What stinks!?

Ever wake up in the morning and wonder, What the heck is that smell?!

If you think I'm speaking of midnight toots I am not! I am speaking of what happens when water doesn't flow.. And no I am not talking about having to pee either. I am using a metaphor here ya goof!

Does your life look like, or smell like this?

When water gets trapped and can't flow it becomes stagnant. Define this word Joel!

Okay.

stag·nant/ˈstagnənt/

Adjective:

(of a body of water or the atmosphere of a confined space) Having no current or flow and often having an unpleasant smell as a consequence. Showing no activity; dull and sluggish: "a stagnant economy". Not advancing or developing.

So when you wake up in the morning and smell something, could it be something stagnant? Maybe you live next to a pond, or maybe the smell is coming from your life?

I know I've been waking up with some stinkyness lately. Probably for a few reasons, but mostly I haven't been flowing, moving, doing.... Yes I wake up and literally move and do things, but am I doing anything that I am "Called" to do? With out these things our lives begin to lack activity, become dull, sluggish. Not advancing or developing.

Do you think before water flows it decides whether it should flow or not? Luckily for water gravity just kind of takes over. Sometimes I think it would be good if gravity forced us to move as well. Does water worry about being successful in it's flowing? Whether it will flow to where it is meant to be? NO. It just flows when it has freedom to.

WE HAVE FREEDOM TO FLOW! WHY DO WE CHOOSE NOT TO?! WE WILL END UP STINKING IF WE DON'T!!

We don't even have to worry if we will flow properly to where we need to be. GOD has taken care of that. So why do we become stagnant?

FEAR????

Oh my my! I hate the word as I hate what it encompasses. It holds us back when we think it is protecting us. It is the master of all deception. A fun little acronym for fear, False Evidence Appearing Real. When we were cave men/women and ran away from a saber tooth tiger, that was good fear. When we don't try something because we might fail, don't say something because we might be wrong, sit at home instead of going out because something bad might happen, that is a bad kind of fear. Again it can lead to being a stinky dude or dudette! Who wants to be stinky?
When fear stops us from doing something we are called to do the deception has stopped us from bringing life to others and ourselves. Just like a river that stops flowing..

So where does the stink comes from?

I read a little about it online (also know about it because of my degree in stinkology) And it's because simply put, things in the water begin to die and decompose when the water doesn't flow. So stagnancy leads to death.. I don't mean if you don't move in your life you will die.. I mean if you don't move in your life you will feel less alive. Your life will suffer and it also won't lead to you bringing life to others. Your river will be all damned up.

We are meant to flow!

A river flows and brings life to all around it. Even most communities are built around a moving body of water. It is such a great symbol for a healthy life! And when a rock falls in a river and stops some of the flow, the river doesn't wait and think about what should be done or out of fear stop flowing. It flows around and sure enough it gets to where it needs to be.

That is so much like us in life. We get all fearful of whether we are going the right places or moving when we are supposed to. A rock falls in front of us and in stead of flowing around it we stop flowing all together. We start to stink and then inevitably we aren't bringing life to ourselves or others.

We have to trust in God! That when we flow God will take care of us getting to the dead trees and vegetation. That even if it feels like we aren't going where we are supposed to sometimes, God can use our water as long as it's flowing..

So my advice to you and to me and to the frogs and the monkeys.... WE NEED TO FLOW!!

Here's a new acronym for ya.. FLOW, Freely Living Optimistically Waiting..

Live freely and have hope that God will do with you what needs to be done.

Romans 8:28 NIV

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

So FLOW! (Freely Live Optimistically waiting). Don't let FEAR (false evidence appearing real) stop you from bringing life to others or living what you are called to do! The last thing we want to be is stinky lifeless people right?

This is the picture of what your life could look like..

Light through glass

Ever been inspired?

I love the sound of water, birds in the spring, the breathing of a person I care about.
I love summer grass when it's a little too long, the bark on an old tree, a narrow root ridden path in the middle of the woods.

Ever just feel love like it's a blanket? It covers you and then you feel like everything is going to be okay... Even at 5am.. Even when nothing around you is perfect. I've been feeling very ill the past week or so.. After many amazing accomplishments. This tends to happen to me. Right now though I just feel like it all makes sense, in a muddy water kind of way. eerrrr?

Why am I up so late? Because I feel love and I needed to write about it. Love.. Even the hateful are surprised by it hitting them in the face. It's powerful. I need sleep but, what could be more important. I have to write about it now.

love as defined by Wikipedia;
Love is an emotion of a strong affection and personal attachment. love is also a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection; and "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another". Love may also be described as actions towards others or oneself based on compassion, or as actions towards others based on affection.

love as defined by the bible;
1 Corinthians 13
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. ³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Can it be argued that love isn't the pinnacle of human emotion and quite possibly also the core of what it means to be human. Let it fill you up and flow through you. inspire you to do, not only for others but for yourself, beyond what is deserved or expected. Wake up to the gift of life and don't take it for granted. Stop looking at the world around you like it's a normal every day occurrence but a miracle that we can barely grasp. LOVE. Don't try to contain it, share it. Love contained is like a cure withheld. Don't love less but more. Love through smiles, hugs, hand shakes, gifts, listening, patience, kindness, goodness, forgiveness, being. These are ways of showing love. And if you're empty of love ask God for more. Try it.

I guess I was just inspired and needed to post this. To encourage. You can't love too much but you can always love too little.

It flows freely through birds who sing it

flowers who spring it

children who bring it

though hate can try, undone to make

unrest of soul, the heart won't break

through the birds

through flowers

through children

through the very air we breath

exhale is all it takes

through you it lives

Give the eyes away... The eyes...

So I felt the need to write... just had some brain monkeys that needed out. Brains been pretty much on overdrive lately. So many ideas and thoughts jumping around, which I love. With this poem I am trying to express the search for truth. I don't want to say too much because I think it's important people get what they want out of it. Feel free to post about the poem below what you feel it means or ask me questions about it.. Alabaster sandwich.



anyway it's late again I need to sleep and dream of strange adventures..

here it is.. wammo



The faintest light shines, though confined
the image forms through hours combined
with shaking, waking, sometimes warm
sometimes cold or night or storm
illuminating shadows, shapes
the cycle loves, it's masks, it's hates
so breathe intent to take the eyes
break and build, cycle's despise
the foolish voice, such easy prey
the fools all gather, the worlds display
But foolish only fools the flesh
the soul and spirit with truth confess
life will grow from dust, a tree
the lost, the hurt, will be set free
from winds a whisper all will hear
the faintest light will make things clear

ALERT..ALERT..NEW VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey yall, I stayed up late while my video uploaded.. YAWN.. It's a new one with me and my sis Leah discussing things. We talk about the importance of creativity and some other various things. As of late I have been on a creative role so I encourage everyone else to do the same.

I need to sleep but I'm glad I finished it so here it is!! YAY

new painting....And thoughts...

Hi ya'll.. Being creative keeps my veins pumping.. Lately I've been able to create again and I want to keep the momentum going. BE CREATIVE!!! It brings life!! If you have an idea for a painting just start it, or anything for that matter, carve soap if you have to! Finish it! Who cares what it looks like. But be patient with yourself.. Patience is a gift from God. So is creativity. Join the two and the skies the limit! BAM!!

Who's a donkey? and purpose?

It's taken me a little longer to finally post this so I apologize.. Here it FINALLY is...

The last so many months lots has happened! Good bad and ugly. (Little movie reference there). Last year when I started writing this blog I was making some big changes in my life, trying to make the move from a mediocre life to a life with true purpose and fulfillment. How you may ask could one make such changes? Well that's a really big and crazy question that I don't think I can answer while writing this blog, just trying to be honest. But I will attempt to throw it at you in a somewhat honest way.

Here goes something....

I kind of want to be willing to die for something....... hmmm. That just kinda came out.. I read it back and it's kind of scary too.. Do I mean it? Maybe? Whether I would actually do it or not is a different story but I think, or feel, that to live with true purpose a person must have that... A purpose to live, something to fight for... A true challenge on your life itself...

How does being willing to die for something have anything to do with that?

I want to be so devoted to something that it means more than life itself.. Ever seen the movie Braveheart? It's an awesome movie, it also touches on this subject, Mel Gibson playing William Wallace is quoted saying, "Every man dies, not every man really lives." So to die is inevitable right? We all die.. It's not really that scary, what is scary is dieing with out ever really living.. Your life is your one chance to impact the world. So don't be afraid of dying, be afraid of not living.

If you have seen Braveheart (spoiler here) you know that William Wallace dies at the end but he dies knowing that he has fought for the freedom of his people. He was willing to die to obtain that goal because it was so important! I'm not saying I want to be a martyr either or that we should want that. I want to live, but I know there are some things that may be more important than life itself... A bigger picture that I affect but that has nothing to do with me.

I started a house church, okay so that's something I want to write a blog about and start sharing more, right now though I just wanted to say that we were talking about faith today and Corrie Ten Boom came up. She wrote a book called the hiding place and was a holocaust survivor. The book is amazing and in it she talks about her sister Betsie. Her sister is such an amazing example of faith. Faith in God. I want to post a video of Corrie Ten Boom for people to listen to because it is sooo inspiring..



The amazing thing about Betsie is that she fully trusted God. She had faith. She was suffering in a concentration camp and eventually would die there, but her purpose did not end with her death. We were talking today about how she must have had no idea that a guy named Joel Thompson in Fredericton NB would have had his life changed by her story. Not to mention the millions of others who could say the same. So that's what I'm talking about when I say a bigger picture. I really recommend you read the hiding place. The stories of Betsie's faith will shake you up!

a little quote from Corrie Ten Boom on faith..
"Faith is like radar that sees through the fog-the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see."

Okay so back to life with purpose through faith...

Ever seen a donkey following a carrot? In order to get the donkey to go forward it is tempted with something it wants right in front of it. Unfortunately no matter how much the donkey walks it won't end up getting the carrot.. It just walks and walks and walks. It could be walking by a bunch of carrots but the one right in front of it has it so focused it misses so many things. It blinds it to what may be all around it. What it may really need.

hmmmmm..

I think in some ways many of us end up living lives just like this donkey. With out true purpose, we are so caught up chasing things, trying to obtain the things that are easy, right in front of us but things that may never be fulfilling (Money, power, social status, job status, carrots. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, STOP CHASING THE CARROT!! Challenge yourself to pursue something that means everything to you. Something more risky than chasing a carrot. Then have faith because you're gonna need it!

It can be scary to stop chasing the carrot because then we start seeing everything in front of us, to the sides of us. It can be overwhelming. We don't see the carrot so we don't see there is immediate gratification. That's where faith comes in..

Hebrews 11:1 says;
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Do not see? But confidence, hope and assurance.. We may not always see right in front of us exactly what we think we need and want but with faith we can be assured that God is providing those things. We can trust and be at peace, have confidence that if we need a carrot God will give it to us.. Not just dangle it in front of us at a safe distance to keep us moving. We choose to move on our own and have faith God will provide..

Okay so I think some of this has made a little sense.. I'm going to call my blogs free thought blogs lol.. I don't pre plan any of this just write whats on my mind..

So with someone like Betsie Ten Boom if she just focused on what was right in front of her she might have thought, oh no I could die here, my life could end. If she had done that she would have been so down about her situation she wouldn't have said all of the amazing things that inspired Corrie which then ended up in the book which then changed so many lives.. But she had something bigger than life to focus on, a trust in a God who had a plan. A purpose that has continued on long after her death. Imagine if we all had her faith.. Faith to not just take the safe path, to stay joyful when our lives may not be going as planned, to truly live despite our circumstance. I guess that's what I want and I know it's a journey that takes a relationship with God. A God bigger than death. To have faith in a purpose that is his so it too, will live on after I'm gone.

Stuffs

Hi every people.

Okay....

So....

I realize I haven't posted in 80 years but I really want to start posting frequently again. As per usual lots of things are going on in life. Lot's of awesome changes! There have been some negatives but I know they are all still leading to a greater purpose. Yes I believe that!

I am not going to post anything long right now but tomorrow I will post with more detail. Just want to get the ball rolling. So YEAH!!!