5 days of life

This week in pictures was a bit frightening. 

I tried to do three things in a MAJOR way. 

#1- don't complain about anything/anytime/anywhere. Being a daily driver let alone a human proved this extremely difficult. Not to mention my natural sarcastic/fictitious persona. 

#2- treat others how I want to be treated. this was BEYOND difficult, however as I practiced number one, I found number two, to get easier. 

#3- not to judge others for their appearances and actions, AGAIN beyond difficult. 

As I put all three of these practices together I would find each of these items, as you may, became easier or less prevalent in my daily life. 

"what once was hurt, what once was friction, what left a mark, no longer stings, because Grace makes beauty out of ugly things"  U2

persevere

The other morning I was reading about how one persevere's, especially through suffering and how suffering produces character and it is through that character we get hope.

Hope is being sure of something we cannot see. And having hope comes from troubles.

I do think it is through those troubles and how we look at them that we get character and hope.

I guess this brings us back to the heart.
God tells us to guard our heart for it is the wellspring of all life- it is from where everything flows. . And God tells us the heart is deceitful above all things. Hence the guarding.

The take-away's; perseverance through suffering can build your character and from that you can develop heart, but I do think you have to be guarding your heart first and foremost in order to get character and than hope.

Protect your heart like a keeper protects his goal. Protect it like a  knight protects his Queen.

Protect your heart for that is from where-hence all things of your very being flow.

God bless you.


((listening to Chicago "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" and "Here in My Heart"))

random notes to self

a) are we called to convince others of Christ or represent Christ?

b) when you learn to accept yourself, than you learn to accept

c) appreciate everyone, everywhere, always, all the time

d) believe in others John 11:25 ((think about it))

e) Nooma means wind, breath, air, spirit

f) Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the president. God's word (I  substituted president)

g) my own selfishness is my biggest downfall

h) three subjects that fascinate me - the "heart", "confidence", "motivation"

i) raising my family has been my greatest challenge

j) raising my family is my greatest achievement it is where I find the source of my happiness. 

broken men v strong children

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men" 

Frederick Douglas

after escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory Wikipedia

I saw this quote. 

It stopped me in my tracks. 

There are times I want to be broken. 

Broken to myself. 

Broken to my wife. 

Broken to my children. 

My job, my life, my world. 
broken to myself

Mr. Douglas set me straight

He tells you to forget about the broken men, they are not worth it, but to develop strong children they are worth it 

I want to be worth it. 

musical muse

i just want to move ahead
i just want to free myself -  but its a struggle
i just want to stay in bed
i just want to be myself - but its a struggle  - Scott Thomas

I eat my dinner in a city far from home. I have a drink. The bar is alive with chatter. 

Well I looked my demons in the eyes
Laid bare my chest, said
"Do your best, destroy me. You see, I've been to hell and back so many times I must admit you kinda bore me"
There's a lot of things that can kill a man
There's a lot of ways to die
Yes, and some already dead that walk beside me" - Ray LaMontagne

seeing beyond the chatter, beyond the skin and into the heart. 

....and at once I knew I was not magnificent - Justin Vernon

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  Jesus

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Jesus

Star, Star Teach Me How to Shine, Shine....'cause I don't understand these people - Glen Hansard

this world is not my home 

the ungodly

There's this verse, in the bible. 

"Christ died for the ungodly".

Who are the ungodly?

Maybe it's all of us. 

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble"

(that's another verse)

"Count others more significant than yourselves"

(yet another verse)

Let's look at others the way we want to be looked at. 

All others. Everybody. Everywhere. Always. 

just do it 

if you read what I post, I fail often, at seeing others as beautiful. 

I pick and choose who I treat better than myself. 

I fail, I do have grace. 

but I have to remember one thing......

love the ungodly

love yourself

love

love

love

love

gold vs. peace????

Met a guy today; Ben. He was a investment banker from Switzerland, yes. Switzerland. Isn't that where all the REAL banking gets done. Isn't that where the term - "Swiss bank account" comes from?

He told me, that an old Jewish man had told him, "that how he got around in desperate times was to use small,  pure, gold coins. If you have a 1/2 a kilo brick; what good is that? You need me to able to pay for things in small amounts of gold. Loaf of bread here, a crossing there". "Small pieces of gold". He said, he buys some every month.

He was visiting his son, meeting the son's girlfriend in Harrisburg. He was the Easter Bunny; with Easter gifts. He would also visit his daughter, in Happy Valley.

Gold & silver vs. wisdom and understanding.

In those dark, dark times when you trade GOLD for bread, for safety. What does wisdom give you then? What does understanding gain you? It gains you peace. That is what it gains you. Peace of life. Peace of mind.

Tough call wouldn't you say?

Nick Lowe says; "what's so funny about peace, love and understanding"

God says, "For wisdom  is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her"

doing what's right is not a tough call.  PEACE.