life: acoustic & amplified

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Archive for the category “Vulnerability”

03 Aug 2012

overwhelmed with love

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!

http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/finding-joy-v/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_-FR-_-08.03.12-_-FJOYmovie-USCAXX-&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_campaign=FJOYmovie

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01 Aug 2012
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Don’t get bogged down with all the details of how it’s going to come together. Just do the dishes. And watch the momentum build. – Brian J

Here are ten things to do even if others judge you for it:

1.Take care 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

Posted in attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Beliefs, beloved, Change, Choice, commitment, compassion, confidence, courage, create, determination, do, Dreams, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, fun, Gratitude, Growth, Habits, Happiness, healing, Hope, inspiration, Letting Go, Life, Love, Passion, Patience, Peace, People, Purpose, Reality, Reflection, Relationships, Respect, Smile, soul and spirit, strength, success, thankfulness, Thoughts, Today, Trust, truth, Vulnerability
22 Jul 2012

guard my heart

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
Matt 5:8

Posted in attitude, awareness, Beliefs, beloved, Choice, commitment, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Gospel, Gratitude, inspiration, Letting Go, Life, Love, People, Prayer, Quotes, Reflection, Relationships, soul and spirit, Thoughts, time, Today, Trust, Vulnerability | Leave a comment
19 Jul 2012

Wildflowers

Dark and early in your story someone fearful
of your inborn glory took it
and buried it behind your house,
and you, innocently, and wise to save yourself
from their greater wrath,
believed its absence.

It’s not a pompous glory,
insistent on regard, but sure and quiet
as a wildflower’s, asking nothing.

And so you’ve lived—so have we all—
without it, your heart shoveled over
with self-doubt and apology, as if
you have no place or voice here
among angels.

We see you in the cripples who flocked
to Jesus, the mute, the paralyzed,
bent over, shut out, gone mad.

And all he meant to say was this:
you shine. You bring a gift
as no one else, and you belong.
Your Word deserves a hearing,
and this world needs your beauty
and your grace. There is no rank
you fall below, no worth you fail to match.
Your shuttering was evil, and God
wants it undone, and wants you whole.

And so she takes you by the hand
and raises you to stand, to walk, to speak.
She listens to your song with joy.
She rains upon the earth
until you are unafraid of your radiance
and all our houses are surrounded by wildflowers.

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

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. – Marianne Williamson

Posted in A Course in Miracles, beauty, Becoming Yourself, beloved, Blessing, courage, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, healing, inspiration, Joy, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, People, Poetry, Quotes, Reality, Reflection, soul and spirit, Tenderness, thankfulness, Thoughts, time, Trust, truth, Vulnerability | Leave a comment
18 Jul 2012

We are what we continually do – Aristotle

Habits Die Hard

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.
I am at your command.
Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me.
For I can do them quickly, correctly, and profitably.
I am easily managed; just be firm with me.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a
machine and the intelligence of a person.
You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me.
Lead me. Reward me.
And I will then…do it automatically.
I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.

by Mac Anderson & John J. Murphy / simpletruths.com

Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Rest in peace.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

 Take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how  they align with life’s principles) are the primary determining factor  for effectiveness in your life. Take responsibility for your choices and the consequences that follow.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

 Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and  life goals. Envision the ideal characteristics for each of your various  roles and relationships in life.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

 Prioritize, plan, and execute your week’s tasks based on importance  rather than urgency. Evaluate whether your efforts exemplify your  desired character values, propel you toward goals, and enrich the roles  and relationships that were elaborated in Habit 2.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

 Genuinely strive for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in  your relationships. Value and respect people by understanding a “win”  for all is ultimately a better long-term resolution than if only one  person in the situation had gotten his way.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

 Use empathic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which  compels them to reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an atmosphere of caring, respect, and  positive problem solving.

Habit 6: Synergize

 Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to  achieve goals no one person could have done alone. Get the best  performance out of a group of people through encouraging meaningful  contribution, and modeling inspirational and supportive leadership.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a  sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle. It primarily emphasizes on  exercise for physical renewal, prayer (mediation, yoga, etc.) and good  reading for mental renewal. It also mentions service to the society for spiritual renewal.

7 Habits – repost from http://thedailylove.com/

Posted in attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Circus, courage, create, determination, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, Gratitude, Growth, Habits, Hope, inspiration, Letting Go, Life, Love, Passion, Patience, People, Poetry, Quotes, Reality, Relationships, soul and spirit, strength, success, thankfulness, Thoughts, time, Today, touch, Trust, truth, Vulnerability, Winning, words | Leave a comment
16 Jul 2012

Fill my cup, Lord

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. – Henry Ford

;

I am emptied out that I might learn new things. I step into the void of this space with the same faith it took for Abraham to leave Ur, for Moses to part the waters, for Joshua to march around the walls seven days, then seven times. The same faith it took for Gideon to take his 300 and blow the trumpets. I am in very good company, and have been learning this way for 22 years now – just a tiny grain of sand in the hour glass of time and the baton of faith. Pretty good stuff!

Posted in Beginning, beloved, Blessing, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, inspiration, Joy, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, People, soul and spirit, thankfulness, Vulnerability | Leave a comment
13 Jul 2012

friends with benches

Benches are special things aren’t they?

They themselves sit and rest, in the sun, in the shade, in the rain, in the snow, at three in the morning…
there to welcome whoever might pass by.

And for what purpose?

To give a soul a moment to rest, to look out, to think, to plan something, or to get over something.

And in their most special times, most special for these benches, are when two people meet and share themselves. Communicate and think more completely than they could or would if they were still walking.

Then after minutes or hours the people rise.
They are different forever because of those minutes, or hours.
Different in very minor ways most times I’m sure.
And at other times, profoundly changed.

They look back and the bench seems physically unchanged, but we know otherwise.

A person was there, moments after measurable warmth remains,
albeit slowly spreading out to be no longer measurable.
The world is different.
Relationships,
interconnections,
changes in perspective.
A reaffrimation of love in the broadest sense.

That maybe god did not make man in his image. That maybe man arrogantly makes god in his image.
God did not make only man,
and I don’t think everything else was made for only for man’s purpose.
Maybe what we find so beautiful and comforting is that nature,
the cosmos,
god,
free will,
the opportunities to do good or ignore other’s needs,
the choices to try and give more than we take,
or take all we can,
the always present capability to pursue happiness…


are all here as are we,
with a purpose we will always look for,
and never completely find,
and all of it as part of a whole incomprehensible to us.
Such joy possible just knowing we are so fortunate to be part of it.

God has no limits, none whatsoever.

On a bench,
realizing we are part of it all,
and always will be,
and sharing
that there is no necessity to understand it all.

– Sunny

http://pinterest.com/al513/friends-with-benches/

Posted in Adventure, beauty, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Beliefs, Blessing, Choice, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, giving, Glory, Gospel, Gratitude, inspiration, Joy, Letting Go, Life, Love, Miracles, nature, Passion, Poetry, Reflection, Relationships, soul and spirit, Tenderness, thankfulness, Thoughts, time, Today, Vulnerability, words | Leave a comment
12 Jul 2012

Nine steps to transform yourself into a river

by Paulo Coelho on July 11, 2012
http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2012/07/11/be-like-a-river/

“A river never passes the same place twice,” says a philosopher. “Life is like a river,” says another philosopher, and we draw the conclusion that this is the metaphor that comes closest to the meaning of life. Consequently, it is always good to remember::

A] We are always doing things for the first time.While we move between our source (birth) to our destination (death), the landscape will always be new. We should face these novelties with joy, not with fear – because it is useless to fear what cannot be avoided. A river never stops running.

B] In a valley we walk slower. When everything around us becomes easier, the waters grow calm, we become more open, fuller and more generous.

C] Our banks are always fertile. Vegetation only grows where there is water. Whoever comes into contact with us needs to understand that we are there to give the thirsty something to drink.

D] Stones should be avoided. It is obvious that water is stronger than granite, but it takes time for this to happen. It is no good letting yourself be overcome by stronger obstacles, or trying to fight against them – that is a useless waste of energy. It is best to understand where the way out is, and then move forward.

E] Hollows call for patience. All of a sudden the river enters a sort of hole and stops running as joyfully as before. At such moments the only way out is to count on the help of time. When the right moment comes the hollow fills up and the water can flow ahead. In the place of the ugly, lifeless hole there now stands a lake that others can contemplate with joy.

F] We are one. We were born in a place that was meant for us, which will always keep us supplied with enough water so that when confronted with obstacles or depression we have the necessary patience or strength to move forward. We begin our course in a soft and fragile manner, where even a simple leaf can stop us. Nevertheless, as we respect the mystery of the source that gave us life, and trust in His eternal wisdom, little by little we gain all that we need to pursue our path.

G] Although we are one, soon we shall be many. As we travel on, the waters of other springs come closer, because that is the best path to follow. Then we are no longer just one, but many – and there comes a moment when we feel lost. However, as the Bible says, “all rivers flow to the sea.” It is impossible to remain in our solitude, no matter how romantic that may seem. When we accept the inevitable encounter with other springs, we eventually understand that this makes us much stronger, we get around obstacles or fill in the hollows in far less time and with greater ease.

H] We are a means of transportation. Of leaves, boats, ideas. May our waters always be generous, may be always be able to carry ahead everything or everyone that needs our help.

I] We are a source of inspiration. And so, let us leave the final words to the Brazilian poet, Manuel Bandeira:

“To be like a river that flows silent through the night, not fearing the darkness and reflecting any stars high in the sky.

And if the sky is filled with clouds, the clouds are water like the river, so without remorse reflect them too”

Posted in Adventure, art, attitude, beauty, Becoming Yourself, Blessing, Choice, courage, create, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, Gospel, inspiration, Letting Go, Love, music, nature, Passion, People, Poetry, Reflection, soul and spirit, thankfulness, Thoughts, Today, Trust, Vulnerability | Leave a comment
05 Jun 2012

you gotta find your truth!

Ok, this cracked me up – and made me a think! So true for most of us! Yes, I have ‘the need to please others’ so ingrained into my thinking, it seems I battle it every day!

I watched an unconventional wedding video a few minutes ago of my eldest daughter, Krista, who turned 25 yesterday. She is a beautiful, smart, incredibly talented and giving woman – who is very blessed to have a relationship which has given her something she has always been searching for – unconditional love and friendship.  This has been my prayer for her for so many years – that she would be truly loved by someone for who she is. That is all. Unconditional love is the key to living.

Her lifestyle is not what I would have chosen for her – she is in a world which can be dangerous and I worry about her and where her choices can lead. I want only good for her. However, it is her life and her choice to live how she has chosen. I wish her, and my new son-in-law and grandchild, only happiness and I was moved to tears by the words they spoke to each other, the healing which this love has brought to her. I know the depth of her emotion. I know how much she cares and loves. I know how badly she has been hurt by life, by my own actions as her mother – when I made choices no mother should have to make and she got caught in my choices, in my pain and her own – as a child she had no way to understand, nothing but pain and hurt from age 10 on. She was in a world which she did not understand and which did not understand her.

I am so grateful and happy for this place in her journey and how much this love is restoring to her. I am hopeful that I can be a part of her living, of her joy and her future – the love, heartaches and blessings and hard times.

Yesterday, as I thought about the day she came into the world – the most beautiful baby ever born up to that minute (ok, I’m a little biased on that one – haha), I was so overwhelmed by those feelings I had as I looked in her face for the first time and prayed that I might keep her safe and be a good mother to her. It has been an incredibly tough journey and I have failed her in so many ways, yet, I have loved her, and her brother and sister with a love which is bigger than I can ever put into words. My mothers’ heart has placed these children in God’s hands and I am so blessed, more than she may ever know, that she is my daughter.

There are no accidents and I trust God has plans I cannot see. I do not have all the answers – I believe unconditional love is always right and the way to healing. All I know is – I am so blessed and so thankful in this moment. I know for sure that life is good – we are good. God has declared it and it is so!

 

 

Posted in attitude, Becoming Yourself, Change, Choice, determination, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, Happiness, healing, inspiration, Joy, kindness, laugh, Letting Go, Life, Love, People, Reality, Relationships, success, thankfulness, Thoughts, time, Today, touch, Trust, truth, Vulnerability | Leave a comment
01 Jun 2012

knowing who you are is the ‘fix’

20120601-091643.jpg

The important thing is not what you have to do,
but that you belong.
God does not demand. God gives.
You are not a slave to laws you must not break;
you belong to a love that is unbreakable.
God does not want anything from you,
just you.
Not for some purpose removed from you,
not to believe in God or to glorify God,
but just to be with God. Just to be God’s.
God does not say, “Follow my rules or else.”
God says, “I love you.” There is nothing else.

Who you are is not about you.
You are God’s, that’s who you are.

You are what results
when God cannot contain her joy.
You can let go of everything,
your sorrows and joys, your suffering and triumphs,
your personality, your self-made self,
and just be God’s.

You are God’s, that’s who you are.

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

Posted in beauty, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Beliefs, beloved, Blessing, Choice, confidence, Dreams, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Glory, Gospel, Gratitude, Happiness, healing, inspiration, Joy, Letting Go, Life, light, Love, music, Passion, People, Poetry, Reality, Reflection, Relationships, soul and spirit, strength, success, thankfulness, Thoughts, time, Trust, truth, Uncategorized, Vulnerability | Leave a comment

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