A Four-fold Franciscan Blessing

http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=Franciscan#/d1k7zl8

I haven’t seen this prayer for years and I had to share it! That fourth stanza is something else isn’t it? May you all be blessed to do what others say couldn’t be done!

A Four-fold Franciscan Blessing

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,

Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour,

and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide,

be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore.

AMEN

Makin' Plans

This quote confirms what I’ve been thing nowadays. I’m now in Spring Break and halfway to my graphic arts degree. It is true … Aim high … It gets exciting!

Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence.

– Daniel Hudson Burnham

... Never throw out anyone!

http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=Audrey+Hepburn#/d16vjnm

A really great quote I came across today ...

“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.”

~Audrey Hepburn

Amen!

Crooked Tree

A great quote I would like to share ...

"Your heart is blessed when you can see the beauty in a crooked tree."

~Author Unknown

shows me the stars

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars."

~The Ever Prolific Author Unknown

Jesus Is ...

Jesus is

He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End!
He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe and
The Manager of all times.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be...
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!
He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him, and

The leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him,

The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him, and
The people couldn't hold Him!
Nero couldn't crush Him,
Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him, and

Donahue can't explain Him away!
He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure

His ways are right,
His word is eternal,

His will is unchanging, and
His mind is on me.
He is my Redeemer,
He is my Savior,
He is my guide, and
He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord, and
He rules my life!
I serve Him because His bond is love,

His burden is light, and

His goal for me is abundant life.
I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise,
The power of the powerful,

The ancient of days, the ruler of rulers,
The leader of leaders, the overseer of the overcomers, and

The sovereign Lord of all that was and is and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you, try this for size.
His goal is a relationship with ME!

He will never leave me,

Never forsake me,

Never mislead me,

Never forget me,

Never overlook me, and
Ever cancel my appointment in His appointment book!
When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!
When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!
He is everything for everybody, everywhere,

Every time, and every way.
He is God, He is faithful.
I am His, and He is mine!
My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.

So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this...
He said it and that settles it.
God is in control, I am on His side, and

That means all is well with my soul.
Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!

~Author Unknown

Yours Are The Hands

St. Teresa of Avila as a foundation for ministry:

‘Christ has no body now on earth but yours/No hands but yours/No feet but yours/Yours are the eyes through which God’s compassion will look upon the world/Yours are the feet with which God will go about doing good/Yours are the hands with which God will bless others now.’

Tim …. Pondering this ….

If They Only Would Be A Christian ...

Some thoughts early in the morning … have you ever met a person or been friends with someone that every night would leave you praying that if they could just be a Christian, that would be it. they’re such a good person! They’re nicer than my Christian friends! (etc. etc.) I have more than a couple friends of mine that are closer to being like Christ than people in my church that claim to have an “intimate” relationship with Him yet are unable to back it up with their words and actions. and occasionally that leaves me thinking, if they would just believe….

Why is it that this frustrates me so? That i believe that they are “depraved” and yet those that claim to be seeking after God are further away than those that have no care for Him at all? I must apologize, this is a difficult topic for me to convey in mere type, but do any of you get what I’m saying? I feel ashamed to say it, but there are times when I come across a non-Christian who shows Christlike character and I think “They are more deserving of God’s saving grace than I am!” Anyone relate to this?

A Thought From Ruth ...

Ruth 4:11-12 "... We are witnesses! May the Lord make the woman who is now coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! ...And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Jacob."

What a really strange thing to say when one looks at it! Did the Elder really want Ruth to be barren like Rachel, or unloved like Leah was? Then in v12, it gets more bizarre, for did the Elder want Ruth to do a Tamar number and disguise Herself as a prostitute and bear a child by her father-in-law? This seems like at first glance like its saying, "I was your marriage was messed up so that you can do the good that only comes through hard times." So why would this toast possibly be thought of as good?

There can be a big obstacle to relating to God. There seems to be no higher goal really than feeling better now ~ the Bible calls this "the flesh." But the problem is that a lot of the times "Gods best" looks far different from we want it to. Could it be that the Elders prayer is for brokenness, the power to trust God no matter what? We pray often for God to maker things better, I know I do, and then things often stay the same ... then we take things into our own hands... We want things to improve! Fixed! Like now ...!

I think it goes like this ... Its like the Elder told Boaz, "You married a lovely, beautiful woman, and I want the best. But if the unthinkable happens and Ruth turns out to be conniving as Rachel or insecure as Leah, God will still being at work to bring about the good He intended."

This is a very freeing thing to ponder upon! I know for myself that having ones dreams smashed around a bit may be God's best after all. The broken dreams are actually just pieces in a bigger puzzle to help us get to the bigger dreams, not really dreamed up yet. The desire for feeling good now may be a limit on us to really fly later! Just some thoughts ... Have a blessed evening everyone! Tim

Cha Cha Cha Changes ...

"Sometimes in the winds of change, we find true direction."

~Author Unknown dispensing their wisdom yet again ...

teach us to number our days ...

I must admit that much of my life is spent thinking about the past or planning the future. Many times, whether I'm spending time with the kids, doing the day to day things of life, my mind is elsewhere, thinking of the "next thing" I need to do.

The Bible clearly warns us against this type of thinking:

"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12; NKJV; Emphasis mine).

Further, James tells us:

"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that" (James 4:13-15; NKJV).

These verses were brought to the forefront of my mind when I stumbled upon the following poem:

First I was dying to finish high school
and start college
And then I was dying to finish
college and start working
And then I was dying to marry
and have children.
And then I was dying for my children
to grow old enough for school
so I could return to work.
And then I was dying to retire.
And now, I am
dying...
And suddenly I realize that I forgot to live.

- Anonymous

My heart attack and hospital stay really shook things up and caused (maybe forced?) me to take a step back and ponder things. Tragedies happen, divorce, business failure, and on and on. The next "big thing" can crumble in no time. Its in the small everyday things where life is at. Just wanted to encourage each of you - don't forget to live ... Have a blessed day!

Hard to Get

This song by Rich Mullins, like nearly everything that amazing guy wrote, blesses me and makes me feel more comfortable in my own skin as a believer ...


Hard to Get


You who live in heaven
Hear the prayers of those of us who live on earth
Who are afraid of being left by those we love
And who get hardened by the hurt
Do you remember when You lived down here where we all scrape
To find the faith to ask for daily bread
Did You forget about us after You had flown away
Well I memorized every word You said
Still I'm so scared, I'm holding my breath
While You're up there just playing hard to get
You who live in radiance
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in skin
We have a love that's not as patient as Yours was
Still we do love now and then
Did You ever know loneliness
Did You ever know need
Do You remember just how long a night can get?
When You were barely holding on
And Your friends fall asleep
And don't see the blood that's running in Your sweat
Will those who mourn be left uncomforted
While You're up there just playing hard to get?
And I know you bore our sorrows
And I know you feel our pain
And I know it would not hurt any less
Even if it could be explained
And I know that I am only lashing out
At the One who loves me most
And after I figured this, somehow All I really need to know
Is if You who live in eternity
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in time
We can't see what's ahead
And we can not get free of what we've left behind
I'm reeling from these voices that keep screaming in my ears
All the words of shame and doubt, blame and regret I can't see how
You're leading me unless
You've led me here
Where I'm lost enough to let myself be led
And so You've been here all along I guess
It's just Your ways and You are just plain hard to get.'

Nice Things ...

I found this rather extensive list of "nice things" on a blog. Most of them are really cool ... then I got to thinking (a dangerous thing at times for sure!) There would have to be a lot more! Feel free to add ...

1. Falling in love.

2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.

3. A hot shower.

4. No lines at the supermarket

5. A special glance.

6. Getting mail

7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.

8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.

9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.

10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.

11. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price.

12. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla!) (or strawberry)

13. A long distance phone call.

14. A bubble bath.

15. Giggling.

16. A good conversation.

17 The beach

18. Finding a 20 note in your coat from last winter.

19. Laughing at yourself.

20. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.

21. Running through sprinklers.

22. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.

23. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.

24. Laughing at an inside joke.

25. Friends.

26. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.

27. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to
sleep.

28. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).

29. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.

30. Playing with a new puppy.

31. Having someone play with your hair.

32. Sweet dreams.

33. Hot chocolate.

34. Road trips with friends.

35. Swinging on swings.

36. Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating cookies
and drinking your favorite tipple.

37. Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along
without feeling stupid.

38. Going to a really good concert.

39. Making eye contact with a cute stranger

40. Winning a really competitive game.

41. Making chocolate chip cookies.

42. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.

43. Spending time with close friends.

44. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends.

45. Holding hands with someone you care about.

46. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good
or bad) never change

47. Riding the best roller coasters over and over.

48. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much
desired present from you.

49. Watching the sunrise.

50. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another
beautiful day.

psychoanalysis

Just a couple of thoughts I would like to share ...

There is a tendency in the Christian world to focus on the good things, "uplifting forwards" and the like. They have there place, as we are to focus on things that are pleasing. In times of trouble and pain there are at times this attitude of bear up, keep smiling, suffering makes you strong mentality. And there is some truth in that as well. Then there are the personalities which include Moses, Job, Jeremiah and others who show incredible scenes of what seems like spiritual failure. Great saints all. And there are some of the Psalms which express rage which the church at times seems to want to suppress. Here are a few lines from Psalm 89:

46 How long, O LORD? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever? How long will thy wrath burn like fire? 47 Remember, O Lord, what the measure of life is, for what vanity thou hast created all the sons of men! RSV

And Psalm 88: 13 But I, O LORD, cry to thee; in the morning my prayer comes before thee. 14 O LORD, why dost thou cast me off? Why dost thou hide thy face from me? 15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer thy terrors; I am helpless. 16 Thy wrath has swept over me; thy dread assaults destroy me. 17 They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in upon me together. 18 Thou hast caused lover and friend to shun me; my companions are in darkness. RSV

The Psalms to me are like a kind of soul therapy, psychoanalysis if you will. They show what a relationship with God and the world really look like. They do not rationalize anger, give advice about pain that shows little empathy for the suffering but rather, loudly at times, and vividly express these feelings toward God. Even rage! We don't and probably shouldn't cover up these feelings but it is far, far better to bring our moments of weakness to God, who alone has the real power to heal us! We don't need to dress up and put a good face on things to meet with our Lord, He can be trusted with reality. I find that these Psalms when meditated on allows us to take a different perspective on things. They start with a vent, an appeal, move on to reflection, answered prayers in the past and moves towards praise. God uses these words from the bible, among many others, to create longings I didn’t have, to start a dead heart beating, and to reveal, when I was incapable of seeing, the beauty, sufficiency, and majesty of Jesus Christ and his cross. This type of spiritual reality therapy does work for me and I wanted to share that with you all. I know that there are those hurting here ...

Be blessed ...

The Hunger

We hunger to be known and understood. We hunger to be loved. We hunger to be at peace inside our own skins. We hunger not just to be fed these things but, often without realizing it, we hunger to feed others these things because they too are starving for them. We hunger not just to be loved but to love, not just to be forgiven but to forgive, not just to be known and understood for all the good times and bad times that for better for worse have made us who we are, but to know and understand each other to the same point of seeing that, in the last analysis, we all have the same good times, the same bad times, and that for that very reason there is no such thing in all the world as anyone who is really a stranger.

Frederick Buechner from Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons

Set on Fire!

The ennobling power of love

When a human heart is set on fire with love, the entire human being is enlightened by its radiance. All extraneous things step back to the background, and a soul can completely, sometimes even ecstatically, plunge into contemplation of the beloved one. Even the most dry and boring people change when they fall in love, their soul softening and becoming bright, as if having wings. For other people a person who is loved by someone does not seem to be any better or more handsome than others, but for the lover he or she is the only one, the incomparable and the irreplaceable. This is the idealization that is so often described in literature. It means that through an external cover, we, in light of love, see the ideal side of the loved one which is hidden from others. It is present in every human being, as an image of God, not noticeable, and very often suppressed by the external shell, by appearance or "character," which is always something secondary, and not representing the "essence."

All the power of love consists in the fact that through love we are as though touching upon the internal beauty of a human being. We cannot leave the person ... we would like to be joined with the loved one forever. A soul that has experienced those feelings even once will preserve memories about their transforming and creative power for the rest of its life.

It is exactly in the rushes of love that a soul experiences a deep need to come out of the boundaries of its own personality in order to be united with a loved one. The need for love witnesses that it is impossible to retire into oneself, all the natural limits of individuality are overcome in love, and its shell is torn apart. That is why in the rushes of love a human being starts to be burdened by himself: to retire into oneself, in the light of love, means to condemn oneself to loneliness, to find oneself in a metaphysical emptiness. That is why our soul is tirelessly looking for somebody to love in order to find a point of rest and a purpose for existence.

The power of poetic imagination that is so characteristic for young love, through which we idealize a loved one, is not some play of fantasy. On the contrary, it reveals a deep thirst for a spiritual and absolute life.

~Bishop Alexander (Mileant)

There is so much in these paragraphs that resound deeply within my soul I can't really summarize it!

Tim

invisable, unbelievable and impossible!

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible."

~Corrie Ten Boom

There is a new tomorrow ...

If there is a future there is time for mending-

Time to see your troubles coming to an ending.

Life is never hopeless however great your sorrow-

If you’re looking forward to a new tomorrow.

If there is time for wishing then there is time for hoping-

When through doubt and darkness

you are blindly groping.

Though the heart be heavy and hurt you may be feeling-

If there is time for praying there is time for healing.

So if through your window there is a new day breaking-

Thank God for the promise,

though mind and soul be aching,

If with harvest over there is grain enough for gleaning-

There is a new tomorrow and life still has meaning.

~ Author unknown~

Being Right!

Some thoughts going through my mind over the past few days ...

Christianity can be a real challenge for me, as Jesus calls us to accept our mistakes. Accepting is not the same as excusing, however much the two things may get confused in my head. I am what I do, and I cannot hide from that. But darn ... I really want to be "right." Even more difficult, Jesus asks His followers to admit that we cannot do anything about our mistakes without the loving grace of God.

Grace is a foreign element for people who like to be right, as it means trusting in God instead of in yourself alone. (That’s not easy when you secretly think that God should hand over the managerial duties of the universe to you.) A friend at work (whose name I cannot spell lol) helped me to realise this when he said, “It is more important to be kind than to be right.”

This jolted me. I thought of Jesus’ words: “Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.” There is surely a difference between the righteousness that Jesus makes a priority and merely being right, a difference that Paul elaborates on in his first letter to the people of Corinth:

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing…Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Corinthians 13:2, 4-5

Once you know this, it gets easier to be generous with other people and not chalk up their mistakes on some private slate. It ceases to matter whether you were in the wrong or in the right, or possibly a mixture of both. St John of the Cross, a Spanish mystic who suffered imprisonment and persecution for his faith, wrote that, ”In the evening of life we will be judged on our love.” He was drawing on the Bible’s teaching that faith, hope, and love are the only things that will last into eternity, ‘and the greatest of these is love’.

Have a most blessed evening everyone!

An Optimist .... And a Pessimist

The Optimist vs. the Pessimist

An optimist sees the best in the world, while a pessimist sees only the worst. An optimist finds the positive in the negative, and a pessimist can only find the negative in the positive.

For example, an avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him.

He decided to try to break the news to a friend of his, a pessimist by nature, and invited him to hunt with him and his new dog. As they waited by the shore, a flock of ducks flew by. They fired, and a duck fell. The dog responded and jumped into the water. The dog, however, did not sink but instead walked across the water to retrieve the bird, never getting more than his paws wet.

This continued all day long; each time a duck fell, the dog walked across the surface of the water to retrieve it.The pessimist watched carefully, saw everything, but did not say a single word.

On the drive home the hunter asked his friend, "Did you notice anything unusual about my new dog?"

"I sure did," responded the pessimist. "He can't swim."