life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “inspiration”

27 Jun 2012

the right words

I had an important job interview a couple of weeks ago (I am still waiting to hear), and at the very end of it I made a statement that I wished, immediately, I hadn’t made. It wasn’t something horrid – it was just something I wished I hadn’t revealed about myself at this point in the process, know what I mean?

For a couple of days I kept thinking about it and wondering why I even said it. Then I felt directed to open my Bible to Luke 21: 14-15 and the words of Jesus filled my heart. ‘Do not think about what you will say beforehand. Go in my Spirit and I will give you the words to say.’

I have done much preparation to follow God’s leading and I know that I a vessel willing to speak what God would have me speak, and so I relaxed…evidently that was what I was supposed to say. Whatever happens will be God’s plan unfolding – not mine. I trust that I have done what I am supposed to do, and if the job doesn’t happen, it is because it is not the right job for me.

As I wait to hear if I got this job, I am working on other parts of my faith – patince, letting go, hope, joy, peace, obedience. You know – the virtues which are the hardest ones ot master…pray for me.

Posted in Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Beliefs, Career, Change, Choice, confidence, Dreams, Faith, find art at pinterest, Happiness, Hope, inspiration, Joy, kindness, Letting Go, Life, Love, Patience, Peace, People, Prayer, Reality, soul and spirit, strength, success, thankfulness, Thoughts, Today, Trust, truth, Winning, words | Leave a comment
26 Jun 2012

our words become us

A Courageous Life

“Have courage,” we often say to one another.  Courage is a spiritual virtue.  The word courage comes from the Latin word cor, which means “heart.  A courageous act is an act coming from the heart.  A courageous word is a word arising from the heart.  The heart, however, is not just the place where our emotions are located.  The heart is the centre of our being, the centre of all thoughts, feelings, passions, and decisions.

When the flesh – the lived human experience – becomes word, community can develop.  When we say,  “Let me tell you what we saw.  Come and listen to what we did.  Sit down and let me explain to you what happened to us.  Wait until you hear whom we met,”  we call people together and make our lives into lives for others.   The word brings us together and calls us into community.  When the flesh becomes word, our bodies become part of a body of people.

– Henri Nouwen
http://www.henrinouwen.org/

Posted in Becoming Yourself, Beliefs, Change, Choice, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, Glory, Growth, Habits, home, inspiration, kindness, Letting Go, Life, Love, People, power, Quotes, Relationships, soul and spirit, strength, Tenderness, thankfulness, Thoughts, Today, truth, words | Leave a comment
25 Jun 2012

for the love of all elements of writing: words. paper. pen. thoughts. reading. imagination.

and I open a fresh page
paper lined with endless possibility

20120625-092023.jpgof meaning, of words,
of understanding, of hope,

of choices, of thoughts,
of who I am and
who I desire to be

space between words

holding it all together
in a framework of idea

I write this with ‘ink joy’ flowing
a smile on my lips
for the gold foil polka dots
and the quotes that make my heart sing –
the simple
yet so rich and complex gift
of a pen and a piece of paper…

– al
4/13/12

 

 

Posted in Blessing, create, Happiness, Imagine, inspiration, Joy, laugh, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, People, Poetry, Quotes, Smile, soul and spirit, thankfulness, Thoughts, Today, Uncategorized, words | Leave a comment
24 Jun 2012

Hope against hope, and ask till ye receive. -James Montgomery

…yet you have not, because you ask not.
James 4:2

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?                               Matthew 7:7 -11

Posted in Beliefs, Blessing, confidence, Dreams, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Habits, Hope, inspiration, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, People, Prayer, Quotes, soul and spirit, thankfulness, Thoughts, time, Today, Trust, truth | Leave a comment
23 Jun 2012

no need to worry

Storms will come, count on it.
Times may come when you feel God is asleep,
not taking care of you, protecting you.
“Don’t you care?” you will pray.
Of course God cares, but just isn’t worried. Not at all.

You see, you are perishing, my dear, bit by bit.
God won’t take that from you,
won’t come between you and the storm,
but will go through it with you.

Even as the waves of your fear
wrap their white knuckles around your boat
there he is, curled in the stern,
unworried, vulnerable, babylike, willing.
Do you think he’ll let it sink if he’s in it?

When Jesus, drenched with your life,
cries, “Peace, be still,”
who do you think he’s talking to?

The calm of a storm-free life
might indeed be, as the writer says,
a dead one.

And if this really is the last chapter of your life,
won’t you have had
exactly what both of you want the most—
to be together through it all?

Storms will come.
Peace, be still.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net

Posted in Adventure, attitude, Becoming Yourself, Beliefs, beloved, Choice, confidence, courage, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Gratitude, Growth, Habits, inspiration, Joy, Letting Go, Life, Love, Peace, People, Poetry, power, soul and spirit, strength, thankfulness, Today, Trust, worry | Leave a comment
22 Jun 2012

do all things with love

20120622-074748.jpg

Yes….ALL things!
“Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself” – Jesus
Love is truly all we need.
Not love the way our world protrays it, most of the time.
A love that takes us higher and higher.
Love that brings freedom and fuels our passion and purpose.
Love that builds our world and changes hearts.
He leads us by example.
His words are life changing.
I know – it happened to me!
He loves us beyond anything we can comprehend.
Yet just a glimpse brings our souls and hearts to life, flaming the passion to give, and receive, this love.
It is real and it is available for everyone.
We are all his beloved.

Posted in Becoming Yourself, Choice, commitment, do, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Gospel, Gratitude, Growth, Habits, inspiration, kindness, Leadership, Life, Love, People, Proof, Purpose, Relationships, soul and spirit, success, thankfulness, time, Today, truth, Uncategorized, words | Leave a comment
21 Jun 2012

speaking with love

Growing into the Truth We Speak

Can we only speak when we are fully living what we are saying?  If all our words had to cover all our actions, we would be doomed to permanent silence!  Sometimes we are called to proclaim God’s love even when we are not yet fully able to live it.  Does that mean we are hypocrites?  Only when our own words no longer call us to conversion.  Nobody completely lives up to his or her own ideals and visions.  But by proclaiming our ideals and visions with great conviction and great humility, we may gradually grow into the truth we speak.  As long as we know that our lives always will speak louder than our words, we can trust that our words will remain humble.

– Henri Nouwen
http://www.henrinouwen.org/

Posted in attitude, Becoming Yourself, Choice, commitment, compassion, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Growth, Habits, inspiration, kindness, Life, Love, nature, Patience, People, Quotes, Reality, Relationships, Thoughts, truth, words | Leave a comment
20 Jun 2012
5 Comments

words are very powerful and important

Words Colour Our Behaviour.

Words! They are all around me! I see them. I use them. Harsh words, soothing words, biting words; words that give pain and sorrow; words that give joy and pleasure. They are vital to communication. When words are spoken there are reactions, negative or positive. Either thoughts are triggered or emotions fired or actions performed. Words colour our behaviour. And how lovely it is to hear words that are calm and free from rancour and aggression. To hear words that lift the soul and leave it with renewed vigour. Such words come from always seeing the best in people and situations.

– Unknown

Posted in attitude, beloved, Blessing, compassion, create, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, inspiration, kindness, laugh, Letting Go, Life, light, Love, music, Patience, Peace, People, Relationships, Today, truth, words
19 Jun 2012

living from the heart of christ

How does the Spirit of God manifest itself through us?  Often we think that to witness means to speak up in defense of God.  This idea can make us very self-conscious.  We wonder where and how we can make God the topic of our conversations and how to convince our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues of God’s presence in their lives.  But this explicit missionary endeavour often comes from an insecure heart and, therefore, easily creates divisions.

The way God’s Spirit manifests itself most convincingly is through its fruits:  “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22).  These fruits speak for themselves.  It is therefore always better to raise the question “How can I grow in the Spirit?”  than the question  “How can I make others believe in the Spirit?”

– Henri Nouwen
http://www.henrinouwen.org/

 

Posted in attitude, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Beliefs, beloved, Blessing, Choice, commitment, compassion, courage, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Glory, Gospel, Habits, Happiness, healing, inspiration, Joy, kindness, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, Patience, Peace, People, Proof, Purpose, Relationships, Respect, Smile, soul and spirit, strength, thankfulness, Thoughts, Today, truth, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
18 Jun 2012

life is about change…let it flow

Each new step in life is also a leaving, a surrendering of an old reality to move into a new one.

Be grateful for the love that surrounds you, and for the opportunities you have to love. Be mindful of your place in this world, and your connection to people you care about. Never doubt that you are loved, though those who love you may be far away. Spend your love recklessly; it will never be wasted. It is the spending, not the result, that enriches us.

Pay attention to the moment that you’re in. It will pass. It is a transition, not a final destination. Love in this moment. Receive what this moment offers you. Be lovingly attentive to what is, in the present moment. What comes next is full of promise, not the least of which is this: that there will always be more love. Trust this, and let God’s delight fill you.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net

Posted in attitude, Change, Choice, compassion, Death, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Gratitude, Grieving, Growth, Habits, healing, inspiration, Letting Go, Life, Love, Passion, People, Prayer, Seasons, Smile, soul and spirit, strength, thankfulness, Thoughts, Today, Trust | Leave a comment

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