Eagles Point

I cannot stand this phrase. It is one of the small handful that give me the dumb chills ever since first hearing it. This word is going to sound less artistic and more informational, and it is intended to be applied to situations and people with filters and discretion, understanding that I am not addressing the whole of the scope of emotional behavior and reactivity. But for those situations to which this applies... Many of us may have heard people say that someone is "all up in their emotions" when that person is having a vulnerable moment. It may have been said about us at some point. Whether it be this particular phrase or something similar to it, it can sound a little demeaning to the vulnerable person, and it may come across as devaluing their feelings. We know that feelings can be based in things that aren't fully true, but the feelings themselves are valid and still must be worked through before correcting or addressing any truth or misinformation behind them. More...

God of the Broken... Finally. A place burrowed enough away from pondering eyes to be completely oneself, in all expression and brokenness. Who knew that this secret place with God today would be an automobile in a remote parking lot, shrouded enough by gray skies and rain to be hidden from anyone potentially nearby. This vehicle...I remember the gift it was from God just a few short years ago...now facilitating a most vulnerable moment with Him. This is the needful place right now. I could not be anywhere else if I tried. The clouds shed their tears on my behalf. They bounce off the windshield, pinging off the hood, softly tapping the metal with a perfect balance between gentle and firm. And in their own way, they make their way through the car, happening upon the soil of the heart. And all I can do is just sit. And be. Already emptied out, poured out, at least for now. If not for exhaustion, I could sit here for hours. With Him. Not just sitting with Him. Broken with Him. The Humble K...

There is at least a generation of people, if not a multigenerational trend, that have been trained by themselves and/or culture to sacrifice for something that does not love them. Whether a career, hobby, ministry, companion, boss. Inanimate or human, they use, mistreat, abuse...and with permission by the host. This epidemic leads to a great deal of fallout in the form of mental and emotional health issues, relational immaturity and depravity, and it affects people around them, especially those who care for them. They severely hamper their ability to receive and embrace true love when it comes by, even though they long for it with tears in the night watches. But in the day, when everyone is looking, the walls of Fort Knox erect around their hearts, with the decor of jadedness and cynicism, and transactionality instead of relationality in their connection with people. Are they truly content not experiencing the sweetness of deep communion with God and people? Or have they desensitized t...

For those who invest in people through what are known as the helping fields, there is a particularity about the approach to people in need that necessitates seeing everyone in the light of very equal value and worthiness of dignity and care. Engaging someone in any given setting includes the combination of 1) the traits of who they are, 2) how they perceive and feel about people similar and different from them, 3) any otherwise effects or impact of their experiences and beliefs, and with all this, 4) how they ultimately present and conduct themselves--and 5) all this interacting on some level with these same traits of our own. When conversing with a deeply valued friend about this, someone I trust significantly and with expertise in the area of helping, she made a statement that had a residual ring in my heart. She said that when we work with people, we have to care about everyone the same, no matter who or how they are. Off the top, this seems common sensical, albeit a helpful periodi...