The GOOD News:For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. THAT'S IT IN A NUTSHELL.
THE whole chebang IN A NUTSHELL
"‘Love the Lordyour God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The hidden hand. Miracles! Perhaps there are little miracles and big miracles. Perhaps miracles are all immeasurable. Either way, isn't it rather remarkable to witness or to experience miracles? Surely from these wisdom beckons.
But not all hidden hands are alike.
The hidden hand. Puppetry! {Guilt. And shame. Fear. Oppression. Anxiety. And that wanting to please. Desparation.} = {mechanised eyes prepped for messy hooks}. Surely, in these too (vulnerabilities) there is wisdom buried: perhaps the miracle of forgiveness; perhaps beautiful lessons; though truly, along life's pathways much more is caught than ever taught.
However, not all hands are hidden!
Guideposts are handy, but only along the particular paths upon which they are erected. Journeying humans fair far better equipped, knowledgable and wise, celebrating each step along the way. For that reason, yet not that alone, we find great wisdom in a bold new vision: the new creation. May it be also that along such a journey yea is yea and nay is nay, each arrayed in its beauty, standing in dignity, rising in divinity.
Light needs no eye to be
Nor hand to make it better
Done right by God. Doing right by each other.
Elegance: finding balance in this light.
"I have loved you with an everlasting love."
Learnings from the everydayness of authentic life-choices (because someone said yes, honorably) . . .
and found a way to become much more.
The Walk
Nicolette Sowder
"Give me the wild children with their bare feet and sparkling eyes. The restless, churning climbers. The wild ones using their outside voices, singing all the way home. Give me the wonder-filled, glorious mess makers dreaming of mountains and mud, aching to run through a field of stars."
FAVORITE QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Jefferson Fisher
How to decline an invitation
Number One: Begin with the turn down. This sounds like 'I can't, or I need to take a pass, or I need to say no.' You're not beating around the bush. You are being direct and to the point.
Number Two: Show gratitude. For example, 'I appreciate the invitation. Thank you for thinking of me.'
{When you make the mistake of leading with gratitude, like 'Thank you, but I can't go,' the word BUT takes away from that gratitude. When you use gratitude second, you keep the full expression of it.}
Number Three: Show kindness. It can be as simple as, 'It sounds like a wonderful time; I'm sure it's going to go great.' Here you are just reciprocating the thoughtfulness of the gesture.
So put it all together. Let's assume you got an invitation to a dinner party, you can reply, 'I need to take a pass. I appreciate you thinking of me. I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful time.' Rarely, if ever, will you get any push back.
'I'm sure' is rendered 'I'm sure' (in italics) within this quotation in order to highlight our recommendation of 'I wish for you' or a blessing in its place, unless sureness is guaranteed.
"Live without pretending. Love without depending. Listen without defending. Speak without offending."
Isaiah, the Prophet
"Rise up, shine, because your light has come. The glory of Yahweh has risen upon you. Look, darkness has covered the land. Deep darkness covers the people. But Yahweh will rise upon you. His glory will appear over you, and nations will come to your light."
Bishop Gene Robinson
"It's funny isn't it? That you can preach a judgmental and vengeful and angry God and nobody will mind. But you start preaching a God that is too accepting, too loving, too forgiving, too merciful, too kind . . . and you are in trouble."
Desmond Tutu
"You may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.."
Salt of The Soil
SAND is not SALT
Be who YOU are! If you don't like what you are, TRANSFORM
Do what it takes! If you don't like where you're headed, TURN
The BEST you is you. Be you! Don't lose your salt.
Dear God, grant me victory today over all that assails. Help me square up to even the greatest challenges and claim authority over them, unafraid. Amen.
"Learn to find joy in the story you are actually living." Rachel Marie Martin
"It was not enough to come and listen to a great sermon or message every Sunday morning and be confined to those four walls and those four corners. You had to get out and do something."
Good News Quotes from Inside The Chapel are featured presentations consisting primarily of published quotes highlighted with the intention of a) underlining an aspect of Good News in a Nutshell, b) uplifting, and c) sharing in alignment with our mission.
The Journey - Your Voice Illuminated - Our Global Digital Radio Show & Podcast. We stop at exotic places, meet fascinating folks with intriguing stories and novel solutions to some of life's tricky problems. We play a few games too, and track remarkable characters of three classics: ILICET - A Time To Begin Again (True Story) SBL Series: 2:26 AM, The Gathering (Matchbox Mystery) and Flight Of The Fused Monkeys (5-Star Series).. Enjoy top dramatic, inspirational, mystery, scifi, and true stories. Live. Love. Laugh. Look. Listen. Lead. Learn with us.
Why Does It Hurt
