A one posted:

"Why don't pennies really fall from heaven?"

Being myself, I submitted that the reasonable answer is: It's too long a descent? Yet, the somewhat overlooked, & thus, awkward response is; If we were really looking Up enough, then we wouldn't need no pennies!

But hey, it's Saturday, so don't let me distract you from yourself. Love though, like what Irene is doing back home, sometimes requires a freshening. Sure, some want less, other need more, me, well, I just want my portion..

Happiness is a feeling(not);

Being in Redding CA. with the Senior Pastors yesterday, I learned a few things, & somethings were confirmed as well. Men, especially men with the power to change lives, often dislike change the most, & yet in some Men, the Love of & for the Lord is so pronounced, growth, change & stability are in abundance!

How strange is that?

As for me, and my house, we will seek to not just hold the line in the sand, or the salary in hand, but be witnesses in all the world, engaged in the promise(s)..

Quote of the day;

“It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens, but we, the whole people, who formed the Union … Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.” – Susan B. Anthony.

This day(August 18th.) marks the 91st anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

Can't God use you

Cussing & Killing aside: "If Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer,

Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Mary was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead?

What's your excuse?

Yes Universe, this is upsetting,

but not for the obvious reason(s).

Crime(s) like this are common enough in the country because of the hate filled rhetoric people use so loosely about how they feel about the President, to Immigration, to Education, to this unwillingness to tax the rich, and give health care to those who need it most. Yes, the images are brutal, but so was the intent!

Video: Hate crime? Killing caught on video

cnn.com

Demons do exist;

To choose the Bohemian lifestyle, or for that matter, to adopt the nonconformist banner, as a way to express your(own) individualistic, loner, lone wolf status, isn’t the same as attacking, or attempting to belittle the spiritual beliefs and/or institutions that others immerse themselves within.

Actually, to be a true enfant terrible (a usually young and successful(?) person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, or avant-garde), would require taking off the mask of whatever sub set, or counter cultural persona we wear, and strike out as ourselves, walking amongst those that we seek to dispossess, with our character as the counter balance, not the outrageousness of our dress, or our obvious lack of respect, being the only thing that’s readily apparent in our protest.

But it’s (1st.) Friday, and those are my personal thoughts on the idea of how best to make a loud noise, without scaring the small children amongst us(and she will sleep(again) through the night eventually)..

Obama is just a man.

Thursdays come, & let me say that yes, please have a Happy B/Day Mr. President, you're a nice man, a swell dad, and an able husband.

The country though, is run by (white)men, who, when they see you, are reminded that all that came before, is now in the past, & in all honesty, they're not happy! The recession though, it started before I voted for you, & I'm not holding just you responsible for fixing it.

No, not me'

I wasn’t born by the river in a little tent, & so, not like that river I’ve not been running' ever since. Though, with eyes wide open, I know it's been a long time coming & right now, I'm more than sure, a change's going to come!

So much isn't real anymore, & so many things are for real nonetheless, so to me, change is coming, and no amount of ideology twisting is going to stop this change from becoming reality.

I was like wow! I should have wrote this;

"Believing the dream till it stole mine

What about a dream where the people cry

For the healing of a land both soul and mind

What about a dream where the dream was changed

Not for change sake, but for the highest gain?"

Dominic Balli - American Dream (Official Music Video) (HD) [feat. Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D.)

www.youtube.com

Thanks Wendy...

‎‎"We all need food, shelter, and love.
We all crave attention, recognition, and affection, and above all, HAPPINESS. Reflect on these commonalities you have with others, and ignore the differences...this is compassion.

Compassion is the key to true happiness in yourself and others. ♥"

I actually feel lighter;

"Did the Lord not say whatever is right I'll pay?

Did the Lord not say work while it is day?

Did the Lord not say He would take us away?

If I labor (oh yes) God is gonna give me a crown!

So I believe I'll work (work) in the vineyard

(for)The Sun is goin down…"

(Pop & Marvin Winans ad lib out)

Yes, I did resign, but I still Love you all!

Just to clear the air, I still work for Jesus, and He still directs my energy and efforts within the Ministry. But just as His word states, we(the body of believers) are His Church, and no building, or particular grouping of chairs, does a House of the Lord make!

Me, everything I built, and all the processes I’m directing, I will continue to work diligently within, and, if the day comes when another seeks to take up the many responsibilities, I will be more than happy to relinquish them.

In the between though, me, I was fashioned for service. Not the conversation about service, nor the endless discussions surrounding how best to serve, but, actual service! And in that regard, that’s where I will always be.

My numbers won’t change, and with all due respect, neither will my friendships. But the time has come for the Men who Serve the Living God to do something other than attempt to not upset each other, and me, I refuse to watch the snails race any longer….

Worship Team this Morning

Some mornings, even knowing the blessing(s), it seems I get a little apprehensive nonetheless.

Which is the 2nd. reason why I always seek to live within Love. For without it, this, and many other morning would be a greater challenge indeed...

I don't fear it;

Ever had a friend that keeps a smile welling up inside of you? Well, I do, and sometimes, I need that smile more often than not.

"Thursday reminds me that it isn't the day,

as much as it is the purpose(s) placed within it!"

Tuesday

The reality of knowing yourself is understanding what truly makes you unique. 

For being different than everyone else is not always easy, especially if those within and around you do not recognize, or appreciate the things that make you, completely you!

"People often say that this or that one has not yet found himself. But the self is not something that one finds, it's something that one creates.
- Thomas Szasz"

VBS on my mind;

Sunday, though it roared in like a lion, unleashing the rains, and stirring the leaves again, there was more than just a little bit of peace surrounding the services this morning. With the prayer ladies undergirding each service with their supplications, even the most difficult, was handled accordingly.

And then God, being Himself, showed me Jonathan @ last. And in that, I was refreshed...

Such an emotional Month;

Saturday finds me on my way to church for the 6:00pm Service, and as weird as the rain(s) last night, I was thinking about Wisconsin. The quad on the Isthmus, the Big Lake in winter, & then, I remembered this song:

“The years brought the railroad, It ran by my door. Now there's boards on the windows, And dust on the floor. And she passes the time at another man's side, And I pass the time with my pride”

2 Corinthians 10:13  “We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority. We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you.”

What is(unconditional) Love?

"Unconditional love is a term that means to love someone regardless of the loved one's qualities or actions. The paragon of unconditional love is a mother's love for her newborn. Unconditional love is often used to describe the love in an idealized romantic relationship. It may sometimes also be used to describe love between family members, comrades in arms and between others in highly committed relationships.

Unconditional love in committed relationships (of any kind; business, personal, etc.) should never be interpreted to mean that an individual is required to (or should) remain in an abusive and dysfunctional relationship. One can still love someone unconditionally, but that should never be interpreted to mean that the 'victim' is required or should stay in the dysfunctional relationship."

And yes, our God can Love us with an unconditional Love, but, He is God after all. The rest of us, well, we have to admit that with friends, lovers, husbands, family members, our love is conditional.

Even you asked, hey, can't two people enjoy one another, like the other, and not try to change the other? And my answer is; yes, but, you'd have had worked that out as it began.

Me, I won't die daily underneath the absence of Love. Jesus did that, and that's not me...   

Comforting words

1 Cor 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

And so it begins

Wednesday finds me wondering, how much do we over love our children? And yes, for those overly permissive parents, I get that I'm too concerned, too fearful of what I know the world is, and yet, having a child turn to the world, and away from the life that calls him repeatedly, well, it makes me worry.

Someone saw him though, so, at least I know he's near enough still...