I am excited to give art journaling a try very soon. I have been studying it for a couple of years now and, I must admit, I have been a little intimidated by it, but here I am ready to try it!!!
Check out the new issue of Songs from the Valley on Inspiration!
http://www.songsfromthevalley.com
Holy One, Beloved,
by your grace in me,
I shuck off the little desires I wear,
to clothe myself in your deep desires for me.
I release the self I have tried to create
so that you may create me in your image.
May I shed all falsehood
and speak truth to my neighbors.
May all my words be building blocks, not weapons,
gifts of grace for those who long to hear.
May even my anger be loving truth, not bitterness.
May my delight be not in getting, but in sharing.
With you living in me may I be kind,
tenderhearted and forgiving,
as you have forgiven me.
Life-Giver, Heavenly Lover, Flame of my Heart,
I am your beloved child.
May I be your perfect imitation.
May I live in love, as fully as you love me.
I offer myself, as Christ,
a fragrant gift to you.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible.
And He can do what no other can do.
– Unknown
Looking at them, Jesus said,
“With people it is impossible, but not with God;
for all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:27
Maritta Terrell
Thoughts are also posted at:
http://thoughtsaday.blogspot.com/
If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you
can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep
moving forward.
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Some people say, ‘the glass is half full’. Others say, ‘the glass is half empty’. Still others say ‘the glass is always full’.
Abundance or scarcity – which do you live in? What do you choose to see?
Yesterday I had a moment when I didn’t think I had enough for myself and as tears came streaming down my face, I realized a woman next to me try to pay for a paper was counting her pennies. I debated on giving about a second – I didn’t have very much to give. Then as I put the dollar down on the counter for her paper, she turned to me and said, ‘Thank you so much, I am down to my last bit of change.’ I was so caught in my own personal distress of that moment and I was already on my way to the bathroom to compose myself. As I stood in the bathroom, I realized what she had said and the fact that she had nothing and I had 26 dollars! I could share. I was abundant!!! Why did I doubt? I have seen it over and over – there is always plenty enough to share.
I quickly went to find her, but she was nowhere to be found.
I have been thinking of it ever since.
Down To Earth
Took a leap of faith
Thought I’d learn how to fly
Lookin’ for rainbows
And dreams passing by
Searching for answers
To a whole bunch of lies
Tryin’ to be anybody but me
As I crashed to the ground
Here’s truth that I found:
Learned I must bend
So I won’t break
How to get real
Not be a fake
Chose to smile through the pain
And never to hate
Now I’m flying so high
While I’m walking around
Cause the sky doesn’t end
Till it touches the ground
Living each day now
One step a day
It’s so good to be
Where I want to stay
Just you and me
Found a few answers
Stopped asking why
Now it’s time to be free
And I’m flying so high
Right here on the ground
Cause I’m walkin’ on sunshine
Hooked on the feeling
On top of the world
I’m one happy girl
Learned to find rainbows
Right in the rain
Found out I had more
The more that I gave
Chose to be happy
Not to complain
Living with passion
I know what it’s worth
Cause life doesn’t start
Till you get down to earth
al 8/08
Everything you take for granted is a blessing. Everything you fear is a friend in disguise. Everything you want is a part of you. Everything you hate you hate about yourself. Everything you own does not define you. Everything you feel is the only Truth there is to know.
Everything you wish for is already on its way to you. Everything you think creates your life. Everything you seek for you will find. Everything you resist will stick around. Everything you let go of stays if it’s supposed to. Everything you need is right where you are.
Every time you bless another your bless yourself. Every time you blame another you lose your power. Every time you think you can, you can. Every time you fall you must get up and try again. Every time you cry you’re one tear closer to joy. Every time you ask for forgiveness, all you have to do is forgive yourself.
Everyone you see is your reflection. Everyone you know mirrors you. Everyone wants to be happy. Everyone wants to live in joy. Everyone seeks a higher purpose. Everyone breathes the same breath. Everyone needs love to survive. Everyone has a purpose to fulfill.
Everyone’s the same as everyone else. We just get caught up in labels, names, skin color and religion. Everyone’s the same as everyone else. No one wants to feel the pain. Everyone’s the same as everyone else. Everyone is dying for love to remain.
– Jackson Kiddard
Via The Daily Love
www.thedailylove.com
keep your eyes open everywhere for amazing blessings like this street art!
Jesus never looked down on others by Jon Walker
Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. (1 Corinthians 1:26 NIV)
Jesus never looked down on others, and that gave him the ability to see them as people. They weren’t users, consumers, or customers. They were people in need of a relationship with him, not a dos-and-don’ts religion.
Once we understand our identity in Christ, we will begin to see people in a similar way. We will see that they are eternal beings, created in the image of God. We will no longer use their circumstances or sins to define who they are; we will see who they are through the eyes of Jesus.
This perspective, so different from our natural tendencies, brought out the best in the people Jesus met. He saw their true value, and, as a result, they came to know their true value.
Consider:
Our objective is to stop seeing others from our limited perspective and to start seeing them in the way God sees them, encouraging the best of others, bringing them to the one who wants more than all the world what is best for them — Christ the Lord (Luke 2:8-10).
To be peaceful is to be free from expectations and to want nothing from anyone. Take the initiative and be generous. Lead the way and do something. This is the secret to being content in all circumstances. – unknown
I am walking through a difficult part of the path right now, and yet it is a really peaceful time as well. The past 22 years have brought me to this moment, and all is well with my soul. 
My faith has been tested in the fire and is not a theory! It is real, intimate, living, breathing life in me. The shadow of Jesus, who for so long I could not identify with, has become the true lover of my soul, my best friend, my peace, my joy, my everything. No one can take away what I have experienced in these years, it has been an incredible revelation of God.
I feel I am, once again, at a beginning. It is exciting. It is overwhelming. As I keep letting go, this wave of love is washing over me, and it is truly pure joy. I am overwhelmed with love.
I am on a walk of faith, like others before, and with me in this present moment. I do not see the path ahead as of yet, yet I have great peace because I know the way is there waiting for me as I walk forward into life, purpose, mission, music, community.
I wish I had more to bring, but all I can do is bring a love song which is my desire to obey, even when it’s hard, even when I don’t see the way, or completely understand the why. It really is just my reasonable service for all that God has done for me.
To God alone be the glory!
A simple line of black words
On a white background
Like stars hung in white space
I catch myself
Breathless
from the beauty.
That so few words
can carry this much content
A complete story told
Within a few well-placed letters
Feeding my soul
(My cup runneth over)
Line by line
Condensed
Full
Sharp
Brilliant
Precise
Dripping
Creating images in my mind –
Inspiring me to try it for myself
The people so different –
Hayden Carruth
Ann Voskamp
Kathy Galloway
Steve Garness-Holmes
The Psalmist
Wendell Barry
Rumi
Robert Frost
Emily Dickenson
– My list is ever growing
The search for beauty will never be completed in this lifetime
There are infinite possibilities –
Just like the the people and the words
they are infinite and unique
They fill me
saturating me with
so much more than I can express
Some old
Some new
All calling me
Inspiring me
Challenging me
To find my own voice
To add my own lovely word-jewelry to the mix
Inviting me
To change the world
No comparisons needed
each one stands alone
joy
these words
Put together by brave people
speaking simply from their own place of being
Humble and grand
experiences
Blend in harmony –
It is humanity
Such different voices
Yet each so clear
connected
Graciously allowing me to find my own place among them
In this jewelry box of words
Beginning with a thought
Poured on blank pages
To feed the hungry souls
Searching
The ones
In need on new thoughts and
Ideas
Inspiration and
learning
In this ever-always, wide-open, universe of the unending
Yes, all connected
Here, there and everywhere
From beginning to end
The Word (and we) endure
For ever and ever
Amen AL 8/1/12
Here are ten things to do even if others judge you for it:
1.Take car
e of yourself. – Your relationship with yourself is the closest and most important relationship you will ever have. If you don’t take good care of yourself, then you can’t take good care of others either; which is why taking care of yourself is the best selfish thing you can do. Read The Mastery of Love.
2.Do what you know is right, for YOU. – Don’t be scared to walk alone, and don’t be scared to like it. Don’t let anyone’s ignorance, drama, or negativity stop you from being the best you can be. Keep doing what you know in your heart is right, for you. Because when you are totally at peace within yourself, nothing can shake you.
3.Follow your own unique path. – Every new day is a chance to change your life. Work on making life all that you want it to be. Work hard for what you believe, and keep your dreams big and your worries small. You never need to carry more than you can hold; just take it one day at a time. And while you’re out there making decisions instead of excuses, learning new things, and getting closer and closer to your goals, know that there are others out there, like me, who admire your efforts and are striving for greatness too.
4.Lock yourself away from the world and work on your goals. – Dream big dreams, but realize that short term, realistic goals are the key to success. Success is directly connected with daily action. The way we spend our time defines who we are. Successful people keep moving, by doing small things every day that bring them a couple steps closer to their dream. They make mistakes along the way, but they don’t quit – they learn and press on. Read Getting Things Done.
5.Adjust your goals and dreams as life changes. – A great deal of pain in life comes from having a specific dream that 
you’ve fallen in love with, and when it doesn’t work out exactly as planned, you become angry that you now have to pursue a different path. If you want to tame your inner demons and make the most of life, you must not become rigidly attached to just one specific dream, and remain open to there being an even better, equally as happy path ahead. Life is unpredictable, but it provides plenty of opportunities to make dreams come true. Just don’t forget that sometimes taking a positive step forward requires you to slightly adjust your dreams, or plan new ones – it’s OK to change your mind or have more than one dream.
6.Forgive those who have wronged you. – Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong and wise. Forgiveness allows you to focus on the future without combating the past. To understand the potential of everything going forward is to forgive everything already behind you. Without forgiveness, wounds can never be healed, and moving on can never be accomplished. What happened in the past is just one chapter. Don’t close the book, just turn the page.
7.Show everyone your love and kindness. – If you are reserving your love only for those who you have decided are worthy of it – all strangers excluded – it may come as a surprise to learn that this is not love at all, it is called judgment. Judgment is selective, love is all embracing. Just as the sunlight and the wind do not discriminate, true love does not make any such distinctions either. Love and kindness is a way of living. Where there is love, there is no judgment. Where there is judgment, there is no love. Read The 5 Love Languages.
8.Stand up for others, even if it’s the unpopular thing to do. – Sometimes you will say something really small and simple, but it will fit right into an empty space in someone’s heart. Dare to reach into the darkness, to pull someone else into the light. Remember, strong people stand up for themselves, but stronger people stand up for others too, and lend a hand when they’re able.
9.Fight through your failures. – When you are feeling down or dealing with failure, don’t be ashamed. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You are going through a difficult time, and you are still pushing forward. That’s something to be proud of – that you are fighting through it and slowly rising above it. Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
10.Keep your head held high and keep on smiling. – Every day of your life is a page of your history. The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them. Don’t cry over the past, cry to get over the past. Don’t smile to hide the pain, smile to heal the pain. Don’t think of all the sadness in the world, think of all the beauty that still remains around you.
http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/08/01/10-things-to-do-even-if-they-judge-you/#more-493
life: acoustic & amplified 