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Showing posts from June, 2019

Arise and Shine

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Finally. There is a new dawn coming. A dawn that could have been seen earlier than now, and perhaps faintly was, but was not ready to be beheld because it was not ready to be embraced. Coming up for air tends and getting to a point of buoyancy tends to be a priority before being able to focus on the horizon. But there is a turning point, an inflection, where the climb, the rise to surface begins to lift beneath us as we reach. It is at that point where we have the courage, the wherewithal to look beyond the underside of sea level. In the middle of the night, there is a place where everything is turning into the sun. Long before a lighting of the sky, the sun is coming up. And where we are is turning into it. A dawning can be declared confidently. Not without price or pain, but yet confidently. A lit sky, much less a visible sun, is not necessary for this proclamation. And as a matter of fact, the place we are at and are going is not ready for its fullness. The

A Silenced Cry of True Love

There is a fire that has been lit. A holy, liquid fire that has been awakened. ...But not without a severe price. What do you do when true love has been abruptly aborted, without notice? How does the heart process such instant loss? A freight train running silently through the night. The heart laid softly upon the tracks, unwitting to its owner. One moment it beats. The next, it doesn't. Many of us have been rejected, abandoned, but some of us may have experienced this on a magnitude and in a way that was so surprising, that we had to wade through several cycles of shock and layers of confusion and suffering before we could even get to the pure emotional grieving of loss of love. But God is in the emergency room. And the operating table is our altar. To have sprinted marathon after marathon, chasing breath that cannot be caught, fist-fighting enemy spirits on a level that has never been experienced before, and not being able to get simple rest and processing of hurt and s

Just Breathe

Okay. Big week. Lots of things, all so important, that you made it through. Now…let’s pause, and stop for a moment. Your most important thing, your heart, has been rescued by the Savior and Lover of your soul. (Of course, that’s why He’s called Savior, after all, right?)   First things first: the Cross. Big and powerful enough to not only carry what you came through, but everything else of your life, and all the other billions of people’s stuff…all in one moment, in the Person of Jesus. Wow. He is too amazing. And right before His body died, He said, “It is finished.” He’s not coming back for another cross. He got it all the first time. Including this. So we truly are free. You are free.   Now you are that new flower, budding from the ground…stony, hardened, and stubborn as that ground was…right? But you made it. By His grace, you made it through, and now your flowering is exposed to the full, direct Son-light of Jesus and His love, His grace, the wind of His Spirit. And now that seed

Pearl Thief

Thieves only go after valuable things. They don’t waste time on things that aren’t costly. And with respect to the spirit realm (which is the ultimate reality of existence), the primary thing of value—incredible, priceless value—is the human heart. There is nothing anywhere near so precious. Whatever is second most valuable in the spirit, as far as all creation is involved, is so distant from the value of the human heart that it cannot even be found on the chart.   God made our hearts for Him first, and then to have beautiful harmony and oneness with others as well. Our hearts are made to be His sanctuary, His dwelling place. They are also made to harmonize with others’ hearts as well. And of all the types of relationships we may have with everyone, there was created one that is the most special, intimate of all…more than a friend, a colleague, a ministry partner, a sibling, or even a parent or child. The most intimate relationship in the world is that of marriage. In marriage, you are

Message Within the Message

A word for all, at some point or another in this journey. Particularly to my sisters, but can be cross-pollinated for my brothers... I just wanted to take a moment to inspire and encourage your dignity and self-worth. Something this world and men will rarely do for you, so it's something you have to engrain in your being and stand in it confidently. First, a thought about following up after a breakup… Whenever you need to break something off with someone, you ideally want to clearly state as short as possible, and without talking about feelings, etc, that you are done and no more contact. Then, if they continue to try to reach you, you should not reply and everything their thoughts or questions, because it otherwise weakens your initial words and respect for your position (except if there is important business to manage with them in the breakup). This helps them get to the point of accepting your position and begin to get on with their life, and it forces them to respect your word

The Art and Science of Relationship

Some people take a scientific approach to things that are innately an art. And while there is a science to relationships, it is at its core an art.   There’s nothing wrong with plans, fixes, solution-searching, assessment, and the like. All these things are necessary, vital aspects of working and growing a relationship. The art of relationship depends upon scientific aspects to help keep it well.   However, when there is brokenness or other serious issues in the relationship itself that run deep beneath the surface, there is no scientific focus that can reach and heal that. Science may be able to operate on the physical heart, but it cannot with the heart of a person, and the heart of a relationship.   The heart of a person is the core determination of the health of a relationship. The Bible says for us to guard our hearts because out of the heart flow the issues of life. Each person has to not only have their heart in it, but be willing to work on their hearts for change where they fa

Come to Daddy

In the middle of all you are find yourself in, remember, it does not define who you are. You know who you are, Abba's child. Especially now: you're eyes are open to what you really want and need…Jesus first in all things, and then making choices based on His will and not convenience and other things. Sometimes we can be so stubborn or selfish that God has to allow more drastic things to happen to finally soften our hearts. It’s too bad we are like this, but it’s part of our human nature that we All have. And I pray that you see this clearly one day: if it were me or someone else in your shoes, if we were in your exact experience leading up to everything, so so many of us would’ve been so much worse than you were. None of us are as strong as we think we are. (I’ll never forget the encounter and vision with Abba when He showed me this about myself.) But His allowance of our failure and tough times is proof of His mercy because the most important, valuable thing in the universe th

NBA Notage

Just a few notes for my own personal archive, nothing significant, except for NBA and sports fans to ponder... Low effort and not very clutch at the end of games: Pippen says this of LeBron. Magic, Bird, Jordan: all were very hungry for ball and very regularly clutch in last 2 minutes. NBA: there is a difference between the Most Valuable Player, the Most Talented Player, and the Most Statistical Player. Most influential players to the NBA in recent decades: * Magic-Bird made it popular. * Jordan made it global. * Kobe extended Jordan, made it a one-on-one game. * Lebron made it mogul. * Curry changed the shot. Best of all time, based on impact, clutch, personal team turn-around or impact: Bird, Magic, Jordan, Kobe, Wilt, Kareem, Russell, Lebron, Curry. Biggest impact to turn around a franchise immediately: Bird, Magic, Jordan, Lebron. Bird instant success as a coach as well. Most Sensitve Player Awards * Kyrie * Football counterparts: OBJ, TO, Baker. Rodgers on deck.