OUCH!

OOOOPS!!! Falling on my face is sooo hard and hurts. however what would hurt worse is not rebounding from falling. IN other words, staying on the ground. That is never ever good. I am so glad I am made of rubber and go straight to what hurts look at it laugh and say whoops there goes another rubber tree plant. I hurt when initially stung, then grasp my fist, shake it at the devil and tell him he's not going to win. God is great. And loving and caring.
And may He be there for all of us.

Where is love?

Where is love? Does it fall from skies above? Wrote Leslie Berceusse in his musical Oliver!. Answering that question is never easy, especially to abandoned and orphaned children. Never easy in that that sentiment stays with us through life. What Paul teaches us is that love is not a snap, just like knowing and being in the Spirit is not a snap, but it is something that as we progress through life we grow into, but we have to be willing to grow, and like little shoots that have to push their way through dirt, endoparasites, ectoparasites, heat, cold etc,  we must be willing to bear with pain and hardships and as we grow we walk and become perfect as He is perfect in His love. May God bless us with His Spirit during our walk as our walk becomes His walk.

Family

I am not a reductionist. I do not believe that things should be reduced to the least common denominator. I do not believe that things should be brought to the prime number in which they exist. I do believe in complexities innate in all of us, from the smallest amoeba to the largest land mammal. That being said, I am definitely not with those who would define family as genetic in origin. That is definitely a part of it, and in my genetic family I have one living brother and mom as well as cousins and nieces and soon to be grand-nieces. BUT that is not my only family. My family is the family of Christ and God. More than spiritual are many of them but definitely when I commit to God to be His and His alone the Spirit makes me Him and then makes me part of us. I love being in my family, we fellowship, we have regular fun days, spring and fall fests, and we come together as a family to take a meal at the Lord's table. I am often proud of my family in their achievements in school and in their turning of their lives toward God. And that decision is the best decision we all can make.

God hugs the stuffings out of His children

Whoever thinks we have an impersonal foreboding God has 1) never had a loving father in their house, 2) has no idea of what the scriptures say about God. God is a great and holy King, yes, He is mysterious, yes, He is God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit wrapped in one package deal yes. But He is anything but impersonal and foreboding. I will tell you that there were times I was terrified of the punishment I would get from my father when I did wrong, and it was truly because I deserved it. But there was always an air of love and being proud to be my dad, and call me his child. The blessings that God gives me, above and beyond my requests and expectations, that to me is God hugging the stuffings out of me. And I love Him for it. Numerous times I have felt myself sitting in His lap while I cry and He comforts me. No, God is very very personal. And I am so blessed and honored by Him.

When we are alone

I lost a dear pet a few weeks ago. I loved Henry, a black cat starting to get grey around the gills. He was 15, and he had a massive heart attack. I loved him. And now I freak out with every little twitch the other love of my life, Robert, makes. But what I forget is that even though I feel alone I am not alone. Even when mom passes, when Robert passes, when all my friends (pets and people) pass I am not alone. God is always there. Jesus walks with me. Jesus loves me.And He knows I hurt. He lived through it.