effects of making good choices
Isaiah 32:17
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
See it at YouVersion.com:
http://bible.com/1/isa.32.17.kjv
life: acoustic & amplified
poetry, quotes & thoughts about life
Archive for the category “Respect”
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
what you do matters
Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.
– Margaret Thatcher
movies at the beach
cinema of clouds
moving across the sun
I search for words to describe
this glory
indescribably beautiful
breathtaking
movement
colors deep to light
like a huge floating kaleidoscope
pinks
yellows
blues
greens
melting into each other
dark and light shades
turning back to shades of
whites and grays
movement as sun
circle of light
changing every instant
from a shadowy ball
to a blinding blaze of glory
the clouds thick, thin, open
separate then reach thin strands,
arms
melting like lovers into each other
the blue sky like pie crust
around the edges of
the most beautiful meringue
piled on a pie
made by Willy Wonka
strawberry
lemon
blueberry
lime
ever changing
from one second to the next
I lay in this world that is God
open my heart
breathe in mystery
watch in wonder
at this show that feels
like it’s just for me
I am the Beloved Song of Christ
I am so in awe of this majesty
a single purple winged gull
flies side to side
right above me to the left
so breathtakingly graceful
making the kites being flown
a ways down the beach
look cheap and awkward
the waves come and make
tiny waterfalls
right off shore
rolling up on the beach
a lullaby of magical proportions
hypnotizing me in loves embrace
It is my gift
It is my church
It is my soul food
It is intimacy with my creator
I replay it now
head on my pillow
trying to
find words to match my experience
I read back my description
maybe it seems beautiful to you
but I know I have failed
there are just no words to convey
the extravagant
exquisite
nature of God
the richness of his glory
the vast array of Yahweh
I give up in gratitude
just let my heart speak
in words of angels
I can’t even understand
but know they are understood
AL 4/14/13
joy in heaven
Brennan Manning
writing of grace
in his human broken frame
a ragamuffin
full if love and scars
he is now home with our Abba
God brought him to me
through Wyatt
in Florida
a weird and wonderful guy
who also brought me to
Henri Nouwen
and
John Eldridge
Wow!
that was a very strange and beneficial encounter
The words and calling
of Ruthless Trust
The Ragamuffin Gospel
the truth resounding
The Furious Love of God
Abba’s Child
The Wisdom of Tenderness
Above All
I read every word of his
I can get hold of
each echo in my heart
We are here to help each other
from one ragamuffin to another
Yes, he lived his calling
in a brave and wonderful way
finding intimacy and true relationship
through imperfection
just as I have
there is great joy in heaven
as he goes home
I am sure he is enjoying
the band greatly
4/13/13
being gentle
Dressed in Gentleness
Once in a while we meet a gentle person. Gentleness is a virtue hard to find in a society that admires toughness and roughness. We are encouraged to get things done and to get them done fast, even when people get hurt in the process. Success, accomplishment, and productivity count. But the cost is high. There is no place for gentleness in such a milieu.
Gentle is the one who does “not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick” (Matthew 12:20). Gentle is the one who is attentive to the strengths and weaknesses of the other and enjoys being together more than accomplishing something. A gentle person treads lightly, listens carefully, looks tenderly, and touches with reverence. A gentle person knows that true growth requires nurture, not force. Let’s dress ourselves with gentleness. In our tough and often unbending world our gentleness can be a vivid reminder of the presence of God among us.
– Henri Nouwen
make today the best day of your life!
Everything is My fault
by Derek Sivers
http://sivers.org/
I cut two chapters out of my book because they were too nasty.
T
hey vented all the awful details about how my terrible employees staged a mutiny to try to get rid of me, and corrupted the culture of the company into a festering pool of entitlement, focused only on their benefits instead of our clients.
Afterwards, I spent a few years still mad at those evil brats for what they did. So, like anyone feeling victimized and wronged, I needed to vent – to tell my side of the story. Or so I thought.
So do you want to know the real reason I cut those chapters?
I realized it was all my fault.
- I let the culture of the company get corrupted.
- I ignored problems instead of nipping them in the bud.
- I was aloof and away instead of managing or training managers.
- I confused everyone by sharing my daily thoughts before they had cemented into decisions.
- I announced decisions, then assumed they were being done, without following-up to ensure.
- I whimsically delegated to the wrong people, avoiding the mental work of choosing wisely.
- (I could list another 20 of these, but you get the idea.)
It felt so SO good to realize it was my fault!
This is way better than forgiving. When you forgive, you’re still playing the victim, and they’re still wrong, but you’re charitably pardoning their horrible deeds.
But to decide it’s your fault feels amazing! Now you weren’t wronged. They were just playing their part in the situation you created. They’re just delivering the punch-line to the joke you set up.
What power! Now you’re like a new super-hero, just discovering your strength. Now you’re the powerful person that made things happen, made a mistake, and can learn from it. Now you’re in control and there’s nothing to complain about.
This philosophy feels so good that I’ve playfully decided to apply this “EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT” rule to the rest of my life.
It’s one of those base rules like “people mean well” that’s more fun to believe, and have a few exceptions, than to not believe at all.
- The guy that stole $9000 from me? My fault. I should have verified his claims.
- The love of my life that dumped me out of the blue (by email!) after 6 years? My fault. I let our relationship plateau.
- Someone was rude to me today? My fault. I could have lightened their mood beforehand.
- Don’t like my government? My fault. I could get involved and change the world.
See what power it is?
Yes, the word “responsibility” is more accurate, but it’s such a serious 6-syllable word, whereas “everything’s my fault” is a fun rule-of-thumb, and gets me singing Nirvana’s “All Apologies”.
Try it on. Stand up, open the window, look out at the world and shout, “Everything is my fault!”
Think of every bad thing that happened to you, and say it again.
Cool, huh?
That power looks good on you.
a celtic prayer
Deep peace of the
Running waves to you.
Deep peace of the
flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the
Quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the
shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the
Son of peace to you.
life: acoustic & amplified 