life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “community”

09 Aug 2014

Modern religion has tended to degenerate into a decent formula whereby people can embellish an otherwise comfortable life. – Alfred North Whitehead

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And the bottom line is: We will be known by our fruits — not by what name we call ourselves or by what fame we want to be known for. We will be known for our actual fruits, not the intentions of our imaginations.

The greatest of these is love. And love’s actual fruit is service: Love bears service. Love says: Let me serve.

And the actual fruit of serving is peace: Service grows peace. Service says: Let me help bring peace. Which means — all of us are simply just one hand reach away from working for world peace.
– Ann Voskamp

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Life is never about being correct, but only and always about being connected. Just stay connected. At all costs stay connected. Our only holiness is by participation and surrender to the Body of Love, and not by any private performance. Because Love is One, and this Love is either shared and passed on or it is not the Great Love at all. The One Love is always eager.
– Richard Rohr

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both the receiving of love, and the letting go of it for others, are always. very real dying to our present state. Whenever we choose to love, we will – and must – die to who ever we were before we loved. Our former self is taken from us by the object of our love. We only realize this is what has happened after the letting go.
– Richard Rohr

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Posted in action, Adventure, attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, beloved, Blessing, Choice, commitment, community, compassion, connection, courage, Faith, find art at pinterest, Gospel, Growth, kindness, Life, Love, mystery, People, Relationships, soul and spirit, success, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
04 Jul 2014

ringing loud

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…and that we all feel this undeniable bond with the land of our birth, and she knows it: we are all born of the dust of the earth and the breath of God.

Heavenly patriotism is this belief that all human lives everywhere are worth the same.

That we’re a country of countries, a world of families, a earth of one human race, and that was it — the essence of this great land she lived in.

What really unites this great land is more than a flag — it’s an idea. The idea that all peoples under heaven are the idea of a Great God.

That all peoples under heaven, in our back alleys and in our hospitals, in our prisons and shelters and headlines and every person in our far-flung world, are flagged as the handiwork of God, the dream of God, the art of God.

Everywhere she looked, there it was — “I was the stranger and you welcomed me in.“

It was strange and glorious, how it was happening in her, for her nation, for all the nations: Heavenly patriotism makes you patriotic for all of humanity.

You are doing something great with your life – when you’re doing all the small things with His Great love.

You aren’t a citizen of here working your way into heaven. You’re a citizen of heaven working His Way through here.

And it was there in every flag: the stripes that went on like a road, like The Way of Love that goes everywhere and always welcomes the wanderer in.

All those stars like a Love that can’t be contained by the walls in this world.

There under the bloom of fireworks,she could feel it –

the love of Christ exploding a heart.

– Ann Voskamp (edited)
http://www.aholyexperience.com
such good stuff! read her patriotic and amazing blog – http://www.aholyexperience.com/2014/07/what-really-unites-a-great-land-people-the-real-power-of-patriotism/

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Posted in attitude, awareness, Change, community, compassion, connection, courage, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, Happy Holiday!, home, Love, People, politics, soul and spirit, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
03 Jun 2014

open and empty to be filled

Don’t take anything personally. Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you. Their point of view and opinion come from all the programming they received growing up. When you take things personally, you feel offended and your reaction is to defend your beliefs and create conflict. You make something big out of something so little because you have the need to be right and make everybody else wrong.
– Don Miguel Ruiz

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Posted in attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Beliefs, beloved, Blessing, community, connection, courage, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, friendship, grace, intimacy, Letting Go, Life, Love, People, perceptions, Relationships, Respect, soul and spirit, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
06 Feb 2014

stones of salt

Stone Soup

A kindly, old stranger was walking through the land when he came upon a village.  As he entered, the villagers moved towards their homes locking doors and windows.

The stranger smiled and asked, why are you all so frightened. I am a simple traveler, looking for a soft place to stay for the night and a warm place for a meal.

“There’s not a bite to eat in the whole province,” he was told. “We are weak and our children are starving. Better keep moving on.”

“Oh, I have everything I need,” he said. “In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you.” He pulled an iron cauldron from his cloak, filled it with water, and began to build a fire under it.

Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a silken bag and dropped it into the water.

By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come out of their homes or watched from their windows.  As the stranger sniffed the “broth” and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their fear.

“Ahh,” the stranger said to himself rather loudly, “I do like a tasty stone soup.  Of course, stone soup with cabbage — that’s hard to beat.”

Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a small cabbage he’d retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot.

“Wonderful!!” cried the stranger. “You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king.”

The village butcher managed to find some salt beef . . .  And so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for everyone in the village to share.

The villager elder offered the stranger a great deal of money for the stone, but he refused to sell it and traveled on the next day.

As he left, the stranger came upon a group of village children standing near the road. He gave the silken bag containing the stone to the youngest child, whispering to a group, it was not the stone, but the villagers that had performed the magic.”

Aesop’s Fable

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SALT

The love of God is what you’re made of.
Stay true to that.
Be authentic.

Let yourself be thrown into this world’s good soup
to bring out the amazing flavor of God in it.

Let yourself dissolve.
Your resurrection will be the most delectable feast
only God could fully enjoy.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Posted in action, attitude, awareness, Blessing, Choice, community, find art at pinterest, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
25 Nov 2013

the missionaries prayer

God of love,
I Pray for the peace of Christ:
in the face of fear, to trust,
in the face of violence, to be gentle,
in the face of sorrow to be healing,
in all things to offer blessing.

Christ, grant me your peace:
with those who are rejected to stand in unity,
for those who are afraid to offer my hand,
beside the outcast to sojourn in longing,
to those who are cursed to offer blessing.

Spirit of compassion,
be the grace and strength in me
to risk for the sake of justice,
to suffer for the sake of healing,
to give of myself for the sake of love,
to offer blessing, to offer blessing.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net

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Posted in Adventure, attitude, awareness, Beginning, commitment, community, compassion, confidence, connection, courage, determination, Encouragement, find art at pinterest, Life, Love, soul and spirit, strength, Today, touch, Trust, truth, www.pinterest.com | Leave a comment
22 Jul 2013
1 Comment

If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer. –Frank Bianco

744523ee1f43174205ad7473da9eb042In a day of goodness

Someone asked me
If they were ready
to forgive
I said yes

Someone asked me
to cheer them up
I said yes

Someone asked me
to help doing errands
I said yes

Someone asked me
to share a meal
I said yes

Someone asked
to be connected with a friend of mine
I said yes

Someone asked me
to return dishes for them
I said yes

Someone asked me
for a hug
I said yes

Someone asked me
to spend time with them
I said yes

All the promises of God
are yes and amen

Today I know how God feels
I asked God
for blessings
God said yes

I am so grateful and so truly blessed
Life is full of miracles for me
when I just say
Yes

AL 2/9/13

Posted in awareness, beauty, Blessing, community, Encouragement, find art at pinterest, friendship, giving, Happiness, Love
14 Jul 2013

There are no interruptions in a day. There are only manifestations of Christ. Manifestations of Love. – Ann Voskamp

You are doing something great with your life – when you’re doing all the small things with His Great love.
– Ann Voskamp

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Posted in action, Adventure, community, compassion, find art at pinterest, giving, Glory, Gospel, Life, Love, Respect | Leave a comment
13 Jul 2013

a little help from my friends

 5Dragonfly
I love
to see
your shimmering wings
      above the still pond
– Tina Michel

 

 

Now I see skinny lizards, skiting through the grass
And darting geckos,
Naked with the vulnerability of rubber bands,
And tiny, twitchy frogs as curious as babies.

I have grown intimate with ants
And carefree with cockroaches.
I hear the whizzing of the dragonfly
Above the whirring of the fan.
I have learned to apprehend mosquitoes,
And sat transfixed while butterflies
With wings more beautiful than peacock damask
Visited my blue bag time and time again.

A whole and complicated order of creation
Imposed itself upon my gaze
While I sat still and drank my coffee
In the garden.

Or rather, I should say,
I opened my eyes and saw it,
Opened my ears and heard it,
Narrowed my field and selected it.
Together we changed me.

Kathy Galloway
Struggles to Love, The Spirituality of the Beatitudes, 1994

Posted in action, Adventure, attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Blessing, Change, community | Leave a comment
09 Jul 2013

I love the phrase below…addicted to redemption…wow!

The Purpose of Religion

Posted by Beit T’shuvah

Photo 

By Rabbi Mark Borovitz

My daughter, Heather, recommended a book to me and I have started to read it. It is called Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho and Margaret Jull Costa. As I have begun to read it, I found these two lines that struck me. “They don’t understand that religion was created in order to share the mystery and worship, not to oppress or convert others. The greatest manifestation of the miracle of God is life.”

Wow, what a mouthful. Simple, yet so difficult for most of us to do, which bothers me to no end! Last week, I was able to participate in the Valley Beth Shalom honoring of my friend and teacher, Rabbi Ed Feinstein. Ed has spent the last 20 years sharing the mystery and worship of God with all of us in Los Angeles. He has honored life and truly sees the reflection of God in each and every person. So, what stops the rest of us from doing this better?

Because we think that money, power and prestige are all that matters. Because we think that narcissism is natural and right. Because we believe that oppressing/blaming someone else will make the truth we know about our own shortcomings and errors go away! Because we believe that without converting others to “our way” we must be wrong. Because we don’t believe in anything really, so we must make another believe in “our way.”

I suggest that we follow Rabbi Ed’s example. He reaches out to the poor and gives them a meal, not a thrashing. He welcomes the stranger and gets to know them, again over a meal, without trying to convert them. He cares for the sick, the orphan and widow with words of comfort and love, not blame and disdain. Rabbi Ed is a master teacher. Yet, his actions speak so much louder than his words.

I don’t want to oppress you or convert you. I do want you to join me in being addicted to redemption. Why? So that all of us can appreciate the Miracle of God, life, a little bit more. So that all of us can share the mystery of life and God with each other and everyone else. So that all of us can join together to find the path to worship through caring for each other. So that each us can live lives of meaning, purpose and passion. Your way is good, Her way is good, and my way is good if we all are on the way to worshiping, enlarging, sharing and enjoying LIFE a little more each day.

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http://www.jewishjournal.com/addicted_to_redemption/item/the_purpose_of_religion

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2013/07/08/the-purpose-of-religion/

Posted in action, attitude, awareness, beauty, Becoming Yourself, community, compassion, determination, do, Encouragement, Faith, Freedom, grace, healing, Life, Love, People | Leave a comment
03 Jul 2013
2 Comments

a caregiver’s life

3She woke up with her brother, James, dying.
He was calling her to come,
but she couldn’t.
It happened years ago,
but to her it’s happening now.
It was so real, her grief, sadness, emotion.
I say, I’m sorry.
She has made a mess.
Don’t look at that, she says.
I have to anyway,
somebody has to look.
It won’t clean itself.
She can’t clean herself.
No words come from her mouth
that make sense to either of us this morning.
She could be speaking Russian.
Probably not.
Just consonants.
No vowels coming out.
She’s frustrated.
Falls back to sleep.
Now she’s ready for breakfast.
She’s found some words again.
Eats her eggs.
Delicious, she says.
We come out to the living room to fold laundry.
She struggles through socks and shoes.
The view, and this, room are new to her every morning.
It’s beautiful, she says,
and what a view,
but why did those men bury that big, black dog up there?
Do you see it?
No, I tell her, I don’t see.
Doesn’t mean you don’t see it –
but I can’t see what you are seeing.
Oh, never mind, she says.
She struggles through laundry.
Fighting to remember how to fold each piece.
Is it right?
Perfect, I say
Have you had any complaints about my folding being wrong? She asks.
No, only compliments, I reply,
I’m very thankful for your folding.
She looks out the window in between each new piece.
She wonders why those bigger birds are throwing the small birds off the roof.
Like there are mobster birds up on the roof
bullying the smaller birds for the best view.
It makes me laugh,
and she asks why that’s funny?
I assure her,
we will allow no gangster birds to hang out on the roof.
She says, ok,
but doesn’t look convinced.
It has taken 2 1/2 hours
to complete a small basket of laundry.
I helped with the 3 tshirts she couldn’t figure out.
She’s tired, she says,
by the way,
did you remember to take your bra out of the window?
It’s not even lunchtime.
She falls asleep,
filing her nails.
I write this poem,
trying to recover
from all these emotions.
she has already forgotten,
yet left hanging in the air.

AL 7/2/13

4Let this be your mind today,
your purpose for being here:

not to accomplish tasks,
not to get your way,
not to complete your agenda,

but to share the burdens of those around you,
to lighten the load
of those who walk this life beside you.
You are not asked to solve every problem
or to heal every wound,
but simply to be present
to bear one another’s burdens
so that they do not struggle alone.
In this way Christ is alive in you.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Posted in community, compassion, Death, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, healing, Letting Go, Life, Love, Patience, People, Poetry

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