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The Sower’s Seed

So God, how does Your Resurrection affect daily decisions?

It takes the weight and burden out of the fear of making “the wrong decision.” What if you knew it was impossible for you to make a “wrong” decision? What if you interpreted “all things work together for good” that way? What if you saw your life–your daily life–as a continual unfolding of blessing–for you and everyone around you, everyone you come in contact with? What if you lived as though you really, literally, are a magnet of and for love and blessing, for peace, and for prosperity? A magnet of blessing in your world, magnetizing blessing to yourself and to everyone around you? Why don’t you try living “as if”–suspend all your disbelief, and live “as if” all this were true? Because it is. It is true. But your fears and worries blind you.

There is nothing wrong with the Sower’s seed. The seed is abundant and holds within itself all the power it needs to grow and multiply into an abundant crop of even more seeds. It needs good, deep soil, and water. That is your job. “Weed and feed.” That is your job. You are trying to find seeds and plant seeds; no–that is the Sower’s work. Your work is to weed and feed.

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Divinity and Humanity

Lord, do You still experience human emotions? I never thought about that before. Are You still, so to speak, the God-Man, Jesus Christ: Or—in other words, are You still Jesus? Lord of All…but still Jesus?

The reason Thomas could put his hand in My side, and his finger in the nail-wounds in My hands is because I Am “still” Jesus. Glorified, Risen, but still and always Myself. So yes—I Am still weeping over My Jerusalem—over My world. And yes, I Am still seething over the money-changers and over the Pharisees within My own church, and yes, I Am still rejoicing over every single lost lamb brought back into the fold. I Am still the Door of the sheep, I Am still the Good Shepherd watching over the flock, I Am still the Light of the World. I Am not a helpless, dependent infant, and the day of My handing Myself over to the world’s authorities is past—but I Am still risen in My humanity. I still weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. I will never stop being Who I Am.

So when I am afraid…or worried…

I share your fears. Not to give power to them but to transform them—and you. That is the real message behind Flawless. There is nothing I can’t overcome.

Lord, can You—would You—overcome disease? Can You—would You—overcome fear? Overcome depression and lethargy? There is brilliant beautiful sudden light!

I have already overcome. Focus on My Resurrection. The reason for the Cross was to get to Resurrection, to set the stage for it. I needed to become the Overcomer—for your sakes, all of you. You all still struggle with receiving. I Am not defeated, I Am Alive, Risen, Triumphant, and I Am calling you, all of you, to live in the power of My Rising.

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God’s Gratitude List

What in the world would You say, today?

As a parent, you want–I want–the best for our children.

Yes. And…? But…?

No “and.” What can you add to “the best”? No “but”–no exceptions. What is hurting your heart today is fear.

Ok, Lord. It’s hard, though. It’s really hard. Fear makes people do crazy things.

That is why I want you to “be not afraid.” That’s why I want you to focus on Love.

So, God, do You have a message for me to share today? A third way kind of message? I can barely hear You through my sorrow.

Your world is not hopeless, nor is it helpless, although it seems that way to you right now. I have called you to love mercy and to walk open-hearted with Me. When John the Baptist was murdered, I needed some time alone, some time to commune with My Father, some time to receive new strength to meet the needs of the hour. You need that, too–you, as a person and the larger “you” of community and nation. Mostly you need to hear that Hope and Love are not foolish, though they seem so to you now. You try to make Gratitude Lists, even through your tears. Would it surprise you to know I have a Gratitude List, too? Would you like to know some of My Gratitudes for today?

I, God, Am Grateful for loving hearts that struggle to find goodness when all around them seems to be falling apart.

I, God, Am Grateful for anyone, everyone, willing to engage in listening to those with opposite points of view in order to reach common ground and build a better tomorrow.

I, God, Am Grateful for every act of brave kindness, from those who sheltered others in Las Vegas to those who stand up to bullying on the playground.

I, God, Am Grateful every time any person shifts to a loving, peace-centered world view, and seeks to implement that shift in their own relationships with their families, their friends, and strangers they encounter day-to-day.

And I, God, Am Grateful for you–and millions more like you–who get discouraged but never give up on Love as the Way.

Keep shining. Your world needs rainbows through its tears. Keep the Light on.

 

 

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Choosing Love Over Violence

I am sitting outside, in the swing, wanting the feel and sounds of the outdoors. We now have a new “the worst mass shooting” in our national history. Here is what I know: it’s not You. It’s no part You. I don’t know how to pray, what to say to make sense out of madness.

Imagine a father with a family feud–that is easy for you to imagine; you live there. And you see how it affects him, day to day. You see how his heart aches and how he tries to just go on despite it, throwing himself into his work, having given up on trying to broker any peace. The difference is, I can’t–won’t–ever give up. So as long as there is one war, one fight, one enemy, I, God, carry within Myself both unutterable grief and boundless joy and hope–joy over, as your Bible puts it–“one sinner who repents”–which really means, one person coming home to his or her best self, one person laying down hate and choosing to love, or at least, to learn to love. This is the duality people sometimes sense within Me, and try to explain through words like Light and Dark or Yin and Yang. The unity in the duality is Love. Because I Am Love, I hold both grief and joy at the same time, and because I Am Love, I Am always ready to show mercy.

Lord, it feels hopeless. Like “they” are never going to agree. It is such a beautiful day, here. And such a horrible, terrible day, there.

I have promised never to destroy your world. That doesn’t mean humanity won’t. You have to decide what side you are on–the side of mercy and hope and love and peace, or the side of vengeance and hatred and fear and violence.

Lord, You know my choice is for love and peace.

Is it? Where are you focused right now?

So how can I make a difference, make a stand?

By looking for concrete ways to show My Love, to speak My Love, to every hurting and searching heart you encounter. By affirming all you know about My Father-God heart. By calling people everywhere to lay down the weapons in their minds, the judgment, the retaliation, the name-calling, the bigotry, the envy, the violence in their thoughts and words. Every violent act begins with violent thoughts and words. Change the conversation. Change the vocabulary. Start in your own mind, your own thought, and spread the ripples outward from there. Sound the trumpet-call to Love.

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Follow Me

Lord, this morning I had a choice. I could rush off to church or I could sit here with You. Last week I felt the need to be in community, but this morning I felt I needed this most, being unrushed here, with You.

Ours is not a cookie-cutter relationship, a one-size fits all, follow this recipe, relationship. The Old Testament said, essentially, follow these precepts. But in the New Testament, what do I say? Follow Me. Come with Me.

The church has in large part taken New Testament principles and made new precepts to follow, and overlaid those on top of the Old Testament laws—not the ceremonial laws, those the church has replaced with ones of its own. To the extent a community of believers or any church institution is focused on precepts, that is the limit of the depth of relationship with Me they encourage.

To Follow Me is to engage in a dynamic relationship even more complex than any earthly one, for I Am both Parent and Brother, I Am Lover and Friend, I Am Defender and Protector. You know nothing quite like it on earth. Your best earthly relationships mirror one facet of what it means to be in relationship with Me, and that is what I am calling you, calling all of you, to.

How do you bond on earth? You spend time. You pay attention. Other than the parent-child relationship, which begins with the parent as giver and child as receiver, but then grows over time into mutual ways of giving and receiving, the best earthly relationships are reciprocal.

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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.