A Ready Action

 . . . the fruit of the Spirit is
love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
and self-control.
There is no law (Jewish Law) against such things.

. . .

Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces so they may appear to men to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,  so that you will not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

. . .

. . . .

Not that I have already attained or have already been perfected, but I follow after it so that I may lay hold of that for which I was seized by Christ Jesus. 

I do not count myself to have attained, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 

I press toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

living water

I am made in the image of God, not your image of God.

We have talked about this values that we believe that Jesus spoke of, values that are embeded into the Godspel of Good News, and values which quite frankly the church universal could once again embody within itself in order that we might know this God that was present in Jesus more than two thousand years ago.

Sometimes I wonder whether the church today is really reading the Gospel of Jesus.

The Gospel of Jesus was always one about compassion.

The Gospel of Jesus was always one of love.

The Gospel of Jesus was always about building people up and not putting people down.

The Good News of Jesus was always about setting people free. And no matter who Jesus encountered in his journey in his life, in his ministry, he found ways to set people free, to find ways so that they might see a way when they thought there was no way, and to find their path, their way, their way, their truth and their light.

That's the Gospel of Jesus summed up for us, the Gospel that we are called out to live out in the world.

That is a cool thing our Senior Pastor shared.

PROGRAM LISTINGS & PROGRAM SCHEDULES

An Extraordinary Adventure

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Even at its natural best we can take our body - this marvel of creation - for granted. It serves us completely. Records and testimonies reveal its magnificence, its intricacies, its regenerative power, its responsiveness, its protectiveness, its servitude to our mindfulness. Our body is an everpresent miracle. It is where we live. Whatever house we may build or can afford to occupy, our heart is our home, our body is our address. But this body does not last forevever. We can.

Welcome to phenomenal life-thriving strategies delivered from the lean side of the mountain and embraced by many on this wondrous journey of life and learning - the continuation of our Extraordinary Adventure series.

"How do we cultivate young people who have the idealism, and the ambition, and the drive, and the passion to start their own journey to bring about meaningful and positive social change?"

You are altogether beautiful, my love;
    there is no flaw in you.

King Solomon

In deciding who you want to be, DECIDE what you want to DO.
To be your best, TAKE ACTIONS toward what 'best' is for.

"I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, that one will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.   The thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Jesus, Son of Man, Prince of Glory, Redeemer.

Who made the mountains? Who made the trees? Who made the rivers flow to the sea? Who sends the rain when the earth is dry? Who made the flowers to bloom in the spring? Who made the song for the robins to sing? Who hung the moon in the starry sky? Yes, all that and way much more! Our mind. Our body. Our spirit. Our soul.

Never let anyone put limits on what you can do! Don't allow it!

Phenomenal Life Strategies

Life Strategy # 8: "Smile."

Phenomenal life-affirming, life-thriving, life-uplifting strategies are being delivered by Our Lord Jesus on the lean side of the mountain. It's a new life.

Action Plan: Smile! "Set your heart and mind directly responsive to kind, warm, compassionate, productive actions, which in their completion produce smiles." Jesus gets personal with me again, whispering to me how to regenerate my being and remain fruitful in all ways along our journey. (What about you?) How do you remain relevant to your purpose?

Rejoice! Be Glad!
We are accompanied.
And many have gone before us.

Welcome to my 'inter-personal' share!

"I've heard it said, when God was done creating the universe God looked at what was done and said, "Very Good.' When God breathed into the human being God looked at this new life and said, 'Ta-dah!'"

Perhaps, all of us, regardless of where we are along our journey, may find ourselves in a place (or for a period) uneducated, under-educated, or appallingly mis-educated (dysfunctions in desperate need of restorative or transformative re-education) for the call of the moment. But how would we know this?

Perhaps, some of us, who were once worms (metaphorically speaking) and through the miracle of communal care or natural progression are becoming butterflies, are chewing off our new wings and allowing our new legs to atrophy, finding these features hindrances to burrowing through dirt and dead wood. We are in disharmony with our transformation. We are out of balance with our environment. We are scrounging our old world in search of new world coordinates. We are trapped between wormhood and freedom. (Lost. Looking for mud. Shocked at the fluttering wildness of brand new butterflies. Hungering for milkweed. Insecure in the blaze of a bright sun. Embattled!) The dominant pathology for such a condition left unchecked might well be sclerosis of the mind. A serious case, but fixable. It requires new education. Lesson Number 1: consult butterflies; mud worms are of no help to seekers in the sky world. But how would one know this?

Indeed and in fact, not all worms are fitted to grow wings or by any known mode can, and some of these are wiser left to the functional joys of aeration and irrigation - necessities - highlighting that it is best ALWAYS to strive to be the best for what one is authentically most fitted to do. Therein is joy.

In reality, the grand human being is not a worm. The grand human being is afforded the wisdom of a metaphor and thus it stands to good reasoning that becoming a worm, even one with wings, is by far a less wiser aspiration for creative beings such as each of us.

Balance. Focus. Rhythm. Beside being the central themes of our Grand Adventure, these are essentials to being and becoming, to doing and accomplishing.

Balance without rhythm is stasis. (Cocconery). Rhythm without focus is wildness. (Chicanery). Focus without balance is foolishness. (Tom-foolery - Monkey business).

The goal with any new transformation (with every succesful growth) is to find new balance and to acheive a new sustainable rhythm in order to refocus on the new goal in a manner that would improve the odds for success.

Our body, mind and spirit need to adapt. Or we will grow weary and exhausted. Our body, mind and spirit need to adjust for endurance toward the new goal.

One effective method of bringing body, mind and spirit into alignment with its environment, new or old, is called fasting. There are many ways of going about this. Let's visit a few of these then make a choice.

Growth. Grace. Harmony. Understanding. Confidence.
Change. Endurance. Hope. New Life.
Resurrection.

Riding Moby Dick - adapt to a newer and more fulfilling experience. Rebuild yourself for sustainability through newer climes and optimal performance up newer climbs. The utmost for your highest. Riding Moby Dick. Check it out.

FASTING WELL

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING or IT WILL DO YOU IN

Isn't this cool? Adaptability! Oh how I love it. Can I talk?

Hi, my bible-thumper friends who are pounding the pavements for my sweet Jesus, isn't it cool to rediscover our Jesus in the light of exactly where we are along our journey? You are so dedicated. Love that. I know - we sometimes honestly believe we are doing God a great big favor by beating others over the head with the bible believing we can knock some holy sense into the wicked ones and beat the sin out of the sinner ones. Let's reconsider. The Bible is a Book of Life. God knows exactly what is in our hearts - yours, mine, theirs - we don't have to wave a bible high and dry (or any good book for that matter) as proof of who we are - just let our light shine. Really, it is more than enough! And when we fast - oh, isn't it enlightening fun knowing exactly what is really going on inside our body, mind and spirit when we fast; oh, yes it is - so let us out with the frowns. Bring on the charm.

What do you think?

"Let's give that a shot. Do the bible and let the light shine out."

Smile.

Smile. It is NOT about pretending. It is about BEING. Smile. Resurrect the reasons for your smile. Gratitude! That's #1. Understanding! That's #2. Your turn: find the next 10. They exist. Your story is your life. Your life is your story. You own your narrative. I own mine. We are our stories.

Drop the facade. Rip off the false modesty. Did someone make a mistake creating us? Not me! Let's keep our eyes on the prize. Consider The Beneficiary.

{{{ Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I hear some of that grumbling: I am in a major battle here; I am in the middle of a catastrophe; I am being beaten over the head; I am in a bloody mess; I am within an inch of my life; and you are telling me the answer is I must smile? Nope! We are preparing ourselves to effectively deal with the struggles you are in, the dangers presented us by dysfunction, corruption, egoism, oppression. We are building our muscles. We are building our endurance. We are building our strength, our flexibility, our focus. We are preparing for the battle and beyond. And we don't have much time. Where you are is a whole other matter!!! And we are far from staying in the dark about that! You are looking for a winning strategy for the war. Oh, yes! It's all part of Phenomenal Strategies for a Beautiful Life. Entering the battle ill-prepared adds to death and destruction. Who would we want to win? }}}

We are our stories. Does your story need a turn around?

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. _ Robert Frost

Take time (if need be) to discover, hone, and use your gifts. You'll find useful steps (discovery process, action plans) in Riding Moby Dick. Just Click!

Is your body, mind and spirit allowed proper recovery time?
Put out the Do Not Disturb Sign

GLO-REY!

"I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, nor shall anyone snatch them from My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them from My Father’s hand. My Father and I are one." All things are possible. Start with what is just outside your comfort zone. Believe. Act upon it. Step outside and breathe.

WORD TO THE WISE: Stand up and stand out. Let them just LOOK at you and LONG to fast too.

Oh, did I mention my three-year high-flying stints on our runways, in glamour mags, across billboards, and atop swanky store posters? Why are you laughing? Don't laugh. Those were gorgeous days!! Should they even count: I didn't dress me. Nope! Experts did. I have no idea how they pulled those cute rabits out of this bouncy black hat. None whatsoever! Some spell was cast. That was my thinking, for I was simply enjoying letting them have fun doing with what they were awesome at doing. Whoever cast the original spell, I figured it best to hurry on out before my carriage turned back into a pumpkin, so I bolted before the clock struck twelve. Left both glassies behind. No regrets! Learned something though. Just let light shine.

That was the magic. That was the spell. Letting light shine!

There is an ocean of difference between narcissm and damn-good-looking, between show-off and brand-pride, between selfishness and self-aware, between pompousity and poise. Innocence. Authenticity. Joyous confidence. They go a very long way.

Did you know Jesus dressed real nice. How do I know? For one, as despicable as it was while he was suffering on the cross, his garments went up for immediate auction - Golgotha's Ebay - to the highest bidder! Not the only evidence. Besides, anyone with the heart and soul and mind as sharp and swell as Jesus' has got to be way more than just fine!

Let light shine. If there is no internal light, the best one can hope for, it seems to me, is to be a reflector, then one will have to keep shining that thing to keep up appearances. It is a valid option.

If there is light on in the side, let it shine through; it will brighten, it will guide, it will bless, it will reveal, it will of its nature say a lot about the light's Great Creator. Let's give it a try.

Whether our light is natural or reflected - here are some useful tips to maximize the dispersion of its wattage and for us to keep looking as good as new. Remember: this is your life; only you can live it. Shine. Action required! It would be real nice, wouldn't it, to stand up in that light and hear a Big Voice from Heaven saying of you, "Ta-dah!"

Grooming Opinions - You Choose

19 Habits of Really Health Women by Catherine Pearson

10 Grooming Habits of Succesful Men by Lee Kynaston

Riding Moby Dick by Neville DeAngelou

"Knowledge that takes you not beyond yourself is far worse than ignorance." Elif Shafak.

Something To Consider

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You are

What POWER!