The Paradoxical Commandments

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

Excerpt from "Anyway - The Paradoxical Commandments: Finding Personal Meaning in a Crazy World", Kent M. Keith (G. P. Putnam's Sons, c. 1968, rev. 2002)

http://www.paradoxicalcommandments.com/

Three Nails And A Cross

Abba Father You must wonder why
More times than Peter I have denied.
Three nails and a cross to prove
I owe my life eternally to you!

And it's time
To get down on my knees and pray
Undo me!
Put away my flesh and bone
'Til You own this spirit through me Lord,
Undo me

Undo Me, by Jennifer Knapp

“A day off work is not what makes this Friday "Good", this is the day when all our sins were nailed into the wood." -Lecrae

The Things We Say

I am always talking about the power of words, so I was pleased when I opened my email today and found that one of my sisters had forwarded me this recovery meditation.

:~*~:. .:~*~:. .:~*~:. .:~*~:. .:~*~:. .:~*~:
"Handle them carefully ...
for words have more power than atom bombs."
- Pearl Strachan Hurd
:~*~:. .:~*~:. .:~*~:. .:~*~:. .:~*~:. .:~*~:

A friend wrote to me tonight about the "healing power of words."  I began to think about that and she was right. Words can truly heal. I thought back to times in my life when the right word at the right time by the right person made an enormous difference in my life. I also thought of the times when
words devastated me.

Many times I get busy and don't think about what I'm going to say and words just come out.  In the "busyness" of the moment, I don't realize that my words could have a double meaning.  It is afterwards ... many times days afterwards .... that I realize my choice of words was inappropriate. We speak and listen to tens of millions of words in our lifetime.  Perhaps, we need to weigh the words we use more carefully. I hope, however, that I don't ever find myself saying words to others that I don't mean or out of fear restrict words that need to be said.

Although this British politician of the 1930s, Pearl Strachan Hurd, said that "words have more power than atom bombs," there is something that I find even more powerful. Silence.
Silence when there should be words can hurt. Silence when someone should have the courage to speak harms. I tend to think of silence as the ultimate insult.

And yet some of the most beautiful words ever spoken to me were the silent ones.

ONE DAY AT A TIME . . .
Let me choose my words carefully but not so carefully that I become calous.
Let me use words to heal and not to hurt;
to make things better and not worse;
to express feelings, even negative feelings,
to and about others, kindly ... courageously ... carefully.
Excerpt from "One Day at a Time" Recovery Meditations
© Copyright 2012 THE RECOVERY GROUP

As most of you know, the Scriptures are now my source of all spiritual wisdom and guidance. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ was "the Word made flesh." John 1:14 Therefore, I follow the Scriptures as the inerrant, infallible Word of God.

The Scriptures are full of cautions about the power of words to do both good and evil, contrasting the destructive power of careless words with the encouraging power of wise and well thought out speech.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

"They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows." Psalm 64:3

"The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them." Proverbs 12:6

"The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24

"The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27

"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts." Proverbs 18:8

"The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools." Ecclesiastes 9:17

"On the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37

"The things we do, the things we say
Are gentle rays of hope that touch us all each day
The things we do, the things we say
These are the greatest gifts we'll ever give away"

The Things We Do, by Yolanda Adams

Coolest Jewish Guy Since Jesus

I just love the faith-filled music of my Jewish brother Matisyahu.

His perfect blend of humanity, heartfelt lyrics, and smooth reggae, rock and blues rhythms is like pure honey to my spirit! He inspires me!

Enjoy.

"One Day"

Sometimes I lay
Under the moon
And thank God I'm breathing

Then I pray
Don't take me soon
Cause I'm here for a reason

Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around

Because
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
They'll be no more wars
And our children will play

One day, one day, one day
One day, one day, one day

It's not about
Win or lose
Because we all lose
When they feed on the souls of the innocent
Blood drenched pavement

Keep on moving though the waters stay raging
In this maze you can lose your way (your way)
It might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you no way (no way)

Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around

Because
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
They'll be no more wars
And our children will play

One day, one day, one day
One day, one day, one day

One day this all will change
Treat people the same
Stop with the violence
Stop with the hate

One day we'll all be free
And proud to be
Under the same sun
Singing songs of freedom like

One day, one day

All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
They'll be no more wars
And our children will play

One day, one day, one day
One day, one day, one day

Ooooooooooooooooooohhhhh...

Shalom!

I love the smell of beets roasting in the morning...(LOL)

Ever since I quit abusing my liver with alcohol and pills (thank you Jesus!), I have been trying to slowly nurse it back to health. One thing I noticed is that it is very sensitive to the foods I eat now! I can’t eat like I used to! Whenever I eat a bunch of refined sugar, additives & preservatives, trans fats and other such garbage, I feel as if I have been run over by a massive truck!

A few months ago, I did a lot of research online about liver health and foods that are essential for maximum liver performance. In case you didn’t know, the liver is the largest organ in your body and it acts as a filter for your body. It is essential to digestion and total body function, because It breaks down chemicals and produces bile, which breaks down fat. Whenever your liver is full of toxins, your whole body is out of wack, and you begin feeling fatigued, achy, grouchy, headaches, insomnia, etc. A lot of psychiatric ills are also linked to poor liver function.

That’s when I decided to start eating better! Within a week I noticed my health skyrocket! I had more energy than I had had in a long time. My mood was better. Everything felt better! But…as with many other good things in my life…I got lax…and slowly, but surely found myself eating a bunch of garbage again. My new position as a VISTA and my other obligations require a lot out of me right now, and I had begun feeling really, really run down.

So, last night I recommitted myself to eating healthy! I went to the market and bought a bunch of fresh, healthy produce, cold water fish, and whole grains.

This is my first liver-friendly meal:




Spiced Vegan Stew
with Roasted Beet & Feta Cheese Salad

Snip the greens off of a bunch of fresh beets and wash them well. Slice them in strips. Shred cabbage and carrots and add them to the mix. Finally drain a can of chick peas and a can of black beans and dump them in! (Note: You can substitute any greens and beans you’d like, depending on preference.)

In a large, covered microwave-safe casserole dish, add 4 cups of water, 1 cube of Knorr vegetable bouillon, 2 pods of fresh crushed garlic, the juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon, 2 tablespoons of turmeric powder, several crushed black peppercorns, and a few generous dashes of Kosher salt. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes until it begins to boil. Add the greens and beans mixture, recover and microwave on high for another 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, stir 1 heaping tablespoon of cornstarch into a cup of cold water until it makes a smooth paste. Stir into the broth until evenly incorporated and microwave on high for another 1-2 minutes, or until the broth has thickened nicely. Let it cool, then enjoy!

As a yummy companion to this dish, I made a salad of baby field greens (spring mix) with a homemade citrus vinaigrette. The vinaigrette simply consists of extra virgin olive oil, juice of ½ Meyer lemon, juice of ½ grapefruit, 1 pod crushed garlic, fresh crushed peppercorns and a dash of Kosher salt. Finally, I topped the salad with crumbled feta cheese and some sliced beet roots that have been roasting in my convection/toaster oven all this time.

Yum! It feels (and tastes) so good to be back on track!

More liver-friendly recipes to come. :)

Women Rock!!!

Today is International Women's Day! 

I want to take a moment to thank all the women I know who are making a difference...in my life...in my church...in the body of Christ...in the community...and in the world!

My life has been touched by so many gracious, loving, empowered ladies who have tirelessly listened, laughed, prayed, cooked, loved, hugged, kissed boo boos, served, worked, driven, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc...........

And though we are aliens and strangers in this world in which we temporarily live, don't you just love all the little things women do to make this world a more beautiful, loving place to live in!?

Happy International Women's Day Ladies!

You rock!!!