and hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No matter what has happened, we know that we are “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">more than conquerors through him that loves us!” </b>(v.37) I may <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feel</i> more like a cowering coward, but I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">believe </i>this deep spiritual truth. Faith
is a choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As I mentioned long ago somewhere on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Katherine’s Mom’s Blog, </b>Katherine got a
little jealous of her younger sister’s academic accomplishment, so she
memorized the passage, too. We all clung to it like a lifebuoy in the days
following her AVM rupture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">At her greatest point of suffering, Katherine
questioned God. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Have You made a mistake?
Wouldn’t it have better for everyone if I’d died?”</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As she writes in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hope Heals</b>, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“And then suddenly, before those
thoughts had even fully landed in my head and heart, I felt a deep awakening of
the Word of God, which I had known since I was a little girl. I could almost
hear this rapid-fire succession of the truths of Scripture, like a dispatch
from God Himself.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Katherine, you are not a mistake. I DON’T MAKE
MISTAKES.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">…Trust Me. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I
am working EVERYTHING for your good</b>. Don’t doubt the truth just because you
are in this darkness now. What’s true in the light is true in the dark.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hope
Heals</b>, p. 164)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This past year has been one of the hardest of my
life. It’s been hard for everyone in our family. For Amie, it’s been kind of
like Hell, with occasional day passes out. She’s experienced major victories
and serious setbacks. There have been legions of dragons and demons to slay, and the
struggle is not yet over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I’m not really sure why Amie and I have both been secretly
dreading this day. Throughout the past month, its eminent arrival has brought
some flashbacks of horror and excruciating pain. But the GOOD that God has
worked from the brokenness is evident over all. From the wreckage has come
restoration. From near-death, new life. Blessing upon blessing for every pain.
Help in every battle. Love poured out in showers from angels on earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One year ago today, God
honored His word. He <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">did</b> work great
good even when “all things” includes a mother’s worst nightmare. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">His goodness and mercy pursue
us relentlessly all the days of our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Shortly after the realization of the
date this morning, I talked to a friend of Amie’s. She told me that they had spoken
last night and Amie seemed anxious. The friend said she shared a scripture with
her: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Romans 8:28</b>. She had no idea
that 8/28 was the date of Amie’s accident, nor of it’s significance for our
family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg20diFSTZH2okXUoGXlsU1l-lLswzrh2Lkw6h5yZTkYh1xdXLeRLFi2GyxJrFR6Ox3-PJrcuThjsZqUboGdOHDRtHKQcfOD2bhXvh8G85R3LVG1rANdyByGFhOFykVyid-xq5EvujE3I/s1600/IMG_7013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg20diFSTZH2okXUoGXlsU1l-lLswzrh2Lkw6h5yZTkYh1xdXLeRLFi2GyxJrFR6Ox3-PJrcuThjsZqUboGdOHDRtHKQcfOD2bhXvh8G85R3LVG1rANdyByGFhOFykVyid-xq5EvujE3I/s320/IMG_7013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sometime after that, the card above fell
out of a book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Katherine was the one that originally
noticed the symbolism of the date.</span></div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-90671528758271096562017-04-28T06:15:00.000-07:002017-04-28T06:15:03.037-07:00How to Stop a Pity Party in Mid-Whine<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tjn74yhg7qDTkmEFVCJmgpB1bdJroY2jNzMOqAFXn0C2ByYao72WeWMebip41ZaM69EexyfTNsMKNA6HIXloZeroUm2gUpI8tM4OGUQ2T3MPLXsczp6YJDCujY4RLR4qGXYUp7H7Xfw/s1600/party-quotes-pictures-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tjn74yhg7qDTkmEFVCJmgpB1bdJroY2jNzMOqAFXn0C2ByYao72WeWMebip41ZaM69EexyfTNsMKNA6HIXloZeroUm2gUpI8tM4OGUQ2T3MPLXsczp6YJDCujY4RLR4qGXYUp7H7Xfw/s400/party-quotes-pictures-10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I
have to admit that I've been known to throw myself some world-class Pity Parties. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Gatsby-esque</i>
affairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hired
a band and dancing girls. Champagne. Hors d’oeuvres. Banners. Balloons. Fireworks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Whooooo-Hooooo!!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Of course you
feel misunderstood. Of course your life is harder than anyone else’s. Of course
your friends are oblivious to your pain…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Of
course you’re being really stupid and selfish and narcissistic.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Yuck.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So,
I’ve had to learn how to stop it in Mid-Whine in 10 easy steps. (Mysteriously,
it does work.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So if you are ever tempted to throw yourself a party, please print this part out, and tape it to your morning mirror:</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1.) Think of someone who is worse off than you in some way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2.) Pray for that person.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3.) Think of something for which you are grateful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4.) Think of another one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">5.) Think of another one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">6.) Think of another one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">7.) Think of another one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">8.) Think of another one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">9.) Think of another one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">10.) Give thanks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Steps
1 and 2 may be repeated indefinitely, as there are a myriad of people
who are suffering more than you are.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Now
get out there and spread some joy around!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">***</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Rejoice always, pray
continually, give thanks in all circumstances…”</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue Medium"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(1 Thess. 5:16-18)</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue Medium"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><h1 class="passage-display" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></h1>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-44106420990324154142017-04-06T12:02:00.001-07:002017-04-06T18:48:58.018-07:00What Lies Beneath<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qrBaHUAR-Ep9vfNOA1wQfMXaY2vWhuPsBHsKGOnHUjBNOSFIm0ZaNLcOK8g4qCx0L7gPf8YpeAWd8ILP9XmPbeSWjYttEYscaAiXQii2602SVAYNkC9QL-7dzI_lXv0MEKwc62OGAyI/s1600/IMG_4586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qrBaHUAR-Ep9vfNOA1wQfMXaY2vWhuPsBHsKGOnHUjBNOSFIm0ZaNLcOK8g4qCx0L7gPf8YpeAWd8ILP9XmPbeSWjYttEYscaAiXQii2602SVAYNkC9QL-7dzI_lXv0MEKwc62OGAyI/s400/IMG_4586.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My case of shingles has disappeared surprisingly
quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The red rash and blisters are almost gone. I can
go out in public without terrifying people. A little pink calamine lotion,
covered with a couple of dots of concealer… a good bangs comb-over plus
sunglasses… and I’m good to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But the pain remains.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It waxes and wanes during the day. Sometimes it
wakes me up at night. Hair-brushing is excruciating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The pain varies from soreness to a dull
hammering to a sharp stab, as if someone is sticking a thin knitting needle
into my scalp or nose or the bone beside my eye. It’s a sneaky thing, appearing
all of a sudden out of nowhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">look</i>
fairly normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Similarly, Amie looks much better than she
feels. The surface is shiny again, but the inner workings are still mending. A
little makeup to cover scars, a couple of fake teeth snapped into place, and
she is photo-ready. But every health care practitioner has told us it will take
at least a year for “recovery.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And they are referring only to the physical
part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the end of February, we flew home to Georgia
for a brief period so that my husband and I could attend a family wedding in
Florida. Amie was to be “looked after” by my sister and other friends. After
the intense pain and suffering of the previous 5 months, Amie was ready to “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">get well soon!</i>” and get back to ‘normal’
life. Still on serious pain meds from recent jaw and oral surgeries (i.e., <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not-in-her-right-mind</i>), she over-planned
her time at home, trying to pack in as many get-togethers with old friends as
possible. It was pretty much a disaster. She worked herself up into a manic
state, wore herself completely out, and fell apart physically, emotionally and
biochemically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You cannot rush the process of healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">More than ten years ago, I experienced a
complete physical and mental health breakdown. It began with a severely bulging
disc in my neck that virtually paralyzed my right arm for over a year. I was
flat on my back for weeks. My husband had to sign checks for me and wash and
dry my hair. (Not his gift.) Before that was resolved, I developed “sudden
onset” fibromyalgia and arthritis. Then I was diagnosed with an unusual
auto-immune disease that resulted in soft-tissue blisters that turned into MRSA
that was resistant to antibiotics. (At that point, I was sent to Mayo.) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The healing process from all of that was so slow
that I despaired of ever being a functional human being again. For a while, the
only happy thought I could come up with was, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“One day I won’t have to wake up anymore.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But here’s a funny thing. At my sickest point,
when I could barely get out of bed, much less leave the house, people who saw
me would say, “But you don’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">look </i>sick,”
as if they suspected hypochrondria to be my only ailment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
all of us, there is pain beneath the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you are human, you hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">takes
time</b> to heal. It is an evolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We may put on our shiny faces and nice clothes
to enhance the exterior, but inside lie wounds and scars, buried deep in the
darkest corners of our souls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rejections,
abuse, rape, divorce, family dysfunction, failed friendships. Middle School.
High School. Things we’ve done that haunt us; things that have been done to us
that have harmed us</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>we like to keep the wounds of painful things hidden in the dark
where we can’t see them. But in the damp darkness, they grow like mold, and
spread: contaminating our relationships and sickening our souls, without us
even realizing it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Recently, people I know have experienced tragedies
that seem totally senseless. (If you watch the news, there’s a whole roster of
them every single day.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I often wonder…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
lay beneath the thin veneer of sanity until it bubbled up into a froth of
madness?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And, more importantly, how does healing happen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where
does it begin?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I own a t-shirt with these words printed on the
front: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“What you reveal you heal</i></b>.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminds me of the 12-step saying, “You’re only as sick as
your secrets.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dr. Alex Lickerman* writes, “in maintaining a
healthy and happy life, concealing some truths is like swallowing slow-acting
poison: one’s insides gradually rot.” (*author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible
Self</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As is so often the case, effective secular
principles are reflections of biblical truth:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Therefore, confess
your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.”
(James 5:16)<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By
confessing… sharing…. with a trusted fellow-sin-sufferer, the scary beasts are
pulled out of their dark lairs, and into the light. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And light heals.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On every
level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Light therapy
is now being used for everything from wound healing to pain relief to
depression. </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_Clinic"><span style="color: #0a006d; text-decoration: none;">Mayo Clinic</span></a> states that
light therapy is a proven first-line treatment for seasonal affective disorder,
among other things. </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;">But if light is beneficial for
physical healing, it is even more powerful for spiritual healing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sometimes,
healing can be instantaneous. (Don’t we wish it could always be that way?) But
that is the exception rather than the rule. Patience is a critical virtue in every type of healing... physical, spiritual, emotional. The mending most often occurs “little by little,” as we continue to expose our
wounds to the life-restoring light. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Jesus<b> is </b>the Light.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">***</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>“Again
Jesus spoke to them, saying, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I am the
light of the world</b>. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life.” (John 8:12)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">More about
light therapy: <a href="http://photobiology.info/Hamblin.html">http://photobiology.info/Hamblin.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">More about
suppressing emotions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrea-wachter/managing-emotions_b_2717206.htm">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrea-wachter/managing-emotions_b_2717206.htm</a>l<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Healing can be messy. It usually involves blood
and guts. Scabs and scars. It’s not always pretty to witness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So
how do you deal with people in process?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here is where I start:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
attempt to look upon every human being I encounter as a wounded child in need
of help.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It doesn’t always work, but it’s a start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most evil person you know was once a helpless baby. Yes, even Hitler. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
….. (enter whomever you hate most in a field of current candidates… of whom
there are legion.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you are still here on earth, then God isn’t
finished with you yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He’s not finished with them, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_khW4rPNbaxnsAg-m6NFlw1Bv1c08EnZSL5alJaXgoQuBpvz3UEPYJv3h-3Vrzs3rKfvfMHku0O7vWuijotqu1RR9j1y6vXN3dD2JhIoaro2v7BAaaObScigVcSKsxpqvHEQ_Lbyuby0/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_khW4rPNbaxnsAg-m6NFlw1Bv1c08EnZSL5alJaXgoQuBpvz3UEPYJv3h-3Vrzs3rKfvfMHku0O7vWuijotqu1RR9j1y6vXN3dD2JhIoaro2v7BAaaObScigVcSKsxpqvHEQ_Lbyuby0/s400/IMG_0054.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-64758084485779997012017-03-21T11:31:00.002-07:002017-03-21T11:59:42.161-07:00Entertaining Angels (Unaware)<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZdZ4ReLx0P0hZlnRNs2twuIdwF7jqwKA42xcIMKeXk1DEVuPOplE06uANY4vnaTdxgd6A-Qe4tddk5AvazV8zfBVtkgLuseewoO15k7RVJkTyxU5BFgUtZMi5YUrIr19uzmeevPcvXg/s1600/IMG_4398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZdZ4ReLx0P0hZlnRNs2twuIdwF7jqwKA42xcIMKeXk1DEVuPOplE06uANY4vnaTdxgd6A-Qe4tddk5AvazV8zfBVtkgLuseewoO15k7RVJkTyxU5BFgUtZMi5YUrIr19uzmeevPcvXg/s640/IMG_4398.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neighbor's door in Los Angeles. (Anything goes!) Whatever the season, let us live with hearts and doors opened wide.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There are many Big
Stories to be told, but I am not quite up to it yet. (Let’s let them marinate
for now.)</span></i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Instead, I may shoot
out a few vignettes every now and then. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Like this one, written
a while back…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It was a complicated day, as they often are in a big city.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Several adults camping out in a small (kinda "ghetto-y," by Southern
sensibilities) one-bedroom apartment in LA is not a pretty picture. Stuff piled everywhere. Hard to clean, even if you had the energy to attempt it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Things are not exactly cookie-cutter cute in my relatively
affordable (for LA) accommodations. When friends from Georgia came out in
January, one said, “Oh, this reminds me of Seinfeld!” while walking down the
stained blue-carpeted hallway to my door. (Actually, Seinfeld’s hallway looked
like the Ritz compared to this one.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Still, I’d hoped to have (at least the bathroom!)
professionally cleaned before my husband returned to LA that night for Amie’s
most recent jaw surgery.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As they say, it’s hard to find good help. Over the years,
I’ve tried several different individuals and cleaning companies in LA, but
nothing’s ever been a perfect fit. So I signed up for a new and popular
service, hoping for the best.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">(Now switching to
present tense, for some reason…)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The morning of the appointment, I receive an email from the
company. (“Your service provider can’t come. We will try to find a
replacement.”) Back and forth, back and forth. Finally I am informed that they
have found a replacement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">An hour and a half after the promised Cleaning Genius is to
supposed to arrive… just as I’ve given up and started writing a negative review
on Yelp… I’m startled by a loud buzz on the intercom. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">A young, very tall, very dark, very serious young man is
getting off the elevator as I run to meet whomever the company has sent. He is
without a single cleaning implement. No vacuum cleaner, no mop, no broom.
Nothing. He introduces himself as M.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I ask if he has anything to clean with. He tells me that he
is sharing a vacuum cleaner with a friend, but the friend will bring it by to
him after he gets started. He goes back out to his car to get the other
supplies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I send him out on the tiny patio to sweep, as Amie is not
feeling well and moving slowly. After her shower and meds, she says hello
to M. and gives him too much information about her accident in explanation as
to why she is missing teeth, limping, etc. (Although, of course, he did not ask.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At this point, Amie’s friend Mark arrives and immediately gets to work on his computer, trying to finish a project before their day trip
to Orange County.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Secretly giddy about the prospect of a little <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">alone time</i> away from my favorite adult-child roommate, I discourage Amie’s idea of going out to eat for lunch. Mark wants to
keep working until the last minute. He asks if I have anything they can eat at
the apartment to save time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Although the cupboard's pretty bare, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I dig out whatever I can find in the frig.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> A little sandwich
stuff and some leftover 4-day-old Shepherd’s Pie I wanted to get rid of. Not
even real Shepherd’s Pie, the healthier fake version with cauliflower instead
of mashed potatoes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">While we eat, M. is in the bathroom, on hands and knees,
cleaning the floor. When he comes back into the living-cooking-dining room,
we’re just finishing up. I feel a little rude.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Would you like something to eat?” my mother’s daughter
asks, expecting him to decline because of his tight schedule and late start for
the day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Yes, please.</i>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Sandwich or shepherd’s pie?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Shepherd’s pie,
please.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I dish out the left-overs and start to rush around again,
but feel bad about him sitting alone at the folding bamboo table that serves as
our dining table in exile.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I sit down across from him, and make perfunctory
conversation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Where are you from?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Uganda”.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I make a few pleasantries about Africa in general. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The serious expression turns into a full-blown smile. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Have you been to
Africa?”</i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“No, but my husband has been to South Africa. He’s always
said that I would love it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe
one day.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">He tells me Uganda is fairly safe for <i>tourists</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I ask a little about his life… how long has he been here…
how does he like America…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">He cleans his plate. I ask if he would like some more, and
he smiles, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes, please</i>.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At the end, as he stands up, he says, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is the best meal I have ever
had in America</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am taken aback. Almost wounded by his words.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">He starts back to work, but the vacuum cleaner never
arrives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When he has done all he can do, he tells me, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I must go to my next job, but I will be
back. Please don’t report this to the company. This will be on my own time.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At 5 or 6 that night, he shows up and starts vacuuming
quickly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am ready to put on my nightie and get off my tired feet,
but I sit on the sofa and mess around on my computer until he’s done.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As he’s leaving, I slip him a ten. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Thank you, missus. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">This is the most beautiful home I have ever
seen in America. You are the most kind person I have met here</b>. Thank you
for your kindness.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I just stare at him with my mouth slightly open until he
concludes with, “<i>I will be praying for your daughter.” </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am a woman whose life is wracked by sin and failure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But at that moment, I realized that I was the hands of Jesus
to that young man.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And he was Jesus to me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> *****</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Perspective is
everything. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Katherine and Jay have taught this with their lives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There is always someone better off than you are.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There is always
someone much worse off than you are.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I ran across these words on Ann Voskamp’s blog:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>P<span style="color: #262626;">erspective is a giver</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">. <i>Comparison takes.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #262626;">Perspective
is generous</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">. <i>Comparison
pares down the loveliness of your life until it appears a thin shred of its
former glory.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #262626;">Perspective
carries us through life laughing</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">. <i>Comparison evokes cursing and frowns and grumbling.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #262626;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #262626;"><i>(Kate Merrick)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My encounter with M. reminded me:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Our <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>little</i></b>
is someone else’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>much</i></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Let us remember to share the <i>little</i> we have until it
multiplies blessing like loaves and fishes. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In the end, it always come back...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">with interest.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px;"><i>*Was it a coincidence that the left-overs just happened to be <b>Shepherd's </b>Pie?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-72494521433187760922017-03-06T10:03:00.001-08:002017-03-06T10:03:01.170-08:00(a modern-day) Margery Raves On: Some Thoughts on Lent<a href="http://www.margeryraveson.com/2017/03/some-thoughts-on-lent_6.html#links">(a modern-day) Margery Raves On: Some Thoughts on Lent</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-79284891433905823272017-03-06T10:00:00.001-08:002017-03-06T10:45:33.221-08:00Some Thoughts on Lent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Guess what I’m giving up for Lent…</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’m giving up trying to give something up!<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #393939; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Traditionally, Lent has been associated with penance,
fasting, and abstinence… sacrificing pleasures or vices as a reminder of
Christ’s sacrifice. A time of reflection and repentance, for some
Christians it is a joyful, deeply spiritual thing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’ve always been an abysmal failure at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basic human nature is such that the
more you focus on giving up the thing, the more you want it. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">C’est moi.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’m tired of making resolutions I probably won’t keep, giving
in to temptation, and then feeling even worse about myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lying voice sneaks up to whisper “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Failure</i>” in my ear. Like our original
ancestors, I pull away from God in shame. Instead of feeling closer, I feel
further away than before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But, while he was visiting here, Jesus repeated these words
from the Old Testament:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I desire mercy and
not sacrifice.</b>* </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What if instead of sacrificing chocolate or wine or carbs
or cussing or unkind thoughts, I asked for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MORE.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">more mercy, instead of judgment…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">more love, instead of indifference…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">more patience, instead of aggravation…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">more acceptance, instead of bitterness…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">more joy, instead of heaviness…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">more abundance, instead of lack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Christian life is about provision, not deprivation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Satiation, not starvation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Bounty, not depletion.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">More, not less<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Lent is a time when I want to feel closer to God. More
God-centric, less Me-centric. When I focus on my shortcomings, it builds up an
invisible wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Low self-esteem is
still Self-oriented, not God-oriented. A sense of unworthiness is a barrier
that must be overturned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">How to break down that wall between the Holy and the Un-? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Draw close to God,
and He will draw close to you.</b>**</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It’s that simple. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Like a child, run back into Daddy’s arms. Clean or filthy,
naughty or nice, He embraces the one He loves like no one else. He draws you
close to His boundless<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>heart, glad that you are safely home from wherever you’ve been
wandering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And He will give us More.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ask and it will be given to you; seek
and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who
asks receives; the one who seeks finds;</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and
to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks
for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a
snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who
ask him!”***<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The main thing God wants to give us <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">more</b> of </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">is Himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #010f18; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“On that day you will realize that I
am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you</span></i><span style="color: #010f18; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">.” ***<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Christ <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">in</b> me.<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Recently, a wise friend shared an analogy with me. She told
me that when she was in a time of having the life crushed out of her, she
envisioned herself with an oxygen tube sucking Life out of God.
The source is infinite and inexhaustible. There is always more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The best gift that God longs to give us is more of His Spirit. That is one prayer that is always answered. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How much <b>more</b> will your Father give good gifts to those who ask Him!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This Lent, I am coming boldly into the throne room and
asking for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">more</b> from my loving,
limitless Father. More abundance, more mercy, more grace…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">more of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Him</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am praying that for all those who read this as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Yes, even you.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">...so that the Spirit may flood our beings with such love and
joy that selfishness and sin will be flushed away by the flow of living waters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And the sacrifice we offer will be a sacrifice of praise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">*****</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">* Hosea
6:6 and Matthew 9:13<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">**
James 4:8</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">***John
14:20</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">I have a favor. If you are interested in more thoughts on life and faith from a modern-day Margery, would you please give me thumbs up in the comments? Helps to know I'm not just blowing steam. Thanks!!</span></div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-51201435199514263212016-10-08T11:41:00.000-07:002016-10-08T11:41:43.774-07:00The Sweetest Spot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This morning, my friend Mz. B. unknowingly
answered a question I’ve been pondering all week. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The thought process started during a
(supposedly) daily reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The statement jumped off the page at me:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Our hearts ache, but we always have joy.</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">*<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">”<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">How
is that even possible?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Isn’t
that an oxymoron?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">(Yet even as those doubts appeared, a deeper
truth whispered <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My heart has been aching so much lately that it
feels more like an overly ripe uterus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Heavy. Full. Sore. About to burst.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Because our family has been through a somewhat
similar catastrophic experience before, there’s a part of me that thinks I
should have this thing down pat. There’s also an external expectation that
since “we know the ropes,” it should somehow make it easier. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This ain’t our first rodeo! We got this!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But, no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Although I know from our previous experience
(and many others) that miracles <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">do</b>
happen and that God <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">does indeed</b> work
everything for good for those who love Him, it does not negate the terrible
heartache. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My heart is broken… shattered… yet again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And it’s almost worse this time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">No,
it really is worse this time.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But all during this long, hard week, I’ve been
whispering that phrase, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Our hearts ache,
but we always have joy.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As I’ve said elsewhere,* I’ve been actively
looking for joy in the external world. I find it most easily in the faces of my
grandsons. But it’s there, too, in the blue skies of LA, the slender palms that
sway, the cool breezes that caress in the shade, the vivid flowers that have
survived the drought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But I know that the apostle Paul was talking
about a deeper kind of joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A secret place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mz. B. is a special friend who has supported and
encouraged me through the tragedies of my adult life. She made me feel sane
during the years I was away from home after Katherine’s stroke, not by grand
gestures, but by frequent and consistent little things. She would shoot me a
text or short email, or leave me a quick voicemail with news from home. A word
of encouragement, a joke, a scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Today, I opened her email and read these words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“The Lord is close to the
broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">She
reminded me of the answer to the puzzling paradox in Paul’s letter to the
Corinthians:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">How can we have joy when our hearts
ache?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Because the more sorely our hearts
ache, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the closer God comes to us</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">In that
place of pain and emptiness, we are stripped bare of our self-sufficiency.
Finally, we stop our thrashing around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The slightest half-turn to the Source of all joy, and He comes rushing
in like a white-cap wave.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">No matter what is happening in the external
world, I can choose to retreat to that secret place of joy. It is the sweetest
spot. Corporeal, visceral, as well as spiritual. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A heart-fluttering love overwhelms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“…</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #010f18; font-family: Times; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">in your presence there is
fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” </span></i><span style="color: #010f18; font-family: Times; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">(Psalm 16:11)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #010f18; font-family: Times; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I am going to crawl into my Daddy’s lap and let Him love.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">(*2 Corinthians 6:10,
nlt)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">(This was written
earlier in the week. Check </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">caringbridge</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"> for more recent updates. Also, more joy pix to appear on my instagram account at kimberlytarnold.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-3294324801782475882016-09-22T13:11:00.000-07:002016-09-22T13:11:56.161-07:00A Sturdy Ship<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">“And
I saw the river over which every soul must pass<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">to
reach the kingdom of heaven<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">and
the name of that river was suffering:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">and
I saw a boat which carries souls across the river<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>and the name of that boat was love</b>.”</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">St. John of the Cross</span></span><span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">A beautiful
young friend, Claire, sent me the quote above soon after Amie’s accident. She
wrote, “</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman";">Although the rapids on your river
seem unjustly piercing and terrifying, I am praying there are moments when you
can feel the sturdiness of your boat....</span><b><i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">and through the rivers, they shall
not overwhelm you.</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">”</span></b></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 11.6pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Sunday
morning after the accident seemed surreal and slow-motion. Instead of sitting
in a pew, we were sitting in a tiny sterile waiting room outside the ICU. I turned to
my son-in-law Jay, and said something to the effect that I felt empty. There
was no <i>Rhema</i>* this time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">The moment
I’d heard the news about Katherine’s AVM rupture over 8 years ago, words had
popped into my head. I had no idea what an AVM rupture was. No idea how deadly
and destructive. But as soon as I hung up the phone, strange words appeared: “</span><i style="color: #1a1a1a;">Talitha
Cumi</i><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">!”*</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">As I wrote </span><a href="http://katherineawolf.blogspot.com/2008/05/talitha-cumi.html"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">,
those words were to prove prophetic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">But the
current crisis seemed different. There was a sickening <i>déjà-vu</i> feel to
it all. I felt numb and hopeless after seeing Amie for the first time. Completely <b>overwhelmed</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">As I am
wont to do in times of trauma, I played Bible Roulette. The Book opened to
Isaiah 43. As I read these words, I got a chill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I have called you by name; you are mine.</span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">When you go through deep waters,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I will be with you.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">When you go through rivers of difficulty,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">you will not drown.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">When you walk through the fire of oppression,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 10.75pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">you will not be burned up;<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">the flames will not consume you.</span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For I am the Lord, your God,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Reading the whole chapter, I felt a
fragile peace descend. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He is about to do
something new. (v. 19)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">As soon as we were allowed back into the
room with Amie, I heard a ping on my Iphone. Looking down, I read this message
from a particularly wise friend: “Praying fervently for you. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Is. 43:2</b>.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, out of the almost 800,000 words in the Bible, she'd typed
out the same ones I typed above. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Eureka!</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I mean <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rhema!<o:p></o:p></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;">There was my promise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I’ve had to cling hard to those words in
the face of rising waves of pain and fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Yesterday was a frightening day. I sent
out a plea for mercy prayers on Caringbridge. When we got back to the
apartment, there was a gigantic box waiting at the door. Had I ordered
something from Amazon I’d forgotten about? (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That
happens</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">No, it was a box of abundance from a special group of friends. Overflowing with tangible goodies of
every kind, but, more than that, overflowing with things that are ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">exceedingly more that I could have asked or
imagined.’</i> Love. Support. Solidarity. Compassion. Caring. Mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">This is the card that came with it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DkSpAGDmrhkrk2YyfUGjOs1xd1_2HLMH32O_7-PmAMvIOuXJQW2v2ofVebPOWlrJJj0gNcAUfvaqo1lokKto-RzqZFD0GPs3-wozLa8sp7YmsW44abtO_RI1Q1AErcLjal0QztgNcvc/s1600/IMG_2386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DkSpAGDmrhkrk2YyfUGjOs1xd1_2HLMH32O_7-PmAMvIOuXJQW2v2ofVebPOWlrJJj0gNcAUfvaqo1lokKto-RzqZFD0GPs3-wozLa8sp7YmsW44abtO_RI1Q1AErcLjal0QztgNcvc/s320/IMG_2386.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Thank God for the gift of friends that
keep us afloat when waters are rough and winds are wild. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Thank God that he calms the storms with a word.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And thank God for the sturdy ship Mercy that safely sails us home.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">++++++++++++</span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">*</span><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The second primary Greek word that describes Scripture is <i>rhema</i>,
which refers to a word that is spoken and means “an utterance.” A rhema is a
verse or portion of Scripture that the Holy Spirit brings to one’s attention
with application to a current situation or need for direction.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">**</span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Talitha</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> is an
uncommon feminine name <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">meaning</span>
"little girl" in Aramaic, given in reference to the Biblical story in
the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus Christ was said to have resurrected a dead
child with the words "<b>Talitha cumi</b>" or "<b>Talitha</b>
kum" or "<b>Talitha</b> koum," <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">meaning</span> "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">(p.s. I had to struggle not to call this one <b>The Love Boat</b>. But I knew I'd get "Nerd-Alerted" by Ames when she's well enough to read!)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-49274011531940285502016-09-13T18:55:00.000-07:002016-09-13T18:55:11.046-07:00Holding On In The Night<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iEKiy_7eYcHq58KkUU_U0a-jrKelcNc0zGkTlmVMjRWME3hw2KOPi06TLcp6v_syGWJqWewTaV8T4DXm6bVyqMhCa-LgoIe-e3SI3RAe13ABbto8NkCt-nu5I8757LnVncsQv32AsP0/s1600/IMG_2115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iEKiy_7eYcHq58KkUU_U0a-jrKelcNc0zGkTlmVMjRWME3hw2KOPi06TLcp6v_syGWJqWewTaV8T4DXm6bVyqMhCa-LgoIe-e3SI3RAe13ABbto8NkCt-nu5I8757LnVncsQv32AsP0/s400/IMG_2115.jpg" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last day at UCLA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">“But hold on to what you believe in the light</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">When the darkness has robbed you of all your sight”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times;">Mumford and Sons<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Immediately following a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">life-or-death</i>
crisis, there is usually a period of grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After the initial shock and terror wear off, you are held up by prayers and adrenalin and action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Eagle’s wings, and all that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You receive supernatural signs and messages that everything
is going to be okay. People come alongside you. You take heart. You desperately try to keep your eyes focused on All Things Bright and Beautiful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Then, very slowly, you start to notice a little darkness
creeping in from your peripheral vision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Like a migraine, it spreads from small specks of night on
the sides…like stars in reverse…until it grows into a blackout curtain that
obliterates all light. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The more frantically you try to fight it, the more exhausted
you become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Sometimes
you have to sit alone in the darkness for a while. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Maybe even cry yourself to sleep in it. Take a nap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After that, you feel around for a match, and light a little
candle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And you hold on to that little light of yours with all of
your might.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Because what
is true in the day is still true in the night.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-35758213899448234502016-09-12T09:21:00.000-07:002016-09-12T11:53:53.203-07:00Screaming Pain<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzX2iTMofKehDwyg1kCXfGmv_icM7AuipSIs-6T9YmzzRkrB4jo6CMZvi7OZMsg_1KJpklnspH74aa2S4tVM6LtkjMqFp2fpjcsx3AF_hPK1aWmjfK9kDPDpNXJGKYAQ2SJY9eb9csh9Y/s1600/ALEXANDER_TERRIBLE_HORRIBLE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzX2iTMofKehDwyg1kCXfGmv_icM7AuipSIs-6T9YmzzRkrB4jo6CMZvi7OZMsg_1KJpklnspH74aa2S4tVM6LtkjMqFp2fpjcsx3AF_hPK1aWmjfK9kDPDpNXJGKYAQ2SJY9eb9csh9Y/s400/ALEXANDER_TERRIBLE_HORRIBLE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Substitute Amanda for Alexander)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes, pain murmurs in the background. Other times it
throbs like a living organism. Sometimes it stabs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Other times, it screams.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We are at the screaming stage now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Severe pain can either shut you down into a moaning mess, or
it can turn you into a wounded animal that strikes out at anyone who tries to
help.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is a terrible thing to witness such pain, and feel
hopeless to alleviate it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Yesterday was a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad
day.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This morning, I started to run around <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">doing things</b>, but then wised up, got back in my prayer closet
(i.e., bed), and (“just happened”) to read these words:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“We
now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile
clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great
power is from God, not from ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We
are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are
perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned
by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That
is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">being renewed every
day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they
produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we
don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things
that cannot be seen. <b>For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the
things we cannot see will last forever.</b>” (from 2 Cor. 4, nlt)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Early on in the faith thing, a dear friend shared with me that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whatever <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">it</b> is, it is only temporary.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">A day is coming when there will be no
more death, or sorrow, or crying, or <b>pain</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And every tear will be gently wiped away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">(rev.
21:4)</span></i></div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-50190202185607617752016-09-09T09:57:00.000-07:002016-09-10T09:18:05.913-07:00Weak and Shattered<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ynMduk21URz_mgfzmf9JEiPIdSHiWd_hKMQtuzls-bh-RQAF99JsSrqJ-aVi-3CMHlJBRbXmsiNvkyHLjtf50-W8IwqzMxtXKAmLdi-bOw9urIo3WDzt6bLDmU6KM3e6HuLopjEcTsU/s1600/IMG_2124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ynMduk21URz_mgfzmf9JEiPIdSHiWd_hKMQtuzls-bh-RQAF99JsSrqJ-aVi-3CMHlJBRbXmsiNvkyHLjtf50-W8IwqzMxtXKAmLdi-bOw9urIo3WDzt6bLDmU6KM3e6HuLopjEcTsU/s640/IMG_2124.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Day before
yesterday, I hit a brick wall. Actually, it was a concrete post.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But I am using
it metaphorically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">For 10 days, I'd felt lifted up by an invisible force. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Then, in an instance,
I collapsed back into waves, just as we witnessed the jet-packers do in Newport
Bay week before last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There were about
5 or 6 people in Amie’s room, all trying to do different things at once. A
sweet Asian chaplain wanted to pray, while a sweet Hispanic aide wanted to
bathe. The Eastern European nurse was trying to deal with Amie’s medications,
while a male nurse tried to move her into a more comfortable position. Amie was
trying to communicate her needs as loudly as possible. It was like the United
Nations, with everyone talking at once. Or the Tower of Babel. Attempting to restore
order out of the chaos, I started to get rid of some of the many cups of
half-drunk liquids that were everywhere. Suddenly, the nurse flipped out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'd accidentally thrown out some pain
meds mixed with juice that were to be taken orally through a large syringe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">She left the
room in a state, and then I left the room in a state and completely lost it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Lost my
composure, my cool, my control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thankfully, the
waiting room was empty. I closed the door and let the tears fly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I can’t do this anymore. Why are we here
in this dark place of suffering AGAIN? What does the future hold? This is all
too hard and ugly and awful. I am so TIRED!!!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I called my
husband to vent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Afterwards, I
slunk back into the room, but it was obvious to all what had been going on. I
am not a pretty crier. My nose and eyes swell up and turn bright red. By this
point, the chair bath was almost finished. The aide looked up at me and said,
“Mamacita, you okay? Can I get you some water?” I teared up again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">After a good
nose-blowing in the adjacent bathroom, I came out and told Amie that I was fine. I went to the corner of the room where we have hidden away drinks and
snacks. Some anonymous angels* had delivered a giant basket of goodies to the
ICU. As I foraged through the basket looking for a drink, I noticed the card: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihe_NtvJQJdPXCYvB9Ecukmc7Zz2LPuGLN3NcdJGNuvWuLKdYUcfJQ6j-DUzrwMpbdagCl91ibt5LW2aQQJlIrEio4DXtsCQuWjdPRRD4kAaZcGtKQDxRo45dcGUIobuoXwSPpQmZymVY/s1600/IMG_2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihe_NtvJQJdPXCYvB9Ecukmc7Zz2LPuGLN3NcdJGNuvWuLKdYUcfJQ6j-DUzrwMpbdagCl91ibt5LW2aQQJlIrEio4DXtsCQuWjdPRRD4kAaZcGtKQDxRo45dcGUIobuoXwSPpQmZymVY/s640/IMG_2092.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcsLCq5t1RiYSMqLM64DdCRoGLM7-Oi3p3O2I_DDQ_r8mI36UBldHRu5wZkjES7iaiRWv1AzDoup4-bJt_hXwwqtAaQTbRNDUL4zKya_NqRaxZVq-rAEgDcTD2EaACmOUzZu3Tf2rvGw/s1600/IMG_2093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcsLCq5t1RiYSMqLM64DdCRoGLM7-Oi3p3O2I_DDQ_r8mI36UBldHRu5wZkjES7iaiRWv1AzDoup4-bJt_hXwwqtAaQTbRNDUL4zKya_NqRaxZVq-rAEgDcTD2EaACmOUzZu3Tf2rvGw/s640/IMG_2093.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Many
people have written us wonderful words of encouragement since Amie’s accident.
Some kind souls have said how “amazing” our family is, how “strong” I am, how
“full of faith.” These words have buoyed me up, given me hope, and helped me to
feel safer and unalone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But in
compliance with the Truth In Advertising organization, I have to confess the
reality. I am none of those things. Our family is none of those things. Please
don’t put us up on some kind of ‘suffering pedestal.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We are
just average sinners in need of daily grace. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But we know where to turn
for help… <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">yet again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">*******************<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #010f18;">“But he said to me</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in
weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so
that Christ’s power may rest<span style="color: #010f18;"> on me. That is why,
for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></i></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #010f18;">For
when I am weak, then I am strong</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #010f18;">.”</span></i></span><span style="color: #010f18;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">
(II Cor. 12: 9-10)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #010f18;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #010f18;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #010f18;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(*We found out later that it was Katherine's <b>Moms In Prayer</b> group. Thank you, angels!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #010f18;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Also, the room number pictured above was Amie's ICU room. She is currently in 6623.</span></span></div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-22311281523222365252014-05-07T19:34:00.000-07:002014-05-07T19:34:12.755-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Don't it always seem to go<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">That you don't know what you've got<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">‘Til it's gone…</span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Joni Mitchell, <b>Big Yellow Taxi,</b> 1970)</span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Life
is so ironic.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">After a year’s (inexplicable) absence, I finally got the nudge
to resume writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">There was an intense <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mother’s
Day</b> post in the works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sadly, I received an email last week stating that my <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Margery </b>domain was in trouble because
of a credit card change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We were
among the thousands who were messed up because of the Target debacle at
Christmas.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I’ve spent over 8 hours today trying to renew <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Margery’s</b> domain. I even went to the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Apple store</b> in tears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">They
couldn’t fix it, either.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">They did give me the super-secret insider Google phone number.
Even that didn’t work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Google</span></b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> is
absolutely impossible to deal with. There are no (decent)
words to express the extreme frustration I feel. But it looks like this may be the sad
end of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Margery</b>, just as I planned a
new beginning. (Unless they screw up.) Now I am in the process of saying goodbye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">After re-reading some old posts, the main emotion I feel is an intense
sense of gratitude. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">To those faithful readers who gave me grace when I didn’t
deserve it:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Thank
you for listening. Thank you for caring. Thank you for wanting me to continue
sharing my random observations. I appreciate you more than I can ever
express... even when I didn’t respond to your comments</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I am embarrassed at some of the things I’ve shared, but realize
that, in some ways, I didn’t share enough. Recently, I’d been hoping for
another chance. I realize now (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">too late?</i>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that this platform has been a great
privilege. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We’ll see what happens tomorrow, after the deadline for renewal
has passed (at midnight tonight.) I pray that the whole past <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Margery</b> thing won’t be erased. (I’m
woefully ignorant about the workings of these things.) Even if no one else got
anything out of it, I learned a lot in articulating my thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If this is an end, I pray that there will be a new beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">One with “fresh fire.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Thank you for your loving support of our family over the past 6+
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means the world to us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Love, Kim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">(P.S. If I post again on a different site, I’ll ask Katherine to
let you know.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://hopeheals.com/">http://hopeheals.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/katherine.a.wolf">https://www.facebook.com/katherine.a.wolf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Just in case this is my last post, this is Pirate Night on the Disney Cruise, Spring Break, 2014. <br />BEST TIME EVER!!!)</td></tr>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-37414258404004194202014-04-18T06:57:00.002-07:002014-04-18T06:57:41.992-07:00The Mystery of the Cross<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69Jq7X3BL_QpLlR9-UFYo-KE02DQ4X9IqgS-WoijNqTX7WIC5-X3cAv6OYe6s4PN-BndG4RfC1aNmQqIkD9Co-v94qhnwabt1KK20Qolvze9zqitr8A1wE7awdU3d6ud4csjSzWXrkr0/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69Jq7X3BL_QpLlR9-UFYo-KE02DQ4X9IqgS-WoijNqTX7WIC5-X3cAv6OYe6s4PN-BndG4RfC1aNmQqIkD9Co-v94qhnwabt1KK20Qolvze9zqitr8A1wE7awdU3d6ud4csjSzWXrkr0/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the marvelous
mystery of the Cross:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">WE ARE FULLY KNOWN, YET FULLY LOVED.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God knows every single secret
sin of our hearts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He knows that we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">miss the mark </i>each day of our lives on
earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He sees the lack of love…
the loss of empathy. He sees the spirits of judgment and criticism and
prejudice. Our inability to forgive. He knows all about our addictions and lusts.
He weeps as He witnesses the self-destruction, self-pitying, self-absorption, and
narcissism. He is well acquainted with our hypocrisy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is saddened by our envy and avarice, and stricken by our
sick self-righteousness and self-justification.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He grieves over our
pathetic attempts at medicating the pain of living life in a broken, bleeding,
hurtful world. He sympathizes with our doubt, defeat, despair, and lack of
faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Above all else, He is
brokenhearted by our great and fatal pride, which keeps us from seeking the
help that we desperately need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet… <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He loves
us just the same.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Listen to this (almost)
unbearably Good News:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross, so that we
can be dead to sin, and live for what is right. By his wounds, you are healed.”
(</i></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1
Peter 2:24 NLT)<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All our past failures, indiscretions,
and humiliations…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All our current
inadequacies and insufficiencies…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All the future <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">faux pas</i> we've yet to make on the path of pilgrim’s
progress…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have <b>already</b>
been carried <b>in His body</b> to the cross!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Where they have been put
to death for once and evermore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He gladly took all of my sin
and shame upon himself, and paid the price for it in order to purchase my eternal
freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(He did this for you as
well, if you believe it and receive it.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s that simple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Amazing love, how can it be</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That you, my king would die for me..." (Chris Tomlin)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A mystery,
undecipherable on earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But it is true.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Good News<b> is</b>
just too good to be true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But it is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Truly</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b><b style="text-align: center;">A Russian
Orthodox Easter Greeting:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.1pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Христос
воскрес!”</i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>(Christ is risen!)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><i>“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Воистину</b> воскрес!”</i><b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>(<b>Truly</b> risen!)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***************</span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The picture at the top was taken by my husband in our back yard. It reminds me of this scripture: </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord..." (I Chronicles 16:33)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>(This one's for A.)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-34334273182622456812013-04-25T15:09:00.000-07:002013-04-25T15:09:40.193-07:00K.I.S.,S.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJW8gJ2OGa8oWDmACb8mLizOwcTmTu5VdumfUABiDXJv72fRUpiaWajgdvgdS17EdtTbW3ezsu3N_wVT3NrZCAF2pF-cBJZbL3KrdmXNAhZ2sroLNAFky9SOv5d0-aO4O77bt3rB1yrw/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJW8gJ2OGa8oWDmACb8mLizOwcTmTu5VdumfUABiDXJv72fRUpiaWajgdvgdS17EdtTbW3ezsu3N_wVT3NrZCAF2pF-cBJZbL3KrdmXNAhZ2sroLNAFky9SOv5d0-aO4O77bt3rB1yrw/s640/photo.JPG" width="499" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Backyard visitor wants to stay South for the summer.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Life is complicated now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I woke up and hit the ground running with anxiety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which situation needs
addressing first?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which phone call is
most urgent?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which plans need
rearranging?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Should I do A or B or
C?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ve had too much coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel so <b><i>confused.</i></b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately, this is a state in which many of us have a
home address.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Instead of “<i>Hi, my
name is Kim and I’m from Georgia</i>,” I could say “<i>Hi, I’m from the state of Confusion.” Or “Hi. I’m from the lovely state
of Anxiety.” Or “Hey. I’m from Discombobulation.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Where do you come from?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The world swirls ever faster and more violently, it seems.
Yet I long to inhabit a state of Peace. A state of Simplicity. A state of
Trust. A state of Joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But there are so many choices and options. So many issues.
So much stimulation. So many distractions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mainly, there are so many <b><i>Situations.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am weary of <i>dealing
with situation</i>s, aren’t you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that is the problem.
That’s what makes everything complicated. I am “trying to deal.” <i>Doing</i> instead of <i>being</i> again. Spinning wheels instead of stillness. Noise instead of
quiet. Complexity rather than simplicity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">‘Tis a gift to be
simple…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I force myself to sit down. Close eyes. Be still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trust me, it’s not easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Squirmy kid in the time-out chair at first. Gradually, deep
breathing quiets. Birds sing spring joy outside the window. <i>Listen. Slow. Receive. Hear.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally, a dialogue:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But everything’s so
complicated. (Sniff, sniff, nose-blow.)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It doesn’t need to
be.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How can it not be?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Keep it simple.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It used to be so simple. I think back to carefree childhood
days. Dressed in starchy petticoats and patent leather mary janes, hair curled
on socks overnight. Sunday School. A little pink paperback book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We would be tested later, to make sure we were serious about
“joining the church.” I’m not sure I had a clue what that actually meant at the
time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More than 50 years later, these words come back to me:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What is the chief end of man?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.*<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s it???<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two things, that encompass all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two things to do…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">glorify<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s so simple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or is it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***************</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What state do you live in most of the time?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If I can manage to “keep it
simple” for a while, I’d like to explore what those two verbs mean in days ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> (*Westminster Confession)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">***************</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> NEWSFLASH! </span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Granny's getting hip!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> Follow me on Instagram at<b> kimberlytarnold.</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> (I don't begin to know how to tell you to do this if you
don't know already.)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> Photo at the top was my first offering. It gets cuter
after that. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Sometimes I feel like a goose, too. (But with its head cut off.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-21561600857197984852013-04-01T08:21:00.000-07:002013-04-01T08:21:15.470-07:00Because He Lives...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mz0VQsDSPo_EqZv4dp3T4r-6Re5-bphZ442XWMyIilW186da_xqcMLhf6Il7my_-oIwN9tNnWWnCNqrWYuhwkVRDi1Btfwbhk_aayGcHqrLaNIcH4AMyjZhnGDESGOUBk0pabMl5UkI/s1600/IMG_5467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mz0VQsDSPo_EqZv4dp3T4r-6Re5-bphZ442XWMyIilW186da_xqcMLhf6Il7my_-oIwN9tNnWWnCNqrWYuhwkVRDi1Btfwbhk_aayGcHqrLaNIcH4AMyjZhnGDESGOUBk0pabMl5UkI/s640/IMG_5467.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francis Chan (author of <b>Crazy Love </b>delivered the sermon at the Hollywood Bowl)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBIWSGg2HBTJ7oS6JTbmthW-brayE316-5RGG-CHSDE2oSMdgiihs6PubcdYX_XMOHAJ8JnayfwMw-g6GwscePYBF46c5lzGybG5YM_oKdNMsZMQ0idFx_RdpY0479oIV4hA57wcQkUQ/s1600/IMG_5469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBIWSGg2HBTJ7oS6JTbmthW-brayE316-5RGG-CHSDE2oSMdgiihs6PubcdYX_XMOHAJ8JnayfwMw-g6GwscePYBF46c5lzGybG5YM_oKdNMsZMQ0idFx_RdpY0479oIV4hA57wcQkUQ/s400/IMG_5469.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallejuah!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-65013705227564863512013-03-30T08:55:00.000-07:002013-03-30T08:55:14.380-07:00The Stories of our Seasons
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The darkness of this past
winter delayed me from writing of its highlight. (<i>At least that sounds like a good excuse, doesn’t it?)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But, in reflection,
perhaps the darkness only served to make this particular experience stand out
more vividly against the dreary backdrop. Light in the darkness seems a more
brilliant illumination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://www.seasonsweekend.com/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Seasons Weekend</span></a></b> at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs stands out like a bright beacon of
hope and inspiration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Seasons</b>
is the brainchild of best-selling author and dramatist <a href="http://freshbrewedlife.sonacart.com/content/about-nicole"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Nicole Johnson</span></a>. </span><span style="color: #3c2314; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The
weekend<b> </b></span><span style="color: #3c2314; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">is an artistic spiritual
retreat designed for personal growth and replenishment. Intentionally intimate,
it is a feast of music, art, drama, and learning for those wishing to go deeper
in their faith journeys. It is a special time of rest and renewal…peace and
healing…awakening and illumination.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Katherine and Jay were
honored to be among the speakers. (We kept pinching ourselves and saying<i> Why are <b>we</b> here? Too good to be true.)<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But that’s the way the Good
News seems isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Too good to be true… <i>but it is!<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #3c2314;">In additional to the wildly
creative and talented Nicole, other participants included renown psychiatrist
</span><a href="http://www.beingknown.com/about-curt-thompson/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Dr. Curt Thompson</span></a><span style="color: #3c2314;">, author of </span><b style="color: #3c2314;">The Anatomy of the Soul</b><span style="color: #3c2314;">, and the
brilliantly gifted </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Groves"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Sara Groves</span></a><span style="color: #3c2314;">, one of my long-time favorite singer/songwriters. (Our whole family is in love
with her.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The other speakers and
performers were equally amazing. It was intense. At one point, as Sara sang and
played the piano, tears came to my eyes. I’ve been listening to her music for
years, since I first heard her song <b>Conversations</b>
on the radio. She holds a unique place among Christian artists, with her
soulful melodies and way-deep-beneath-the-surface lyrics. And here she was, in
the flesh, pouring out her beautiful, pure notes <i>just for us in the room.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The whole weekend was like
that. The intimacy of the group made it feel like a personal banquet for each
participant. That was one of the main points. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ve attended many large
Christian conferences, such as <b>Women of
Faith </b>and<b> Living Proof Live with
Beth Moore, </b>with thousands of participants. They have all been wonderful,
enriching, faith-building experiences. There is an electric energy in these
large gatherings of believers from all walks of life. Nicole performed with <b>Women of Faith</b> for years, but
eventually she was drawn to the idea of a smaller, more personal retreat. Thus
was <b>Seasons Weekend</b> born.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At first, the menu seemed a
little random. Actors? A psychiatrist? Musicians? And my child and her husband?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What’s the common thread here?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They were all there to share their stories with us.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #3c2314;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was beautiful to see the
way God wove it all together… perfectly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #3c2314;">Every story was totally
unique, yet analogous. <i>Pain. Defeat.
Redemption. Victory… through the One who defeated death.</i></span><b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In an elective session,
Curt Thompson discussed the power of story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Obviously, I love stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have always loved them,
since earliest memory. As a child, I forced my parents to tell me story after
story every night until I finally fell asleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love listening to other
people’s stories, and I often feel compelled to tell mine. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I believe it was C.S.
Lewis who said that we share our stories in order to know we’re not alone. I
concur.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But Curt took it further,
from a neurobiological perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He told us that our
stories begin generations before we are born. They are first told by someone
else. (Do I actually remember being in a horse stampede when I was two, or do I
just remember <i>the story</i> of what
happened so vividly that it seems like reality?) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Curt said that we come out of the womb
<i>looking for someone who is looking for us</i>. We scream as we leave the dark, warm
comfort of out mother’s bodies; we are consoled in her arms. We begin telling
stories because we have a need <i>to be
heard</i> and <i>to be found</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our stories are told in
fits and starts. For the most part, they are messy. Moments of triumph are
mingled with slips and slides and falls. Paths are wide and winding, not
straight and narrow. Sometimes none of it makes any sense. But we are most
creative when we are most messy…and vice versa. <i>Life</i>, according to Dr. Thompson, <i>is about being creative with our messes.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because of the messiness
of our stories, tentacles of shame are wrapped all around them. The physical
effects of shame turn us inward and away from other people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But we must be heard in order to be found.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We cannot tell our stories
as individuals. Our story-telling is collaborative. The listener actually
becomes a part of the narrative. This creates new neural pathways in the brain.
Every time the story is retold, the teller’s mind is renewed. And the
listener’s mind is changed… expanded… in some way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I need someone else’s
brain to complete my story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Serendipitously, the more
we tell our stories, the more they are <i>redeemed</i>.
Given back to us in a more complete way. Even a seemingly tragic story may be
used for great good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sara Groves shared a very
personal experience with the group. Her openness touched my heart and moved me
to compassion. I entered into her story and responded to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After she finished
speaking, Curt announced, “In listening to Sara’s story, we have been changed.
Now our brains are actually different!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Redemption,” he said, “is
never individual.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I ponder that statement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two of the nuances of the
verb “<i>redeem</i>” are<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: #333333;"> 1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="color: #333333;">to</span></i><i>
recover <span style="color: #333333;">possession</span> or ownership of by
payment of a price or <span style="color: #333333;">service; </span></i></span><i><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">regain.</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<i><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> 2. free, liberate, rescue, save.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The act of telling our
stories is freeing to us and to those who listen to them. Confession is
healing. By liberating even our shameful secrets from the dungeons of our
minds, they come out into the light and are redeemed. In the sharing, they are
purified and lose their power to control. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We regain rightful
possession of our true stories when we share them. Even the messy ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Especially the messy ones.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thank you all for being
a part of my story. It is a privilege.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hope I am a part of
yours, as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Keep telling it.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">***************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A few scenes from Seasons...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqT2NJifokDHsOClfFUaj6-Mabe4WxlGgzuvO0_SqKHEOTBphXvfpMkA4tlKLQ6ZrcCi1Q8t49KGrgjYIQNtoGB71Nzc5nCfYfBIMVSn0aWHjZ6sA5pblqVzGVALr533X_sMrcl5f_N0/s1600/IMG_0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqT2NJifokDHsOClfFUaj6-Mabe4WxlGgzuvO0_SqKHEOTBphXvfpMkA4tlKLQ6ZrcCi1Q8t49KGrgjYIQNtoGB71Nzc5nCfYfBIMVSn0aWHjZ6sA5pblqVzGVALr533X_sMrcl5f_N0/s400/IMG_0430.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Babysitters fell through, so look who got to come!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTj1zN5-ZjEz8f4OUeBjfK0JeT_R8sJvprSTGzo73SXwBr1Fn4w13HxJv7Zq9g-52Kij96AA4m9MSxBNneG0PVeySopInBRfIRx7Fbwg_HkWAkZF7vXZtrXMCSIUXhqQoRd8WeFhc8Ec/s1600/IMG_0432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTj1zN5-ZjEz8f4OUeBjfK0JeT_R8sJvprSTGzo73SXwBr1Fn4w13HxJv7Zq9g-52Kij96AA4m9MSxBNneG0PVeySopInBRfIRx7Fbwg_HkWAkZF7vXZtrXMCSIUXhqQoRd8WeFhc8Ec/s400/IMG_0432.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGWZrAWi_5F5Yj-IelsgWWT99Sqx0ph_jnSt924U9jAVz98L8Q-5A8-S0dZtQTE8LH1TEmPhPWWhtED05__kz6xpPpWiZcnx6LRGIWvPPwHhoQ2DyJjNbnoHWgIbwACm0EaLH8Va1yiM/s1600/IMG_0488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGWZrAWi_5F5Yj-IelsgWWT99Sqx0ph_jnSt924U9jAVz98L8Q-5A8-S0dZtQTE8LH1TEmPhPWWhtED05__kz6xpPpWiZcnx6LRGIWvPPwHhoQ2DyJjNbnoHWgIbwACm0EaLH8Va1yiM/s400/IMG_0488.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took turns babysitting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGoLR8gnORnLpu1BrdLMYYyBO9rdlJTq2iRW1L7bh7lqeVfVBpxf26YEkLsRrboba9nVIpcrBKeLaFI1OTKILdDGdw2RJL2X_c9ItnCfs2zyrvYPbOlmZY5sOone20sszi_1XLhGBu0g/s1600/377621_441528102583492_800372296_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGoLR8gnORnLpu1BrdLMYYyBO9rdlJTq2iRW1L7bh7lqeVfVBpxf26YEkLsRrboba9nVIpcrBKeLaFI1OTKILdDGdw2RJL2X_c9ItnCfs2zyrvYPbOlmZY5sOone20sszi_1XLhGBu0g/s640/377621_441528102583492_800372296_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is most of the incredible Seasons team. (Minus Sara)<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">(I am so mad. First I left the camera in Cali; now I've left the cord in GA, so I can't download the best pictures from the weekend. Maybe later.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But <i>enough</i> of winter!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It's a time of new life and fresh beginnings. It's not too late to sign up for the <a href="http://www.seasonsweekend.com/spring/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Spring Weekend</span></a> in Washington, D.C., April 12-14.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It's a wonderful gift you can give yourself. <i>You are worth it.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tomorrow it's Easter Service at the Hollywood Bowl! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Praying you have a joyful celebration of the Resurrection, wherever you are.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>He is making all things new! Hallejuah!</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">****************</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sara Groves performs <span style="color: #3d85c6;">"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmrTvDoqvMM">Eyes On The Prize</a>"</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please click here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmrTvDoqvMM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmrTvDoqvMM</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Granny can't figure out how to embed.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-35400827990406965942013-03-04T08:37:00.000-08:002013-03-04T08:37:50.435-08:00Out of the Fog<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">What a long, hard winter
it has seemed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Has it to you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Lousy weather, a string of
overlapping sicknesses, chronic pain, and caring for a loved one with rapidly
advancing Alzheimer’s is not the best recipe for success in the pursuit and procurement
of happiness during the physically darkest months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">(<i>Always winter, and never Christmas</i>, as C.S. Lewis described
Narnia.) Just cold and dark and dull. Nothing to look forward to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I feel like I’ve been
wandering in a dense, chilly fog of unanswerable questions and unanswered
prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oppression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sometimes the faith thing
is hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I wish it were easier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I wish God would just
slice through the veil and let us SEE.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">“Turn your eyes
upon Jesus,</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Look full in His wonderful face,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">In the light of His glory and grace.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">But
I can’t <i>see</i> his face through the fog.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last
Sunday morning, I was cozy in bed with my coffee and devotional book. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Kim!
Kim, come down here,” my husband called.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Is
it mandatory?” I whimpered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Oh,
never mind,” he gave up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So
of course I stomped downstairs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Frigid
air was pouring in the front door. My husband was out on the porch, looking at
this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">As
we watched, thick yellow bands of light pierced through the heavy fog. It had
been rainy and overcast for days on end. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">Then, this:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">These
iphone pics don’t begin to do the sight justice. They don't capture the vivid contrast of color.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">It
was intense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">A
day or two later, I ran into a friend who’s battling a debilitating illness. In
spite of a daunting diagnosis, she is bravely hanging onto faith. Actually, her
faith is growing stronger and stronger in spite of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">When
I asked her how she was doing, she told me that she wished she could still do
something she did before her illness. (Go for a walk.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">But
then she immediately shifted into telling me about what had happened to her on
Sunday morning. She, too, had been in bed with her devotional book, when she
glanced out her bedroom window. She said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.
Big yellow beams of light were streaming through the branches of a bare tree,
as if God were above with his hands outstretched.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">“We
saw it, too!” I told her. From several miles away. A completely different
vantage point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">A sign.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">Later,
we exchanged pictures. She had drawn this in her journal:</span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">Sometimes
it’s hard to see God. <i>Where are You in
all of this mess?</i> we cry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">God
seems silent. The fog of unknowing remains. We stumble along in the dark,
tripping over our doubts and fears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">It
is hard to <i>keep looking up</i> into
impenetrable leaden skies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">But,
in an instant, God breaks through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">He always breaks through.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">The
light of His truth slices through the darkness like a saber, scattering the
obscuring fog of uncertainties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;"><b>I AM.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;">***</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“Jesus knew that they wanted to ask
him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I
meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little
while and you will see me’? <b><sup> </sup></b>Truly, truly, I say to
you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will
be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is
giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has
delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human
being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, <b>but I will see you again,
and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you</b>.”
(John 16: 19-22)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“A little while longer and the world
will see Me no more, but you will see Me.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know
that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." (John
14:19-20)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></i></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
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<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">(This one's for Karen. See the last comment on previous post.I needed a little encouragement!)</span></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-25962082689131264262013-01-23T19:12:00.001-08:002013-01-23T19:15:54.555-08:00The Habits of Happiness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the following was written on <b>January 4</b>. (See previous post to understand why it's being published today.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now I'm back in LA after the <a href="http://freshbrewedlife.sonacart.com/">Seasons Conference</a>. (<i>It was <b>transformational</b>.)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More on that later, GOD WILLING.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>In the meantime,</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">here's Part 2 on <b>Happiness...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Please read Part 1 <a href="http://www.margeryraveson.com/2012/12/happy.html">here</a>, if you haven't already.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***************</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgx2Y9mDAnRoU8JLYcQSJRCjlL27JAqsDkFCP2zPTI70MWZpsb8YqsMKs-07xsCAPmGLqSQPF-fKqOTEwOwgMBKpDnO6u7tHBnFucFE04sLjUVpqOCvFGnMO8CHclBK6wjkdmqZKz23E/s1600/IMG_5260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgx2Y9mDAnRoU8JLYcQSJRCjlL27JAqsDkFCP2zPTI70MWZpsb8YqsMKs-07xsCAPmGLqSQPF-fKqOTEwOwgMBKpDnO6u7tHBnFucFE04sLjUVpqOCvFGnMO8CHclBK6wjkdmqZKz23E/s400/IMG_5260.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Very, Very Imperfect Christmas Mug Shot, 2012.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let’s face it, folks:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s just NOT </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the most wonderful time of the year!!</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
for everybody.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nor the happiest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have many friends who
consider Christmas the most difficult time of the year. They speak of “just
trying to get through the holidays.” (I’ve written of my own feelings about it previously. At least I didn’t post any Grinch pictures this year.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkejDWd5LrWt4uEH6VIHR7GRl1PJKOvT6v8VXlwlOCRZQPExPWBVCVnlN3YIoPOEHTuJqW_gZDLGI02BSZsp2Szljb0ZdFUjDuWZK37F2LDkk7_9NQO-62wlBEpeNPDkH20DUEJXY03I/s1600/summer+07+121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkejDWd5LrWt4uEH6VIHR7GRl1PJKOvT6v8VXlwlOCRZQPExPWBVCVnlN3YIoPOEHTuJqW_gZDLGI02BSZsp2Szljb0ZdFUjDuWZK37F2LDkk7_9NQO-62wlBEpeNPDkH20DUEJXY03I/s200/summer+07+121.JPG" width="146" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But the “holydays” (??)
are over now. Ours were </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>perfect</u></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(ly
imperfect.) There were moments of joy and laughter sprinkled through times of
tears and turmoil. There was drama. There were hugs. There was sadness. Fun. Exhaustion.
Inspiration. Closeness. Chaos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And there was love. (Which
hopefully covered a vast multitude of sins.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m wiped out. We’ve just
returned from visiting my husband’s family in Florida to face a house still
fully adorned for Christmas. Dead greenery is depressing. I’m going to deal
with it slowly. I will be gentle with myself as I shift into this new year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Things <b>hap</b>pened over the holidays that made me
very un<b>hap</b>py. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Perfect!</i>
I thought, after the initial reaction. Now I’ll <i>really</i> be able to test out the new happiness habits. I’ll conduct a
personal experiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I wrote <a href="http://www.margeryraveson.com/2012/12/happy.html"><u>here</u>,</a>
the latest research in the field of Positive Psychology indicates that 40% of
our “Happiness Quotient” is <i>up to us</i>.
(50% is determined by genetic predisposition; only 10% is actually determined
by circumstances.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ve long believed the
maxim that “<i>Happiness depends on what
happens to you, while joy is not dependent on circumstances.</i>” I still
wholeheartedly believe the second part, but I’m not discussing Christian<i> joy </i>here. I’m just talking about plain
old earthly, biochemical <i>happiness</i>. Well-being.
The newsflash is that it turns out that happiness <b>does not depend only on what happens to you, </b>after all. I’m glad to
find that there is truth in the Abe Lincoln quote, “<i>Most people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”</i> (This from a man who suffered from
severe, debilitating depression before there were effective pharmaceuticals!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, what are the
“happiness habits” that come up most frequently in research? What intentional
life practices or activities might we adopt or intensify in our pursuit of
happiness?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1.)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b><u>Pursue
Variety:<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Evidently
it <i>is</i> the spice of life. Humans get
stuck in ruts. We tend to adapt to our circumstances and fall into mindless,
habitual ways of doing things. But in order to break the “hedonic treadmill,”*
it’s important to ‘mix it up.’ Vary what we do and how we do it. We need to
expose ourselves to new and different experiences in order to keep those brain
chemicals hopping. It can be something as simple as running (walking!) your
usual path in the opposite direction. Trying to write with your left hand if
you’re right-handed. Going to a strange new restaurant, studying a new language,
traveling to a place you’ve never been, listening to a different genre of
music. We human beings need to change, grow, and continue to be shaped by new
experiences throughout our lifespan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2.)<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b><u>Exercise</u></b>: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trust
me. This isn’t my favorite part. I do it because I have to. I developed
osteoporosis, degenerative disk disease, arthritis, and fibromyalgia before
menopause. (And I have scoliosis.) It’s genetic. So unless I want to undergo 6
or 8 spinal surgeries, as my father did, I have to hit the gym a couple of
times a week. I don’t love it, and I rarely get any kind of exercise “high.”
But here’s the thing: the research shows that we lose dopamine synapses as we
age. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is commonly
associated with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reward_system"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">reward system</span></a>
of the brain. It affects emotions, movement, and sensations of pleasure and
pain. Low dopamine levels are
associated with depression. Exercise increases dopamine concentration and the
number of dopamine receptors as well. So we need to get out there and move it!
In a <b>variety</b> of different ways… two
birds with one stone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>3.)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b><u>Get “In
The Flow”:<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">‘Flow’
is the enjoyment derived from being engaged in an
activity that is challenging, but not frustratingly so. It’s an activity so
intensely fulfilling that you forget yourself in the process, yet experience a
sense of well-being and excitement when the goal is finally reached. Of course,
experiencing “flow,” or being “in the zone” means different things for
different people. Some might experience it while gardening or knitting. Some
from cooking or cleaning. Try to think of times you’ve experienced the
sensation. I have felt it when I’m teaching. Sometimes I experience it when I’m
writing. (I’ll think a few minutes have gone by, but it’s been an hour.) I feel
it when I’m behind the wheel of a boat. When I’m serving others in a new way.
I’ve felt it when I’ve pushed myself to do a sports activity that’s outside of
my comfort zone, such as horseback riding or water skiing. I love that feeling
of being so <i>in the moment</i> that you
lose all sense of self-consciousness. <i>Bliss.
<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>4.)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b><u>Set Goals:<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According to Dr. Cloud, happy
people set and reach goals. They have a plan. Of course, things don’t always
turn out as planned. But it is psychologically rewarding for human beings to
establish <b>reasonable</b> goals and
attempt to accomplish them. Dr. Cloud reminded us that God has created us to be
purposeful creatures. We are created in the image of the Creator Himself, who
imagines things that don’t exist and brings them into reality. We have this
nature within us. It requires vision and tenacity to live a life of purpose.
Because of my health issues and life circumstances, I’ve learned to set little
baby goals. The years of carrying around a legal-pad-sized To-Do list are <i>long gone</i>. For instance, my goal for the
day could be working out. Or going to the grocery store. Reaching out to a
friend who’s hurting. Today, it’s to finish writing this blog post, by golly!**
Anything I accomplish over and above the primary goal is <i>gravy. </i>(Of course, it’s also critical to set long-term lifetime
goals. I do this, and then pray <b><i>If it’s Your will</i></b><i>, please help it come to pass</i>.) Who
knows? Maybe I’ll write that book one day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>5.)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b><u>Connect:<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“<i>It is not good for man to be alone.” </i>(God.) “<i>Or
woman</i>.” (Kim.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are created to be in
community. Social interaction is programmed to be intrinsically rewarding to
humans. We need connectedness with other people in order to survive and thrive.
As Dr. Cloud stated, “<i>Happy people connect
in a way of exchange. Relationships create transformational experiences. We
need life to flow into us. There’s no such thing as a “self-made man.””</i> A
sense of community focus makes people happier. We need to be a part of
something bigger than ourselves. To care about others as much as we care about <i>us.</i> The dopamine release from <i>cooperating</i> rather than <i>competing</i> with other humans is “just as
good as drugs,” according to researchers interviewed on the <a href="http://www.thehappymovie.com/"><b>Happy</b> </a>movie. Ironically, depression
creates a cycle of isolation. The more depressed (and/or stressed) a person
feels, the less likely he is to connect. <i>(“I
don’t want to inflict myself on anyone when I’m like this.)</i> That is the
time to push yourself out there. Pick up the phone. Neuroscience reveals that
isolation actually suppresses the immune system. We don’t want to be sad AND
sick, do we? Not <i>moi.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>6.)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b><u>Give:<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This one is huge. If I
make only one change this year, I hope and pray that it will be <b><i>to
become more giving</i></b>. It is astonishing what the act of giving does to
both brain and body. Studies have shown that an act of intentional compassion
causes brain waves to come on fire. The left prefrontal cortex lights up. There
is a change in the gross structure of brain. God wired us to be givers, in
imitation of the Ultimate Giver. I think it is actually our ultimate purpose:
to give from the store of whatever we’ve been given. Random acts of kindness
are the most effective in firing up the happy hormones… when there is
absolutely no expectation of reward or recognition. Dr. Cloud shared that the
amount of dopamine released in the act of giving is the same as in food or sex.
<b>Wow</b>. Putting change in a stranger’s
expired meter might save you a pound or two! Let’s try it. Seriously, we all
have something to give… whether it’s money, time, a kind word, a shoulder to
cry on. A smile. As Dostoyevsky said, “<i>If
all you have is an onion, then give an onion!” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> 7.)</b>
<b><u>Count Your Blessings:<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This one is so
trite. And so <i>very, very, very</i> true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sad to say, enumerating
my blessings is not usually my first impulse. It is a spiritual discipline that
must be developed by repetition until the muscle grows. Ann Voskamp has been
hugely influential in my thoughts on this. She also experienced a terrible
tragedy as a child. As in my case, it changed the colors of her world growing
up. Shades of gray and black might waft in at any moment, like a trail of dense
smoke in a Carolina blue sky. A spirit of fear… actually, a spirit of <i>dread…</i> could invade the merriest day
without warning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As an adult, she has (<i>she and God have</i>) unlocked the secret of
being thankful in all circumstances. The practice of <i>eucharisteo</i> is setting her free. I gave myself her <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Thousand-Gifts-Devotional-Reflections/dp/0310315441">One Thousand Gifts Devotional</a></b> book for
Christmas. The practice of writing it down in black and white is bearing rich
fruit. (If you haven’t read the original book, put it on your bucket list.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To see the effects that
gratitude has on the brain, please click here:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prefrontal-nudity/201211/the-grateful-brain">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prefrontal-nudity/201211/the-grateful-brain</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(I’m getting tired of
writing.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Okay,
so wind it up, Mama!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wonder: <i>Why
are Americans so unhappy when we have so much?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We live in a sick society that increasingly
emphasizes self-aggrandizement. I fear for this generation of First World
children, growing up in a world of burgeoning social media self-promotion. It’s
all about image: “<i>Look at Me! Notice Me!
Envy Me!!!”</i> On Facebook.
Twitter. Myspace. Instagram. YOUtube. Facetime. <i>Whatever-they-come up-with-next-week-as-a-vehicle-by-which-to-display-yourself-to-the-world.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stagnating self-absorption is toxic. Yet so many of
us are unable to see beyond the tip of our own noses. Difficult life
circumstances, daily stresses, hard adversities may keep us so focused on
survival that we forget to really <i>live</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pursuit of happiness not wrong; it’s just that we
think the wrong things will make us happy. We pursue the things that don’t
satisfy… accumulating more and more of them until we drown in them. <i>Yet still we feel empty.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This new information on the Neuroscience of
Happiness is useful to me. We are not merely victims of either genetics or
circumstances. We have a choice to pursue the things that will make us truly happy.
And, of course, they are not things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because we are all interconnected, I believe we
have a responsibility <i>to others</i> to practice
the cultivation of happiness. There are skills we can develop that can help us
to restructure our lives into new patterns. I believe that change is possible
at any age. (Even mine!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. But I’m
putting <b>Being Happier</b> at the top of
my rather flexible To-Do list. Although there’s no rigid formula for developing
new Happiness Habits, these are some of the things I’m going to chant to myself
in days to come:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Get
out of your box. Get out of the house. Get out of yourself. (<i>Get over yourself</i>.) Get involved,
engaged, connected. Make a difference. Pursue your dreams. Work hard. Play
hard. Love hard. Learn hard. Give extravagantly. Choose a different path. Try
something new. Transcend. Expand. Open. Appreciate.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Live.
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Really
live. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Abundantly.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">hmmm.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Don’t you just love it when modern science “discovers”
what God’s words have told us all along?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***************</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm fascinated by this idea of "Flow." Have any of you experienced it? If so, how?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>"Give up yourself, and you will find your real self."</b></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> C. S. Lewis</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">***************</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">*<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill">Hedonic treadmill</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-7235847069137188632013-01-17T08:06:00.001-08:002013-01-17T08:14:22.614-08:00Hi there...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Now that I have access to
the outside world again, I’ll tell you <i>some</i>
of what’s been going on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">By around January 3, the
second part of the <b>Happiness</b> post
was almost finished. It just needed a conclusion and editing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then I was interrupted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> 1.) </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I got what I
thought was a cold</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 2.) My laptop
died.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> 3.) A disk bulged
out of my cervical spine onto a nerve, rendering me unable to use my right arm, and</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> 4.) It wasn’t a
cold; it was <i>La Grippe</i>. The flu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">(<i>Yes</i>, I had a flu shot.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It went <i>on and on and on</i>, and has left some
souvenirs in its wake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Finally, I was able to drag
myself to the Apple store, and ended up buying a new laptop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">BUT… there were major
glitches in the data transfer. (<i>Sob.
Shudder. Collapse</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">anyway, anyway, anyway.
<i>Such is life.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2013 isn’t starting out
too hot. Not the way I’d planned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As I type this, I’m
sitting on the bed watching a curtain of steady rain pierce the surface of the
lake into shifting patterns. It’s
yet another gross, depressing January day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But I’m not completely down.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tired, yes. A bit beaten-up.
Weary of dealing with pain and <i>complications</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yet there is surprising
beauty in the pixel-point mosaic of light and dark I witness out my window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdik7j5EpgTbkZl6GiUSYDt1IL9Lvx2u99btIMdiwzyNPOXzOmlVRClvUlLhpedMIKbVkeoFhXVWsOpNVOi67a1FVgmcXh9VOoD-HPtEi0ghgR8A5pkOVejzUpzMqAnz_NvJp3hjM7ACM/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdik7j5EpgTbkZl6GiUSYDt1IL9Lvx2u99btIMdiwzyNPOXzOmlVRClvUlLhpedMIKbVkeoFhXVWsOpNVOi67a1FVgmcXh9VOoD-HPtEi0ghgR8A5pkOVejzUpzMqAnz_NvJp3hjM7ACM/s640/IMG_0417.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I am reminded:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">“…there is no
such thing as pleasure without pain.”*<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Our lives are
moving patterns of light and dark.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But God is in
the dark.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 13.85pt;">And He </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 13.85pt;">is</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 13.85pt;"> the Light.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 13.85pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">May we see Him in it all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.85pt; text-align: center;">
***************<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
(* <b><a href="http://www.margeryraveson.com/2012/12/happy.html">Happy</a></b>.)</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I don’t have
time to be writing this! My
husband will kill me. We’re supposed to be leaving in a couple of hours to fly
to Colorado for the <b><a href="http://www.seasonsweekend.com/winter/">Seasons</a></b>
conference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But stay
tuned. The difficulties in getting part 2 of <b>Happy</b> published make me suspect that somebody really needs to hear
it, and <i>somebody else</i> doesn’t want
that to happen. Like, maybe the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beelzebub">Lord ofthe Flies</a></i>? Hmmm. Hopefully, I can get it out this weekend. I am stubborn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friends,
please pray over the <b>Seasons</b>
conference and for traveling mercies. There have been a lot of complications
there, as well. As we speak, my grandson is flying for the first time without a
family member. (He’s with a friend of his mom’s.) <i>Still…</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Blessings,
love, and mercy to you all,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Kim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzIaSkHH8KkLVnZ27qJNz3eM17skoCP-8HdNw8Al0zBa5UQnPXzIx7xlRMJkAENf8ooDRqdE6ZvzWd1LAgT_R8T9P-VjXhJNsGHNr2TZPSyKoCxK5FCP7-nuOlW94IlMJ8C3eSveB_hs/s1600/61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzIaSkHH8KkLVnZ27qJNz3eM17skoCP-8HdNw8Al0zBa5UQnPXzIx7xlRMJkAENf8ooDRqdE6ZvzWd1LAgT_R8T9P-VjXhJNsGHNr2TZPSyKoCxK5FCP7-nuOlW94IlMJ8C3eSveB_hs/s640/61.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.85pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-22389257734420183202012-12-17T06:02:00.002-08:002012-12-17T14:46:47.521-08:00Heaven's Hope<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s hard to think about happiness right now in light of the
horrific tragedy in Connecticut.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I heard the ages of the children who were killed, I saw
the face of my grandson… and wept. <i>Unimaginable.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe there is no greater loss on earth than the loss of
a child. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I almost lost a child 4 ½ years ago. But we never lost hope.
Never, not even in the most desperate clinging-to-life days. There was always
hope for a miracle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These parents have no such hope. They will never see their
precious children again on earth. Just the thought of never seeing James’ big
brown eyes again feels like a punch in the stomach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How do you keep on living after that? How do you breathe?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But people do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know people who have.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I broke down and bought the <b>Heaven is For Real</b> book at Target yesterday. I read it in about an
hour or so. I wanted to hear it in the words of a young child.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course there’s skeptical criticism about any book of this
kind. <i>(“The Bible doesn’t say we’ll have
wings…” “Where does it say anything about animals?”</i> etc.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The specifics weren’t important to me. No human explanation
of heaven will ever be perfect. We don’t have the vocabulary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But the words of that little boy helped me. He was so
matter-of-fact about what he’d seen and experienced.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Those of us who’ve never had a Near Death Experience must
rely on faith, though not of our own mustering.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Holy Spirit sends “blessed assurance.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Emily Dickinson was a near-recluse, yet that assurance led
her to pen these words:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #191d6c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I never saw a moor,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #191d6c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I never saw the sea;<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #191d6c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet know I how the heather looks,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #191d6c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And what a wave must be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #191d6c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I never spoke with God,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #191d6c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nor visited in heaven;<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #191d6c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet certain am I of the spot<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: #191d6c;">As if the chart were given.</span></i><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe with all my heart that those children from
Connecticut are alive and well in a far better place than this. Fully alive.
Busy. Joyful. Happy. Engaged. Learning. Being saturated with more love than we
can imagine. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Their loved ones on earth are walking through a deep valley
of sadness that cannot be articulated. But surely some must have hope.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I pray that they do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I pray that they have, or may come to have, this kind of
hope:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“They
placed their <b>hope</b> in a better
life after the resurrection.” (Hebrews 11:35)</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“</i><i>For we have heard of your
faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from
your <b>confident hope</b> of what God has
reserved for you in heaven.” (Colossians 1:4-5)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has
given us new birth into a <b>living hope</b>
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance
that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith
are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to
be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a
little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (I Peter
1:3-6)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s the only kind of hope that makes it
possible to endure the unendurable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Father,
we pray that you will minister to those grieving this unthinkable tragedy. Send
your Holy Spirit to comfort and love in ways that words cannot express. Grant
those who weep the gift of faith and hope in You. Give them eyes to see beyond
the flimsy veil of life on earth to eternal realities. Comfort them with
assurance that their precious ones are safe with You, beyond all pain and
sadness forever and ever. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some books to whet your appetite about the
future:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Heaven,
</b>Joni Eareckson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The
Great Divorce</b>, C.S. Lewis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Heaven</b>,
Randy Alcorn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The
Heaven Answer Book</b>, Billy Graham<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Heaven
Is For Real</b>, Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>To
Heaven and Back, </b>Dr. Mary C. Neal <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The
Boy Who Came Back From Heaven</b>, Kevin and Alex Malarkey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All are available through <a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(The old saying “We don’t want to be so
heavenly-minded that we’re no earthly good” seems to me to be obsolete. I think
we need to be as heavenly-minded as possible these days. It makes us <i>more</i> earthly good.)<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> More on Hope from the
dusty archives: <a href="http://katherineawolf.blogspot.com/2008/12/hope-against-hope.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://katherineawolf.blogspot.com/2008/12/hope-against-hope.html</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please feel free to
recommend other good books on Heaven in the comments.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">***************</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So....if you've already read this today, you'll notice it has a different title now. That's because Granny had already published a post with that title! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I need to sign up for Luminosity. Or the New York Times crossword puzzle.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyway, here's another take on <b>hope</b> from the archives: <a href="http://www.margeryraveson.com/2011/09/better-hope.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.margeryraveson.com/2011/09/better-hope.html</span></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please do re-read it if you need some extra hope today. I just did.</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-64682994341378183972012-12-11T09:55:00.002-08:002012-12-11T09:55:07.651-08:00Happy<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy';"><b>Happiness is a butterfly,<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy';"><b>which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp,<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy';"><b>but which, if you will sit down quietly,<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy';"><b>may alight upon you.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy';"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy';"><span style="color: windowtext;"><b>Nathaniel Hawthorne</b></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy';"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mMkuOkNOyYk0yZU_AVB-th6CLe3aSnm6qoaGhDCg81hVdmar3w_D45BVEEkZfzTELBml-2m9AIt6wlwQZnOfWcE_zVrNEEKYgrRrwnwKXK4YEAPKQJH-MLre-JfID4CspLwCRw90D48/s1600/butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mMkuOkNOyYk0yZU_AVB-th6CLe3aSnm6qoaGhDCg81hVdmar3w_D45BVEEkZfzTELBml-2m9AIt6wlwQZnOfWcE_zVrNEEKYgrRrwnwKXK4YEAPKQJH-MLre-JfID4CspLwCRw90D48/s640/butterfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(previous source did not credit photo.)<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Happy</i>
doesn’t always come easily for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even as a young child, I was very sensitive to the
pain in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was involved in a terrible tragedy when I was
seven years old. It is only in the past decade that I’ve come to understand the
effects that pivotal event had on the fragile fabric of a child’s psyche. On a
subconscious level, it changed the way I view the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A sheltered, joyful, blissfully naive little girl
metamorphosed into one who knew that every story didn’t have a happy ending
after all. Fairy tales don’t always come true. The world is a terrifyingly
unsafe place in which to live. Fear entered in, and with it an underlying
sadness that things are <i>not as they
should be</i> down here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the years, I’ve had to fight for <i>happy.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the time I was 12 or 13, I had my first taste of
actual depression. (<i>Puberty</i>.) I
realized that the harder I tried to be happy, <i>focused </i>on its presence or absence, the more elusive it became. The
Hawthorne quote at the top is the first I ever saved in a notebook. I came to
the conclusion that sometimes Happy just happened. It was a gift. I needed to
stop thinking so much. About everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I have matured, evolved, <i>grown-into-knowledge-the hard-way</i>, I’ve realized that much of what
we assume will make us happy <i>doesn’t. </i>The
pursuit of those things, positions, or conditions, is an exercise in futility,
like a dog chasing its own tail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But lately I’ve been fascinated by emerging studies
in “Positive Psychology.” Literally, <b>the
science of happiness</b>. It almost makes me want to go back to school to study
neuroscience. The brain is endlessly intriguing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are
there formulas we can follow… goals we may <b>pursue</b>…
practices we might adopt that could actually enhance our “Happiness Quotient?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From the plethora of books, articles, and
television shows on the topic, evidently so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First, I <i>happened</i>
upon a movie on Netflix called, simply, <b><a href="http://www.thehappymovie.com/">Happy</a>.
</b>I watched it twice. (And I highly, highly recommend it.) Shortly afterwards,
world-renown psychologist <a href="http://www.drcloud.com/about">Dr. Henry Cloud</a>, the author of the original <b>Boundaries </b>book, in addition to about
20 others, spoke on the topic at our church in Los Angeles, Bel-Air
Presbyterian. (He’s a member there.) Later, Dr. Gail was talking about the
Happiness research on the <b>Today Show</b>. Then I read an article in <b>Salon, "<a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/01/28/the_neuroscience_of_happiness/">The Neuroscience of Happiness.</a>"</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I started wondering.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Am
I doing all that I can to be the best, happiest, version of me? Or am I
settling for less than God intended? Anything worth having is worth working
for. <b>Should I be working harder at happiness?</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Surely, the world is full of sadness, loss, and
tragedy. But life is not just something to be <i>endured</i> until the joy of heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What little changes might make a significant
difference on my Mood Thermometer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First, some information culled and compiled from
the sources above, drawing primarily from the <b>Happy</b> movie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">50%
of our H.Q. (Happiness Quotient) is biological. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you have more than one child, you might have
observed that people are different from birth. Some babies are born placid and
peaceful; some are fussy and high-maintenance. And remain so. (“<i>He was just<b> born</b> that way!”) </i>Ever since Hippocrates, there have been
theories about the differences in personality. For centuries, it was believed
that there were four basic temperaments (or ‘humors’) determined by the effects
of bodily fluids. Those were: <b>sanguine</b>
(pleasure-seeking and sociable), <b>choleric</b>
(ambitious and leader-like), <b>melancholic</b>
(introverted and thoughtful), and <b>phlegmatic</b>
(relaxed and quiet.) But aren’t most of us more than one? According to the
theory of humors, I would be classified as a <b>sanguine/melancholic</b>, which seem to be contradictory. Split
personality?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Modern neuroscience confirms that we are born with
a genetic set-point on the happiness scale. A certain constitutional makeup or temperament, determined
in large part by our genes. This is hugely liberating for those of us who
struggle with mood issues. <i>It’s not a
character flaw or a moral failure</i>. It has to do with DNA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10%
of our H.Q. is circumstantial.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the real shocker. Our circumstances in
life… what happens to us… accounts for a minimal slice of the happy pie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most people think that if only <i>x,y,or z</i> happened (or hadn’t happened) <i>then</i> they would be happy at last. (“If only I had more money, lost
10 pounds, got married, retired, moved…” Or “If only he hadn’t left me, she
hadn’t died, I hadn’t gotten sick, lost my job…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But in actuality, <b>our circumstances have little to do with our happiness level. </b>A
rickshaw driver in a slum in India has a higher happiness quotient than a
successful businessman in a modern Japanese high-rise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once you have your basic needs met, more money does
not mean more happiness. Although there is a major
difference between someone who makes $5000 per year vs. $50,000 per year, there
is no difference between someone who makes $50,000 and someone who makes $50,000,000.
That is because humans adapt to a “hedonic treadmill.” Whatever you have, it’s
just not quite enough. <i>There’s got to be
something more</i>. In the song <b>Lost</b>
by Coldplay, Chris Martin sings that he’s "just waiting ‘til the shine wears
off.” Because it always does. You bring a new dress home from the store, and
the shine wears off by the second wearing. Then you need something new to get
the dopamine back up again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This unending cycle is one of main enemies to
happiness. And why ‘the pursuit of happiness’ is doomed to failure if the wrong
goals are sought in order to reach it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Studies reveal that those who are focused on <b>extrinsic</b> goals are much more depressed
than those who focus on <b>intrinsic</b>.
Extrinsic goals are those externals that are deified and worshipped by our
consumer society: Image, status, money, etc. Intrinsic goals are internally satisfying
in and of themselves: intangibles such as personal growth or a desire to help
others.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">If my happiness quotient is overly affected by
how I look, how much I have, or what my coolness-factor is, then I’m in
trouble. If my happiness depends
on how others view me because of these externals, I become a praise junkie that
constantly craves another fix of affirmation from the crowd. When I focus on
extrinsic goals, I become sadly self-focused. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The good news is that no matter <i>what</i> one’s circumstances in life, it is
still possible to cultivate happiness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">There was a time when I wouldn’t have believed
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Even when tragedy strikes? Is it still possible
to be happy after that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">When I was a young mother, I imagined that if
something horrific happened to one of my children, I’d just check out of life.
Like, maybe permanently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Something unbearably sad did happen to my
first-born love. Unimaginable. Devastating. I have suffered more than I ever
thought I could, and still survive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">And I am happy. Not every minute of every day.
Sometimes not for weeks at a time. But overall, yes. I would say that I’m
relatively happy. And I’m still learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">I attribute this fact mostly to God, as I chronicled
in <a href="http://katherineawolf.blogspot.com/">Katherine’s Mom’s Blog.</a> But the God-thing is really more about reckless joy
and stubborn faith, as opposed to what we’re talking about here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Researchers in Positive Psychology have
discovered something fascinating: Overall, people do better <i>when things go bad. </i>We are able to ‘rise
to the occasion.’ In many ways, adversity is actually good for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">(<i>I know</i>.
<i>Don’t say it.)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">But listen to this: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Our nervous system is a differential engine. It
looks at <i>contrasts</i>. It integrates
information by noting differences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>That is why there is no such thing as pleasure
without pain.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">We need constant change in order to grow and
learn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">In “The Neuroscience of Happiness,” Dr. Shimon
Edelman states, <i>“…</i></span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">a changing, growing self,
constantly shaped by new experiences, is happier than the satisfaction any end
goal can give us. It turns out the rewards we get for learning and
understanding the workings of the world really make it the journey, not the
destination, that matters most.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">These new studies give me hope and understanding.
They confirm that I am not merely at the mercy of my genetic makeup or my
circumstances. I am in control of the remaining 40% of my happiness equation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I have a responsibility to God, myself, and those
around me to work hard at developing practices that enable me to more fully celebrate
this precious life I’ve been given. To be happier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Next time, I’ll share some of the ways how.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">***************</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><i>I apologize for the
length of this piece. I hope that some of you reading are as interested by these
Happiness studies as I am. Please watch the movie if you have time! I know that there are others who sometimes struggle
with depression, or have loved ones that do. (You’ve told me so.) Let’s pray
for each other during this challenging month.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-76108163794683585622012-11-27T07:17:00.000-08:002012-11-27T07:17:03.127-08:00
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Promises, promises…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Promises are hard to keep this time of year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A coast change, a nasty virus, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and <i>hit-the-ground-running</i>
for the holidays.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Mumford post languishes on the mountain of unfinished
business.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">About half-way through, I ran across this article in <b>Christianity Today</b>, which is a better
analysis than mine. Click <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/september-web-only/mumford-and-the-son.html?start=1"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> if you’re interested:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So what’s the point of writing about a rock concert anyway? Or about
“playing hooky?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am researching
happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Or it is pursuing me.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m not talking about Christian <b><i>joy,</i></b> which is a
supernatural gift.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m referring to a sense of well-being that may be
cultivated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Obviously, it’s a hot topic these days. Everywhere I turn,
there are books being published about the science of happiness. Sermons on the
topic. Even a movie.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s all got me thinking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Think about it with me, if you have the time and
inclination.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some questions to contemplate:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Are you happy?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-What does happy feel like to you?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Are you happy with
how happy you feel?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the meantime, I am going to continue my research.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m going to continue playing hooky when I can. I’m going to
expose myself to new experiences. I’m going to go down some different paths.
I’m going to pursue inspiration from unexpected places. Look for hope where I
least expect it. Get out of myself more. Embrace creativity. Cultivate gratitude. Live more intentionally.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ll let you know how it goes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No promises!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seriously, though, I’d love to know if anyone else thinks
about happiness and the pursuit of it. Especially this time of year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252390716871521856.post-4281347186159741682012-11-12T11:18:00.000-08:002012-11-12T11:18:09.583-08:00<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(This one's just for groupies.)</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Guess where Granny scored some tickets...</b></span></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9DWM8fqs9DoidU-NzHQ4-rANU4VzCGxUc9oJ0ow6rFA5GYVoBWjy0aD_ItxkDnDZgjlvlYwYfxm0RsCpZ22Qm7FbS7PjJRt_bp9oRlB0BfLzY9IJlOhSKNfPPFRkHHlShPCuWDqtHwk/s1600/IMG_0111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9DWM8fqs9DoidU-NzHQ4-rANU4VzCGxUc9oJ0ow6rFA5GYVoBWjy0aD_ItxkDnDZgjlvlYwYfxm0RsCpZ22Qm7FbS7PjJRt_bp9oRlB0BfLzY9IJlOhSKNfPPFRkHHlShPCuWDqtHwk/s400/IMG_0111.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Mumford and Sons </b>at the Hollywood Bowl!</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> It was freezing, but the fiery performance warmed us up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rushing, packing, and cleaning to head back to Georgia in the a.m. But if even <i>two</i> people indicate an interest, I'll post more details later...</span></div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10202745403355887348noreply@blogger.com7