Ask for help when you need to.

Come up for air.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Seagull management...

Is where you fly in, crap all over & fly off, leaving a stench in your emotional wake.

It's remarkably like most of the present political commentary going on right now.

We can't stop others from doing it, but we can choose not to perpetuate it either.

What say you?

What are you addicted to?

I have been addicted to things like coffee (caffeine), exercise, pop, & probably a few other things too.

Thankfully God gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) exposes where our dependencies are not on Him.

What do we do then?

Try surrendering.

What are you full of?

First pride, then the crash—
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

are you noticing new life?

Around you?

In your own life?

In the life of others?

God's tic tac toe

Love wins!

THE MESSAGE for everbunny

Matthew 28
After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.

The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."

The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."

It's good for the soul...

Go for a walk, run, ride or swim.

Do it with a friend, a neighbour, or your family.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

Go against the flow...

Don't GO to church.

BE the church.

And GO to others...

Matthew 22
Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."

40

I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn't slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery,
abandoning themselves to God.

Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
turn your backs on the world's "sure thing,"
ignore what the world worships;
The world's a huge stockpile
of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one
comes close to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words
account for you.

Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
that's not what you're after.
Being religious, acting pious—
that's not what you're asking for.
You've opened my ears
so I can listen.

So I answered, "I'm coming.
I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I'm coming to the party
you're throwing for me."
That's when God's Word entered my life,
became part of my very being.

I've preached you to the whole congregation,
I've kept back nothing, God—you know that.
I didn't keep the news of your ways
a secret, didn't keep it to myself.
I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth
For myself alone. I told it all,
let the congregation know the whole story.

Now God, don't hold out on me,
don't hold back your passion.
Your love and truth
are all that keeps me together.
When troubles ganged up on me,
a mob of sins past counting,
I was so swamped by guilt
I couldn't see my way clear.
More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.

Soften up, God, and intervene;
hurry and get me some help,
So those who are trying to kidnap my soul
will be embarrassed and lose face,
So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable
will be heckled and disgraced,
So those who pray for my ruin
will be booed and jeered without mercy.

But all who are hunting for you—
oh, let them sing and be happy.
Let those who know what you're all about
tell the world you're great and not quitting.
And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing:
make something of me.
You can do it; you've got what it takes—
but God, don't put it off.

Why would you ever complain,
or, whine, saying,
"God has lost track of me.
He doesn't care what happens to me"?
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind.

What things do you think on?

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Marital 911

Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor—since they're already "one" in marriage.

No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That's how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh." This is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.

When life just seems like an uphill grind...

Psalm 136

Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.

Thank the miracle-working God,
His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
His love never quits.
The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light,
His love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day.

What is the desire of your heart?

Psalm 37

Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

God is with me.

I will not fear.

My neighbour is...

Someone in trouble.

Do what you can. Listen.

Someone that's ill.

Send a card. Visit them. Be there for them.

Someone who's lost somebody.

Give them hope. Pray for them. Listen. Be there afterward.

Next-door neighbour.

Put up with them. Lend. Stuff. Don't retaliate.

People who are housebound.

Visit. Knock on door. Clean & shop for them. Make tea. Pray. Give books to read.

Lonely.

Be friendly. Give them time. Encourage & talk to them.

What are you willing to do to get your own way?

Matthew 5

"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

Do you like to knit?

Do your friends know each other?

Or would you be horrified to have them all converge in a room together?

Jesus seemed particularly fond of welcoming outsiders and expanding his network of friends.

The kingdom of God is a rich social fabric indeed.

Maybe God is all-embracing...

I think He lets everyone into The Shack, whether they want to go or not.

Don't be afraid of the dark places in your life, or of the times when God takes you there...

What is the difference
Between your experience of Existence
And that of a saint?

The saint knows
That the spiritual path
Is a sublime chess game with God

And that the Beloved
Has just made such a Fantastic Move

That the saint is now continually
Tripping over Joy
And bursting out in Laughter
And saying, "I surrender!"

Whereas, my dear,
I am afraid you still think
You have a thousand serious moves. (Hafiz)

What is God wanting to birth in you?

We get what we pursue.

Come Lord Jesus, disturb my indifference.

Find God in all of life.

Where might God be in that experience?

God comes to you disguised as your life. Paula D'Arcy

Surrender is led by the heart. Surrender is the joy of letting go.

God is far too real to be anywhere other than reality. Thomas Merton

where is your line in the sand?

The genius of riding

Try Life Without Car Keys For A Day!

Discover your neighbourhood - it's brilliant!!

Are there places that scare you?

Go to the places that scare you.

It's eggsactly what you need to do.

Nurture Eyes of Wonder

Psalm 27:4
I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet.

The essence of bravery is living without self-deception.

There is a limit to everything except a man’s ability to kid himself.

Get real.

Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened. (B. Graham)

Got courage?!

You gotta start somewhere.

Difficult people are the best teachers.

Learned anything lately?!

Get rooted in your neighbourhood and bring some good news...

Isaiah 61

The Year of the LORD’s Favor

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

The Joy of Biking

Stay active. Your life may depend on it.

Enjoy life!

Enjoyment, on the other hand, is not always pleasant, and it can be very stressful at times. A mountain climber, for example, may be close to freezing, utterly exhausted, and in danger of falling into a bottomless crevasse, yet he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Sipping a piña colada under a palm tree at the edge of the turquoise ocean is idyllic, but it just doesn't compare to the exhilaration he feels on the windswept ridge. chess players continue to play, despite the fact that at the end of a day's tournament they can barely stand up from the table, and are coping with an aching head and a bursting bladder.

Dancers sacrifice their entire lives to the iron discipline of their art, giving up relationships, parenthood, and most of the other pleasures of life in order to excel in it. At the moment it is experienced, enjoyment can be both physically painful and mentally taxing; but because it involves a triumph over the forces of entropy and decay, it nourishes the spirit. Enjoyment is the foundation for memories that, in retrospect, enrich lives, and give confidence for facing the future. M. Csikszentmihalyi