A Little Humor
A very proper lady began planning a week’s camping vacation for her and her Baptist Church group. She wrote to a campground for reservations. She wanted to make sure that the campground was fully equipped and modern, but couldn’t bring herself to write the word “toilet” in her letter. So, she decided on the old-fashioned term “Bathroom Commode.” Once written down, her puritan upbringing still made her uncomfortable using the term. Finally she decided the abbreviation “B.C.” would be best and she wrote: Dear Sir: I am sure your campground is...
Read MoreNothing and Everything
I thank God for each eye-opening experience. There is darkness in the interior realm that only He can use! Until He brings the light I remain darkened about the cause or source of the disturbances I feel. Today, I glory in the paradox of being the cause of nothing and of everything. God is at work in me, of this I am certain. Nothing changes in me apart from Him. He is my awakening and my continued slumber. When I finally see what I could not see it feels like I could have seen it sooner…but I could not. Conditions (painful and other) create my preparedness to see, to let go, and to...
Read MoreA Whole New Meaning
The subject of addiction sits at the core of my inner workings – which makes it a hard subject to resist. For this post, I’ll highlight addiction as anything that a false sense of “self” obsesses over; that which the false self determines to conquer or overcome. It could be anything; even the equivalent to Paul’s thorn in the flesh. Addiction manifests in many forms but I believe people”s propensity toward addiction is grounded in the illusion of a separate self – twisting uniquely in each person. There are no pat answers for overcoming addiction...
Read MoreMore Paradox
In co-union I find the poise of life—the balance between being broken and running wild; between lying down and running away; between being selfish and being selfless. Although, paradoxically speaking how can I be “self-less?” Christ did not come to replace self or to eradicate it. It is “self” that accurately bears the image of one deity or the other. On one side of paradox it is impossible to be selfless for God created me to be a self. He asks me to love my neighbor as my self. Therefore the self is to be loved, even as the neighbor is to be loved. ...
Read MoreDifferent, Yet the Same
I have a melancholy temperament and often feel the need to be understood. I like knowing I”m on the same page with others and tend to work hard to articulate or extrapolate meaning. I cherish this part of me when it’s nested in God; but for the struggling mind in me it can be a false cry for conformity. How often have I looked for validation through uniformity with others? When I need to “be like you” to feel credible then even a different outlook will make me auto-adjust or over-correct my position to make sure I’m rightly understood. It’s as though any...
Read MoreDoing and Being
There was no other choice for me…leaving the familiar was like God pushing me out of the nest. New turf is rewarding and exhilarating – but also a lot like a junkie with intense withdrawals. There are days I am screaming on the inside… demanding some form of definition as to who I am and what I’m supposed to be DOING in life. “Doing” is like a drug that masks the pain of waking up to being myself. The skin crawls and the flesh cries out like the drug addict who would sell their very soul for another fix. I know…I’m melodramatic, but...
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