Month: September 2017

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Breathe

Lord, here I am, well into another day in which I could easily ramp myself up. In fact, I already feel as if I have.


Then breathe. Take a deep breath. Imagine you are filling your lungs with the cleanest, purest mountain air, or sea air, your mind can conceive. Imagine nature’s beauty surrounding you, 360 degrees, while you take those deep breaths. Now imagine My Spirit, flowing into you–calming your mind, easing your body, refreshing your soul, changing your outlook. My Spirit is cleaner, purer, than the freshest air you can imagine. And best of all, this experience–of bringing your awareness to the reality of My Presence with you–is available any time, in any location, in any circumstance. From a hospital waiting room to a commuter train platform, from the suburbs to the busiest metropolis, My Spirit is with you. Infilling is available every time you choose to open the door, to throw the light switch, to decide to breathe deliberately instead of automatically. Better?

Yes, Lord, much better. I am actually relaxed, now.

Now you can focus–in turn–on the tasks at hand. Let Me guide you today. Not only will you get more done, you will accomplish your to-do’s with less stress and agitation, and with much more joy and peace. Anytime you feel yourself becoming agitated or overwhelmed, just pause, take a deep breath and remember: you are not alone. I AM with you.

 

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Good Gifts

Lord, we’ve talked, and I’ve read and journaled and thought so much about creativity and gifts over the past fifteen years—actually, more like the past thirty years! Yet I see so many people, from strangers I meet to those closest to me, who remain unfulfilled in what they do.

“Earnestly desire the greater gifts” really means, seek and find your best gifts for your best life. It means, don’t settle. It means, don’t be satisfied with mediocre, with “just okay.” It means, swing for the fences.

Imagine a kid on Christmas morning, or a birthday, with a pile of gifts. He opens just one and says, ok, that’s enough. I guess I can learn to be satisfied with just this. Imagine he opened a set of ski poles—and never opened his skis! Or imagine she opened a package containing doll outfits, and never opened the box with the doll! You have to open and explore all your gifts for each individual gift to make sense. And yes, it takes time and effort—but your life, every life, is so worth it.

If you are looking around at anyone else’s life and thinking, I wish I had that, it is a sure sign you have not opened all your gifts. For My Heart, My Will, is that everyone live a life of fulfillment, contributing to the goodness and joy in the world.

Do you celebrate just one birthday? Or do you celebrate each milestone?

Can you believe opening and learning to use your gifts can be an ongoing, lifetime adventure? That as long as you are alive, I have more to give you? And that My gifts are wonderful, and perfect for you?

Can you believe?

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Freedom to be yourself

I am loving the Quiet right now…but I need to feed the dogs. And drink a smoothie. And then I will try to come back here. I sense You have something to say, and I don’t want to miss it. ……… So, God, what would You say? What are my priorities, today?

You have a need to be right. Let go of that need. It dates back to your father.

You mean, I have to be wrong?

No. I mean, you can be free. Free of the burden of having to prove yourself, over and over and over. Free of the secret fear that you are wrong, intrinsically “wrong” — that nothing you do is ever really right, is ever enough, is ever good enough. That is the root. Really, it is the root of much that burdens you, that weighs you down, that causes your anxiety. It is the sense that the one who should know is always saying “no”– always denying your ideas, your thoughts, your opinions, your accomplishments.

I, your Father-God, am Oh-so-proud of you. See? That makes you cry.

I, your Father-God, love you so much–as you are. I love your “quirks”– I made them. I sculpted your personality as surely as I formed your body. Your passions, your loves, your compassions, your zeal, your humor, your gifts–all that makes you “you,” I love. I beam over. I delight in. You have inspired, creative ideas all the time. We–you, and the God of the Universe–are “in cahoots.” In collaboration to make the part of the world you touch more beautiful, more joyous, more peaceful, more free. Today,  I free you.

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Freedom

I realize I want some magic something—a word, a book, a gift—to unlock the gate for them. With one, it seems like a door, and with another, it seems more like a gate, something that can be seen over and through. Is this even possible? Is there such a key? Can I myself open these barricades for them?

Even if you opened the barricade, each one still has to look outside and choose freedom. They have to choose to step beyond their current boundary. You can offer keys, you can open doors, you can even dismantle walls, but until they step, take a step, take some steps, there is nothing you can really do—except keep modeling life as it is meant to be lived. Keep calling them out.

Lord, how do I do that? I am trying to inspire emotional health. Don’t they need You to heal them?

 They do—they desperately need Me to heal them. But this kind of healing is a partnership. I will give them strength, and courage and enthusiasm and vision, everything they need, once they take steps toward that wholeness.

 

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On Abundance, “Best,” Competition and Destiny

I think I need to hear from You about “best.” As in, best in show; as in, do your best; as in, personal best; as in, best effort. As in competition. How does this relate to abundance?

Abundance says, there is enough for everyone to thrive, for everyone to reach their own best potential. There is enough food. There is enough opportunity. There is enough creativity.

Competition says, I have to be better than you.

Destiny says, I can work with abundance and become my best. The focus is different. Others may come along and rank-order, but when your focus is destiny, you are centered on your own performance, your own offering. Your own calling. You write a song, not thinking, I have to make this song so commercially viable that it outsells every other song this year. You write a song, thinking, what needs to be shared, to be expressed–and what combination of words and musical notes best accomplishes that goal? You write the song that is yours to write, and you give that song your best effort and focus…and then you write another song, and you give that song your best, too.

It’s like love. You love whole-heartedly every day–and someday, you say “I do” to THE love of your life, which in turn produces more love in the form of family.

Each love is your best love. And sometimes that love reciprocated chooses you–just as an audience chooses the “best” song of the year by responding to its gift, by listening or buying it. But the initial focus wasn’t to beat everyone else. The initial focus is to write the best version of your song. Live your best life. Sometimes others will notice and compare; other times, they won’t, and you are living in the shadows. Don’t fear competition–just give and live your best, not in a way that exhausts you but in a way that exhilarates you.

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In The Bubble

Ok, I need to quit so I can shower. My thoughts dart–like butterflies–this/that/the other…

Try to settle, for today, on today. Try to be present. All your tomorrows are in My Hands–and you will unwrap them as they come. Some you will unwrap early so you can plan, or prepare. But for today, just unwrap today.

Remember the snow globes you had, as a child? Well, I want you to imagine holding in your hands a globe that was filled with light, with dancing and sparkling and shimmering light. As you peer in and look from every angle, something new is revealed. Trust Me to provide an extraordinary experience in the most ordinary of days–today. My Hands are on your hands. If you let Me, I can make today a day to remember.

Ok, Lord, thank You. I love You, Lord. Thank You. You know how much I want to bless my friends.

Of course I know! This reunion is from Me. I want to bless them too–and I want to bless them through and with you.

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Forgiveness

Lord, my friend thinks I am burdened, the burden a funeral is, all of it focused down on one physical spot. I thought I released all that a few months ago.

You forgave. You truly forgave. But forgiveness and release aren’t the same things. Forgiveness released those others. Forgiveness released your anger—but not your sorrow. And the sorrow continues to be compounded—like opening an old wound, almost every time you go there or have a conversation about it.

Lord, I have tried to be numb to it, but I’m not. I’m just not. So I thought my trying to be understanding and compassionate was walking in forgiveness. No?

Forgiveness says two things: It says, Lord, please release them—which you have done, which you do, over and over. It also asks, Lord, please release me. Your compassion for them is great, both in its commitment and strength, but the burden of the wound is getting deeper and more infected. Remember what forgiveness isn’t: it isn’t permission to keep being a target. You have forgotten the part of the story where forgiving releases you.

But I can’t just leave the situation.

You can leave the conversation. You can bring the focus back to you. You are always deflecting it, trying so hard to calm the waters in their souls. What about your soul?

 

 

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Balance

It’s about 8:45 a.m. I keep the house quiet, and he sleeps. What would You say?

 

Do all from love; do nothing from worry. Like the stacking game, you are afraid if you remove worry from your foundation that your entire life will come tumbling down. No, no! It is an illusion. Your life will be more beautiful without it. Worry is making your heart like a wall, solid, featureless, with no windows.

God, I can see it visually. Like how the game starts—it’s just a solid pillar.

 The key to stability is balance. Not yin-yang, good/bad, light/dark. That’s not balance, that’s neutrality. I don’t want you neutral—I want you exuberant! I want you overjoyed! I want you rejoicing—hopeful—expectant! You counter balance the world view that says “gloom and doom,” that says “be cautious,” that says “be careful,” that says “hide your light.” “Don’t draw attention.” I say, Shine your light! I say, Shout from the rooftops! Quit being neutral. Be positive.

Wow, Lord, I never, ever thought of balance like that. So…You’re saying…when I am, uh, stubbornly hopeful, I’m actually balanced?

YES. That is exactly what I Am saying. Joy more abundantly is My definition of balance, because My Joy is your strength, is your stability. Your compass, your True North, is Joy and Peace. These are your balance points. A circle is balanced. No part pulls another.

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Adjust Your Sails

Lord, You know I am still stressing over finances. I can’t seem to stop worrying. And when I worry, I react badly—inside—to what others say or do. And I second-guess my every decision, even decisions I thought I heard about from You.

You are waiting for the wind to shift before you adjust your sails. It is what the world does. I am saying to you, adjust your sails and the wind will shift. Get ready, anticipating a blessing. The man in the parable was greedy and stingy, but I am telling you, build a bigger barn. A bumper crop is coming; it is even now growing. It is even now on its way. Take in the rainbow; it is a sign for you of My provision.

Am I not still Jehovah-Jireh? Can I not now also be your Jehovah-Rapha?

You are reacting as you always do, trying to make up a deficit at cost to yourself. What about the loaves and fishes? What about the lost coin? What about the pearl of great price? What about the coin in the fish’s mouth? If the Kingdom of God doesn’t touch you right where you live, and in your society—which includes money, the very foundation of exchange for everything except the air you breathe—then what good is it?

My Kingdom is not esoteric. My Kingdom is based on Love. My Kingdom is not ascetic. It is not a system of exchange, your wealth for poverty. What would miraculous provision look like, to you?

Let Me provide, as a lesson to you. Let Me work, so you can clearly see it is I. I have shown a spotlight on what you call a deficit to illuminate a much bigger deficit in your thinking, in your pattern of thought and belief—about money, and Me, and you, your life. That is the deficit that must be overcome, and the miraculous is the only way that will happen. So I don’t want you to engineer anything in the natural. Instead, set your sails. Instead, watch Me shift the wind. Instead, watch Me work. Continue to be generous, and watch Me give to you.

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Seeking and Finding God

I think I am listening for Your voice. It’s like a singer with a distinctive voice—like Barbara Streisand. Anyone could sing the words, but you immediately recognize her voice.

And what do you think of as My voice?

Well…the words themselves can be firm, and pointed, but always loving and fair. And Your voice, at least to me, is always gentle. Loving and gentle. And I am not hearing that in many places.

What if I said to you, “Go where you find Me.” Then what would you do?

I guess I’d need to go look for You. Spend time trying to find You.

 But I didn’t say, “Go try to find Me.” Or, “Go and Seek.” Read it again. “Go where you find Me.” Where do you find Me NOW? Find Me consistently? Or to put it another way: where are you enriched? What do you look forward to with gleeful anticipation? Go where. Go there. Don’t waste your time turning over rocks in a dry streambed, seeking for gold. Mine the gold you have. Treat every morning, here, as church. Play worship music on your guitar and in your car. Sing Me the love songs that you delight to sing. And as for your book—books—they are to be love stories. Write Love Stories. My Love Story always has a happy ending!

You praise Me—really—because you love Me. You are singing love songs. That is what sets you apart from so many others—you fell in love, with Narnia and Aslan—and Me. Your Door was different for a reason. I didn’t bring you in the Church Door, or the Bible Door. They came afterwards. I brought you in the story door, the Love-story door, and a story focused on Talking Animals to boot—for a reason. Yours is not a traditional path and it is not a traditional calling. There are a lot of, too many, mixed messages in the traditions.

You are a Creativist and a Creationist, meaning that two of the offshoots of your spiritual path are creativity and the natural world. You find Me in both, and yet I Am Beyond both. So are you—you find sustenance in and through both, and yet there is more to you, and more to what you have to give—that is why I keep saying your work is beyond natural history. It’s not that natural history won’t be a part of it—of course it will, because you love to share about creation—but your work is beyond that, as you are beyond a naturalist. So your watchword for today is Beyond.